The Gospel of Barnabas

202.

'Tell me, by whom is the physician more loved: by them that have never had any sickness, or by them whom the physician hath healed of grievous sickness?'

Said the Pharisees to him: 'And how shall he that is whole love the physician? assuredly he will love him only for that he is not sick; and not having knowledge of sickness he will love the physician but little.'

Then with vehemence of spirit Jesus spake, saying: 'As God liveth, your own tongues condemn your pride, inasmuch as our God is loved more by the sinner that repenteth, knowing the great mercy of God upon him, than by the righteous. For the righteous hath not knowledge of the mercy of God. Wherefore there is more rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth than over ninety and nine righteous persons.

'Where are the righteous in our time? As God liveth in whose presence my soul standeth, great is the number of the righteous unrighteous; their condition being like to that of Satan.'

The scribes and Pharisees answered: 'We are sinners, wherefore God will have mercy on us.' And this they said tempting him; for the scribes and Pharisees count it the greatest insult to be called sinners.

Then said Jesus: 'I fear that ye be righteous unrighteous. For if ye have sinned and deny your sin, calling yourselves righteous, ye are unrighteous; and if in your heart ye hold yourselves righteous, and with your tongue ye say that ye are sinners, then are ye doubly righteous unrighteous.'

Accordingly the scribes and Pharisees hearing this were confounded and departed, leaving Jesus with his disciples in peace, and they went into the house of Simon the leper, whose leprosy he [had] cleansed. The citizens had gathered together the sick unto the house of Simon and prayed Jesus for the healing of the sick.

Then Jesus, knowing that his hour was near, said: 'Call the sick, as many as there be, because God is mighty and merciful to heal them.'

They answered: 'We know not that there be any other sick folk here in Jerusalem.'

Jesus weeping answered: 'O Jerusalem, O Israel, I weep over thee, for thou knowest not thy visitation; because I would fain have gathered thee to the love of God thy creator, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not.' Wherefore God saith thus unto thee—