589 lines
36 KiB
Plaintext
589 lines
36 KiB
Plaintext
Urantia Book Paper 141 Beginning The Public Work
|
|
SPIRITWEB ORG, PROMOTING SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE INTERNET.
|
|
|
|
Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART IV: The Life and Teachings
|
|
of Jesus : The Bestowal Of Michael On Urantia The Times Of Michael's Bestowal
|
|
Birth And Infancy Of Jesus The Early Childhood Of Jesus The Later Childhood Of
|
|
Jesus Jesus At Jerusalem The Two Crucial Years The Adolescent Years Jesus'
|
|
Early Manhood The Later Adult Life Of Jesus On The Way To Rome The World's
|
|
Religions The Sojourn At Rome The Return From Rome The Transition Years John
|
|
The Baptist Baptism And The Forty Days Tarrying Time In Galilee Training The
|
|
Kingdom's Messengers The Twelve Apostles The Ordination Of The Twelve Beginning
|
|
The Public Work The Passover At Jerusalem Going Through Samaria At Gilboa And
|
|
In The Decapolis Four Eventful Days At Capernaum First Preaching Tour Of
|
|
Galilee The Interlude Visit To Jerusalem Training Evangelists At Bethsaida The
|
|
Second Preaching Tour The Third Preaching Tour Tarrying And Teaching By The
|
|
Seaside Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis The Crisis At Capernaum Last
|
|
Days At Capernaum Fleeing Through Northern Galilee The Sojourn At Tyre And
|
|
Sidon At Caesarea-philippi The Mount Of Transfiguration The Decapolis Tour
|
|
Rodan Of Alexandria Further Discussions With Rodan At The Feast Of Tabernacles
|
|
Ordination Of The Seventy At Magadan At The Feast Of Dedication The Perean
|
|
Mission Begins Last Visit To Northern Perea The Visit To Philadelphia The
|
|
Resurrection Of Lazarus Last Teaching At Pella The Kingdom Of Heaven On The Way
|
|
To Jerusalem Going Into Jerusalem Monday In Jerusalem ...
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Paper 141 Beginning The Public Work
|
|
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Introduction
|
|
|
|
ON THE first day of the week, January 19, A.D. 27, Jesus and the twelve
|
|
apostles made ready to depart from their headquarters in Bethsaida. The twelve
|
|
knew nothing of their Master's plans except that they were going up to
|
|
Jerusalem to attend the Passover feast in April, and that it was the intention
|
|
to journey by way of the Jordan valley. They did not get away from Zebedee's
|
|
house until near noon because the families of the apostles and others of the
|
|
disciples had come to say good-bye and wish them well in the new work they were
|
|
about to begin.
|
|
|
|
Just before leaving, the apostles missed the Master, and Andrew went out to
|
|
find him. After a brief search he found Jesus sitting in a boat down the beach,
|
|
and he was weeping. The twelve had often seen their Master when he seemed to
|
|
grieve, and they had beheld his brief seasons of serious preoccupation of mind,
|
|
but none of them had ever seen him weep. Andrew was somewhat startled to see
|
|
the Master thus affected on the eve of their departure for Jerusalem, and he
|
|
ventured to approach Jesus and ask: "On this great day, Master, when we are to
|
|
depart for Jerusalem to proclaim the Father's kingdom, why is it that you weep?
|
|
Which of us has offended you?" And Jesus, going back with Andrew to join the
|
|
twelve, answered him: "No one of you has grieved me. I am saddened only because
|
|
none of my father Joseph's family have remembered to come over to bid us
|
|
Godspeed." At this time Ruth was on a visit to her brother Joseph at Nazareth.
|
|
Other members of his family were kept away by pride, disappointment,
|
|
misunderstanding, and petty resentment indulged as a result of hurt feelings
|
|
|
|
1. LEAVING GALILEE
|
|
|
|
Capernaum was not far from Tiberias, and the fame of Jesus had begun to spread
|
|
well over all of Galilee and even to parts beyond. Jesus knew that Herod would
|
|
soon begin to take notice of his work; so he thought best to journey south and
|
|
into Judea with his apostles. A company of over one hundred believers desired
|
|
to go with them, but Jesus spoke to them and besought them not to accompany the
|
|
apostolic group on their way down the Jordan. Though they consented to remain
|
|
behind, many of them followed after the Master within a few days.
|
|
|
|
The first day Jesus and the apostles only journeyed as far as Tarichea, where
|
|
they rested for the night. The next day they traveled to a point on the Jordan
|
|
near Pella where John had preached about one year before, and where Jesus had
|
|
received baptism. Here they tarried for more than two weeks, teaching and
|
|
preaching. By the end of the first week several hundred people had assembled in
|
|
|
|
top of page - 1588
|
|
|
|
a camp near where Jesus and the twelve dwelt, and they had come from Galilee,
|
|
Phoenicia, Syria, the Decapolis, Perea, and Judea.
|
|
|
|
Jesus did no public preaching. Andrew divided the multitude and assigned the
|
|
preachers for the forenoon and afternoon assemblies; after the evening meal
|
|
Jesus talked with the twelve. He taught them nothing new but reviewed his
|
|
former teaching and answered their many questions. On one of these evenings he
|
|
told the twelve something about the forty days which he spent in the hills near
|
|
this place.
|
|
|
|
Many of those who came from Perea and Judea had been baptized by John and were
|
|
interested in finding out more about Jesus' teachings. The apostles made much
|
|
progress in teaching the disciples of John inasmuch as they did not in any way
|
|
detract from John's preaching, and since they did not at this time even baptize
|
|
their new disciples. But it was always a stumbling stone to John's followers
|
|
that Jesus, if he were all that John had announced, did nothing to get him out
|
|
of prison. John's disciples never could understand why Jesus did not prevent
|
|
the cruel death of their beloved leader.
|
|
|
|
From night to night Andrew carefully instructed his fellow apostles in the
|
|
delicate and difficult task of getting along smoothly with the followers of
|
|
John the Baptist. During this first year of Jesus' public ministry more than
|
|
three fourths of his followers had previously followed John and had received
|
|
his baptism. This entire year of A.D. 27 was spent in quietly taking over
|
|
John's work in Perea and Judea.
|
|
|
|
2. GOD'S LAW AND THE FATHER'S WILL
|
|
|
|
The night before they left Pella, Jesus gave the apostles some further
|
|
instruction with regard to the new kingdom. Said the Master: "You have been
|
|
taught to look for the coming of the kingdom of God, and now I come announcing
|
|
that this long-looked-for kingdom is near at hand, even that it is already here
|
|
and in our midst. In every kingdom there must be a king seated upon his throne
|
|
and decreeing the laws of the realm. And so have you developed a concept of the
|
|
kingdom of heaven as a glorified rule of the Jewish people over all the peoples
|
|
of the earth with Messiah sitting on David's throne and from this place of
|
|
miraculous power promulgating the laws of all the world. But, my children, you
|
|
see not with the eye of faith, and you hear not with the understanding of the
|
|
spirit. I declare that the kingdom of heaven is the realization and
|
|
acknowledgment of God's rule within the hearts of men. True, there is a King in
|
|
this kingdom, and that King is my Father and your Father. We are indeed his
|
|
loyal subjects, but far transcending that fact is the transforming truth that
|
|
we are his sons. In my life this truth is to become manifest to all. Our Father
|
|
also sits upon a throne, but not one made with hands. The throne of the
|
|
Infinite is the eternal dwelling place of the Father in the heaven of heavens;
|
|
he fills all things and proclaims his laws to universes upon universes. And the
|
|
Father also rules within the hearts of his children on earth by the spirit
|
|
which he has sent to live within the souls of mortal men.
|
|
|
|
"When you are the subjects of this kingdom, you indeed are made to hear the law
|
|
of the Universe Ruler; but when, because of the gospel of the kingdom which I
|
|
have come to declare, you faith-discover yourselves as sons, you henceforth
|
|
look not upon yourselves as law-subject creatures of an all-powerful king but
|
|
as privileged sons of a loving and divine Father. Verily, verily, I say to you,
|
|
|
|
top of page - 1589
|
|
|
|
when the Father's will is your law, you are hardly in the kingdom. But when the
|
|
Father's will becomes truly your will, then are you in very truth in the
|
|
kingdom because the kingdom has thereby become an established experience in
|
|
you. When God's will is your law, you are noble slave subjects; but when you
|
|
believe in this new gospel of divine sonship, my Father's will becomes your
|
|
will, and you are elevated to the high position of the free children of God,
|
|
liberated sons of the kingdom."
|
|
|
|
Some of the apostles grasped something of this teaching, but none of them
|
|
comprehended the full significance of this tremendous announcement, unless it
|
|
was James Zebedee. But these words sank into their hearts and came forth to
|
|
gladden their ministry during later years of service.
|
|
|
|
3. THE SOJOURN AT AMATHUS
|
|
|
|
The Master and his apostles remained near Amathus for almost three weeks. The
|
|
apostles continued to preach twice daily to the multitude, and Jesus preached
|
|
each Sabbath afternoon. It became impossible to continue the Wednesday
|
|
playtime; so Andrew arranged that two apostles should rest each day of the six
|
|
days in the week, while all were on duty during the Sabbath services.
|
|
|
|
Peter, James, and John did most of the public preaching. Philip, Nathaniel,
|
|
Thomas, and Simon did much of the personal work and conducted classes for
|
|
special groups of inquirers; the twins continued their general police
|
|
supervision, while Andrew, Matthew, and Judas developed into a general
|
|
managerial committee of three, although each of these three also did
|
|
considerable religious work.
|
|
|
|
Andrew was much occupied with the task of adjusting the constantly recurring
|
|
misunderstandings and disagreements between the disciples of John and the newer
|
|
disciples of Jesus. Serious situations would arise every few days, but Andrew,
|
|
with the assistance of his apostolic associates, managed to induce the
|
|
contending parties to come to some sort of agreement, at least temporarily.
|
|
Jesus refused to participate in any of these conferences; neither would he give
|
|
any advice about the proper adjustment of these difficulties. He never once
|
|
offered a suggestion as to how the apostles should solve these perplexing
|
|
problems. When Andrew came to Jesus with these questions, he would always say:
|
|
"It is not wise for the host to participate in the family troubles of his
|
|
guests; a wise parent never takes sides in the petty quarrels of his own
|
|
children."
|
|
|
|
The Master displayed great wisdom and manifested perfect fairness in all of his
|
|
dealings with his apostles and with all of his disciples. Jesus was truly a
|
|
master of men; he exercised great influence over his fellow men because of the
|
|
combined charm and force of his personality. There was a subtle commanding
|
|
influence in his rugged, nomadic, and homeless life. There was intellectual
|
|
attractiveness and spiritual drawing power in his authoritative manner of
|
|
teaching, in his lucid logic, his strength of reasoning, his sagacious insight,
|
|
his alertness of mind, his matchless poise, and his sublime tolerance. He was
|
|
simple, manly, honest, and fearless. With all of this physical and intellectual
|
|
influence manifest in the Master's presence, there were also all those
|
|
spiritual charms of being which have become associated with his
|
|
personality--patience, tenderness, meekness, gentleness, and humility.
|
|
|
|
Jesus of Nazareth was indeed a strong and forceful personality; he was an
|
|
intellectual power and a spiritual stronghold. His personality not only
|
|
appealed
|
|
|
|
top of page - 1590
|
|
|
|
to the spiritually minded women among his followers, but also to the educated
|
|
and intellectual Nicodemus and to the hardy Roman soldier, the captain
|
|
stationed on guard at the cross, who, when he had finished watching the Master
|
|
die, said, "Truly, this was a Son of God." And red-blooded, rugged Galilean
|
|
fishermen called him Master.
|
|
|
|
The pictures of Jesus have been most unfortunate. These paintings of the Christ
|
|
have exerted a deleterious influence on youth; the temple merchants would
|
|
hardly have fled before Jesus if he had been such a man as your artists usually
|
|
have depicted. His was a dignified manhood; he was good, but natural. Jesus did
|
|
not pose as a mild, sweet, gentle, and kindly mystic. His teaching was
|
|
thrillingly dynamic. He not only meant well, but he went about actually doing
|
|
good.
|
|
|
|
The Master never said, "Come to me all you who are indolent and all who are
|
|
dreamers." But he did many times say, "Come to me all you who labor, and I will
|
|
give you rest--spiritual strength." The Master's yoke is, indeed, easy, but
|
|
even so, he never imposes it; every individual must take this yoke of his own
|
|
free will.
|
|
|
|
Jesus portrayed conquest by sacrifice, the sacrifice of pride and selfishness.
|
|
By showing mercy, he meant to portray spiritual deliverance from all grudges,
|
|
grievances, anger, and the lust for selfish power and revenge. And when he
|
|
said, "Resist not evil," he later explained that he did not mean to condone sin
|
|
or to counsel fraternity with iniquity. He intended the more to teach
|
|
forgiveness, to "resist not evil treatment of one's personality, evil injury to
|
|
one's feelings of personal dignity."
|
|
|
|
4. TEACHING ABOUT THE FATHER
|
|
|
|
While sojourning at Amathus, Jesus spent much time with the apostles
|
|
instructing them in the new concept of God; again and again did he impress upon
|
|
them that God is a Father, not a great and supreme bookkeeper who is chiefly
|
|
engaged in making damaging entries against his erring children on earth,
|
|
recordings of sin and evil to be used against them when he subsequently sits in
|
|
judgment upon them as the just Judge of all creation. The Jews had long
|
|
conceived of God as a king over all, even as a Father of the nation, but never
|
|
before had large numbers of mortal men held the idea of God as a loving Father
|
|
of the individual.
|
|
|
|
In answer to Thomas's question, "Who is this God of the kingdom?" Jesus
|
|
replied: "God is your Father, and religion--my gospel--is nothing more nor less
|
|
than the believing recognition of the truth that you are his son. And I am here
|
|
among you in the flesh to make clear both of these ideas in my life and
|
|
teachings."
|
|
|
|
Jesus also sought to free the minds of his apostles from the idea of offering
|
|
animal sacrifices as a religious duty. But these men, trained in the religion
|
|
of the daily sacrifice, were slow to comprehend what he meant. Nevertheless,
|
|
the Master did not grow weary in his teaching. When he failed to reach the
|
|
minds of all of the apostles by means of one illustration, he would restate his
|
|
message and employ another type of parable for purposes of illumination.
|
|
|
|
At this same time Jesus began to teach the twelve more fully concerning their
|
|
mission "to comfort the afflicted and minister to the sick." The Master taught
|
|
them much about the whole man--the union of body, mind, and spirit to form the
|
|
individual man or woman. Jesus told his associates about the three forms of
|
|
|
|
top of page - 1591
|
|
|
|
affliction they would meet and went on to explain how they should minister to
|
|
all who suffer the sorrows of human sickness. He taught them to recognize:
|
|
|
|
1. Diseases of the flesh--those afflictions commonly regarded as physical
|
|
sickness.
|
|
|
|
2. Troubled minds--those nonphysical afflictions which were subsequently looked
|
|
upon as emotional and mental difficulties and disturbances.
|
|
|
|
3. The possession of evil spirits.
|
|
|
|
Jesus explained to his apostles on several occasions the nature, and something
|
|
concerning the origin, of these evil spirits, in that day often also called
|
|
unclean spirits. The Master well knew the difference between the possession of
|
|
evil spirits and insanity, but the apostles did not. Neither was it possible,
|
|
in view of their limited knowledge of the early history of Urantia, for Jesus
|
|
to undertake to make this matter fully understandable. But he many times said
|
|
to them, alluding to these evil spirits: "They shall no more molest men when I
|
|
shall have ascended to my Father in heaven, and after I shall have poured out
|
|
my spirit upon all flesh in those times when the kingdom will come in great
|
|
power and spiritual glory."
|
|
|
|
From week to week and from month to month, throughout this entire year, the
|
|
apostles paid more and more attention to the healing ministry of the sick.
|
|
|
|
5. SPIRITUAL UNITY
|
|
|
|
One of the most eventful of all the evening conferences at Amathus was the
|
|
session having to do with the discussion of spiritual unity. James Zebedee had
|
|
asked, "Master, how shall we learn to see alike and thereby enjoy more harmony
|
|
among ourselves?" When Jesus heard this question, he was stirred within his
|
|
spirit, so much so that he replied: "James, James, when did I teach you that
|
|
you should all see alike? I have come into the world to proclaim spiritual
|
|
liberty to the end that mortals may be empowered to live individual lives of
|
|
originality and freedom before God. I do not desire that social harmony and
|
|
fraternal peace shall be purchased by the sacrifice of free personality and
|
|
spiritual originality. What I require of you, my apostles, is spirit unity--and
|
|
that you can experience in the joy of your united dedication to the
|
|
wholehearted doing of the will of my Father in heaven. You do not have to see
|
|
alike or feel alike or even think alike in order spiritually to be alike.
|
|
Spiritual unity is derived from the consciousness that each of you is indwelt,
|
|
and increasingly dominated, by the spirit gift of the heavenly Father. Your
|
|
apostolic harmony must grow out of the fact that the spirit hope of each of you
|
|
is identical in origin, nature, and destiny.
|
|
|
|
"In this way you may experience a perfected unity of spirit purpose and spirit
|
|
understanding growing out of the mutual consciousness of the identity of each
|
|
of your indwelling Paradise spirits; and you may enjoy all of this profound
|
|
spiritual unity in the very face of the utmost diversity of your individual
|
|
attitudes of intellectual thinking, temperamental feeling, and social conduct.
|
|
Your personalities may be refreshingly diverse and markedly different, while
|
|
your spiritual natures and spirit fruits of divine worship and brotherly love
|
|
may be so unified that all who behold your lives will of a surety take
|
|
cognizance of this spirit identity and soul unity; they will recognize that you
|
|
have been with me and have thereby learned, and acceptably, how to do the will
|
|
of the Father in heaven. You can achieve the unity of the service of God even
|
|
while you render
|
|
|
|
top of page - 1592
|
|
|
|
such service in accordance with the technique of your own original endowments
|
|
of mind, body, and soul.
|
|
|
|
"Your spirit unity implies two things, which always will be found to harmonize
|
|
in the lives of individual believers: First, you are possessed with a common
|
|
motive for life service; you all desire above everything to do the will of the
|
|
Father in heaven. Second, you all have a common goal of existence; you all
|
|
purpose to find the Father in heaven, thereby proving to the universe that you
|
|
have become like him."
|
|
|
|
Many times during the training of the twelve Jesus reverted to this theme.
|
|
Repeatedly he told them it was not his desire that those who believed in him
|
|
should become dogmatized and standardized in accordance with the religious
|
|
interpretations of even good men. Again and again he warned his apostles
|
|
against the formulation of creeds and the establishment of traditions as a
|
|
means of guiding and controlling believers in the gospel of the kingdom.
|
|
|
|
6. LAST WEEK AT AMATHUS
|
|
|
|
Near the end of the last week at Amathus, Simon Zelotes brought to Jesus one
|
|
Teherma, a Persian doing business at Damascus. Teherma had heard of Jesus and
|
|
had come to Capernaum to see him, and there learning that Jesus had gone with
|
|
his apostles down the Jordan on the way to Jerusalem, he set out to find him.
|
|
Andrew had presented Teherma to Simon for instruction. Simon looked upon the
|
|
Persian as a "fire worshiper," although Teherma took great pains to explain
|
|
that fire was only the visible symbol of the Pure and Holy One. After talking
|
|
with Jesus, the Persian signified his intention of remaining for several days
|
|
to hear the teaching and listen to the preaching.
|
|
|
|
When Simon Zelotes and Jesus were alone, Simon asked the Master: "Why is it
|
|
that I could not persuade him? Why did he so resist me and so readily lend an
|
|
ear to you?" Jesus answered: "Simon, Simon, how many times have I instructed
|
|
you to refrain from all efforts to take something out of the hearts of those
|
|
who seek salvation? How often have I told you to labor only to put something
|
|
into these hungry souls? Lead men into the kingdom, and the great and living
|
|
truths of the kingdom will presently drive out all serious error. When you have
|
|
presented to mortal man the good news that God is his Father, you can the
|
|
easier persuade him that he is in reality a son of God. And having done that,
|
|
you have brought the light of salvation to the one who sits in darkness. Simon,
|
|
when the Son of Man came first to you, did he come denouncing Moses and the
|
|
prophets and proclaiming a new and better way of life? No. I came not to take
|
|
away that which you had from your forefathers but to show you the perfected
|
|
vision of that which your fathers saw only in part. Go then, Simon, teaching
|
|
and preaching the kingdom, and when you have a man safely and securely within
|
|
the kingdom, then is the time, when such a one shall come to you with
|
|
inquiries, to impart instruction having to do with the progressive advancement
|
|
of the soul within the divine kingdom."
|
|
|
|
Simon was astonished at these words, but he did as Jesus had instructed him,
|
|
and Teherma, the Persian, was numbered among those who entered the kingdom.
|
|
|
|
That night Jesus discoursed to the apostles on the new life in the kingdom. He
|
|
said in part: "When you enter the kingdom, you are reborn. You cannot teach the
|
|
deep things of the spirit to those who have been born only of the flesh; first
|
|
|
|
top of page - 1593
|
|
|
|
see that men are born of the spirit before you seek to instruct them in the
|
|
advanced ways of the spirit. Do not undertake to show men the beauties of the
|
|
temple until you have first taken them into the temple. Introduce men to God
|
|
and as the sons of God before you discourse on the doctrines of the fatherhood
|
|
of God and the sonship of men. Do not strive with men--always be patient. It is
|
|
not your kingdom; you are only ambassadors. Simply go forth proclaiming: This
|
|
is the kingdom of heaven--God is your Father and you are his sons, and this
|
|
good news, if you wholeheartedly believe it, is your eternal salvation."
|
|
|
|
The apostles made great progress during the sojourn at Amathus. But they were
|
|
very much disappointed that Jesus would give them no suggestions about dealing
|
|
with John's disciples. Even in the important matter of baptism, all that Jesus
|
|
said was: "John did indeed baptize with water, but when you enter the kingdom
|
|
of heaven, you shall be baptized with the Spirit."
|
|
|
|
7. AT BETHANY BEYOND JORDAN
|
|
|
|
On February 26, Jesus, his apostles, and a large group of followers journeyed
|
|
down the Jordan to the ford near Bethany in Perea, the place where John first
|
|
made proclamation of the coming kingdom. Jesus with his apostles remained here,
|
|
teaching and preaching, for four weeks before they went on up to Jerusalem.
|
|
|
|
The second week of the sojourn at Bethany beyond Jordan, Jesus took Peter,
|
|
James, and John into the hills across the river and south of Jericho for a
|
|
three days' rest. The Master taught these three many new and advanced truths
|
|
about the kingdom of heaven. For the purpose of this record we will reorganize
|
|
and classify these teachings as follows:
|
|
|
|
Jesus endeavored to make clear that he desired his disciples, having tasted of
|
|
the good spirit realities of the kingdom, so to live in the world that men, by
|
|
seeing their lives, would become kingdom conscious and hence be led to inquire
|
|
of believers concerning the ways of the kingdom. All such sincere seekers for
|
|
the truth are always glad to hear the glad tidings of the faith gift which
|
|
insures admission to the kingdom with its eternal and divine spirit realities.
|
|
|
|
The Master sought to impress upon all teachers of the gospel of the kingdom
|
|
that their only business was to reveal God to the individual man as his
|
|
Father--to lead this individual man to become son-conscious; then to present
|
|
this same man to God as his faith son. Both of these essential revelations are
|
|
accomplished in Jesus. He became, indeed, "the way, the truth, and the life."
|
|
The religion of Jesus was wholly based on the living of his bestowal life on
|
|
earth. When Jesus departed from this world, he left behind no books, laws, or
|
|
other forms of human organization affecting the religious life of the
|
|
individual.
|
|
|
|
Jesus made it plain that he had come to establish personal and eternal
|
|
relations with men which should forever take precedence over all other human
|
|
relationships. And he emphasized that this intimate spiritual fellowship was to
|
|
be extended to all men of all ages and of all social conditions among all
|
|
peoples. The only reward which he held out for his children was: in this
|
|
world--spiritual joy and divine communion; in the next world--eternal life in
|
|
the progress of the divine spirit realities of the Paradise Father.
|
|
|
|
Jesus laid great emphasis upon what he called the two truths of first import in
|
|
the teachings of the kingdom, and they are: the attainment of salvation by
|
|
faith, and faith alone, associated with the revolutionary teaching of the
|
|
attain-
|
|
|
|
top of page - 1594
|
|
|
|
ment of human liberty through the sincere recognition of truth, "You shall know
|
|
the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Jesus was the truth made
|
|
manifest in the flesh, and he promised to send his Spirit of Truth into the
|
|
hearts of all his children after his return to the Father in heaven.
|
|
|
|
The Master was teaching these apostles the essentials of truth for an entire
|
|
age on earth. They often listened to his teachings when in reality what he said
|
|
was intended for the inspiration and edification of other worlds. He
|
|
exemplified a new and original plan of life. From the human standpoint he was
|
|
indeed a Jew, but he lived his life for all the world as a mortal of the realm.
|
|
|
|
To insure the recognition of his Father in the unfolding of the plan of the
|
|
kingdom, Jesus explained that he had purposely ignored the "great men of
|
|
earth." He began his work with the poor, the very class which had been so
|
|
neglected by most of the evolutionary religions of preceding times. He despised
|
|
no man; his plan was world-wide, even universal. He was so bold and emphatic in
|
|
these announcements that even Peter, James, and John were tempted to think he
|
|
might possibly be beside himself.
|
|
|
|
He sought mildly to impart to these apostles the truth that he had come on this
|
|
bestowal mission, not to set an example for a few earth creatures, but to
|
|
establish and demonstrate a standard of human life for all peoples upon all
|
|
worlds throughout his entire universe. And this standard approached the highest
|
|
perfection, even the final goodness of the Universal Father. But the apostles
|
|
could not grasp the meaning of his words.
|
|
|
|
He announced that he had come to function as a teacher, a teacher sent from
|
|
heaven to present spiritual truth to the material mind. And this is exactly
|
|
what he did; he was a teacher, not a preacher. From the human viewpoint Peter
|
|
was a much more effective preacher than Jesus. Jesus' preaching was so
|
|
effective because of his unique personality, not so much because of compelling
|
|
oratory or emotional appeal. Jesus spoke directly to men's souls. He was a
|
|
teacher of man's spirit, but through the mind. He lived with men.
|
|
|
|
It was on this occasion that Jesus intimated to Peter, James, and John that his
|
|
work on earth was in some respects to be limited by the commission of his
|
|
"associate on high," referring to the prebestowal instructions of his Paradise
|
|
brother, Immanuel. He told them that he had come to do his Father's will and
|
|
only his Father's will. Being thus motivated by a wholehearted singleness of
|
|
purpose, he was not anxiously bothered by the evil in the world.
|
|
|
|
The apostles were beginning to recognize the unaffected friendliness of Jesus.
|
|
Though the Master was easy of approach, he always lived independent of, and
|
|
above, all human beings. Not for one moment was he ever dominated by any purely
|
|
mortal influence or subject to frail human judgment. He paid no attention to
|
|
public opinion, and he was uninfluenced by praise. He seldom paused to correct
|
|
misunderstandings or to resent misrepresentation. He never asked any man for
|
|
advice; he never made requests for prayers.
|
|
|
|
James was astonished at how Jesus seemed to see the end from the beginning. The
|
|
Master rarely appeared to be surprised. He was never excited, vexed, or
|
|
disconcerted. He never apologized to any man. He was at times saddened, but
|
|
never discouraged.
|
|
|
|
More clearly John recognized that, notwithstanding all of his divine
|
|
endowments, after all, he was human. Jesus lived as a man among men and
|
|
understood, loved, and knew how to manage men. In his personal life he was so
|
|
human, and yet so faultless. And he was always unselfish.
|
|
|
|
top of page - 1595
|
|
|
|
Although Peter, James, and John could not understand very much of what Jesus
|
|
said on this occasion, his gracious words lingered in their hearts, and after
|
|
the crucifixion and resurrection they came forth greatly to enrich and gladden
|
|
their subsequent ministry. No wonder these apostles did not fully comprehend
|
|
the Master's words, for he was projecting to them the plan of a new age.
|
|
|
|
8. WORKING IN JERICHO
|
|
|
|
Throughout the four weeks' sojourn at Bethany beyond Jordan, several times each
|
|
week Andrew would assign apostolic couples to go up to Jericho for a day or
|
|
two. John had many believers in Jericho, and the majority of them welcomed the
|
|
more advanced teachings of Jesus and his apostles. On these Jericho visits the
|
|
apostles began more specifically to carry out Jesus' instructions to minister
|
|
to the sick; they visited every house in the city and sought to comfort every
|
|
afflicted person.
|
|
|
|
The apostles did some public work in Jericho, but their efforts were chiefly of
|
|
a more quiet and personal nature. They now made the discovery that the good
|
|
news of the kingdom was very comforting to the sick; that their message carried
|
|
healing for the afflicted. And it was in Jericho that Jesus' commission to the
|
|
twelve to preach the glad tidings of the kingdom and minister to the afflicted
|
|
was first fully carried into effect.
|
|
|
|
They stopped in Jericho on the way up to Jerusalem and were overtaken by a
|
|
delegation from Mesopotamia that had come to confer with Jesus. The apostles
|
|
had planned to spend but a day here, but when these truth seekers from the East
|
|
arrived, Jesus spent three days with them, and they returned to their various
|
|
homes along the Euphrates happy in the knowledge of the new truths of the
|
|
kingdom of heaven.
|
|
|
|
9. DEPARTING FOR JERUSALEM
|
|
|
|
On Monday, the last day of March, Jesus and the apostles began their journey up
|
|
the hills toward Jerusalem. Lazarus of Bethany had been down to the Jordan
|
|
twice to see Jesus, and every arrangement had been made for the Master and his
|
|
apostles to make their headquarters with Lazarus and his sisters at Bethany as
|
|
long as they might desire to stay in Jerusalem.
|
|
|
|
The disciples of John remained at Bethany beyond the Jordan, teaching and
|
|
baptizing the multitudes, so that Jesus was accompanied only by the twelve when
|
|
he arrived at Lazarus's home. Here Jesus and the apostles tarried for five
|
|
days, resting and refreshing themselves before going on to Jerusalem for the
|
|
Passover. It was a great event in the lives of Martha and Mary to have the
|
|
Master and his apostles in the home of their brother, where they could minister
|
|
to their needs.
|
|
|
|
On Sunday morning, April 6, Jesus and the apostles went down to Jerusalem; and
|
|
this was the first time the Master and all of the twelve had been there
|
|
together.
|
|
|
|
top of page - 1596
|
|
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART IV: The Life and Teachings
|
|
of Jesus : The Bestowal Of Michael On Urantia The Times Of Michael's Bestowal
|
|
Birth And Infancy Of Jesus The Early Childhood Of Jesus The Later Childhood Of
|
|
Jesus Jesus At Jerusalem The Two Crucial Years The Adolescent Years Jesus'
|
|
Early Manhood The Later Adult Life Of Jesus On The Way To Rome The World's
|
|
Religions The Sojourn At Rome The Return From Rome The Transition Years John
|
|
The Baptist Baptism And The Forty Days Tarrying Time In Galilee Training The
|
|
Kingdom's Messengers The Twelve Apostles The Ordination Of The Twelve Beginning
|
|
The Public Work The Passover At Jerusalem Going Through Samaria At Gilboa And
|
|
In The Decapolis Four Eventful Days At Capernaum First Preaching Tour Of
|
|
Galilee The Interlude Visit To Jerusalem Training Evangelists At Bethsaida The
|
|
Second Preaching Tour The Third Preaching Tour Tarrying And Teaching By The
|
|
Seaside Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis The Crisis At Capernaum Last
|
|
Days At Capernaum Fleeing Through Northern Galilee The Sojourn At Tyre And
|
|
Sidon At Caesarea-philippi The Mount Of Transfiguration The Decapolis Tour
|
|
Rodan Of Alexandria Further Discussions With Rodan At The Feast Of Tabernacles
|
|
Ordination Of The Seventy At Magadan At The Feast Of Dedication The Perean
|
|
Mission Begins Last Visit To Northern Perea The Visit To Philadelphia The
|
|
Resurrection Of Lazarus Last Teaching At Pella The Kingdom Of Heaven On The Way
|
|
To Jerusalem Going Into Jerusalem Monday In Jerusalem Tuesday Morning In The
|
|
Temple The Last Temple Discourse Tuesday Evening On Mount Olivet Wednesday, The
|
|
Rest Day Last Day At The Camp The Last Supper The Farewell Discourse Final
|
|
Admonitions And Warnings In Gethsemane The Betrayal And Arrest Of Jesus Before
|
|
The Sanhedrin Court The Trial Before Pilate Just Before The Crucifixion The
|
|
Crucifixion The Time Of The Tomb The Resurrection Morontia Appearances Of Jesus
|
|
Appearances To The Apostles And Other Leaders Appearances In Galilee Final
|
|
Appearances And Ascension Bestowal Of The Spirit Of Truth After Pentecost The
|
|
Faith Of Jesus
|
|
|
|
������������������������������������������������������������������������������Ŀ
|
|
� // � � � � �
|
|
� The Ordination � The Passover � Urantia Book � Search � SiteMap! �
|
|
� ... � At... � PA... � � �
|
|
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������
|
|
//
|
|
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
������������������������������������������������������������������������������Ŀ
|
|
� � � � � � � SPIRITWEB ORG (info@spiritweb.org), � �
|
|
� � � � � � � http://www.spiritweb.org � �
|
|
� � � � � � � Webmaster <webmaster@spiritweb.org> � �
|
|
� � � � � � � � �
|
|
� � � � � � � ONLINE SINCE 1993. MAINTAINED IN SWITZERLAND. � �
|
|
� � � � � � � DISTRIBUTED TO CALIFORNIA, SPAIN, ITALY, SOUTH AFRICA, � �
|
|
� � � � � � � AUSTRALIA � �
|
|
� � � � � � � � �
|
|
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������
|