The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 174 -
The meal with the innkeeper.
When I had finished talking, a message came from the kitchen that the dinner was ready and could also be served. The innkeeper gave a sign to serve the food, and a large quantity of very good prepared food was set on the table, partly prepared in a Greek manner and partly in a Jewish manner, on silver plates, and on My table on golden plates. The innkeeper and the son and his wife and children, as well as his mother and young sisters who lived at home asked Me explicitly to take part in the evening meal, which would be a true festive dinner, because when the food was served, I together with My disciples made ourselves ready to leave the table. Since so many were asking, I stayed with the disciples at the table, and everyone in the whole house became extremely happy and cheerful because of that. We ate and drank for well over 1 hour.
2
A special good fish was served for Me, which was very rare and expensive in this region, and I ate it, about which Kado expressed his great joy. But because a few disciples who were fishermen, and while their mouth was somehow watering, they made remarks among themselves about the fact that the fish that I had eaten was so costly. And when Kado heard these remarks he regretted that also for the disciples he did not have a few more of those noble fishes in store, and he said that he would take care of it the next day.
3
I said: "Friend, this is really not necessary. The disciples, who are for the greatest part fishermen at the lake of Galilee, just talked among each other about the value of the fish that was served to Me, for such fishes are rare and therefore also costly."
4
These words were again reassuring to Kado and also to his father, and after that, the disciples made no more similar remarks but praised also the outstandingly good other food of which not even a third part could be eaten.
5
When we were ready with the dinner, several poor people from Jericho came who heard what had happened here and asked if something of the leftover food could be given to them, since they were very hungry and thirsty.
6
Kado asked Me if these so-called poor people were speaking the truth.
7
I said: "Most of them yes, but there are a couple of them who were more driven to this place by curiosity and greed than by one or the other need. However, do not withhold them anything, for the Father in Heaven lets His sun shine as well over the unrighteous as over the righteous ones.
8
He who does a good work for his friends, does well, for it is indeed an obvious duty to do good works for those who also do good works for us. However, it means more to do also good works for his enemies. Whoever will do that, can once expect a big reward in Heaven, and on this Earth he will by that pile up burning coals on the heads of his enemies. He will by that show them their guilt without judge and court of law, and will make them his friends.
9
Look, all of those who are now here who asked for leftovers are no friends of this house, for they know it as being very rich, and also hard-hearted. So satisfy their desire, then tomorrow and in the future they will have a different opinion about you."
10
Kado and his father thanked Me for this advice, and the father gave command to gather the leftovers in a big basket and to distribute them to the beggars, and he also let them give them a little earthen pitcher with good wine.
11
When the beggars were well provided, they soon began to praise the goodness and righteousness of the innkeeper, and moreover, several of them asked spontaneously to forgive them if ever they had expressed themselves in a disapproving manner. But the innkeeper let them kindly go while he assured them that he did no more have any grievance against anyone. Now all of them left, and still from the street into the room there was a continual praising that could be heard about the innkeeper and his son Kado.
12
Then the innkeeper said to Me: "O, how many thanks do I still owe You now for the fact that in one time You have freed me from a lot of enemies by Your very wise advice, which I will always keep from now on very strictly. But now I would like to bring up something different before You, and also concerning this You certainly will give me the best advice.
13
Look, Lord and Master, as You know all too well, we are all Greeks, and thus gentiles. But still, the more we read through Moses and the prophets, the more we honor your old doctrine. That is why we already took the decision several times to firmly and unbreakably join your faith, and consequently to life and to act according to its basic principles and laws. However, this was not as easy as we thought.
14
Concerning the pure teaching itself, everything would be all right for us, and so we have also spoken several times about this with a local rabbi. But that one talked nonsense to us about a lot of difficult transition ceremonies, which to my opinion are completely unnecessary and are lacking every better and reasonable meaning, and, in case we would not let them perform on us, about a big amount of exemption money according to the laws of the temple. And that is why we, up to this moment have still remained Greeks, and this all the more because we still have never heard any special constructive and attractive testimony of your priests.
15
Now what do You say about this? Are the transition ceremonies or that big amount of exemption money absolutely necessary to become a good Jew in the heart, in the will and in the mind, and is there no other way to become completely Jewish?"