The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Cana
- Chapter 104 -
The travelers before the inn.
I said: "Friend, the 3rd hour of the night has now passed, and soul and body were satiated here, but outside on the road 2 poor travelers are camping, because they have no money to seek accommodation in this inn. Let them bring inside and give them bread and wine, and then a place to sleep, after I will have exchanged a few words with them for your sake."
2
When the innkeeper heard Me saying that, he went immediately outside with the chief helper. But together with the 2 men he also saw a woman and a child, and he sent a helper to Me to ask Me if he also should take in the woman and the child.
3
I said: "A man and a woman are one body, but the second man is the brother of the woman. Therefore, the innkeeper should take them all in."
4
Then the helper went away and informed the innkeeper, and he brought them all into the room and gave them bread and wine.
5
When the 4 people had strengthened themselves, I said to the man who was with the woman and the child, a 12 year old girl: "Listen, as far as your ancestry is concerned, you are a Jew, but during the time of the Babylonian captivity - of course in your forefathers - you escaped, together with 200 men, woman and children completely to the far India.
6
Your forefathers traveled for more than 50 days, and they finally found in the widely extended mountain ranges a lonely valley that was rich with tender pastures, all kinds of fruit trees which were unknown to them, and herds of goats and gazelles. Springs and brooks, and also noble fishes did not lack in the mentioned valley.
7
Your forefathers, who fed themselves with fruits and roots during the long journey, examined the valley, which in all directions was as long as many hours of traveling, and they found everything that was needed for a living. And they found no people or one or the other kind of dwelling huts of which they could have concluded that men already had inhabited it.
8
After they had examined the valley, your forefather, who was one of the oldest of the 200 who escaped, said: 'All glory and honor to God the Lord. He also has built this valley and has planted the fields with all kinds of grass and herbs and roots and trees that carry many fruits, and we ate already some of them and they did not harm us. And this beautiful valley is also rich with all kinds of gentle animals that are not afraid of us because they probably were never chased by animals of prey and still less by hunters who are eager for a catch. We certainly are the first men who came into this valley.
9
We will build habitations for ourselves here and will be able to live together very peacefully. Together we will take care of the necessary livelihood, and always thank God the Lord for the kindness, and give honor only to Him, for He has led us in such a wonderful way to this beautiful valley.
11
But we ourselves always want to and will strictly observe among ourselves God's commandments that are well known to us, without ever being neglectful, and thankfully remember every day of our life that God let us found this valley. We will also count the days, and appoint the 7th day as the Sabbath, and give all honor to God on that day. In this valley we surely will never see the Ark of the Covenant, of which we do not know where it is, but instead of that we want to build a new ark in our heart for God by keeping His holy commandments. And by our love for Him we will bring Him an offering that will be more pleasing to Him than the brunt offerings of the priests who have stoned the prophets and who fattened themselves with the tithes and rich offerings.'
12
When your forefather had finished this good speech to the others, they all fell on their face to the ground and praised God for almost a full hour, and prayed to Him for His further help, love and mercy.
13
And God was truly well pleased with those fugitives, and gave your forefather wisdom, and then he found in that valley many things that were necessary to provide themselves better for their livelihood. They already had taken a few necessary equipments and tools on the back of their pack animals that they took along and with which in the beginning they could build the necessary huts and storerooms. God's Spirit showed them all the rest, and with a little effort of themselves He also provided them with all this.
14
In the short time of a few years they were already provided with all kinds of things, they possessed big flocks of the most noble mountain goats with fine wool, and gazelles and lama's and a great quantity of rare and tame fowls and roes and deer, which they all knew how to tame and make good use of them.
15
And now you have expanded and you became a people, and you are prosperous in earthly respect. However, you began to look too much after earthly profit, and that is why you have already lost much of your inner wisdom.
16
After what I have told you now in full truth, you surely will have noticed that I know very well all your life's conditions, and I could tell you still a lot more about your country and life's conditions, but now it is your turn to say for which reason you have come out of your faraway morning land. But speak the pure truth without restraint, because out of My words you surely will have concluded that with Me you cannot escape with a lie or with veiled words."