Here Matthew comes to Me and asks Me whether he should also record this sign and various teachings and discourses that I have given over a couple of days in the colonel’s house.
I say, ‘The sign involving the captain before Capernaum and what I said there, and this sign in Peter’s house too, but omitting the words spoken, which do not belong to the public teaching. But leave out entirely the discussions in the colonel’s house and the fact that I stayed with him for two days.
‘But we shall soon come again to this colonel’s house, at the very time when his dearest daughter will die; I shall then awaken her and give her back to him. Then you may write an account mentioning him and the sign in such a way that you need not identify either him or the place more precisely. Otherwise we would harm him in worldly matters, since the priesthood has also cast a watchful eye upon him; but this we absolutely do not wish to do, nor shall we.
‘But now, until the next feast in Jerusalem, I shall perform many more signs and give many teachings around this lake region, which pleases Me best; but you must record all of these in full.’
Matthew now makes ready to write; but on this occasion John becomes sad and says, ‘But Lord, You my Love of love! Shall I receive nothing more at all to write?!’
I say, ‘My dearest brother, do not be sad about that! You will receive very much more to write. For I have appointed you only for the most important and deepest things.’
John says, ‘But the sign at Cana, which You performed for the royal official’s son, seems to me no greater or more important than the one You performed before Capernaum for the captain!?’
I say, ‘You are greatly mistaken if that is your opinion. For by the royal official’s son is understood the whole exceedingly corrupted world, and how help is now extended to it from afar through My teaching and through My spiritual inflowing. But by the captain’s servant is understood, for the present, merely the servant with palsy whom I healed; subsequently, however, also some community or association in My name which, through all manner of political concerns, entirely lacks activity according to My teaching in one point or another, and through this also gradually passes into inactivity in the other points of My teaching. And this is then also a crippling palsy of the soul, which can be helped again only through firm faith in My word.
‘Now see, My dear brother John, there is therefore a very great difference between the two signs. The first represents the spiritual condition of sickness of the whole world, and I tell you, taken still more deeply, of the whole of infinity as well! But the second sign represents only what I have just explained to you. With this you now also know what you and what Matthew are to describe.
‘But now the girl, together with Peter’s other servants, has the midday meal ready, and so let us at once set about the midday meal, and then in the afternoon help Peter a little to catch some good fish. But towards evening we shall have plenty more to do.’
We now ate an abundant meal, sufficient for the whole large company, and then went to the lake, which was also called the Sea of Galilee. There, in a few hours, we caught a great quantity of the best fish, so many that they could scarcely be accommodated in the fish containers.
Peter became afraid, so that in a kind of devout stupor he exclaimed, ‘Lord, I ask You, leave me; for I now feel all too strongly that I am a sinful man! You frightened me once before, when You, still entirely unknown to me, came from somewhere and found me and my helpers fishing here. Even then I immediately recognized Your divinity; but now I am still more afraid, because I now see all too clearly what and who You are in the ground of the ground! Then, as now, we fished the whole night and gained, so to speak, nothing. But at Your word and in Your presence the nets tore from the excessive quantity of fish caught. Now I am quite seriously afraid of You on that account; for You are—’
I say, ‘Be silent and do not betray Me! For you know the one among us. But he is and remains a traitor.’
Peter is now silent and makes arrangements to accommodate the fish. But when evening comes, we go home, where, through the diligence of Peter’s mother-in-law, who has been made well, a good and abundant evening meal awaits us. All are now full of joy and cheerfulness; and Peter begins the song of praise, and all respond to him with one voice.