The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Galilee
- Chapter 86 -
The true fear of God.
The scribe said: "Somewhere deep in my heart I have the feeling that I understand it, but in my head everything is now mixed up, and I realize that such things can only be understood in the heart of the soul and never with the reason of the brains. But Moses commanded to fear God and to always pray to Him only. Do I not anymore have to fear and to worship You in the prescribed manner?"
2
I said: "Yes, yes, Moses did prescribe that, and that was also good, but truly, in this time no one understands anymore what it means 'to fear God', and you priests taught the people completely untrue and totally wrong concepts about the fear of God, partly because of your own blindness but mostly because of your insatiable pursuit of profit. And so, the weak people who still believe a little in God, fear Him as a malicious, extremely relentless tyrant who lacks all love and mercy, and for the word and the concept 'God' they back away in fear because they can see in Him almost nothing else except eternal wrath and eternal vengeance.
3
But it is also written that men should worship God and love Him above all. But how can a divine being be loved and through that also truly be worshiped if men already tremble before His name more than before death?
4
Therefore, you surely will realize now what kind of untrue and extremely wrong concept you - and because of you, also the other people - have about the fear of God.
5
What does it actually mean 'to fear God'? To fear God means: to love God above all as the eternal, highest and purest love, and, because God is the highest truth, to remain in the divine truth and not to adhere to the lie of the world out of material self-interest.
6
Whoever is truthful in everything has the true fear of God in his heart, and he who has that, will always worship God in the right way. For as the lie is a very great dishonoring of God, so also is the pure and living truth a continuous and highest glorification and truest worship of God. Do you understand that now?"
7
The scribe said: "Yes, Lord and Master, for myself I do understand it now, and I surely realize that it can indeed not be otherwise, but it will not be that easy to make understand the truth to other people, because they are already stuck too deeply into all kinds of errors, and they take the lie for a truth. There is also the temple with its prescriptions as to what and how we should speak to the people. And so it will be difficult to become from now on a good teacher for the people. But to every victory must precede a battle. You, the Lord Himself have revealed the truth to us, and You will also support us in our battle against the enemies of the truth. We ask You now, and we will always ask You for this, for without Your help that is always present we will not be able to do anything.
8
But now the question is how we should pray to You, so that You would hear us and help us. If we now would ask from You, while You are present, for something good, then You also would quickly and easily answer our prayer, but what will happen when You will not be personally present as You are now? Then how should we ask?"
9
I said: "This question of yours looks still very Pharisaic. If you actively believe in Me, you will always receive what you will ask the Father in Me in My name. My personal visible presence is not necessary for that, for in spirit I am present everywhere and I see and hear everything, and everything - from the greatest to the smallest - I know very precisely and clearly.
10
So if you will ask Me for something, in spirit and in the full truth, I will certainly also hear and answer you, but a prayer as it is custom with you, namely with the lips and in mysterious words, I will not answer.
11
Because as a scribe you also know what God has spoken to the people through the mouth of a prophet when he turned to Him concerning the critical conditions of that time, so that He would answer their prayers: 'I know you and the people who honor and pray to Me with the lips, but their heart is far away from Me.' Look, so also from now on, a mere lip-prayer will never be heard, and least of all when it was paid for.
12
However, the one who is full of living faith in his heart, and who will ask Me for something that is good, will also receive what he has asked for.
13
And whoever will live and act in My name according to My teaching, he is the one who prays truthfully and unceasingly, and that is why whatever he needs will always be given to him."
14
The scribe said: "O Lord and Master, I thank You in my heart for Your comforting teaching, and I believe now that he who will pray for something according to Your will, which You have clearly spoken out now, will also receive what he asked for."