The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord's journey through Samaria
- Chapter 53 -
The innkeeper recognizes the Lord.
But the innkeeper was already before with us in the guestroom and brought also his eldest son with him who was blind in one eye.
2
When he came to us being fully amazed, he (the innkeeper) said to Me: "Good and dear Friend, immediately after Your testimony about the great Man, I suspected that one of you might be an exceptional authorized messenger of the great God-Man, because the minor ones are send first, and now the greater ones are following. But now that I also have seen the biggest fish tank full of noble fishes - and this on Your word - I am not doubting anymore that you are evidently messengers of that great God-Man, about whom You gave that complete true testimony. One of you will certainly be the most important, and I finally think that You are that Person. If it is so, then please tell me, so that I can give You very special honor, because our precept is always: 'honor to whom honor is due'.
3
I said: "Do not worry about that now. It is true that I am the first One among these My companions, but in a very different manner than you think. But it is good that the noble fishes are there, and there is still good wine. All the rest will become clear later on, and this at the right time.
4
But what is the matter with your half-blind son over there?"
5
The innkeeper said: "Ah, how do You know that he is half-blind and that he is my son?"
6
I said: "Oh, it is not so strange to see that, for he looks much like you. You are spiritually half-blind and this son of yours is blind in a natural way. Finally you both can be helped. Were the disciples of that great Man about whom you just related, not able to heal that one eye of your son?"
7
The innkeeper said: "Yes, they did try it, but they did not succeed. Also that John has been here for that reason a couple of times, but he did not succeed either to give back the light of my son's one eye. And so he will have to bear this little discomfort with patience. Since I was of the opinion that you were perhaps the still more powerful disciples of the Lord, I let him come with me inside, hoping that you could maybe help him. But since you are not, he can return to work in the kitchen."
8
I said: "Ah, that is why he has to stay there. He certainly will become sooner seeing than you."
9
The innkeeper said: "But dear Friend, just look at my eyes. I can see exceedingly well with both my eyes. Then how can my half-blind son become sooner seeing than I?"
10
I said: "I told you before that you are only spiritually half-blind, and your physically half-blind son will receive sooner the complete light in his eyes than you the light of your soul. But now nothing more of that, there are the fishes already that we will eat, because the first meal for more than 40 men was somewhat shortly measured despite the fact that you added the lentil dish. But this time, you and your son should eat with us. Your wife should not receive anything to eat of these fishes today because it is hard to make her believe. Tomorrow she can prepare also a fish for herself and strengthen her faith."
11
When the fishes were put on the table and I took first a fish for Myself, then immediately all My disciples took a considerable amount of food, because it was already known since long to them that this kind of fish was the best. We ate and drank cheerfully and we often talked about the great Man from Galilee, fully praising and honoring Him. This made the innkeeper extremely cheerful, and so each time he proposed a toast to Him with his cup of wine and expressed exalted wishes of happiness to Him. Furthermore, one after the other My disciples related some events that happened on our trips and also a lot about My childhood, which was greatly appreciated by the innkeeper.
12
When they finished to tell their stories that lasted almost until midnight, the innkeeper turned to Me with the request: "My dear and uncommonly wise Friend, You have told me now so much about that great God-Man that I now already consider myself as the most happy person in the whole world, and this is also really what I am for the greatest part, but I would now feel completely happy and be as blissful as the highest angel in Heaven if I only could see a well resembling image of that great God-Man. Friend, You have promised me already before that You would show me one. If You have one with You, I ask You to show it to me."
13
I said: "Yes, yes, you are right, I have promised you and will also keep My promise, but I also told you after that, when you brought in your half-blind son to us, that he would become sooner completely seeing and that you finally would probably also become completely seeing in your half-blind soul. Because as long you are half-blind in your soul you will not be able to distinguish the true image of the Lord and Master and look at it lively. Therefore, let your son come to Me now, then I will see if I can open his blind eye and fill it with light."
14
After these words of Mine, which surprised the innkeeper, he placed his son before Me and said (the innkeeper): "There is my son, Friend. Please try You now also to know if You can succeed to make him seeing."
15
I said: "Very well, My friend, I want your son Jorab to see. So be it."
16
After these words the blind eye of the son became seeing. Father and son were simply startled about this sudden healing, and the son said: "Father, this Man must be much more closely related to that great God-Man than all the others who have tried to heal me in His name. Those said: 'In the name of the Lord Jesus Jehovah, let there be light in your eye.' And see, it still remained blind. But this Man said: 'I want your son Jorab to see. So be it.' So our Friend healed me by His own power when He said: 'I want it.' Therefore, He is the great God-Man Himself and no one else. And you, father, are still half-blind in your soul if you cannot see that immediately, and He Himself is the most true image of Himself, full of live, might and power of God, for only God can say: 'I want it', but man can only say: 'May God the Lord will this or that."
17
After the son had said all that, also the innkeeper became seeing, recognized Me and fell on his knees before Me and asked Me to forgive him.
18
But I said: "Friend, what do I have to forgive you? The fact that you have recognized Me only now? I wanted it that way. And so, be completely happy now. But tell no one in your house before I tell you. But take care now that we receive a place to sleep. Tomorrow we will determine what to do next."
19
The innkeeper stood now up from the ground and began to thank Me beyond measure because I had considered him worthy for such invaluable mercy.
20
But I said to him: "Do not make too much fuss about it, so that the attention of your house personnel would not prematurely be drawn on Me. If your wife, your other children and your personnel will see that Jorab can see and will ask you and him how he became seeing, then say: the guests who came here were able to do that, for the great Lord is more with them than with those who did not succeed to heal the blind eye of Jorab in His name. But go now and let be prepared a place to sleep for us."
21
Then the innkeeper left and let 40 resting chairs be prepared for us in the big dormitory. Then he came back to show Me respectfully the way. We stood up from our benches and went to rest.
22
However, the innkeeper still talked to his wife and also to his adult children about many things, but he did not betray Me, although his wife made a few times the remark that maybe I Myself could finally be that miraculous Master who 2 1/2 years ago performed such great signs in Samaria. She thought that for certain reasons I possibly did not want to make Myself known immediately, as was the case during My first visit to this city. She would look at Me more sharply during the daytime, for she had the luck to have seen Me a couple of times during My first presence in this place. And after this conversation, also the family of the innkeeper fell asleep and rested with us until sunrise.