The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8

Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching

The Lord and His adversaries

- Chapter 192 -

In Essaea at the inn.

We went now on our way with a hasty pace and took again the way along which we came yesterday to Jericho. Kado gave us an escort until the bridge over the Jordan where the way divided itself, because from there on it led to the old way to Jerusalem, and a new one led from there in the direction of Egypt to the place Essaea that was still largely 1 day trip away from here. That is the place where I went to, as I had promised the Essenes a few days ago. The way towards it went along many deserted places and the disciples did not like it so much, but still, they did not grumble, although we had to endure the heat and thirst along that way since there was no inn on that part and there were few good springs. We reached Essaea late in the evening. In Essaea were a lot of inns, because that place was always frequently visited by many strangers for reasons that are already known.

We went immediately to the first best inn, and the innkeeper accepted us at once very friendly and asked with what he could serve us.

And I said: "If we can have bread, wine and some salt, we will have everything that we need."

At once the innkeeper let a big table be set, let sufficient bread, wine and salt be placed on it and we, being very tired of the long trip, went immediately to sit at the table. I took the few loaves of bread, blessed them, broke them and the disciples divided them among themselves and they ate and drank. Thus, we soon were strengthened, and the tiredness was more and more removed out of our limbs.

After we had very well strengthened ourselves for half an hour with bread and wine, the innkeeper asked Me if we also wanted to eat flesh and fish, since he had all that in stock.

But I said: "We are all sufficiently strengthened now and have still enough bread and wine before us on the table. Tomorrow we will eat fish. However, if you want to do Me a favor, then send a messenger to the stronghold of the Essenes, who should tell them: 'The Lord has arrived with His friends in your inn'. That is sufficient, then the Essenes will soon come to this place with much jubilation and great joy."

When the innkeeper heard that from Me, he went immediately outside to his servants and at once he sent someone to the stronghold, which at this time was still open, because a great number of strangers arrived from all directions of the world with all kinds of diseases and also with several dead children, begging and imploring the Essenes to help them. But this brought the Essenes to despair, for the more they explained to the pleaders that this time they could not and were not allowed to grant their request, the more the strangers urged them. And so the stronghold stayed open for a longer time, and the messenger that was sent by the innkeeper could enter unhindered unto the Essenes.

When he was asked by the chief of the Essenes what was happening, the messenger said immediately what he had to say and left soon after that. When the Essene heard that, he immediately told his brethren, upon which all faces cleared up at once.

But also several strangers heard this message and they asked the Essenes, who had become now very glad, what was happening, who the announced Lord was and who His friends were.

However, the Essenes said: "Today there is no more time to reveal this great secret to you, but tomorrow every creature will be extremely amazed about the might and wisdom of this One Lord."

The strangers were satisfied with that, left the stronghold and went to the inns. Then the Essenes themselves hurried to the inn where I was staying and when they saw Me, a great and joyful jubilation arose among them. They could not thank Me enough that I had come to them as I had promised, and asked Me to go with them to the stronghold together with all My disciples.

But I said: "Wherever I have taken up residence, there I will also remain. You stay rather here with Me. That will be more salutary for you. But in the stronghold, I will not come today or tomorrow. What I will do for you, I will do it here openly before all eyes and ears of the world, because all must hear the great witness of God from My mouth."

Upon this, the Essenes thanked Me with all their heart and said to the innkeeper that he should now put on the table the best and most excellent that he possessed in his inn.

But I said: "Wherefore? We are already strengthened enough with bread and wine. Instead of that, do rather something good for the poor strangers."

The chief of the Essenes said: "Lord and Master. The poor we have always in great numbers with us and we also take care of them, and those who are now in the main setting are also taken care of, but we do not have You always with us and then it is surely also just and fair that we express our possibly greatest love, friendship and respect especially to You."

Upon this I said: "Then do whatever your heart commands you to do."

Then at once it became very lively in the inn and soon on our table there were very deliciously prepared fishes and also other food. I Myself only took some of the fishes, but My disciples took also other food, as well as the Essenes.

Also wine was consumed, but in moderation, for the wine was strong. And that is why I said to the disciples: "Be careful that you drink not too much, for you know that drunkenness is a vice that weakens heart and soul, and awakens in the flesh the spirit of fornication and lewdness. A drunken soul will not easily enter the Kingdom of God."

These words had an impact with the disciples and the Essenes, and after that, everyone enjoyed the food and the wine in all moderation.

There were great discussions about all kinds of good things and events from the side of My disciples as well as the Essenes. I however did not say much, for I did not want to make Myself known too early to the innkeeper, his personnel and also to a few strangers who out of curiosity came into our dining room.

Among the strangers however, there was also a young Egyptian who fell from a tree a couple of years before and broke a foot, and could now only move with difficulty with the help of crutches while being in great pain. That is why his parents brought him to the Essenes and paid for his treatment so that the Essenes would heal him. However, he was treated there for already half year, but his illness was not cured.

This young man looked continuously at Me and he finally took courage to speak with Me. He moved towards Me and asked Me if he only could speak a few words with Me.

And I said to him: "What do you want Me to do for you?"

The boy said: "O good Lord, when I was looking at You for awhile, it actually began to glow in my heart and I heard a voice in me that said: 'Only this One can help you.' Upon this, I took courage to direct myself immediately to You and to ask You to help me, for I firmly believe that only You can help me, poor one."

I said: "So well then, if you believe, then it will be done according to your faith, but when you will be healed, then remain silent about it today, so that there will be no onrush."

After these words of Mine, the young man was suddenly completely healed from his illness, in such a way that he put his crutches completely on the side and walked freely around in the room.

But from sheer gratefulness he did not know what to do. He walked towards Me and said with tears of gratefulness in his eyes (the healed one): "O true and mighty wonderful Savior. It cannot be that I only tomorrow can thank You for the good deed that You have shown me. Whether those who are present here will provoke an onrush or not, my heart commands me now to thank You openly with all my heart, for You have healed me so suddenly."

I said: "Just leave it out, for the quiet gratefulness in your heart is much more dear and pleasant to Me than 1.000 of the most loudly spoken out words. Tomorrow you can also speak out loudly to the strangers who have known you."

With this, the young man was satisfied and returned to the table where he sat at first and let him also give bread and wine and became very cheerful, for on the advice of the doctors he already for a long time had to avoid wine.

Anyway, this sudden healing was clearly noticed by the innkeeper, his personnel and several of the strangers who were present, and they asked the one who was healed what I perhaps had secretly done with him, by which he was healed.

But he (the healed one) said: "You yourselves were in this room and have heard what He said to me: 'It will be done according to your faith'. And with these words of Him I became healed as if by magic, and I am now healthy as I have never been before. That is all what I know and what I can say to you. If you want to know more, ask Him yourself."

When the innkeeper heard that, he went to the disciple Andreas who he knew before, and asked him one and the other thing about Me, but Andreas referred him also to the next day and did not make Me known too early.

Footnotes

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