The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 91 -
A scribe refers to Moses.
Only after some deep thinking, the scribe said: "Lord and Master, I have thought about Your words now as good as possible in myself and came to the conclusion that You are right according to the principles of sheer human reasoning. And You also must be right according to that what You doubtlessly are, but since the eternal Spirit of Jehovah lives in You, that Your heart is His throne and that He speaks through You, acting through His almighty will and sustaining and ruling the whole creation, I do not understand how He once instructed Moses on the Sinai to hallow very strictly the Sabbath with a law of its own, and added to it the manner on which the Sabbath should be hallowed? He, as One and the same, could have talked the same way during that time as You have now clearly and wisely spoken in our presence. Then one would never have fallen into a workless and ceremonial hallowing of the Sabbath. Yes, it is even known that Jews who have profaned the Sabbath by servile work, were undeniably chastised by God. Why has God through Moses only commanded to hallow the Sabbath, and why did He not indicate it as You have done now? Surely, God is eternally unchangeable in His decrees and cannot change His words."
2
I said: "Now the scribe has spoken in you, but with these words he also has clearly shown that he never has understood the Scripture in the least - and even less the books of Moses. During that time it was necessary for the very degenerated Jews in Egypt to recommend a day for them on which they could rest from the servile work and could listen to God's Word, for without such a commandment they certainly would just as before - as they were used to in Egypt - not have received one day of rest and would completely not have listened to God's Word. Because the Jewish people were sensual, and day and night they were only preoccupied to know with what kind of means they could fill their belly with flesh. Therefore, God gave at that time, firstly for very natural and secondly for spiritual reasons, a certain day to rest and to listen to God's Word, and more precisely the same day as the patriarchs had chosen as a day of rest, namely the Sabbath.
3
But in His law for the Sabbath, God gave nobody the commandment that one was not allowed to do a good service to anyone. Only by you was the mosaic law replaced by such a commandment, and you only allowed someone to work on the Sabbath and do a necessary and in itself good work if in return he paid you a fine ransom and other precious offerings.
4
But if you think that God cannot change the once given form of a law that was necessary at a certain time, because He in Himself is eternally unchangeable, how then did you dare to take the liberty to change the law of Moses at will and for your own material benefit, so that you now really do not observe one iota anymore of what Moses and the prophets taught and recommended?
5
If the law of Moses and his scriptures are that holy to you, then why have you later rejected the 6th and 7th book of Moses and the pure prophetic appendix and have replaced it by another work that comes from men?
6
Has the old Ark of the Covenant not been a sanctuary for all Jews? But when already 30 years ago, because of your evil deeds the column of smoke and fire disappeared and the Ark was standing there in the most holy place, deserted by its power, you have put it away into a chamber, and in its place you have put another one in which, because of the foreigners, a natural fire was burning and out of which natural smoke arose. Why did you do that? Did Moses perhaps give you a law for that also wherein it is stated that you may do such a thing?
7
Yes, the prophets surely predicted the time, which you are experiencing now, when the old Ark of the Covenant will be changed into a new and living One, but the prophets have certainly never meant it the way you have done now of your own will. For if you were convinced by the prophets what had to happen 30 years ago according to the will of God, then you certainly would have proclaimed it to the people with long speeches, and would also have told them that they had to bring great offerings, but this you very delicately omitted to do, and until this hour the people know nothing of your self-willed way of doing.
8
But if you know that the prophets have meant Me as the new Ark of the Covenant, then why do you not proclaim it to the people and why do you worship instead of Me the insignificant and dead work of your hands?
9
You continuously refer to Moses and the prophets, but if I now show you the correct and only true meaning and deeper spiritual content of the Scripture, then how come that precisely you temple servants are actually the greatest deniers of God, Moses and all prophets?
10
Moses has for very wise reasons concealed the Word that was revealed by God, namely its inner living meaning and spirit, and what he had revealed to you, that you have rejected. Now I have come Myself and reveal before you what has been concealed. Why do you not believe it now and do you only try to catch Me with what you yourselves have never believed and have entirely never understood?"