Gifts of Heaven · Volume 2 · Chapter 287

The soul-lamp of self-knowledge

21st April 1843

[1] Give this to My dear A.H.W. on his bodily name day, since he wants to know why weakness is better than strength.

[2] Listen you, My beloved friend and brother in My love for you! As far as your three verses by My dear Paul from the 12th chapter of the second letter to the Corinthians, which seem somewhat obscure to you, are already expressed by Me here and there in the Gospel as well as in the prophets, but especially in Job, in Jeremiah and in the penitential psalms of David.

[3] In spite of this, however, they are a little dark for a spirit-eye that is still a little weak. Therefore I want to give you a little lamp in your day, filled with the grace oil from My love. This lamp will illuminate such texts so wonderfully for you that they will appear to you as if they were transparently illuminated by the sun! And so listen! But this is what the lamp is and consists of:

[4] Once, in the days of My flesh on earth, when I Myself represented the true justification before God before the Jews, scribes and Pharisees, I said the following parable, which was taken from life

[5] In the front of the holy of holies, a very noble Pharisee offered his thanksgiving prayer to the Lord, speaking aloud: "Oh Lord! I thank You, oh Lord, that You has given me such great strength, for which I have been able to serve You most faithfully since my childhood, and have never sinned against You in any law, oh Lord. For I have kept the laws of Moses except for one checkmark. I performed my professional duties exactly, I sacrificed abundantly to You at all times, and tithing of everything I did was punctual. And I never defiled myself, neither in the morning, nor at noon, nor in the evening. And I have also never desecrated the Sabbath with a finger.

[6] Oh, therefore, I thank You, my God, now with the fullest, convincing fervor of all the strength that you have bestowed on me, because of which I have always walked righteously before you and am justified from head to toe and am not a sinner like the common Jews , like the vagabonds, like the thieves, robbers and murderers, like the fornicators and adulterers, like the Sabbath molesters and swine-eaters and not in the least like all the public sinners, jugglers, dancers, comedians, magicians, tax collectors and low usury and not in the least like the Samaritans and the like!" That was about the thanksgiving prayer of the righteous Pharisee.

[7] But completely in the background of the temple there was also a sinful publican. This one hardly dared to lift up his eyes and spoke in the complete contrition of his soul:

[8] "Oh Lord! I, poor, weak sinner, am not worthy to see Your sanctuary, not worthy to stand even at the last place of Your temple! But be gracious and merciful, Oh Lord, to me, a poor, weak sinner, if I am ever worthy of the slightest mercy!” Here the publican struck himself on the chest and left the temple crying!

[9] Now which of these two went out of the temple justified? I tell you now, as I said then: Not at all the boastful Pharisee who reckoned his righteousness to Me and thought himself much better than all the others; but the weak, sinful publican who thought himself worse than all the others. I therefore later also came into his house and ate and drank with him and took him in as a brother to Me and to My brothers.

[10] Now behold, if therefore the publican became My friend, but the Pharisee just the opposite, it will be about clear why Paul is speaking: "Lest I surrender myself to the high revelation, a thorn has been given to me in the flesh, an angel of Satan (i.e. carnal love or carnal lust), that he may smite me with his fists. Job speaks in the same way:

[11] What is easier than to exaggerate yourself in a high office and consider yourself better than all your brothers, who were not given such an office !? But what is more dangerous for the human spirit than such easily possible arrogance ?!

[12] Therefore it was necessary also for Paul and for everyone of his ministry to have a constant admonition in the flesh, which so spoke to him: "Behold, you are only a man and by no means a god! As often as you will fall before Me, I will raise you up again so that you may remember that you are only a man!” Paul noticed such misery in himself. That is why he also asked Me three times vehemently that I should free him from this trial.

[13] And I then said to him: “Let My grace be sufficient for you, for My power is powerful only in the weak!” – i.e. if they recognize their weakness alive, as Paul also confesses to it when he says: "Therefore I will boast most dearly of my weakness, that the power of Christ may dwell with me always! And therefore I, Paul, am now also always of good cheer in my weaknesses, in shame, in needs, in persecutions and fears for Christ's sake. For I know that I am strong only when I am weak!”

[14] So why? Because Paul well knew that I am always closer to the weak and thus the humble, than to the strong or at least he who foolishly think himself to be strong!

[15] Who shall fall more often while walking than the little children? And yet I say: "Unless you become like the little ones, you will not enter My kingdom of heaven! From this you can also see why Paul boasted of his weakness.

[16] But you can also see that the good shepherd leaves the 99 righteous sheep and goes looking for the hundredth lost, and if He finds it, as soon as he puts it on His shoulder with the greatest joy and carries it home! And finally you can clearly understand Paul's glory of weakness from the fact that the father even approached to meet the prodigal son, welcomed him, then even prepared him a great feast, adorned him with the lord's ring and gave him the greatest honor!

[17] I think, My friend and brother A.H.-W., illuminated with this lamp, it will no longer be difficult for you to understand such texts vividly! But I, your Father and God Jesus, say to you:

[18] Whoever fights in his weakness and wins, is a thousand times dearer to Me than a strong man for whom victory is easy. When the weak falls, there I will raise him up, however often he falls. But the strong may raise himself up, as he has fallen.

[19] So let this be a good tie from Me, Jesus, on your day! Because I bind you in your weakness to My strength. That is fully insured for time and forever! I, your dear Father Jesus! Amen.