The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Jesaira
- Chapter 135 -
The departure from Kis to Jesaira.
When all this was done fast and easy, the midday meal was also ready. We partook of it and then prepared ourselves immediately for departure. Kisjona, Mary, Joel and Philopold wanted to escort Me unto the place that I intended to visit next.
2
I said: "Then let us go by boat to Jesaira. What must happen there will depend on the free will of the people over there. And now let us depart."
3
Upon this, we went to the shore, escorted by all the personnel of Kisjona, stepped into 2 ships, and with a favorable wind, which made it much easier for the rowers, we navigated into the direction of Jesaira, which place we reached after a couple of hours.
4
When we came on the shore, Kisjona said to Me: "O Lord and Master, it seems to me that at this opportunity You lost that one disciple, Judas Iscariot, who is still very worldly inclined. Because when he left he asked You how long You would stay with me, so that he could come back on time, but he did not come. Perhaps he thought that one or the other beneficial money trading was more important than You?"
5
I said: "The latter is the case indeed, but he soon will come after us, for he arrived in Kis almost 1 hour after our departure. He heard whereto we went, hired immediately a ship and will catch up with us here before 1 hour will have passed. But when he comes, then do not pay much attention to him, although he would like to tell you many things. Say to him: 'Spare yourself from unnecessary talking, because the Lord knows everything.' Then he soon will become quiet."
6
When I had said that to Kisjona all My disciples became almost unwilling and said: "But so we will never get rid of that annoying man."
7
I said: "What I am bearing, you should bear also. In this world there is no other way. The body is for the soul also a big and often oppressive burden, but nevertheless he must bear it, no matter how troublesome it is, especially at a higher age.
8
Just look at an ever so carefully maintained field of corn, and see if you will not find any weed at all between the corns. As I had to suffer the 1st temper in the desert - and only when he left Me completely, the angels came to Me and strengthened My body - we must now, until the end of My earthly time, also suffer the 2nd tempter.
9
I have told you already clearly at a certain occasion that one of you is a devil, and in yourselves you understood who I meant. But nevertheless, for this reason I never said to him that he should go away, because also the devil has his free will, which will not be taken away from him. If he wants to come with us, he is free to do so, but if he wants to stay away, then he also may stay away. However, whether he will leave or stay, we will not look at him with envious eyes."
10
All My disciples took these words of Mine at heart, and we went to the village, more precisely to the innkeeper with whom I had already taken accommodation.
11
When we came near to the house, the innkeeper, his wife and his children saw and recognized us and hurried to meet us with great joy.
12
When the innkeeper had come to Me, he bowed deeply before Me and said: "O good Lord and Master, how often did I ask and desire for You, the greatest salvation of all righteous people, and how often did I have the fervent desire to still in my life, see You, speak to You and accommodate You one more time in my house. But this greatest mercy from You did not want to be my share. How great my happiness is now, now that You finally found me worthy for this mercy, I cannot express with words. But now that You, o beloved Lord and Master, have come to me, You surely will like to spend a few days with me? I gladly will do everything to make Your stay, and for all Your certainly more than blessed friends, as pleasant as possible."
13
I said: "Friend, where I find hearts like yours, I like to stay. You can be very sure about that. And if I cannot always stay in a place physically, I still will always stay there with My Spirit with those people who love Me, like you love Me. But today and tomorrow I will also stay physically with you. However, the day after tomorrow, early in the morning, I must travel on, for there are still many people who wait for Me, so that I would help them. But let be prepared now for all of us a very simple evening meal, which however is still not urgent because the sun is still quite far above the horizon."
14
After these words of Mine, the innkeeper told his wife immediately what she had to do.
15
The wife thanked Me for this assignment but still asked Me if she could take Mary immediately into the house with her, whom the woman knew well for already a long time, because she gladly wanted to talk about different things with her, since for already a long time she did not have the joy to see and to speak with the most worthy of mothers.
16
I said: "Dear woman, also the mother of Mine has her free will, and I cannot say to her: 'Do this' or 'do that'. If she wants, she certainly can please you with this, because what she does is always well done, and I always have a great pleasure in what she wills and what she does."
17
Then the woman went to Mary and asked her to give her this pleasure, and Mary went immediately with the woman into the house and helped her with the preparation of a good evening meal.
18
But we went to lie down near the shore in the grass and looked how a few fishermen were struggling to catch fish, but could catch almost none into their net.
19
Kisjona saw that also and said to Me: "O Lord and Master, this is precisely how it must have happened to our fishermen 2 days ago, or actually the day before the Sabbath, and yesterday, the day after the Sabbath, until finally Your mercy came to them and filled their nets with fishes."
20
The innkeeper said: "Dear, old friend, I have seen your fishermen and felt really pity for them. But finally 3 beautiful young men came to the shore, and precisely to that spot, and asked if they could step into a ship. Then a ship that was close to them navigated to the shore, took the young men aboard and navigated then again to the other ships. Then the 3 young men said to the fishermen that they should let sink their nets one more time into the water, and the result was completely miraculous. Now these special young men would be again a desirable appearance for these fishermen. But if the young men navigated with your fishermen to Kis, friend Kisjona, or if they disappeared like a dream, I cannot tell you. Anyway, after the fishing I did not see anyone of them on one or the other ship. I wonder who those 3 young men were."
21
Kisjona said: "My friend, where the Lord is personally present, also His heavenly servants are not far away, equipped with all power. Those 3 young men were also with me in the house yesterday from early morning until sunset, and they taught the disciples of the Lord in all kinds of things, and also other people who had come to me and who were of good will. However at the same moment, when they suddenly left us in the evening, you certainly must have seen them here how they were helpful to my fishermen with the abundant catch. And it was the Lord who wanted all this to happen this way, because without His will, not one of your hairs can be touched and no sparrow can lift itself up and fly away from the roof."
22
The innkeeper said: "Now you have spoken according to my heart. When yesterday I told my people at home about the 3 young men, everyone said with almost one voice: 'If here and there exceptional things come to pass and are happening, then we soon can expect a visit from the Lord. May He give us the mercy to find us worthy for His visit.' And I finally said: 'Amen, the will of the Lord be done. May He come, come soon and deliver us from all evil.' And look, He is now among us."
23
Now the innkeeper began to cry from happiness and could not speak for a while. But I strengthened him, after which he recovered his natural peace of mind and could speak again.