The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord at the home of Kisjonah, the tax collector, in Kis
- Chapter 150 -
The Lord exposes and deals with the Pharisees' maliciousness. Fear-struck, they head for the sea; driven back again by the storm, fear keeps them quiet in Capernaum.
The disciples were comforted by such words, whilst the Pharisees and arch-Jews started asking what it was they had seen and how they could have been so visibly shaken.
2
Those asked however related what they had seen as with one voice. Here the Pharisees became halting, mutually questioning and saying, 'How can a magician effect an appearance with just some yet not with others? Why did we see nothing? If we as staunch Mosaists are cursed and to what extent, (judging by the appearance) by him who also purports to be a Jew, then from his angle it would have been more logical to show us the vision, to frighten us and make disciples of us. But he is clever, not making a show in front of us, fearing that we are awake to him and call it by its rightful name, opening the eyes of many of his followers therewith, to then see who their highly praised master is! We shall have to take more effective measures against this ever more threatening person, otherwise he grows over our heads, hence making the Romans come and ruin us one and all!'
3
Say I loudly to them, 'For that you have been ripe a long time and it would take only a word from Me to the Commander-in-chief and by the day after tomorrow you would be hanging from the stocks by the thousands! Do you think that I do not know of your secret machinations against the emperor Tiberius? Never fear! I know the day and the hour and what the agreed signal for all Judea, Galilee and within Jerusalem's walls consists in! But I say unto you that you shall make wondrously bad business out of it; and the governor Pontius Pilate, who wields a sharp sword, shall hand you your reward for your trouble outside the walls of Jerusalem, and Herod shall have much to do to regain the favour of the governor!
4
By all means take hold of more effective measures against Me and My disciples and I too shall know what to undertake against you before My time!
5
John called you a brood of serpents and a generation of vipers! I have never given you such a name yet; but now I too give you that name and call out to you - 'get out!', or I let the bears come from the woods to do unto you what was done to the loose boys at the time of Elisha. Because for you the last spark of mercy is gone from My heart.
6
Had you just in some way blasphemed against Me, I would forgive you. But you exalted and took up arms against My spirit, which is called love and is My Father from eternity, and this sin shall not be forgiven you, neither here nor in the hereafter! And therefore remove yourselves so that I can spend the remaining few days with My friend Kisjonah, unmolested!'
7
Says one Pharisee, 'We must not let you out of sight, as we have been assigned to it by our primate!'
8
Say I, 'Yes, you are set up over Me like wolves over a flock of sheep. But if you persist with your resolve, I shall at once get bears to come for you from the mountains and set them over you as warders and disciplinarians!'
9
At this point a tremendous roaring, as of many bears, can be heard from the nearby mountains. On hearing this, the Pharisees and arch-Jews quickly make their escape to the sea, boarding the fishing vessels by themselves and thrusting off shore. But a powerful contrary wind drives them back to shore, where here and there a few bears can be detected. Close on two hours they battle the winds that would stubbornly drive them back to shore each time they venture away a few yards, with the intermittent relenting of the storm. After two hours of exasperating battling with the wind and sea, a larger ship finally comes, taking up the exasperated and near-collapsed from exhaustion, sailing off with them and that in a mighty storm threatening any moment to swallow up the ship. In this way they are tormented all day and night, only reaching shore at Capernaum at noon the next day.
10
There they are exhaustively questioned by their superiors as to what they had seen, heard and met with. But they are secretive, not daring to speak, for they had acquired a considerable respect for Me and did not dare to for the present venture forth against Me.