After this speech by the second man, the arch-Pharisees and strict Jews part from him and his more sensible followers and, already quite late in the evening, set out for Capernaum by land; for the sea was surging heavily, and they did not trust the boatmen, although these assured them it was safe to sail.
But the whole caravan, about a hundred and fifty people strong and unfamiliar with the right route, did not get very far, reaching a place where an unclimbably high rock projected into the sea and caused exceedingly heavy surf. Immediately above the rock rose a high, steep mountain range over which no path led from this place beside the sea, so the caravan had no choice but to take the quite lengthy return route. It came back to the toll collector Kisjonah’s farmstead only towards midnight, in pitch-dark night with violent storm, rain, lightning and thunder, and sought shelter and lodging there; for the whole caravan was soaked to the skin and weary to the point of collapse. The toll collector and his people received the weary kindly and provided them with a dry place to sleep, which was very welcome to the drenched people.
The following day, already quite late, the drenched and still somewhat weary people emerged from their sleeping place and dried their clothes in the sun’s rays.
But it was the Sabbath, and Kisjonah and his people worked and attended to their duties as on any other day; and when noon came, tables were laid and set with all kinds of well-prepared food.
Kisjonah also invited the drenched and weary to the midday meal; but they not only declined the invitation, they began to grumble and utter shrill curses against such Sabbath profaners and Sabbath breakers—for a proper Jew should neither touch anything nor eat anything before sunset; he was permitted only to drink three times.
Since those invited repaid the toll collector’s friendship thus, he turned to Me and asked: ‘Lord, what should be done with these fools? I wish to do them good, and they curse me for it! Do tell me whether God hears the curse of such fools to the detriment of those they curse!’
I say: ‘Oh yes, but not to the detriment of those they curse, rather to the cursers’ very own. (Matt. 11:15) Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear! For I will tell you how matters truly stand with these people: do you think they keep the Sabbath because Moses commanded it? Or do you think they fast for that reason?
‘I tell you: Moses and all the prophets are not worth three staters in their hearts, but rather it is so that they may be seen as Aaron’s worthy successors by the people who give them the tithe and good money.
‘But to whom should I (Matt. 11:16) compare this wretched generation? Is it not like the little children who sit in the marketplace and call and shout to their companions: “We (Matt. 11:17) lamented to you, and you would not weep!” But I do not mean here that these Pharisees and strict Jews as they stand before us are such little children, but those who are at our side; for these wished to keep here yesterday those fools and perfect deniers of God in their hearts, and the fools mocked them and Me. And the boatmen wished, since a good wind was blowing, to take them across the sea to Capernaum, but these fools did not trust the boatmen; they left, and a terrible storm drove them back here. Now you have invited them to the midday meal, and they curse you!
‘You dear little children who sit here before Me in the true marketplace of life, I tell you: pipe nothing more for these fools, for they are lame in spirit and therefore cannot dance; likewise, let lamenting be, for their inner dispositions are stones that have no moisture!
‘(Matt. 11:18) John, of whom much was said yesterday and to whom I gave a just testimony, has come, and he led so strict a life that he ate and drank almost nothing except locusts and wild honey, which he laboriously fetched from holes in the earth; and these and others of their kind said to his face that he had the devil, who fed and sustained him at night!
‘John has indeed piped and lamented more than abundantly as no one before him, and look, these and many of their kind wished neither to dance nor to weep!
‘(Matt. 11:19) Now in Me the long-promised Son of Man has come into the world; He eats and drinks. What do they say now? You yourselves heard yesterday how they judged Me and cried: “Look! What a glutton and wine-drunkard this man is! And besides, a companion of toll collectors and sinners!”
‘But I tell you: such wisdom must let itself be justified by its children! That is, their own children declare them fools, and thus in their children such wisdom as they have served up to us is justified; but Mine too, since their children recognize and accept it, and so through this every kind of wisdom, false as well as genuine, is sufficiently justified.’
Then the Pharisees and strict Jews rose and said to Me: ‘Take care! You are still a Jew! We have the law and the right to destroy you as an arch-heretic; for you wish to ruin Moses and undermine the prophets! Woe to you if you will not abandon such desires! We have the emperor’s weighty assurance that we may resort to the Roman court in case of need, and every governor must comply with our demand!’