The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Jericho
- Chapter 19 -
About the guidance of men.
Only after the 3 were staying cheerfully in one of the next rooms, the innkeeper said to Me: "O Lord and Master, what do You think about these certainly well-founded words of these 3 men? No, I have already heard a lot and even read of our philosophers but I never came across anything more solid than that. Even with the best of will and the best of faith, truly nothing can be said against it - nothing against the things individually nor about the things in general, because this is exactly how the situation is with humanity in general, and often also more in particular. And now I surely am extremely curious how You will excuse or justify this."
2
I said: "No one of you should be worried about that, because I Myself made it happen on account of a few orthodox temple Jews who are staying in the next room - they arrived this night from Jerusalem and rented it for a few days. They sharply listened with their ear to the wall to all the things that were said in the hall about them, and the speaker characterized them with a loud voice exactly how they are. And that was good.
3
These Jews came here to collect with your help a tithe that is overdue. But now you surely will know what kind of help you will give them. When those 3 men will have regained their strength, then let them be brought here again, then we will further settle and finish the matter in a good way.
4
The innkeeper and also Kado said: "We already thought that this might be the case, but we did not dare to say it aloud, firstly because we did not want to let the 3 know about You prematurely, and secondly because the words of the speaker needed our serious attention and we wanted to see how far the sharp mind of man can reach. And truly, seen from a purely human viewpoint, the speaker was right, also in the description of the relations between the Creator and the created, because for our human mind it is truly difficult to understand how You could have let them wait such a long time for a further revelation of Yourself, Your will and Your purpose with men, and let numberless of them pine away in the deepest night of life. And how many will still pine away without them coming to know anything about You. And even if they will know from the spreaders of Your teaching that You Yourself came to this Earth in the form of a human being and have shown men the way to the eternal life of their souls, will they believe as firmly as we believe now that it is exactly as Your messengers will tell them?"
5
I said: "Although you as human beings are right to talk, ask and have your opinion about that, but My love, My wisdom and order want from Me as Creator to always give My created beings what is most necessary for them at every moment.
6
Since the first man on this Earth until this moment, men were never kept without any revelation that went out from Me - not even for 1 year - but always in such a manner that their complete free will would not be violated, because man without that free will would not be a human being but only a machine of My will.
7
That is why also the mind was given to man as a good light in order to seek God and His will, which was also done by many people at all times, and with the right earnest they also found what they were seeking for.
8
The fact that God does not let Himself find so easily as many people would like, has the following very wise reason: if people would find with little effort what they are seeking, then the thing they have sought for would soon have no more value for them and they would make little effort to seek and investigate further. They would become lazy, and then the spiritual treasure that was found so easily and fast would be even less useful to them than when they had to seek that treasure continuously and anxiously, which they can find in this world only seldom completely and with much effort. Therefore, great revelations happen only rarely, so that people will have to make effort themselves in the fear of their soul's night in searching with all zeal the eternal truth, and thus Me.
9
That men in this world, while they are searching, come very often on all kinds of sideways and also into all kinds of uncomfortable circumstances is an earthly evil indeed, but this is not the result of the active earnest searching, but comes from the miserable laziness during the searching, which is a fruit of too much worldly love and self-love by which the people want to make the striving for the kingdom of the spirit as pleasant as possible for themselves. When other people who are still lazier notice that, they will soon and easily say to those who are seeking in a lukewarm way: 'Hey, you are making a lot of effort to search what we have already found so easily for a long time. If you want to believe and serve us and give us small offerings instead of your fruitless independent searching and investigating, then we will tell you faithfully everything what we have easily and quickly found.'
10
Well now, for the lazy and effort-shunning seekers, such an offer is welcome, they take it and believe what these others are telling them with a serious face. Being helped by all kinds of false wonders and signs which the still lazier seekers for the truth have invented, they present these with all kinds of ceremonies to the blind for the benefit of their earthly good life. So in this manner, the many sorts of superstitions, lies, deceit and total lack of love, and by that all the evil among the people on Earth exist.
11
Now of course you are wondering why I permit this. And I say to you: the reason why I permit this, is that it is better for a human soul, who is lazy to seek seriously, to still believe something, and by that faith to adhere to a certain order than that he would completely die off in his laziness and work-shunning attitude. Once the deceit and the oppression will go too far, then the credulous ones are in the first place forced by the need to seek further for the truth independently. They notice the deceit, give up their laziness, begin seriously to seek themselves and do not shun the battle - and from that, will soon come forth all kind of light. And in the second place, after that, a newly given revelation of Mine that is given to a person who has been deceived for so long and who has become by that a zealous seeker, is unspeakably much more welcome, and it is also more effective in getting rid of the old superstition.
12
Now I have very clearly explained to you why I permit so many things among the people on this Earth according to their own free will, which seems not good and wise in front of the judgment seat of men, yet, deep basically it is very good and wise.
13
Up to here for what you concern. But now let the 3 come in again, and I will talk with them."