Why had Jesus no money with Him...at all [Archive]

Henk

01-28-2011, 01:25 PM

Book 1 ...chapter 94 a discussion between Jesus and Judas

94. THE CURSE AND THE DANGERS OF MONEY
BUT Judas Iscariot, standing next to him says: ‘But I
maintain that a small amount of money on a journey
surely can harm no one?’
[2] But I say:, ‘He who knows Me the way this host does, having
been with Me also at Sychar, knows that one can do quite well at
My side also without money. See, I have neither pockets in My
coat, and even less any trace of money, yet I led many hundreds
through Judea and Samaria to here. Ask them how much this
journey cost everyone.
[3] On top of that I tell you that shortly I shall be feeding many
thousands while not having more money than now.
[4] I tell you, a proper trust in God is worth more than all the
treasures of the world, with which you can help your flesh indeed
for a short time, but not your soul. But if you have ruined
and therefore lost your soul, what can you give later to ransom
your soul?’
[5] Says Judas: ‘Yes, yes, You are right indeed, but man has to
have money for some things.’
[6] I reply: ‘How much money did Moses have when he led the
Israelites out?’
[7] Judas says: ‘He was in possession of gold, silver and precious
stones aplenty.’
[8] I said: ‘That he had indeed. But this also held him back from
entering the promised land. Can you actually grasp this?’
[9] Says Judas: ‘Here I should think that with Moses, the prophet
of all Jehovah’s prophets, not the gold and silver which he had to
bring from Egypt on Jehovah’s prompting was responsible, but
that in a weak moment he failed to build upon Jehovah’s
faithfulness sufficiently.’
[10] I said: ‘And what was the reason for his weakening one day?
He who caused Moses to weaken due to his thought about the gold
and silver now stands before you telling you this. It is indeed
written allegorically, but in reality it is as I now explained it
to you.’
[11] Says Judas: ‘All right, I believe You that it was once so. But
now, half way around the world, through the Roman empire
money has been introduced as a lawful means of exchange for the
expedient intercourse among mankind, and we are obliged to make
use of same, and thus I think that if it is not a sin to drop money in
God’s offertory, it neither is a sin to give such money to some poor
person, that he may provide for himself for a few days, and
therefore even for the benefit of the poor it is already proper to
carry money, once lawfully introduced by the state, and so the host
Roban could have hung unto his few silver groshen.’
[12] I said: ‘You do indeed carry with you a well-stocked purse,
yet you refused to give any alms to the three poor who begged you
for alms yesterday, and therefore I don’t think you make that
commendable use of money for which you are praising its virtues
to Me.
[13] But regarding the money in God’s offertory, I tell you plainly,
this is a ravaging abomination, not so much on account of some
spiritually deprived who think to have secured Heaven therewith,
but for those who remove the money from the chest for
squandering on harlots at night time. So long as there was no
money, there were no public whores, as it is now. But since there
is money now in all sorts of word to come there also are now at
Jerusalem as in all other cities whores without number, with the
men sinning with them day and night. And after those who possess
much money lose taste for the local ones, they let them be brought
from the uplands, buying them in Greece, to then carry on in Judea
the most ignominious harlotry with them. And this adds a
thousandfold more is the blessing of your highly praised money.
[14] But this is only the start of the curse hanging over money.
[15] But there shall come worse times than when Noah built his
ark, and they shall have to attribute their misery to gold and silver,
and nothing short of a fire from the Heavens which shall consume
all that excrement from Hell shall save mankind from that
tribulation of all tribulations.’
[16] Says Judas: ‘Yes, yes, You are a prophet without equal and
are capable of knowing that, but if money is used correctly then
surely it can do no harm?’
[17] I said: ‘I say unto you, indeed, if applied correctly, just as one
can use everything else on Earth the right or wrong way. But the
big difference consists in, when you go to a city, you have to carry
all sorts of things on your back, either tools or foods, and you shall
obtain other things or foods therewith, in accordance with your
requirements. This of course is a bit inconvenient, yet at the same
time hard or being seduced into sin. Because if you arrive with
junk and bundle, or pulling a cart, and come to a whore to sin, in
exchange for a few pots and pans, she will deride and laugh at you,
and you shall be saved from sin. Coming to her with gold and
silver however, she shall neither deride nor laugh at you, but guide
you to her brothel and seduce you to sin, with all sorts of
attractions, in order the more to relieve you of your gold and silver.
Therefore money is a most convenient object, yet also seductive
and convenient for sinning.
[18] And for this reason Satan introduced it into the world, so it is
easier to sin in the world. Are you not aware of how opportunity
breeds thieves?’
[19] Says Judas: ‘Sure, sure, this is true. But if all this is just to
discourage thieves from finding anything around men for arousing
their fancy, then immense changes would have to be introduced
among mankind. Firstly, all men should have to be equally poor in
worldly goods, secondly resemble each other like male and female
sparrows, and thirdly not be wiser than anyone else. So long as this
is not the case however all talking, teaching and working of signs
is in vain. Many shall of course reform, but ten times that many
shall remain the same in spite of all teaching and signs, if not
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worse, and quite easily ten times so, because surely, every man has
self-love and likes to be reasonably well-provided. Therefore, quite
naturally, every man first thinks of himself and only then of others.
And this surely cannot be held against him. House and land not
everyone can have, otherwise God would have to bring house and
land into the world with every new-born, to grow up with him.
Since this is not the case however, with all the previously born
already taking possession of every spot of land, making it
impossible for newly-born to possess even a foot-wide piece of
land, then nothing remains for them to do in the end but to either
make themselves indispensable to the lazy owners through all sorts
of education and service, or turn to thievery in order not to be
reduced to beggary. If then the more advantaged part of those
without land and home receive nothing but money, and then save
as much as possible for the old days, then I find nothing wrong
therewith, and discover a new creation therein of land and soil, for
all those born unto this Earth through procreation and birth without
the least landed hope. And I must openly maintain that God, being
either unable or unwilling to create land for every new-born, has
given the rulers the idea of coinage, whereby children of the
landless can acquire a necessary living, often better than that
consisting in land ownership. And surely it cannot be God's will
that children of the landless should perish? For surely it is not their
fault to be born into the world with the same needs as those landed
gentry.
[20] Even if You may be the greatest prophet that ever walked this
Earth and I concede everything You have taught and are still to
teach, this Your appraisal of me regarding the harmfulness of
money I cannot concede. Because however harmful money can be
in Your view, so can everything else be harmful. If I possessed all
the sheep, oxen, cows, calves, donkeys, poultry and pigeons, and
all the fruit and bread, stolen in our country just since David, then I
would be the wealthiest man in all Israel. And fornication was
carried on as badly and worse than today when there was no
money, such as in Sodom and Gomorrah and Babylon.
[21] I do not want to say that You are altogether wrong in what
you said about money, but where, on this poor Earth, is there an
object with which thousandfold wickedness has not already been
committed? But if God does not altogether condemn such misuse,
why should He suddenly be so angry and cursing about money?’
[22] I said: ‘Whatever someone loves, that he also has the intellect
to commend. You love money excessively and therefore well
know how to praise it. Therefore I shall say no more about it to
you, because what one loves, one also knows how to praise. But
you nevertheless shall in the not too distant future learn about the
curse of money. But now no more about it. The road to Capernaum
is long and we must get there before dark and look for an inn.’