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 204 -
Captain Leander before the Lord.
After these words of the servant, everyone felt lighter in his heart.
2
The captain went at once with the servant to the main building, where he brought him directly to Me and said to him: "Look, this is the Lord."
3
Now the captain bowed deeply before Me and said: "Lord, be not only forgiving and merciful to me, but also to the other sinners, because we were only blind and weak helpers of the evil Herod, for he put us into his service after much pressure. But today we have decided not to serve him anymore and we also will eternally never persecute You again. Yes, if it is possible, we would like to be of service to You today or tomorrow, but not ever again the evil and dumb, lustful Herod."
4
I said: "Leander, I forgive you your sins. He who believes in Me and who lives and acts according to My teaching will not be lost."
5
My teaching consists very simply out of the following: acknowledge the one, only true God and Lord, and thus also Me, for I have come into this world from Him, and I carry His Spirit in Me. And love God above all and your fellowman as yourself. Then you will receive eternal life.
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As your trust has opened the way to Me, so also your faith in Me will unclose the way to eternal life.
7
But you also know the laws that God gave on the Sinai through Moses to the people of Israel. Keep to this, and no more to your many false, dead gods and other traditions and customs. Then you can be a good instrument in My Kingdom."
8
Full of joy the captain said: "O Lord, where will You establish Your Kingdom? Where is Your castle, so that I can travel to it tomorrow and offer You there my services as a brave soldier?"
9
I said: "Listen, My Kingdom, which I will establish now again among the people on this Earth, is not an earthly kingdom as from a king that you have served, and of which there are still legion on the whole Earth, but My Kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom and is not visible for the physical eyes with all kinds of pomp and splendor, for it exists within man. And the strong castle, which can eternally never be conquered by a power, is the faithful, loving heart, which is full of trust and without pride, without envy, jealousy, without lie and deceit, but instead of that, full of humility, meekness, patience and mercy. In this, will I, the one and only true Lord and King of all existence and life, take My residence with every man whose heart and mind will possess the mentioned qualities.
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So if you want to enter into service as a soldier with Me, you must be familiar with My teaching in the castle that I have shown you now, out of free will and full of faith, trust, and full of love for God and your fellowman.
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Of course, you still cannot understand this now in the full light of the truth. However, believe, live and act very zealously in what you believe. Then the Spirit of God's eternal love will awaken in you and will guide you into all truth. And only in the light of that truth you will recognize the One who says this to you now. And once you have completely recognized Him according to the truth, then everything that still seems a deeply hidden secret to you, will become very understandable and sunny clear to you. Proclaim this also to your companions."
12
After these words of Mine, captain Leander was completely astonished and said: "O Lord and Master, no one has ever spoken like You on this Earth. I certainly do not fully understand everything, but one thing has become clear to me from Your words: that You do not strive for a crown nor for a scepter of this world, but only that all men would come back to the ancient truth of the innermost spiritual life that has been lost since long.
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Although our old wise men searched with great zeal for this lost kingdom of the full, living truth, and here and there they also found some traces of it, but even the wisest searcher was not able to lift up the ominous veil of our Isis.
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But You Yourself, o Lord and Master, are the true Isis, and You lift up the dense veil for us men. And this is in my opinion the true, spiritual Kingdom of life, which You establish now among us people on this Earth and of which You are the only true Lord and King in Your Spirit, of which You were and of which from now on You will always remain. For if Love, Truth and Life are one and the same Power, then life is as everlasting and indestructible as the truth as such must remain the truth eternally.
15
Up to here I understood the meaning and spirit of the words that You spoke to me, unworthy man. I expect a further and deeper penetrating light of the love and mercy from Him who is the only, real and fully true King of the Kingdom of the inner, spiritual life.
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But now the question is: what should we do with that evil and very dumb Herod. How can this lustful man even have the idea in his powerlessness to persecute the most loving Person who brings back the truth of life of all men? O, that stone-blind villain."
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I said: "Just leave Herod alone, and let him not be of much concern to you anymore, for his luster will soon come to a complete end.
18
But what your chief has decided regarding the compensation for the 4 sunken ships of the citizens of Tiberias, this he also should execute, and I will support him with the power of My will. In the future he will not send many more soldiers to bind the Truth with chains and finally even kill and completely destroy Him."
19
Deeply moved, the captain thanked Me for this assignment to the chief, and he promised Me that the execution of My wish would not be left out.
20
On this, he also asked Me what would be justified for the chief to do, especially on behalf of the widows and orphans that were left behind, regarding the 130 soldiers who perished in the lake, who also were human beings and who had to comply to the will of that brute, and, as known, against the most miserable wages. For these soldiers who were very devoted and loyal to Herod and who formed his lifeguard, received from him the favor to marry, just like any other citizen. And now that the soldiers were no more, who would now take care and feed their wives and children?
21
I said: "The soldiers who perished were like trained hunting dogs who did not have any love nor mercy towards the people whom they tormented in the name of Herod, without necessity or assignment, in order to acquire for themselves a considerable compensation for their meager salary. Lately, their practices became often secretly so terrible that those who were put under pressure by them became really desperate.
22
Through their secret practices, against which no one dared to complain from fear to later be tormented by them even harder, they acquired many treasures, and their surviving relatives have more to spend than you and your chief. They have well hidden their possessions, and for a worldly judge it hardly would be possible to make them confess that they possess goods unlawfully.
23
But Herod must indemnify those who were often greatly suppressed by his loyal hunting dogs, because he neglected to give the severe laws to his hunting dogs, according to which they were not allowed to treat the poor citizens at their own will. Besides, he even approved it when he heard about the practices of his hunting dogs, for by this he did not have to pay higher wages.
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Those terrible hunting dogs finally received their deserved reward, and Herod must only indemnify the damage they caused, about which the chief will very well be able to take care. And now you may go back to your dormitory again where you are expected with great desire. We will see each other back tomorrow."
25
The captain thanked Me very enthusiastically for My teaching and patience, and went then fully comforted to his companions and told them everything he heard from Me.