The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 54 -
The greedy tax collector and the Lord. About faith with practical works of love. About compensation.
The tax collector recognized Me at once, came to Me and said: "O Lord and Master, since I let Your words and lessons that were given on the Mount of Olives penetrate in me, I truly became another man, and I thank You now once more from the bottom of my heart for the more than great mercy which You have given to me and my house. Everything that I have heard from You, I faithfully have told to all my relatives, and they believe now in You. Therefore, let Your blessing also come down on my whole house."
2
I said: "Since you have done that, salvation will also not stay far away from you and your house. But still, when there are not enough strangers coming to Jerusalem you also demand taxes from the residents. And when strangers are coming, then you demand arbitrarily much more than what is determined by law. But this I truly did not teach, and such a way of acting has by far nothing to do with neighborly love, which I especially have emphasized to everyone. But if you do not possess the works of neighborly love, then you are far away from My Kingdom, because the pure faith without the works of love is dead, and so is also the one who has such a faith. Therefore, change your way of acting, otherwise only little salvation will come forth from your faith in Me.
3
The fact that you are a tax collector of who the temple servants are saying that you are a constant great sinner, this is not counted as sin by Me, but the fact that you are oppressing the travelers and demand more from them than what is legally determined, is contrary to the neighborly love and is therefore also a big sin that will not bring salvation to anyone. Thus, change your way of acting if you want to be a good and fruitful follower of My teaching."
4
The tax collector said now very timidly: "O Lord and Master, I see now that for Your eyes nothing is hidden and so I will change my way of acting completely. Now I sincerely do thank You once more for Your admonition."
5
I said: "But refund also the damage that you caused to the poor, otherwise you will build your future neighborly love on quicksand."
6
When the tax collector heard that from Me, he bowed and said: "Lord and Master, I will not lack the will for it, but the possibility to carry it out, since most of them I do not know and I cannot pay back what I have demanded now and then too much from them."
7
I said: "Then do have the serious will for it, and do what you can. Then this your will, will be counted as your work. But in the neighborhood of Jerusalem there are still a lot of poor people who now and then need help. Be good to them and bring them an offering. Then you will make up for your injustice."
8
After these words of Mine, the tax collector bowed once more, promised very solemnly to follow My advice, and we continued our way.
9
Half way on the way to Bethany, a blind man was sitting along the road and was begging. He had a guide with him who told the blind man that I was passing by.
10
When the blind man heard that, he immediately began to shout: "O Jesus of Nazareth, true Savior of man, help me, poor blind man!"
11
Since he shouted so loudly, my disciples threatened him. They forbad him to shout so loudly and said that I also could help him without his loud shouting.
12
However, I corrected the disciples and said: "Why in fact are you irritated because this blind man cries to Me for help? If his shouting is bothering you, then shut up your ears and let him call for help to Me. For if he could see, he would not shout like that, but because he is truly completely blind, he shouts, so that I would answer him when I hear his cry. He did not shout to you for help, but only to Me, and thus his shouting is not your concern and this should not irritate you and you should not threaten the blind man."
13
Then the disciples kept quiet, and I walked to the blind man and said: "Here I stand before you. What do you want Me to do for you?"
14
The blind man said: "O good Savior, Lord and Master, give me back the light in my eyes, for I have heard that You can heal all blind people and can make them seeing. And therefore I ask You, that You now would also have mercy on me."
15
I said: "Do you then believe unshakably firmly that I could help you?"
16
The blind man said: "Yes, Lord and Master, only You can help me if You want."
17
I said: "Well then, then I want that you can see again. But I also tell you from now on, that you should not sin anymore, for if you would fall back into your old sins, you will become blind again. Thus, remember well what I have told you now."
18
The blind man promised Me solemnly, and upon this, I touched his eyes with My finger. At the same moment he became seeing, and from sheer joy he did not know what to do, and he thanked Me with his arms lifted up, because I had helped him.
19
However, I said to him: "Since you have become seeing, and further you are still a strong man, you should get up from this place and look for a job in one house or another and earn your daily bread, for laziness is always an occasion for and the beginning of all kinds of sins and vices."
20
Now the one who had been blind and became seeing said: "O good Savior, Lord and Master. I very much would like to serve and work now, if only there would be an employer. I and my guide here would very much like to work if only there would be somebody who would take us into service."
21
At once the 2 innkeepers came forward and said: "Then come with us, then you immediately will have a job and work, for we are the owners of many fields, gardens, pastures and vineyards."
22
When the two heard that, they were very glad, got up from their old beggar places and continued with us very cheerfully to Bethany where they were very well taken care of for the whole day.