THE GREAT GOSPEL OF JOHN
VOLUME 5
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Beyond the Jordan at the Sea of Galilee. Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 19
- Chapter 269 -
On the right path and the right salt.
Said I: "Listen! After we have now strengthened our limbs with food and drink, let us now stand up from the table and we will go and see where the new path down to Nahim is! I will also show you all the salt reserve of this mountain, since you all have nothing against doing good on the Sabbath, which is very great, since you, Barnabe, have already made mention of it. But go, all of you who are here; for what I will show and give you as a gift here should be a general good for everyone who lives in this valley!"
2
At this we rose and went a considerable distance up and into the valley. There we came to a steep cliff which had a large crevice about a good man's height from the ground, in which one could easily climb over some fast fallen stones. We were then soon in the very spacious crevice, behind which a great, grotto-like cave opened up.
3
And I now said to those who had come along, "Look, through this cave you can go very comfortably and fully without danger! Only towards the end the cave will become a little bit narrower, but it is nonetheless wide enough to be able to let an ox go through it. In the middle of the cave path it will certainly be somewhat darker than here; but so much light nonetheless comes in that every one of you will be able to notice the places where he should put his foot."
4
We now wandered through the cave without any adversity, and when we were at the end of it and came out into the open air, we saw a very easy and fully safe slope, overgrown with sparse grass and moss, to the plateau, which indeed looked very wild, but which was actually very good, because it would only be crossed very seldom by some hikers and therefore our inhabitants of the high village could come down into the deep valley all the more unnoticed.
5
When Barnabe and all who were with him saw this, they fell on their knees before Me and said, "We thank You, oh Lord, from all the depths of our hearts; for You have shown us an unspeakably great benevolence in that You have shown us this new and safe path and You have released us from the greatest torture which the previous terrible path caused us!"
6
I told them to rise and said to them, "As I have now shown you all here a new, safe and also more comfortable path to walk, thus I also show you all a single true, good and safe path to eternal life!
7
This path I show you with only a very few words, and these are: Be good and gentle in your hearts! Love God above all and each his neighbor as himself; for the whole Law and all the prophets consist of this! Then believe that I am He who was promised by God and prophesied about by the prophets, and you will have opened the gate and the path to the kingdom of God which has now come to you, just as another path was opened and shown from this valley into the depths of the Earth!
8
It goes without saying that all the Laws of Moses are bound together in the two commandments of love; for whoever loves God above all else, will certainly avoid everything that is sinful and no longer sin against the one or other commandment of God, and whoever loves his neighbor as himself will not wish him any ill and even less do anything evil to him.
9
But that you will take these words of Mine to heart and then act accordingly is the true salt of life, and I will then now also show you and also give you a natural salt. Therefore let us leave now this place, return to your valley, and we will find there in a corner of this valley quite unknown to you all yet a very pure and good salt! And so let us walk over there!"
10
They all thanked Me with true fervor and we set off on our return journey.