But now Judas too, whom the wine had warmed somewhat more than it should have, wants to raise his voice and say something to his neighbors, namely John’s disciples. But Thomas, still his steady opponent, forestalls him and says: ‘Friend! When the masters speak, the disciples must be silent, only listen and certainly say nothing! For here every word from our mouths would be a great and gross folly! But if you feel pressed to speak, go outside into the open and shout whatever you can and please; and when your mouth has grown tired in this way, come back!’
Judas says: ‘What have you against me? I have done you no harm!? Shall I never be allowed to speak?!’
Thomas says: ‘We have known your wisdom through and through for years, and alongside the wisdom of our great Master we are truly in no mood to have to hear it here for the thousandth time! And by nature all of us are as wise as you. So you can give no further or better teaching than we already have, and hopefully you will see that there is no need at all for you to speak here too! We disciples are to speak only when we are asked something; we can certainly ask questions ourselves as well! But then we must take good care that our question rests on a proper and true need! If, however, we ask merely from curiosity, to give our talkative tongues some air, then we deserve a flogging! For a crazed fool should always be chastised with rods.’
Judas says: ‘All right, all right! I am already quiet, for I know that in your presence I can and may say nothing!? For you are the very wisdom of the prophet Elijah himself! It is only a pity you did not live before Solomon! How far Solomon could still have advanced in wisdom in your school! But now nothing more! I am already quiet.’
Thomas would gladly have answered Judas further, but I signaled to him that it was enough, and Thomas fell silent.
But one of John’s disciples still could not bring into balance with his inner disposition the fact that I compared him and his companions to an old, torn garment patched with new pieces, and to old, decayed skins as being unfit to receive must. He therefore turned to Me with a somewhat clumsy question and said: ‘I too now see that you may be a prophet; but, as I notice, the wine from old skins tastes better to you than young must from new skins—and now it seems to me that your coat is not new either. If it should soon need several patches, I can serve you with them, for I possess a multitude of rags! If I can be of service to you, just turn to me!?’
His companions wanted to throw him out for this clumsy question. But I took his part and explained this comparison to him more comprehensibly, and he was calmed.
But to the others I said: ‘If you see a blind man stumble over a ditch and fall, and by his fall press down and slightly damage the tall grass beside the small irrigation ditch, will you be wise if you wish to call the blind man to account and punish him for it?! Look, this brother of yours does indeed see with his fleshly eyes, as you do, but in the eyes of his soul he is still severely blind! And if we know this, surely it would be far too exceedingly harsh to punish a blind brother because he has stumbled a little before us?!’
After these words they all called out to Me a fullest ‘Long may he live’ (!) and ‘Hail to you’ (!!), and said: ‘That is a right speech; whoever acts as he speaks so well and wisely is worthy to be called and crowned a man of men!’
When these words have scarcely ended and I am still telling them something about the old garments, one of the colonels from Capernaum comes in breathless haste—it was the Roman colonel Cornelius (Matt. 9:18)—fairly rushes at Me, falls down before Me and says almost out of breath: ‘Lord! Friend! You divine Master and Healer! My dearest daughter, who bears my name, my glorious, good and most beautiful daughter, has died on me!’ Here the colonel wept and for a long time could not speak for weeping; only after recovering somewhat for a while did he continue:
‘Lord! To whom nothing is impossible! Come with me into my house and lay Your wonder-working hand upon her, and she will certainly become alive again, just like the little daughter of the school ruler Jairus, who was also completely dead and has become alive! (Matt. 9:19) I ask You as my most exalted friend: come and grant me this grace!’
I say: ‘Take comfort, I am coming and shall do for you what you have asked of Me! The daughter is indeed completely dead and already cold too; but I shall nevertheless raise her, so that she may then proclaim God’s glory to the poor people! And so let us go!’
But My disciples asked whether they should wait for Me here or come along too. But I said: ‘All of you who are My disciples, and you too, Matthew, who were a toll collector, follow Me. I have provided for your earthly house and shall continue to provide; but in return you too, like these here, should be My disciple.’
Matthew immediately throws off his innkeeper’s garment, puts on his good coat and follows Me, without first making the customary arrangements at home as master of the house about what his people should do during his absence.
Nota bene: everyone who wishes to follow Me must do likewise! He must die entirely to the earthly life of affairs and occupations and not think of his earthly circumstances of life; otherwise he is not fit for and in My kingdom! For whoever puts his hand to the plow and directs his eyes backwards is not fit for the kingdom of God.