The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 90 -
The right sanctification of the Sabbath.
Only for the children, the congregation can build their own schoolhouse, and there one teacher, or with a too big congregation according to the necessity, also appoint more experienced and chaste teachers who should teach the youth to read the Scripture, as well as arithmetic, personal writing and still more useful knowledge. If they do this every day scrupulously and with reasonable diligence and zeal, then also they have hallowed the Sabbath. And the rabbi of the congregation will do that also when he regularly visits such a school and encourages the teachers and students to be diligent and zealous, and gives them from time to time good lessons in My name. And what he then has to say, this will surely be taken care of by Me.
2
Likewise it is also good when an established congregation will build next to the schoolhouse for the children a meeting house, where it can assemble from time to time in My name. However, in such a house not simply and solely the appointed rabbi should have the right to speak and to preach, but every male member of the congregation if for this reason he has been urged by My Spirit. For in such a house, there should not only be the preaching about the Scripture and about the prophets and about Me, but also about other things which contribute to a deeper and true knowledge of God and which are stimulating the love for God and fellowman. Then the one who has been urged by My Spirit in him should speak, and the congregation as well as the rabbi should listen to him. If they will do that, no matter on what kind of day, then they will hollow the Sabbath also in the true sense of the word.
3
However, with this I do not want to say that you therefore should leave out completely the order of the time and the counting of the hours, the days, the weeks, the months and the years - this you can and should do also in any case. But you should not consider certain days as better or holier than the other because it is such or such a day of the week, of the month or of the year, and it carries this or that name, for the number and the name are absolutely not important, but only the living and acting according to the revealed Word of God.
4
Because for someone who has sinned against his fellowman on a Sabbath, this Sabbath was no Sabbath at all. However, for someone who has done something good for his fellowman on another day, then also this other day was a perfect Sabbath.
5
Therefore, from now on, among My true followers, everything should be completely free, and nothing can exalt a day to a true Sabbath except simply and solely the deeds that occur out of true and living love for God and fellowman. Disgrace and shame it is when such a dumb human rule considers it a violation of the Sabbath when also on the Sabbath someone gives help to a poor and oppressed person. Disgrace and shame for such priests who are teaching the people that God is well pleased with their disgusting cries and with their offering ceremonies, which are only an abomination in My eyes, just as they always have been.
6
Therefore, the Sabbath should now first be a true working day, and every ceremony should consist of the pure action according to My Word. I will always look at this with pleasure, and those who will truly hallow the Sabbath, I will reward with My grace and love. Now this is what the Lord says.
7
But those who will hallow the Sabbath in the manner as the temple servants are doing, and are already doing for a long time, and who accredit a certain magical hallowing action to the Sabbath, as well as on certain feast days and days of new moon, those will have to be consumed by My fiery glow of My justified wrath. Also this is spoken out now by the Lord for whom all days, weeks, months and years are completely the same.
8
Have you well understood now what My opinion is, which is valid for all times and eternities? For truly, truly, I say to you: Heaven and Earth, which you can see now, will once pass away, but My words will remain for eternity. This is now My opinion."
9
When the Pharisees heard this from Me, they did not know what they could answer Me on this. However, the Romans were secretly rejoicing, for by My words I had agreed with the opinion of Marcus, but had advised extremely drastic changes in the opinion of the scribe. However, the Pharisees noticed it and they were secretly offended, although they did not show it.