Tuesday, January 5 10

Note to readers: Much of this week's newsletter (part I) was also included in last week's newsletter (December 28th), with the exception of the final chapter 48. Part II (Included in this email)continues after chapter 48. My apologies for any confusion.

We are reading from The Great Gospel of John - PDF 18.
http://www.jakoblorberbooks.com/e-books/The-Great-Gospel-of-John/

49. DISGUISED PRIESTS VISIT LAZARUS

WHEN I just finished to speak out these words, a servant of Lazarus came into the dining-hall where we still were sitting cheerfully together, and he said to him that several strangers had arrived who wanted to speak with the owner of the inn.

[2] Lazarus asked Me at once what he had to do.

[3] I said: “You will stay here, just like we will do. Only Raphael and the 7 Egyptians will go outside and have a short conversation with the cunning Pharisees and scribes. Whatever they have to do and say, they know.”

[4] Raphael and the 7 Egyptians went immediately outside, and Raphael asked them severely what they were looking for.

[5] Then a very hypocrite Pharisee said: “Young man, are you – who seem to be of good origin – send by Lazarus who we know and to whom we want to speak personally? It has become a strange custom here that when we want to speak with the lord of the house they send us instead a boy without beard. Just go to Lazarus and tell him that we, who want to speak with him, are certainly of a much higher rank in Jerusalem and in all the countries of the Jews than he is.

[6] Raphael said: “If you are such big lords, then it surprises me really that you have disguised yourselves in the evening while it has already become dark and gone upon the Mount of Olives on which you have spoken out a ban. Does your curse not sound as follows: ‘Whoever of the Jews will go upon this mountain at day or at night, will be cursed in body and soul’? When this is so, how could you then come up here yourselves to talk with the heretic Lazarus?”

[7] The Pharisee said: “What do you understand of this, beardless boy? If we have the power of God to put with good motives a ban upon a region, then we also have the power to lift up the ban at least for ourselves when we want, because we are not under the law but above it, if we are what you think. Did you understand that?”

[8] Raphael said: “Listen, if you think that you are above the law of God, then obviously you must be more than God Himself. Because God Himself always comply with the eternal laws of His order and never acts in contradiction to it, and therefore will also never abolish a law in order to for instance temporarily – when He would feel like it – act against the law.

[9] However, if you think that you are powerful enough for it, then you must be standing far above God, because God Himself, as the initial law, exists and acts always within His law and consequently stands within and under His law. When God Himself is strictly observing this eternally, then who gave you the right to put yourselves above the law, to disguise yourselves, so that they should not recognize you and be seen how and when you are transgressing your own law? If you are lords over the law, then why this fear that the people should recognize you if you are acting in contradiction with your own laws?”

[10] The very grumpy Pharisee said: “What do you, beardless boy, understand of these higher things about which only the priests of the temple have the right to judge in the name of God?”

[11] Raphael said: “So, then why had Samuel already as a boy the right to speak with God and to judge about godly things?”

[12] The Pharisee said: “Do you want to be more insolent by comparing yourself with Samuel?”

[13] Raphael said: “Then how do you become more insolent by placing yourselves above the laws of God? Who gave you the right for this? Truly, I have a 1,000 times more the right to compare myself with Samuel than you do by putting yourselves above the laws of God.

[14] But now I have enough of your foolishness. Give answer to my first question why you have come up here and what you want here, otherwise you will come to know me better and will come to the conclusion what is giving me the right on good and true grounds to compare myself with Samuel.”

[15] The Pharisee said: “This is a secret which we can entrust to nobody else except to Lazarus. Therefore, ask Lazarus outside for us, otherwise we will be compelled to use force to get into the house. Our request to Lazarus does not concern you at all, even if you would be a tenfold Samuel.”

[16] Raphael said: “What? You have a secret? What can be a secret if even the sparrows are proclaiming it from the roofs to everybody? I will tell your secret so that you can see that your supposed secret is no secret at all already for a long time.

[17] Since those who were send out by you yesterday were not able to inform you where the by you so much hated prophet from Galilee is staying – and this for the very simple reason that they did not come back – you have decided in the counsel to take information from Lazarus who would perhaps be here and could know where the prophet might be. If Lazarus would not be here you wanted to bribe the innkeeper or another servant who could possibly give you the desired information. In that case you would send out immediately all loyal servants of the law in order to capture the prophet and also kill Him immediately.

[18] Look, this is your praiseworthy secret, which is already known to us since long, and more especially to me, a great friend of the very exalted prophet. Say now truly and honestly if the matter is any different.”

[19] Then the Pharisee looked at Raphael in astonishment and said after awhile: “Who gives you, beardless boy, the right to make us suspicious? Firstly you do not know if we truly belong to the temple or if we are Jews, and secondly we say that we hardly know anything about your great prophet. It is true that here and there we have heard something about it, that a great magician is making sensation in the land of the Jews by His tricks and magic. However, if He is a friend or an enemy of the Jewish priests or if they are persecuting Him, this leaves us totally indifferent. We are salesmen and never interfere with such minor things. But if this is so, how can you accuse us of things about which we do not care?”

[20] Raphael said: “So, because the water is already reaching unto your mouth, you even want to deny your rank. But against me and my 7 companions here it will be of no use to deny who and what you are. However, in order that you should perceive and understand better that you cannot disguise yourselves for us, I will take the liberty to rob you from your upper clothing, so that you certainly will not be able to deny anymore that you have indeed the qualities that I have pointed out to you.”

[21] Then the Pharisees grabbed their upper clothing, but this was of no use because Raphael commanded it in his will, and at once the temple servants stood in the well-known priest’s clothing and they wanted to run away. But the 7 Egyptians were quick, blocked their way and made them understand that they had to stay and not move one step to try to escape. If they would not obey this desire, it would go wrong with them.

[22] In order to make a greater impression on the now very scared Pharisees, they pointed to 3 great lions that were lying a little down along the way and were behaving furiously. This method worked and the Pharisees – 10 altogether – started to beg Raphael for forgiveness and admitted at once now why they were on the Mount of Olives and said also that he had said the truth.

[23] While they stood there in great fear, Raphael said to them: “Tell me now: who of all the people can be more wicked than you? You want to be servants of God but you are servants of Hell. Which devil has begotten you? The great Master from Nazareth has proven to you with words and deeds, clearer as the sun, that He is the promised Messiah, and as such, also the only Lord of Heaven and Earth – just like it has been predicted of Him through the mouth of the prophets. You do not believe in it, but also, with anger and eagerness you persecute the Lord of Heaven and Earth. O you powerless fools. What do you want to accomplish against the might of the Almighty who can destroy you with the least of thoughts or can cast your wicked souls into Hell, which you have deserved already for a long time? What do you miserable people want to do now?”

[24] Another Pharisee said: “Listen, young wise orator, we ask you now only to let us go unharmed back to town again, and we give you the full assurance that we, who are here now, will never more in the least take part in the persecution of the wonderful prophet from Galilee. Yes, we even as much as possible will dissuade others from doing it. However, if we will be able to bring our colleagues to more kindness with respect to the performer of wonders, that we can of course not guarantee. However we can assure you that we will do our utmost best to temper the persecution anger of our colleagues. Because we have experienced now and have convinced ourselves that our blind persecution of the Galilean is one of the greatest follies, which can lead to nothing else except to our ruin. And therefore we will also do what we have promised here. But let us now – as we have already asked before – reach the city unharmed.”

[25] Then Raphael said: “Very well then. You can leave again, and you will suffer no harm, but woe to the one of you who will brake his word that was given to me. For think about it, that God’s power, wisdom, omnipotence and earnest are infinite, and a weak mortal human being cannot and will not accomplish anything in eternity against God and His ways.

[26] You can see and understand that the works, which the Anointed of God is accomplishing for the people are of such a nature that only God can bring them about. And you also will realize that God Himself is working closely united with the prophet from Galilee who is so hated by you, and that it would be more than foolish to resist against the decrees of God.

[27] Tell this also to your wicked and blind colleagues. They can increase their anger against Him to such a measure that they – because He is allowing it – will lay hands on Him and will kill Him. However, with this they will have accomplished nothing else except to speed up their judgment over themselves and over the whole of Jerusalem. He can however not be killed because He is Live Himself, and He will continue to live and will bring the whole of humanity of this Earth to justice. Blessed is the one who believes in Him and will search only that which is pleasing to Him and will search His friendship.

[28] Now you know what you have to do, and you can leave now if you wish. However, if you first want to speak some wise words with Lazarus, then this will now also be allowed to you.”

[29] A Pharisee said: “If he is here I gladly would like to speak with him, but about something completely different from that of which we wanted to ask him initially. Because you have made it very clear to us why we have come here. But this will be no more the case now. It will be about a much different subject. So it would be very pleasing to us if we could speak a word with Lazarus now.”

[30] Then I said to Lazarus in the hall: “Now you can go outside and have a good discussion with the very frightened Pharisees, but do not mention anything about where I am staying.”

50. THE REQUEST OF THE PHARISEES FOR A SAFE ESCORT

THEN Lazarus went outside, he greeted the temple servants according to the custom and asked them what their request was to him.

[2] The one Pharisee said: “At first a bad spirit brought us here, and this was actually which we wanted to ask you – absolutely nothing that was good. The words of this more than intelligent and wise young man and the exceptional power of these 7 men who are still standing around us, have made us change our mind and we soon realized how vain and foolish our evil intention was, and because it was unfounded we then also desisted from it.

[3] Now we are asking you however as friends to allow us to visit you in Bethany, where we would like to speak with you in private about a lot of things. Then also, we are asking you to give us a safe escort over the mountain to the city, because there, a little down on the road are lying 3 lions that certainly belong to the 7 men because they appeared immediately upon their call. These malicious animals will probably be well tamed and will serve the 7 men to protect them on their trips instead of dogs, which apparently happened oftentimes. But despite their tameness they cannot be trusted. Even the most malicious dog knows his master of the house also during the night, but he will grab and tear to pieces a stranger, and this could be expected all the more from these 3 lions. Therefore we ask you to arrange that the 7 men would take care of those 3 animals so that they would leave again.”

[4] Then Lazarus said: “If your inner intention is the same as your words, and if you want to repair the damage as much as possible which you have inflicted on a lot of poor people, widows and orphans, then you can walk very calmly beside these lions, and not one will look back at you. But if you are of another opinion in your heart than the sound of your words, then it would not be very safe for you to approach the lions. Therefore, examine your heart and say openly and honestly in what condition it is.

[5] Also to Bethany and my house you will not have any access as long as your heart has other feelings than appears from your words, because such watchers, like those three down there, are also watching over my house. He who comes to me with honest intentions has nothing to fear. However, he who approaches my house with dishonest and evil intentions will be bad of.”

[6] The Pharisee who was the spokesman said: “You can believe me that all of us are now thinking as I am speaking, and also we will do, if ever we have inflicted any damage, our utmost best to repair the evil as much as possible, but we dare not go alone beside those 3 animals. Therefore, please give us a safe escort.”

[7] Lazarus said: “The 7 men will escort you in the safest way if your intentions are honest. But now, still one more question to all of you: tell me, for what reason do you not believe that Jesus of Nazareth alone is fully the true Messiah? You must have read the Scripture, and have also heard His teaching and seen the signs that He is performing. Then how is it possible that you still have such a hardened opinion? Thousands of Jews and gentiles believe in Him, and many gentiles come from all directions of the Earth, bow down before Him, accept His Word and believe that He is the Lord. Only you, who should be an example for the whole people, are resisting against it, worse than hard mountains against the storms.

[8] The Lord came in the flesh as a human being on this Earth, just like He Himself has revealed it through the mouth of the prophets, and now He also does the works, about which the seers have sang centuries ago – which you as scribes should be the first to recognize – and still, as said, you do not believe in Him. What can be the reason for that?”

[9] The Pharisee said: “That, dear friend, we very clearly would like to discuss with you in Bethany. However, here I can already tell you that it is now a very difficult matter to be a human being in the temple. One is indeed a priest, but therefore not necessarily a human being. Everyone is an enemy of the other and tries to inflict damage upon him in order to take advantage for oneself, and thus, as a human being, where one would like to howl, he is forced to howl together with the wolves, so that he should not be torn apart by them. But let it still be for a short time as it is now, then all the doings of the temple will know a drastic change, because finally, one cannot stay there.

[10] Now you also know how we in fact think about it. Therefore, be so kind to tell those 7 men to escort us safe and sound from this mountain to the city.”

[11] Only now, Raphael said to the Pharisees: “Why are you actually in such a hurry to return to the city? If you have truthfully good and honest intentions and are also saying now that you want to believe in the Messiah, then you are safer with us here than in the city. You have come up here as an enemy with the intention to know where the Messiah is staying. Right? If you have changed your mind concerning Him, then why do you not want to inform as His friend where He is staying, so that you can look Him up and show yourselves to Him as men who are believing in Him?”

[12] The Pharisee said: “Dear wise young man, if we would do that, then it could be charged to us in an unfavorable way, and maybe it would be explained in such a way that we are pretending to be nicer than we really are, in order to still know now from you where the Messiah might be staying. Truly, it is not important for us anymore to know where He is staying. For truly, we are no more His enemies. However, to present ourselves to Him now as repented friends we still feel too bad for this and we are not worthy of Him. And so, it surely is understandable that we cannot and do not want to inform now to know His eventual place of abode, and therefore we want to be in our houses to deliberate further in order to know what we have to do in the future to join with Him completely. Besides, we also have to inform the temple about the failure of our mission, so that they should not send out other spies before they have received news from us, and in this way would cause unrest in the whole city and the whole environment. We think that we have explained sufficiently all our motives that are forcing us to return as soon as possible to the temple and our houses. Therefore, do allow us a safe retreat.”

[13] Now Raphael said: “I can assure you that in the temple they will wait for your notice until tomorrow, and therefore they will not send out new spies. And Lazarus has also enough rooms available in which you can deliberate, and he has food and the best wine in abundance, so that you can strengthen yourselves. Now that you are here, I would like to advice you to stay here at least until midnight and only then go to the city with a safe escort. But if you definitely want to leave now, then we will not retain you any longer. The lions – as you clearly can see – are already gone, and there in the neighboring tent are your Greek coats. Do now whatever you want.”

51. THE RELIGIOUS IDEAS OF THE PHARISEES

AFTER these words of Raphael the Pharisees did not know so well what they had to do now.

[2] But one of them said after awhile: “You know what we will do? The boy must have spoken correctly and truly, and therefore I am of the opinion that we must stay here until midnight when Lazarus can show us a room in which we can be alone without being disturbed so that we can discuss the matter about the Messiah accurately and well, and also still a few other things with our friend Lazarus.”

[3] All of them agreed on that, and Lazarus guided them by way of another door into the house. There he showed them a large room and instructed immediately to set a table and serve bread, wine and other food in great quantity and also good lamps. All this was so pleasing to the Pharisees that one of them made the remark: ‘Yes, if this is the case, then we also can bear it until tomorrow and will leave our colleagues in the temple as they are. They nicely will have to wait until the morning to receive notice from us.”

[4] All of them agreed on that, and an elder who was as highly ranked as a chief and who had a lot of experience in all kind of worldly wisdom said, when his tongue had been made loose by the wine: “Wherever a man is feeling good, he also must stay, and so we will stay here until the morning, and I gladly would like to speak with you, my dear colleagues, a few openhearted words.

[5] It surely is funny what man is. What actually is man, the mortal god of this Earth who tills the ground with his intellect and with the might of his hands and who brings about great works to an harmonious existence? I tell you: man is nothing else than a very pitiful animal because he knows that he must and will die, while no animal seems to have any notion of it. That is why it can live with a very quiet mind until the moment of its death without ever having one thought that one day it has to die. Therefore, it would be better for man to cheer up a little his pitiful life now and then and to chase away for a few moments the dark thoughts about death.

[6] The power, which man has called into existence, can according to my opinion never be wise and good, just like a man who creates the most ingenious works can never be called wise and good, for he destroys them afterwards when they have reached their highest completion and takes away entirely their existence, and immediately after that he makes the same piece of work again for the same purpose.

[7] After all, concerning God as the all-creating power, one cannot imagine anything wise and good. Because if that power would be good and wise, then He also would have taken care of the survival of His most ingenious works, like we human beings are. But there is no question of it. When man at high age has reached a greater perfection in knowledge, thinking and acting, then he already starts to die. He becomes weaker and weaker, his vital strength is weakening every day, and this continues until he has blown out his last breath. What will happen with us after that, you all know, and it is not necessary to describe this further.

[8] Although in our teaching about God we have the assurance that in material man there still lives a spiritual man who continues to exist after the falling away of the body. But what can man do with a teaching and the consequent faith if no irrefutable proof has been given to anybody about this?

[9] How many exalted fathers, wise men and prophets did not exist before us and have lived according to the wisest laws. Undoubtedly they believed in a God, prayed to Him and loved and honored Him exceedingly and believed also firmly in an eternal life after the death of the body. But finally these great and wise heroes of faith still had to die, and nothing was left except their name and their deeds and teachings that are written in the Scripture. But where did their souls go?

[10] In fact, which one of us has really ever seen or spoken to a soul who continued to exist somewhere? At most, in a dream or in a malicious fever heat. It is true that there are people who claim that they have spoken with souls of people who died, but these are people who are totally lacking the knowledge and a sense of judgment, and they often take pleasure in telling other people out of their living fantasy and imagination about supernatural things in order to give themselves by that a certain mystical appearance at which they are more attached than a magician to his pure profit.

[11] One must also admit that from time to time there are people whom, in order to emphasize their statements and teachings are performing wonderful deeds, and by that they want to put their stamp of truth upon it, just like we are experiencing now with the truly remarkable prophet of Nazareth. Besides, He teaches the people very well and promises to everyone who believes in Him the eternal life of the soul.

[12] Yes, all this is very nice and even good, because this is giving many people a certain reassurance and takes away from them the fright of death. But this was also done by the old prophets, and thousands of men have believed firmly and have even sealed their faith with martyrdom. However, time has snatched away those great prophets, together with their believers, and nothing else is left of them except their names and deeds that are written in the Scriptures and which we also have to believe without any further proof.

[13] Why then is it that no soul who continues to live somewhere in the beyond comes to us, who would say to us for instance: ‘I am Elijah, Daniel or Isaiah who continues to live very happily in the beyond’? I say to you: just like the old prophets and also Moses have perished, so we also will perish, together with the so famous prophet who even seems to awaken the dead, and the future descendants will inherit from us and from Him precisely that which we have inherited from the old prophets. Even if faith will continue to exist perhaps for many centuries with many additions and falsifications, then the living true conviction will still be exactly the same as the one which we have now about the survival of the soul after the death of the body.

[14] Although such a continuance of the soul after the bodily death would be something invaluably exalted, and a man would certainly do everything to assure himself completely of such a life if somehow he would have solid proofs of it. But this was always lacking, and therefore it is not surprising that the once so firm faith of the elders has been cooled off with us.

[15] Who of the more civilized and experienced part of the people are actually still visiting the temple in full faith nowadays? The highly ranked people and wise men are only entering the temple because of the common people, and they pretend that their faith is firm like a rock, so that the people would think by themselves and say: ‘There must be some truth in it, for the highly ranked people, scientists and wise men who can know everything, are attaching much importance to it.’

[16] Therefore, I truly am not an enemy of this famous Galilean because He makes the poor people again enthusiastic for a life of the soul after the death of the body and gives them good comfort. But I do not think it is right that at each opportunity He is indicating that we are the greatest imposters of the people. And as someone who is passing Himself off for a wise Man, He is not considering that basically He is doing the same as that of which He is accusing us of. If only He would tell the people the truth, just like I am doing now, namely as the old experience teaches us, then He probably would not have as many followers as He is having now.

[17] This is my true belief and my honest confession before you my colleagues which however I only have spoken out between us, because I really know that you all are thinking exactly the same as I do. In the temple, in presence of the people and our many and very blind colleagues it is however necessary to speak differently. What do you think about this opinion?”

52. A SCRIBE REFERS TO GOD’S ORDER

ANOTHER scribe said: “I cannot say that you are wrong and I share your opinion in many aspects, but I actually cannot accept your opinion as a totally settled truth. Because I cannot believe that God as the very wise Creator of Heaven and Earth, who actually continuously maintains the sun, the moon, the stars and the Earth should have created us as perfect works of His wisdom and power only to serve Him as His perishable playing dolls.

[2] Man has only a short life to live on this Earth, and the reason of this seems to be that his soul has to develop in the body in a certain way and must acquire a certain and durable solidity, so that he can continue to exist in another world that must be limitless and which corresponds with his being.

[3] For if man with his body and soul would only be destined for this material world that, although it is so big, still has its limits, then as a result of the continuous increase of the number of human beings – if they would be immortal as far as their body is concerned – this Earth would soon be too small and too limited for the human beings. Even more so because it consists of much more water than firm habitable land. After a certain time, God would have to make the human beings impotent and also stop their aging process so that they could continue to live forever with a certain normal power and strength and cultivate the ground of the Earth for their livelihood.

[4] However, we can believe with certainty that after a certain period of time men would have enough of such a necessary monotonous life, because indeed, the daily experience teaches us that everybody starts to be very bored when he has to live in always the same life conditions and will be languishing for a change. And since after many thousands of years even the most inventive person will still have come at the end of all his favorite changes, he finally would come into the greatest boredom, which by no means he will not be able to chase away.

[5] After these thorough observations it surely seems that God’s wisdom has created men for another, higher and freer life and not for a world that is limited in everything, which is however good enough to serve men as a first step in development, but can never be intended to give him an eternal happy existence.

[6] For this and still a lot of other reasons I believe in the immortality of our souls, because if these would be mortal we have to represent God – whose power and highest wisdom is clearly seen in all His works, just as His goodness and His justice – as unwise or even as completely not existent.

[7] No reasonable thinking human being can assert that some blind and dumb power could bring pieces of work like we men are, to an orderly existence. Because what one does not posses he can impossible give to someone else. Give for instance to someone who is very stupid and who is hardly capable to chatter his mother tongue, an assignment as teacher of a foreign language in a school. What will he accomplish? Nothing more than a statue. That is why there must exist a very wise and almighty God, and anyone who can think clearly will have to recognize this as truth.

[8] However, if the almighty God is very wise, then He also must be very good and just and He surely must have good intentions with us human beings. And through the mouth of the prophets and other wise men, He also must have announced to other men what kind of intentions He has with us people, and what man should do in order to already on the Earth enjoy a happy pre-existent life, and by means of this pre-existent life make himself as capable and receptive as possible for the next eternal life.

[9] However, a God who has done that and still continues to do that, did not create a mosquito, and certainly not us men as pitiful toys for His whims. Or can one perhaps imagine a good man who would take pleasure to see how his poor fellowmen are continuously tormented in the most horrible manner? As far as I have observed the people in every respect, I have always noticed that God in no way is harming people. This is what people are doing to each other and all too often mostly to themselves. Because firstly their never satisfying selfishness and greed drives them to persecute each other as much as possible and by this they harm each other with all kinds of evil things. And because they no more pay attention to the revealed will of God, they catch all kinds of diseases through the most disorderly ways of life, which are highly poisoning this pre-existent life.

[10] Question: are God’s wisdom and goodness also somehow guilty of this? If this would be the case, then the highly to be honored people who continuously have lived according to the laws of God would have before their passing away from this world also be tormented by such malicious diseases just like those who since their youth have lived a godless life and by this have brought the nature of their being into the greatest disorder. Oh no, I already have convinced myself about it very often that man who lives according to God’s order will most of the time also reach a high age of life, and in the end he dies a remarkable soft death.

[11] Here and there are also examples of pious and righteous men who finally separated from this world and did not exactly die such a soft death. But by that we always can assume two cases, namely that God will try someone’s patience more heavily, so that his soul will receive all the more strength for the life in the beyond. Why? This certainly will be well known by God.

[12] In the second case however, the aged person who became pious and righteous could have disturbed the order of his body by the many sins of his youth, and this can have equally as many bitter consequences, which for him will not exactly make his last hours the most pleasant. But we can be absolutely sure that people who since the beginning have lived according to God’s order, always will die a very soft death.

[13] This is now my opinion of which I myself will stay loyal unto the end of my earthly life. Everyone of you can believe and do what he wants.”