The high priest says, ‘I am now entirely in order, and hope that in a short time this whole place will be too. But allow me one more question, which is this: are we still to honor the mountain and Your old house and keep Your Sabbath holy there, or should we now build ourselves a house here in which we may gather in Your name? If the latter were Your will, perhaps tomorrow You could point out a suitable place most pleasing to You, and we would then make every effort to fulfill Your wish in this too.’
I say, ‘Friend, what you and all people need, I made known to you today on the mountain.
‘But to observe it, you need neither the old house on the mountain, still less a new one in the city, but only your believing heart and your firm good will.
‘When I came here yesterday, rested at Jacob’s well, and met Irhael, she too, when she came to know Me more closely, asked where one should worship God: on Gerizim or in the temple in Jerusalem. Let her tell you the answer I gave her!’
Here the high priest turns to Irhael, and she says, ‘This is how the Lord then spoke with me:
‘“The hour is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship God neither on Gerizim nor in the temple in Jerusalem! For God is a spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” That is what the Lord said; you are a high priest and will surely know what should now be done!
‘I think that since the Lord has already shown all of us the exceedingly great grace of taking lodging in this house, which is not mine but His and is to remain His, this house should forever remain a most memorable place, and we wish always to gather in it in His name and keep the Sabbath holy in His honor!’
The high priest says, ‘Yes, yes, you would certainly be right if we were already all believers. But one must still show some consideration for the weak as well. They would take even greater offense at this.’
I say, ‘Irhael is right! Whoever takes offense, well, let him take offense and climb his mountain! When he finds nothing there anymore, he will then begin of his own accord to think better of it.
‘Henceforth you are to build Me no houses of prayer, but guesthouses and lodgings for the poor who have nothing with which to repay you.
‘In love for your poor brothers and sisters you will be My true worshipers, and in such houses of prayer I shall often be among you without your noticing it at once. But from now on I shall dwell in temples built expressly for worshiping Me with the lips, as has been the case until now, no more than a person’s understanding dwells in their little toe.
‘But if you wish to awaken your hearts to Me in a sublime temple and enter into true humility before Me, then go out into the wide temple of My creations, and the sun, moon, and all the stars, the sea, the mountains, the trees, and the birds in the air, as well as the fish in the water and the countless flowers in the fields, will proclaim My glory to you!
‘Tell Me, is the tree not more glorious than all the splendor of the temple in Jerusalem? The tree is a pure work of God, has its life, and brings forth nourishing fruit! But what is the temple, and what does it bring forth? I tell all of you: nothing but pride, anger, envy, the most barking jealousy and lust for domination, for it is not God’s work but a vain human work!
‘Truly, truly, I tell all of you: whoever honors Me, loves Me, and thereby worships Me by doing good to their brothers and sisters in My name shall have their eternal reward in heaven. But whoever henceforth venerates Me through all sorts of ceremonies in a temple built expressly for that purpose shall also have their reward during earthly life from the temple. But when, after the death of the flesh, such a person comes to Me and says, “Lord, Lord, be gracious to me, Your servant!”, I shall say to him, “I do not know you; therefore depart from Me and seek your reward from the one you served!” For that reason, you too are henceforth to have nothing more to do with any temple.
‘But in this house you may always gather in remembrance of Me, whether on a Sabbath or on another day, for every day is the Lord’s, not only the Sabbath, on which in future you may do good just as on any other day.’