The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in the region of Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 161 -
The confession of the doctor.
When the doctor, who possessed a clear mind, had finished his speech about Me to his companions, who, with the exception of the 2 already healed Greeks, shrugged nevertheless their shoulders at certain statements of the doctor, of which I was very well aware, I healed the doctor from all his old afflictions through My will, as completely as the 2 Greeks before on the mountain. He noticed this immediately, and with the happiest face of the world he made the following speech: "Listen, friends, the Man whom I exalted as an only true God according to my understanding and full conviction, despite the fact that you frequently shrugged your shoulders, has already accomplished on me the miracle that I desired, without even showing Himself to us. For I feel now suddenly so healthy, and fit and strengthened in all the parts of my body as never before in my already long life.
2
This was done to me now by this Man, who is entirely the only true God. And compared to Him, all the rest belongs to the dark kingdom of fables. And with this, He has proven to me more clearly than with a thousand newly created suns at the firmament that my statement is totally true. Because no man - even equipped with all the arts of the magicians who perform oracles - has truly never known someone's secret wishes, and certainly not without any help, nor has he totally helped a suffering human being with only his will as I am helped now.
3
Will you also shrug your shoulders when I, who am an experienced doctor in many things, consider that great Man as the one, only true God, who can, wants to, and will help us in everything if we will give Him the honor, and when I consider Him in full conviction, as the One whom He indisputably is? Even if He - as far as His to us visible body is concerned - comes from Galilee.
4
You can believe the childish metamorphoses of our invented gods and demigods that are formed in stone, wood and metal, although they have never heard anyone's prayer and have never helped anyone, but with this Man of wonders you make a doubtful face. Why actually, I am asking?"
5
One of his companions said: "Dear friend, who are very respected by all of us, we know you and know that you are a very righteous man, and you always had a very warm heart for all that is good, true and extraordinary. But we know also from you that you like to search for extremes, downwards as well as upwards, and you rarely make use of the so-called golden middle rule. However, with us it is always: festina lente.
6
We do not at all reject your statement, and we think now also that your opinion is not mistaken, but all this happened like a flash of lightning to us, and with our also very spoiled stomach and weakened memory we were not able to digest this as well as you did, who are now completely healthy. Besides, several Greeks and Romans and still many more Jews are listening to us. If we now would loudly rejoice about what we have experienced - about which we quietly also greatly rejoice - we can easily do more harm than good to this matter, which in itself is great and truly divinely wonderful.
7
So we did actually not shrug our shoulders so much because of what you asserted to us, but more because of your zeal, and by that because of your voice that became too loud now and then, which would soon have attracted too many listeners. Let first this great Man of God Himself come to us and speak with us. Then we also will talk louder. Are we also not right if we prefer the more quiet cleverness to too much noise immediately at the beginning?"
8
The doctor said in a somewhat lower voice: "Friends, he who has found and recognized the true God, as I have now, should just put his quiet cleverness aside, and show everyone the immeasurable great treasure that he found, so that also the blind ones would want the light of life.
9
Since I am now very much convinced into the most inward fibers of my body and life of the great truth of my statement, I also do not fear any crowd anymore. No Greek, no Roman and even less a false pious Jew. Consider all those who are here just like us because of their sicknesses in this new cure resort, were they able to help me in the same miraculous manner as my loudly and openly professed God and Lord has helped me?
10
But if the almightiness of His will has now so openly been confirmed to me, why should I, who can rely on His help, stay quiet before the powerless people? Should I perhaps be afraid to be called to account by one or the other because of my new confession that is based on a living experience? Truly, for this I would not even be afraid of the emperor.
11
A tyrant can indeed kill my body, but cannot do anything anymore to the soul. But my God can make the dead alive again, and has our souls in His power. Otherwise He could not know at each moment our most secret thoughts, wishes and desires.
12
Once someone has found the one, only true and almighty God so obviously true and clear, and who fears the powerless people more than God, is a fool. The one who wants to fear, let him fear God and never men for the sake of himself.
13
Which man can grab and harm me when God's almighty hand holds, covers and protects me? Let all furies and all Jewish devils - if they exist - come over me, and also all devouring animals, vipers and snakes. Will these perhaps be able to fight against God's almightiness?"