The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord's journey through Samaria
- Chapter 52 -
The miracle with the noble fishes.
I said: "Well then, I will see if I can tell you something nice and true about your great Man. So listen:
2
Look, as far as I know and according to My best knowledge that Man is the same Jehovah who also talked to Adam, Noah, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to Moses and still many other prophets. The difference between then and now is only that at that time He, as the eternal Lord of all creatures, talked to the awakened spirit of man only as the purest Spirit full of love, life, full of the highest wisdom, might, power and authority, and has revealed Himself in this manner to them. However, in this time it has pleased Him - as He promised several times through the mouth of the prophets - to assume Himself a body, this out of very great love for the people of this Earth whom He created to become His children and to whom He, already since the time of Adam, has given Himself that name, and to educate them for Himself as a visible Father, so that they will be, live and inhabit eternally with Him, where He Himself eternally lives, creates and rules the infinity.
3
That is why it is written: In the beginning was the pure Word, and God was the Word through the mouth of the patriarchs of the Earth, all the true wise men and the prophets. However, the eternal Word, thus God Himself, is now flesh. So He became a Human Being, and so the Father came to His children, but they did not recognize Him. Thus, He came to His property, and they do not want to acknowledge Him as the only true and eternal Father. But still, there are also many who acknowledge Him as the One He is, and who with all love conform themselves to Him only. These are as well Jews as gentiles, and the gentiles more than the Jews. Therefore, according to His Word, the light will be taken away from the Jews and given to the gentiles.
4
If you can value that which I have told you now about that great Man you surely will be able to conclude that I certainly know that great Man very well."
5
The innkeeper said full of joy: "Oh, oh, oh, that is amazingly good and outstanding. That is also our belief. I gladly wanted you to confess this already a long time before, but because you are not Samaritans I had to proceed smartly in order not to expose myself to certain unnecessary rude words, as already happened a few times to me. Because in my opinion, that which is holy is not for the pigs, who are walking around before our eyes in puffed up human form and who consider us as to be much less than what they think to be.
6
But since this is your opinion about the God-Man, you are also my free guests, no matter how long you want to stay with me. Although I am not a rich innkeeper, but I still have enough in store that we cannot consume in 1 year. Oh joy and more than great joy that I have found in you such highly enlightened friends and loyal believers in the only true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But let now be served immediately more of the best wine, and let, together with those too few fishes - which were all of a too small kind and because I only have a very small provision of fishes left - 4 lambs be slaughtered and let them be well prepared quickly, for such true friends of God may not suffer hunger or thirst in my house."
7
I said to the innkeeper: "Just keep the lambs alive for today, but instead of that, have a look in your big fish tank, for I have the impression that still a lot of big and noble fishes from the Lake of Gennesaret are in it. If there are some of them in there, then let about 40 pieces be prepared for us."
8
While he was shrugging his shoulders, the innkeeper said: "A couple of weeks ago there were some of them in it, but if they are still in it now - as You noticed with a discernment that is totally unexplainable to me - I dare not say. Although I was not present when they removed the fish out of my big fish tank, and so it could well be that some of them were left behind, but it will be hard to find 40 pieces. Yes, in the big provision pool that is a couple of field-tracks away from here, I still have a reasonably big stock of all kinds of fishes, but there will not be many noble fishes in it, because the noble fish is a predatory fish, and if you mix them with the other fishes, he causes great damage.
9
But because you made me so happy with Your testimony, I will on Your word go anyway and check it out about the noble fishes. If curiously enough it would be the same as with the breads of which it is still by far not clear to me how they were multiplied and ennobled, then I almost will have to think: You also are an authorized messenger of that great Man, of my only Lord and God. And I think that I will not be far from the truth if I consider you all as such. But now I will go to the noble fishes."
10
Then the innkeeper left the room quickly and went to his wife who was still busy in the kitchen for the personnel of the house, and he told her.
11
But the woman said: "O you too credulous man. From where do you think those 40 fishes will come? You will not find even one in it, for I have sold them all 5 days ago to the doctor who gave a big dinner, and I have put the beautiful money in your cabinet, and I think that he ordered someone, who had to remain silent, to fill up the bread storeroom with the king's bread in return for the favor that was given to him."
12
The innkeeper said: "Look, you were always a woman who has it hard to believe. It may be so, but it is more likely that it is not so. However, your unbelief will not prevent me from checking the biggest fish tank. Whether you will go with me or not is the same to me."
13
After these words of the innkeeper his wife went with him anyway, and how surprised they both were when they saw the fish tank full of the most noble fishes, so that they were really astonished.
14
Again, the innkeeper called all his personnel together and asked them seriously if ever they knew how those many and very expensive noble fishes came into the fish tank. But they all swore by Heaven that they did not know.
15
Then the innkeeper said: "Truly, these things are not happening in a natural way. One of the guests who came here tonight, who are all somehow mysterious, must have done it."
16
And while he turned to his wife and his kitchen personnel, he said: "In short, those fishes came here suddenly in a miraculous way with many hundreds at the same time. So instead of 40, take right away 50. Make a bigger fire and prepare them in the best manner, because I myself will eat some of those fishes."
17
Then the helpers came immediately into action and took the desired fishes out of the fish tank. And before 1 hour had past, the beautiful noble fishes were put well prepared before us on the table.