Volume 11 · Chapter 8

THE LORD RELATES ABOUT THE LIFE’S STORY OF THE BUSINESSMAN Now I taught My disciples that they received a good example here, showing to what a worldly attitude and lust for power will lead, and how necessary it is to be always on one’s guard and not to believe to already have assimilated every knowledge and light in oneself as those 3 Pharisees were thinking. They could be considered real scientists because they wanted to examine everything with their critical reason and only wanted to believe what they saw, but by that they fell from one doubt into another because after they were looking, they doubted again whether they looked well, and they finally did not trust their own actions and words. Furthermore, their striving, although serious, was nevertheless wrong because it was only directed to the outer and not to the inner, and only that formed the consumable kernel, as with a nut on which one can really break his teeth on the purely outer form. That is why it was still by far not possible to make Myself known to them.

[GGJ.11_008,02] Performing a miracle here would have been useless because they only would have believed that they did not understand the manner by which it was accomplished and would have rejected the inner kernel since they adhered too much to the Greek sciences which they secretly practiced. Only in Aphek, a region they knew well from before, they really would be surprised and begin to understand that here stops what is natural according to their understanding, and after that, they will zealously investigate and slowly be freed from their sciences that will greatly abandon them.

[GGJ.11_008,03] Then also for them a light will arise regarding who I was, especially when they will hear that I came along this way, and then they will receive more understanding from themselves. Of course, a long time will still pass before they will come to complete insight because they will quickly be sent out again by Jerusalem so that in this way their souls can be purified in peacefulness and meditation, and that the strewed seed would not suffocate in the mud there.

[GGJ.11_008,04] We still talked about several things of the temple and its servants as well as about the destiny of the temple when Mucius came back with the businessman and told us that the Pharisees and their men left to the East and that also the other businessmen loaded their pack animals and camels and had left, but this businessman let them go and decided to further discuss with Me.

[GGJ.11_008,05] I went to him and said kindly: “Phoikas, what is it actually that kept you here?”

[GGJ.11_008,06] Being completely perplexed the businessman said: “Lord, how do you know this name which I only carried in my youth? I am a Greek from birth and was named Phoikas, but when I early in life became an orphan a merciful Jew from Tyrus adopted me and later he even accepted me as his son because he stayed without children. I became a Jew, received also the circumcision and was called Agamelom. Since tens of years the name Phoikas did not sound in my ears and I even almost forgot it – and now You call me so.”

[GGJ.11_008,07] I said: “Do not be surprised about that, for I still know a lot more than only a simple name that your parents gave you in your earliest years. I also very well know your whole youth which you first spent in Athens and later alone with your father in Tyrus. But your father died from a severe cold which deteriorated in a dangerous fever when he returned completely wet from a boat trip and which he undertook to store stranded goods. And so you became an orphan because your mother already died in Athens. The Jew that adopted you was a business friend of your father. He traded with Jerusalem and his name was Maliesar. Tell Me, is this so or not?”

[GGJ.11_008,08] Being more and more surprised the businessman said: “Yes, so it is precisely, and I am all the more surprised about it because those events happened already 30 and more years ago, so at a time that You apparently could not have been born yet. From where do You know these things, because the group of people that can know something about my father and that adoptive father died already a long time ago?”

[GGJ.11_008,09] I said: “I already told you that I still know a lot more things. But do not worry about that for the moment, for all these things will become clear to you. But let us now partake of a good midday meal so that our body will be strengthened, and after the meal you will receive a right explanation.”

[GGJ.11_008,10] Now we went into the house and partook of the midday meal which Mucius ordered to prepare for us.