BUT these two had hardly left the house when new arrivals
brought a man who was both dumb and possessed.
Several Pharisees and scribes whom we had left behind at
Matthew’s house had also followed them, to see what I should do
inside the house and to where I would turn. In front of the house
they encountered the two blind, who immediately told them that
one dumb and possessed is about to be healed, but they told them
nothing about themselves, for they still feared in their hearts.
[2] In response to this the Pharisees hurried, lest they should be
late. On entering the room, they recognized the possessed, who
also was dumb and they said: ‘O, this one we have known for a
long time. With him no power has any effect. When his devil gets
wild, he uproots trees and no wall or chain is too strong for him.
He does not burn in the fire and let the fish beware if he enters the
water. The best thing about him is that he is dumb and deaf, if he
could also hear and talk, then no creature on Earth would be safe
with him. O, this man is terrible. Everything flees before him, even
the most rapacious animals. And this one he intends healing? This
one only the devils’ chief can heal.’
[3] I said: ‘And yet shall I heal him, that you should at last
recognize that all beings must obey God’s might’
[4] Therewith I stretched out a hand over the possessed and spoke,
‘Come out of this person, you unclean, evil spirit!’ Here the spirit
cried: ‘Where should I go?’ I said: ‘Where the sea is deepest, there
a monster awaits you!’ The evil spirit cried out again and at once
left the man.
[5] Thereupon the man at once assumed a friendly appearance,
began to talk full of gratitude, answering everyone with propriety
and the gentlest of words: all became convinced that he had also
lost his deaf and dumbness.
[6] The disciples however and all folk present began to greatly
marvel, saying: ‘Truly, this surpasses everything. This has never
been heard of in Israel. There has been banishment of wind and
storm, even if on a much smaller scale, and there have been revival
of the seemingly dead, while rocks had to yield water and Manna
came from Heaven in response to Moses’ prayer, of course nothing
to that high degree of perfection.
[7] When Solomon was building the Temple and no workers
wanted to lend their hands for a month, he prayed to God for
workers and a great many youths came and offered Solomon their
service and Solomon took them on, working with them for a
month, as tradition would have it.
[8] In short, since Abraham, quite a few wonders have taken
place, but, as God truly lives and reigns, nothing equals this
wondrous deed.’
[9] This wonderment thoroughly angered the Pharisees, and not
being able to contain themselves, they spoke to the people: ‘How
can you be such blind fools! Did we not upon entering the room
immediately indicate to you who could be the master of such
possessed? We told you that only the devils’ chief could do this!
He also healed the possessed of course, but how? He cast out this
devil through the devils’ prince!
[10] This testimony to Me in front of the people by the furious
Pharisees was the last straw to the commander Cornelius, also in
attendance. Utterly outraged at these remarks, he thundered a
sentence over the Pharisees and scribes: ‘Even this very day the
cross shall be your lot! I shall make you tell the difference between
God and the devil!’
[11] Hearing such thunder, the Pharisees began to dreadfully howl
and despair. But the people were jubilant, saying: ‘Ah! Have you
at last found the right one to drive out your old devil? Serves you
right all the way. For you are yourselves fully the equals of the
devils’ prince, you continue to fight the way he once fought the
archangel Michael for Moses’ body, i.e. about the dead matter of
his teaching and persecute all with the curse, fire and sword,
everything that even remotely scents of spirituality. Therefore it is
you who always act with the devil’s help, lending a hand to the
lying spirit. Therefore the devils’ sentence is a fully just one for
you Satan henchmen, and no compassion stirs our hearts.’
[12] Here Matthew the tax collector steps over to the Pharisees,
saying: ‘It is about 4 days since on the last Sabbath the Master
Jesus freed the old brother of my mother from palsy, how much
was said to you then by way of fundamental truths. Children
understood it almost with their hands and pointed their fingers at
you. The Master Himself spoke to you with such wisdom that you
were filled with astonishment and were forced to ask how He came
by such wisdom. Yet neither His Spirit nor instruction filled
answers, nor His unheard of deeds were able to open your eyes.
[13] If such deeds and teachings are not capable of opening your
eyes, even while your wicked hearts only get steadily more furious
and vengeful, say, what do you still lack for accomplished devilry?
I tell you indeed, as I already told you, that you are worse than all
devils put together and it is therefore right before God and all
better mankind that you be extirpated like ravenous beasts.
[14] Even if I am an exceedingly sensitive person, unable to hurt a
fly or tread upon a worm, yet I could quite easily myself strike off
your heads without feeling uneasy about it. Therefore I praise the
chief Cornelius for condemning you to the gallows’ (synonymous
with cross).’
[15] When the Pharisees in their great fear saw that no one felt
mercy for them or were about to intercede with the Commander,
who held the inexorable Jus Gladii over all Galilee, they fell on
their knees before the commander, averring that they had not
meant Jesus harm, the way it was taken, but had only wanted to
highlight how the obviously divine power within the Master of all
masters Jesus, could and has to also manifest by making the prince
of the devils subservient to it, for it should be bad for mankind if
God had no power over the devils. If undisputedly however God’s
supreme power is acting through Jesus, then it has to be able to
reign over all devils as over all angels and be capable of enforcing
their strictest obedience. ‘Therefore we only wanted through our
pronouncement to emphasize that his godly power extends over
everything in Heaven, on and under the Earth. Since however we
had meant only that and not possibly anything else by our
exclamation, for which you have condemned us to death, how is it
possible that you as an exalted lord of Rome, could have
pronounced such sentence over us? We therefore beg you in the
divine name of Jesus that you would most mercifully retract
the pronounced sentence.’
[16] Says the commander: ‘If Jesus, the Master, is willing to put a
word in for you, then I shall retract my word, but if He keeps His
silence, then you die without further ado even this day. For I put no
trust in your words, because your hearts don’t tally with your
mouths.’
[17] After these words from the chief, they all rush at Me,
clamoring: ‘O Jesus, you good Master, we beg you to rescue and
save us. Have us flogged if you don’t trust our words not to place
any further obstacles in your path. For we all are convinced now
that you are a purest servant of God to us, His unfortunately
profusely degenerated children. O, Jesus, do not overhear our
plea.’
[18] I said: ‘So go home in peace! But beware of more exploits, or
I would no longer say to you then: go home in peace.’
[19] They all promised, and the commander said: ‘As He gave
you the peace, so give I, taking back the sentence for now, but
beware if I find out even the least about you.’
[20] The Pharisees thank Me and the chief exceedingly and
fervently, departing hastily and keeping utter silence, for they all
dreaded Cornelius terribly. But in their hearts they hatched that
much harder how to ruin Me and revenge themselves on the chief.
Yet they had to, due to lack of opportunity, grin and bear it, their
survival depending on it. This nevertheless was good for My
cause, for I now could for a lengthy period, until late autumn,
preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God without hindrance in all
the cities and market places of Galilee, healing all kinds of
diseases and sicknesses among the people.
