The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the way from Essaea to Jericho
- Chapter 2 -
The miracle in the house of the innkeeper.
Then we immediately went into the inn and the innkeeper came to us and asked us most politely in what way he could be of service to us.
2
I said: "We are hungry and thirsty - therefore, give us bread and water."
3
The innkeeper said: "Dear sirs, I also have wine. Would you not prefer to drink wine, because mine is very good? Better than the water of this region which is hardly suitable for cooking?"
4
I said: "Your wine is indeed not bad, but we are in earthly respect not so wealthy to afford your expensive wine to quench our thirst. So bring us what we have asked, and then we will also be satisfied with that. But take the water from the spring in your wine cellar, and not from the rainy water well in the back of the inner court, because the water will be paid for and therefore it also should be good, fresh and clear."
5
The innkeeper looked surprised at Me and said: "Friend, as far as I know, You are now for the first time in my house. Then how do You know how it is arranged? Who could have reported this to You?"
6
I said: "Oh, do not be surprised about that, but bring us what we have asked. Nothing in this house is unknown to Me, even if I am with these friends of Mine for the first time staying under your roof. How this is possible, I surely know, just as I also know that your eldest and dearest daughter Helena is suffering from a malicious fever for already 3 full years, and that you already have made a lot of expenses for that, while no doctor was able to help her, and even less one of your many house gods that you ordered to let them bring from Athens for a lot of money. Look, so I still know a lot of other things in your house. But go now and bring us what we have asked, so that we can strengthen ourselves and continue our way after that."
7
Then the immensely surprised innkeeper called a couple of servants and ordered to bring us bread, salt and several carafes of fresh water.
8
When all this was put on the table for us and the thirsty disciples wanted to grab the carafes immediately, I said to them: "Just wait for awhile until I have blessed the water, so that it will harm no one, for also the water from the spring is causing fever in this region, because it contains impure nature spirits."
9
Then the disciples waited, and I breathed over the carafes and said to the disciples: "Now the water is blessed and purified, but eat first some bread and drink then with measure, so that you will not become drunk."
10
The disciples did so, and when they began to drink they said with surprised cheerful faces: "Yes, we must indeed drink such water with measure, so that we will not become drunk."
11
The innkeeper noticed that and said to the 2 servants: "How can this be? Did you perhaps bring wine to these remarkable guests, while they explicitly asked only for water?"
12
The servants said: "Lord, we have done what you have ordered us to do. However, how this water has become wine now, this we do not know. The One who breathed over it will surely know how the water has become wine. Do ask Him, for He seems to be capable to do more things than we all together in this region."
13
Then the innkeeper came to our table and we gave him a drink. When he drunk up the carafe almost completely, he was fully amazed and said to Me: "Are You perhaps a great and famous magician or a God who is still unknown to me, that You can do something like that? Please tell me."
14
I said: "If you will do away with your gods from your house and will no more believe in them, then I also want to tell you who I am and show you the only real, true, but still completely unknown God to you, who also can help your daughter if you would believe in Him and would give all honor only to Him."
15
When the innkeeper heard that from Me, he said: "You speak remarkable words. To destroy all my gods would not be difficult, but if our priests or the Romans would hear that, I would fare badly, for whoever will defile an image, or even only a demigod, will be severely punished here. I first would have to become a Jew with all my family, prove this in the presence of a court of law, and prove it in writing, seal and circumcision, after which my Roman citizenship would be taken away from me, and as Jew I would then have to buy it back for much money if I would like to continue to be a Roman citizen. What You ask me to do, wonderful Friend, can hardly be accomplished in my present position. However, I know a solution: You do away with the gods in my house in the presence of witnesses who are serving my whole house, then in silence I, with my whole family will give the honor to the God You will show me."
16
I said: "Good, then have a look in your house and convince yourself to know if one of your many rooms is still adorned with an idol, great or small."
17
When the innkeeper wanted to check, his whole household came desperately crying to him and lamented: "A great misfortune must come over this house, because all the gods suddenly left us."
18
Then the innkeeper said with a fearless face: "Be quiet about that. Only the dead gods, made by human hands, who are of no use to anyone and who can help no one in need, are certainly destroyed by a true, living and above all mighty God. And instead of that, most probably the one, only true, living and above all mighty God has come into our house, and this servant of Him, who is Himself already more than mighty, will reveal and even show Him to us. And so, by the removal of the dead and entirely powerless gods, not a calamity but only a very great salvation has come over our house.
19
So that you may believe that this is wonderful and true, just look here at our water carafes. At the request of this wonderful mighty servant of the one, true God, these were set on the table filled with water by my 2 servants here, which they can testify before everyone. Since they were very thirsty, these guests wanted to drink the water immediately, but the mighty servant of God said to them that they only should drink the water after He had blessed it. Then He breathed over the carafes and the water, and the water was immediately changed into the best of wine. There you can still see a full carafe. Take it, taste the content and say if this is water or wine of the best kind."
20
Then the woman of the innkeeper took the carafe, tasted the content and said, extremely amazed: "Listen, this is unheard-of. Only a God can do such a work of wonder. Once in Athens I also have seen magicians performing wonders and who changed also water, once into blood, then into milk again, and then again into wine and in still all kinds of other things, but from a priest of Apollo - who was after me because I was a very beautiful and rich Greek woman - I soon heard into all details how such wonderfully appearing changes could be achieved in a very natural way, but this took also away all my belief in magicians and their false wonders.
21
But here, not any secret or hidden falseness can be discovered, and therefore it is a complete true wonder of a living God. This I fully believe now, and I will adhere to that belief until my death. Taste this wine now, all of you, and give your opinion."
22
Then they all tasted the wine, and discovered that it was indeed so as the innkeeper and his wife had described.