The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 89 -
Sabbath and priesthood.
Now I said: "Good, then listen to Me. You two have spoken correctly and truly, but from now on I am also of the same opinion which friend Marcus had spoken out, because this corresponds completely to the nature and the right consciousness of man, and for that reason also to God's wisdom and order, but therefore I do not reject your vision. However, your priests should not make of the Sabbath a day with a special magical effect, and impose the people hard punishments if they, when there is no other way, must earn their bread on the Sabbath. Because a necessary deed, and more specifically when this is clearly done unselfishly for the salvation of the poor brother, he does not only never profane the Sabbath, but sanctifies it a 1.000 times more than all the idol screaming in the temple and in the synagogues.
2
For he who sanctifies the Sabbath by noble deeds, he sanctifies it also truly and actively and therefore lively, and only this is important to God. But he who sanctifies the Sabbath in your manner, he violates it, for he honors God with the lips, as the prophet said, but his heart is far away from God because it is far from fellowman.
3
In a congregation there should indeed be free and true teachers, who do not have to earn their bread with the work of their hands, but if its your very good opinion that the people should come somewhere together on a Sabbath in order to be instructed again and to be reminded of Him, then this should also happen. But after that, the teacher has surely also 6 workdays. Once he has been awakened in the Spirit, he also does not have to keep himself busy with what he will present the congregation on the next Sabbath, for if somebody speaks from God's Spirit, then what he has to say will be put into his heart and on his tongue at that same moment.
4
And when this will surely happen according to My promise - as this always happened at the time of the patriarchs and at the time of the prophets - then I think that for the rabbi during the 6 workdays it would not be simply useless if he also, as an example for the congregation, would perform one or the other good and useful handwork in order to earn his daily bread. Consequently, he will not have to constantly ask for everything to the members of the congregation, and they will then certainly respect and follow him all the more, because his activities at home will be the most beautiful and most true proof for them of his unselfishness, his love and justice regarding the congregation.
5
I think that this would be a lot better than, as the present-day temple servants are doing, to waste the 6 workdays with complete idleness, and instead of doing something useful, to indulge only in gluttony and revelry, fornication, commit adultery, cheating, and in this manner fatten themselves for Hell and for eternal death. So this is My opinion.
6
Oh, it is quite different for those who I now am sending to all places to proclaim the gospel to all nations on Earth. These first messengers of Me have no time and also no opportunity to earn their bread with their hands. That is why for them it is like this: eat and drink whatever they will place on the table for you. And further: do not worry for the following day, what you will eat and drink and with what you will clothe your body, for that would be very dark and pagan, but try before everything else with all diligence and zeal to proclaim God's Kingdom and the righteousness that goes with it, among the nations. Then all the other things will be yours, for the Father in Heaven knows what you need. But, as said, that should only be the case for those who I now have send to all places, but where permanent and established congregations are founded in My name, there My former pronounced opinion should be put into practice.
7
For I absolutely do not want that the rabbis of the congregations will regularly be the servants of laziness during 6 days of the week, for in laziness lies the root of all sins. However, in My name a real active rabbi of a congregation will of course also during those 6 days find and often have the opportunity to give the members of the community the good example in all kinds of things and to encourage them to actually follow this in the true and living spirit, and then every day is just like the Sabbath a day of salvation for the whole congregation.
8
So it is also not absolutely necessary for salvation of men that exactly the Jewish Sabbath should remain a special day for teaching, because for this, every day can be chosen according to the circumstances. If the old Sabbath seems to be favorable for the performance of a necessary work for the benefit of the congregation, while some weekdays were unfavorable because of the bad weather, then work on the Sabbath and set another day for teaching, because every day on which you will do something good in My name will be a true Sabbath, for there is indeed nothing special about the name of the day, but only what one has done on a day.
9
So it is also not necessary that precisely every week there would be a fixed day for learning, but this can be determined according to time and circumstances, because God's word can as well be proclaimed and heard on another day, and the number of days between one preaching and the other has in My eyes no special value and does not make the preaching and also the people not better.
10
But if the rabbi of the congregation sees, because it was given to him to understand in the spirit by God, that one or the other member of the congregation has gone off track, then the rabbi should go to him immediately and admonish him, and not wait for the Sabbath for that, because the day that will be a true Sabbath for the lost one and member of the congregation who was brought back again on the right track is the day on which he entirely has improved his life.
11
If the rabbi of the congregation has given in 1 year only 1 true sermon for the congregation, and the congregation will act accordingly, then this congregation does also not need so soon a second sermon. Because for the one who lives and acts according to My teaching, the rabbi of the congregation does not have to preach every Sabbath, because for such a person every day is already a real Sabbath, and he carries in his heart the true and living sermon, which is inspired to him by the Spirit."