The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Cana
- Chapter 100 -
Taking the right way to the right goal. The wrong and correct way of the development of the reason.
As man goes on for life, being still blind and unripe in the world, he resembles a stalk of corn that starts its development from the germ. When, through the influence of the sun, it has grown out only 1 span above the earth's surface, nothing can be seen yet of a fruit-bearing ear, but through the increased influence of the sun, soon the ear becomes visible, which becomes also fuller and more perfect, it blooms and sets the grains of corn, which ripe to the stalk and in the little husks to become the strong and life-bearing grains of wheat which, when they are completely ripe, loosen themselves completely from the stalk and also completely from the little husks, and as such they are free in it.
2
Once the grain has become completely ripe, the stalk and the ear die. Why actually? Because all its former outer life has passed into the true inner life of the fruit in the grain. And therein are now also the roots and the stalk that grow up, in every stage of its growth towards perfection up to the complete ripeness. And this not only one time but multiple times, for otherwise a grain that was put into the soil would not be able again to bring forth in ever greater quantities everything that is necessary for the growth and the ripeness of the grain.
3
Did you ever experience, that in the stiffened cold winter, in the weak light of the sun, the moon and all the stars, a stalk of corn with its ear and grains have grown up from the soil to complete ripeness? This is impossible in the winter, just like it is impossible when a person under the numberless different little lights of the so highly praised worldly wisdom can ever come to the true inner ripeness of life and liberation. The summer of life must come over him, together with the preceding spring. The latter consists of the faith that becomes more and more alive through good deeds, just like the summer, which brings all the fruits to complete ripeness, consists of the ever more powerful love for God and from that for fellowman.
4
God, who is in Himself Love, Light and Life, is the true Sun of all life. He who loves God ever more deeply by acting according to His revealed will in everything, penetrates in his inner being, and in this way he will pass into the true summer of the Spirit from God, where he, in the life's light of love and its life's warmth, will come to the true ripeness of life.
5
Since you hear this now from My mouth, observe it well and act accordingly, then you will come to that true ripeness of life. Did you understand this now, and also you, Judas Iscariot?"
6
This one said (Judas Iscariot): "Lord and Master, You have spoken now in clear images. We also have understood them, and everyone knows now, still more convinced than at first, what he should do to attain to the Kingdom of God in himself. Nevertheless, it is still no easy task to move to living power what is still immovably resting and slumbering in man, just like the germ in a grain of seed. That should first be put into good soil and die off completely, so that the spirit in the germ, that brings about everything, can awaken and can develop its own activities according to the intelligence that lives in him. Because from a grain of seed that lies dry in a barn somewhere, will never grow a stalk, an ear and ripe grains, despite the most beautiful spring and most beautiful summer."
7
I said: "Good, if you know this according to the full truth, then put off your old, material, human Adam and put on the new one out of Me, then the inner man in you will become of itself just as active as the spirit in the germ when the grain, which surrounds it, has perished in the soil, and thus has passed into the spirit of the germ as nourishment and strengthening."
8
On this, Judas Iscariot said again: "Lord and Master, but how can the old Adam be put off and then put on a new one? Should the material body first be killed in order to attain to a spiritual life?"
9
I said: "How can one of My old and most learned disciples come to such a most foolish opinion? Who said that a person should kill his body to become then a pure spiritual man? It are your worldly passions and lusts, that rage and storm in you, which you should subdue with your free will, and strife for the Kingdom of God in yourself in the manner which is most clear to you all, then by that you have put off the old man and put on a new one.
10
But if you constantly and very secretly adhere in yourself to the outer things and their enticements, and wander around in the limited region of your earthly wisdom and all kinds of experiences that you have gained as a blind person, then it still can happen to you that the evil spirit of the world will capture you completely, and as a pitiful victim, your body and soul will become his prey.
11
He who wants to come to the inner, true wisdom of the Spirit from God through experiences and according to the opinions of his worldly reason is terribly mistaken. He will come on byways that are full of abysses, in which, in the night of his spirit, he very quickly and easily can fall and bring himself to ruin completely.
12
Are there not numberless stars in the sky at night? And still, in their light you cannot read one letter. So also, man cannot decipher the inner scripture of life with the thousandfold shine of his difficultly acquired worldly knowledge and experiences that he has gained.
13
But as during the day, in the light of the sun, even the smallest letter can be well read, so can man also - when the inner sun of life has gone up in him by his actions according to My Word - read and understand his inner, true scripture of life, and can see the relations between everything that is in him and which also surrounds him on all sides towards the outside.
14
To seek only with the weak twilight of the worldly reason, the soul in man cannot even find himself, let alone his connection of life with the body and with the spirit in him. It is true that man should develop his reason of the brains and learn how to think reasonably, but not in the manner of the world, but like the true children of God, as this can be clearly noticed with the pious patriarch and forefathers. Then the reason of the brains will also soon and easily acquire the intensity of light, compared to which all worldly wisdom is a great darkness.
15
Just look for instance to the first development of the reason of men like Samuel and David, of Salomon and still another great number of people. Where is there among those who are learned in worldly respect - among the Jews as well as among the heathens - someone who can match those men in wisdom? So follow what I Myself say to you, then also your brain's understanding will also be very well enlightened in all things."