The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 154 -
The use of the power to perform wonders.
I said: "Most certainly, but if one of you can feel a still higher power in himself, then he can use that also, at least if this would be wise at a certain time and place, but at no time for the reason of showing all the things he can do, but only if in one or the other way he secretly can accomplish something really good for the people in the presence of a few and wise witnesses. Because I cannot give you only the power to heal bodily sicknesses of people, for he who has received this power completely - just like you now - has with that also received the power for a lot of other things.
2
But he should not show himself with this to the world, so that those should marvel at him and then will also firmly believe everything that he will proclaim to them. But the possessor of such higher spiritual power from Me should always direct himself to Me with the question: 'Lord, if it is also Your will that I will make use of the power that You have given me, then let me know it in my heart and unify Your almighty will with the power that You have mercifully given to me. But if it is not Your will, make it also known to me according to Your love, wisdom and mercy.' Then I will always immediately answer such humble question with yes or no in the heart of the one who asked this question, and I will also clearly show him the reason why a sign should be performed or omitted. The possessor of such a power that was given by Me will however also be able to perform the wonder without My complete approval, but it will be of no benefit to him, and still less to the one for whom he did it, and you also can remember that, because the one who will in every respect completely walk and act with Me, his works will always go together with the true blessing.
3
But remember most of all what I have pointed out to you and to all the disciples on the Mount of Olives, namely that you who are proclaiming My gospel to the people, should mainly work by means of the power of the word, because a person who will come to full repentance by the word is a greater gain for My godly Kingdom than 1.000 people who are forced by signs and wonders to accept My teaching. Because the pure word and its light will remain forever, but the signs will disappear and are practically of no value to the descendants who did not witness it. That means that those things are only believed blindly as something extraordinary that happened in history, but they do not offer the believer any full conviction of the truth of My teaching, and they tempt others - idlers who are always strongly inclined to deceit - all too soon and too easily to accomplish false signs and wonders and bring by that the spectators to a dark superstition.
4
The pure word however, is a light as such and does not need signs as a witness of the truth in itself, because it is the greatest sign of all signs and the greatest wonder of all wonders itself.
5
If I would have done nothing else but the most amazing signs in your presence, then this would be of as little benefit to you as the wonders of magicians and sorcerers which they often performed for your amusement. But you simply would think that My signs are more exceptional than those of the magicians and sorcerers, and you could have talked about it for a still longer time.
6
But that which has clearly enlightened and also awakened you within to life was My word and not the signs of which I have performed so many before your eyes. If I would perform still more signs for you, then you would indeed be amazed by them again, but immediately after that you would ask Me: 'Lord, how were You able to do this sign and how was it done that for instance by Your word and will, bread and wine came into existence?' Yes, then I Myself would again make use of the word and, as I have always done for you, explain the wonder in such a way that with your intellect you would understand how I was able to perform such a wonder.
7
Well now, when it is again the word and not the sign that gives enlightenment, then the pure word that contains the truth as such can also do it alone, without a preceding sign. That is why the main thing and the most important condition for life can only be found in the word, and not in the sign.
9
When you will lay on hands on a sick person, openly before the eyes of the people, so that he will be better, then you have done more than enough for the sake of the testimony of the truth of My word. But secretly, without direct witnesses, you can do it many times a day, and free the poor and suffering people from their distress without letting anyone of them know who set him free of his affliction. I say to you: such healing means more to Me than 100 visible healings before the eyes of the world. Therefore, make use of the power that has been given to you now by Me, always according to the meaning that I have shown you, then I will know how to bless you for it. Have you all well understood this now?"
10
All of them confirmed also this gratefully and thought now deeply about all the things which they had heard from Me.
11
But now also the captain from Bethlehem came to Me and said: "Lord and Master. I am also a Roman and I firmly believe in You and I love You very much. You have given something great now to those 10 Romans and You have also shown them truthfully how they all have to use it. Would You also not give this same kindness to me? Truly, I always would make the right use of it. And especially against the lying tongues of the Pharisees I very well could use such gift of mercy, because these men make the blind people believe that in case of necessity they are even able to bring the dead from the graves back to life again whenever they want and are allowed to do it. Such words are of course nothing else but meaningless smoke and vapor behind which not even one truth was hidden. If I also would have such secret inner power, I surely would know what I should and also would do regarding those meaningless bawlers."
12
I said: "This I surely know beforehand, and that is exactly why I do not give you such power yet, because you do not have the right maturity for it yet. However, you also have the pure word now and you can use it. And this is - as I have clearly shown now - much more valuable than performing signs. Therefore, use first with success that which you have. After that, all the other things will be given to you in addition."
13
When the captain heard this from Me, he also was satisfied with that and said: "This is true, and therefore also good. Lord, only Your will be done."
14
I said: "That, friend, is more valuable than the performance of 1.000 signs."
15
When I had said that, it became already quite luminous, and 3 Essenes came from Jerusalem, having heard somewhere that they could receive information with Lazarus in Bethany about where I was perhaps staying.