The Urantia Book
PAPER 140
THE ORDINATION OF THE TWELVE
140:0.1 JUST before noon on Sunday, January 12,
A.D. 27, Jesus called the apostles together for their ordination
as public preachers of the gospel of the kingdom. The twelve were
expecting to be called almost any day; so this morning they did
not go out far from the shore to fish. Several of them were
lingering near the shore repairing their nets and tinkering with
their fishing paraphernalia.
140:0.2 As Jesus started down the seashore
calling the apostles, he first hailed Andrew and Peter, who were
fishing near the shore; next he signaled to James and John, who
were in a boat near by, visiting with their father, Zebedee, and
mending their nets. Two by two he gathered up the other apostles,
and when he had assembled all twelve, he journeyed with them to
the highlands north of Capernaum, where he proceeded to instruct
them in preparation for their formal ordination.
140:0.3 For once all twelve of the apostles were
silent; even Peter was in a reflective mood. At last the
long-waited-for hour had come! They were going apart with the
Master to participate in some sort of solemn ceremony of personal
consecration and collective dedication to the sacred work of
representing their Master in the proclamation of the coming of his
Father's kingdom.
1. PRELIMINARY INSTRUCTION
140:1.1 Before the formal ordination service
Jesus spoke to the twelve as they were seated about him: "My
brethren, this hour of the kingdom has come. I have brought you
apart here with me to present you to the Father as ambassadors of
the kingdom. Some of you heard me speak of this kingdom in the
synagogue when you first were called. Each of you has learned more
about the Father's kingdom since you have been with me working in
the cities around about the Sea of Galilee. But just now I have
something more to tell you concerning this kingdom.
140:1.2 "The new kingdom which my Father is
about to set up in the hearts of his earth children is to be an
everlasting dominion. There shall be no end of this rule of my
Father in the hearts of those who desire to do his divine will. I
declare to you that my Father is not the God of Jew or gentile.
Many shall come from the east and from the west to sit down with
us in the Father's kingdom, while many of the children of Abraham
will refuse to enter this new brotherhood of the rule of the
Father's spirit in the hearts of the children of men.
140:1.3 "The power of this kingdom shall
consist, not in the strength of armies nor in the might of riches,
but rather in the glory of the divine spirit that shall come to
teach the minds and rule the hearts of the reborn citizens of this
heavenly kingdom, the sons of God. This is the brotherhood of love
wherein righteousness reigns, and whose battle cry shall be: Peace
on earth and good will to all men. This kingdom, which you are so
soon to go forth proclaiming, is the desire of the good men of all
ages, the hope of all the earth, and the fulfillment of the wise
promises of all the prophets.
140:1.4 "But for you, my children, and for all
others who would follow you into this kingdom, there is set a
severe test. Faith alone will pass you through its portals, but
you must bring forth the fruits of my Father's spirit if you would
continue to ascend in the progressive life of the divine
fellowship. Verily, verily, I say to you, not every one who says,
`Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but rather he who
does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
140:1.5 "Your message to the world shall be:
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and in
finding these, all other things essential to eternal survival
shall be secured therewith. And now would I make it plain to you
that this kingdom of my Father will not come with an outward show
of power or with unseemly demonstration. You are not to go hence
in the proclamation of the kingdom, saying, `it is here' or `it is
there,' for this kingdom of which you preach is God within you.
140:1.6 "Whosoever would become great in my
Father's kingdom shall become a minister to all; and whosoever
would be first among you, let him become the server of his
brethren. But when you are once truly received as citizens in the
heavenly kingdom, you are no longer servants but sons, sons of the
living God. And so shall this kingdom progress in the world until
it shall break down every barrier and bring all men to know my
Father and believe in the saving truth which I have come to
declare. Even now is the kingdom at hand, and some of you will not
die until you have seen the reign of God come in great power.
140:1.7 "And this which your eyes now behold,
this small beginning of twelve commonplace men, shall multiply and
grow until eventually the whole earth shall be filled with the
praise of my Father. And it will not be so much by the words you
speak as by the lives you live that men will know you have been
with me and have learned of the realities of the kingdom. And
while I would lay no grievous burdens upon your minds, I am about
to put upon your souls the solemn responsibility of representing
me in the world when I shall presently leave you as I now
represent my Father in this life which I am living in the flesh."
And when he had finished speaking, he stood up.
2. THE ORDINATION
140:2.1 Jesus now instructed the twelve mortals
who had just listened to his declaration concerning the kingdom to
kneel in a circle about him. Then the Master placed his hands upon
the head of each apostle, beginning with Judas Iscariot and ending
with Andrew. When he had blessed them, he extended his hands and
prayed:
140:2.2 "My Father, I now bring to you these
men, my messengers. From among our children on earth I have chosen
these twelve to go forth to represent me as I came forth to
represent you. Love them and be with them as you have loved and
been with me. And now, my Father, give these men wisdom as I place
all the affairs of the coming kingdom in their hands. And I would,
if it is your will, tarry on earth a time to help them in their
labors for the kingdom. And again, my Father, I thank you for
these men, and I commit them to your keeping while I go on to
finish the work you have given me to do."
140:2.3 When Jesus had finished praying, the
apostles remained each man bowed in his place. And it was many
minutes before even Peter dared lift up his eyes to look upon the
Master. One by one they embraced Jesus, but no man said aught. A
great silence pervaded the place while a host of celestial beings
looked down upon this solemn and sacred scene -- the Creator of a
universe placing the affairs of the divine brotherhood of man
under the direction of human minds.
3. THE ORDINATION SERMON
140:3.1
Then Jesus spoke, saying: "Now that you
are ambassadors of my Father's kingdom, you have thereby become a
class of men separate and distinct from all other men on earth.
You are not now as men among men but as the enlightened citizens
of another and heavenly country among the ignorant creatures of
this dark world. It is not enough that you live as you were before
this hour, but henceforth must you live as those who have tasted
the glories of a better life and have been sent back to earth as
ambassadors of the Sovereign of that new and better world. Of the
teacher more is expected than of the pupil; of the master more is
exacted than of the servant. Of the citizens of the heavenly
kingdom more is required than of the citizens of the earthly rule.
Some of the things which I am about to say to you may seem hard,
but you have elected to represent me in the world even as I now
represent the Father; and as my agents on earth you will be
obligated to abide by those teachings and practices which are
reflective of my ideals of mortal living on the worlds of space,
and which I exemplify in my earth life of revealing the Father who
is in heaven.
140:3.2 "I send you forth to proclaim liberty to
the spiritual captives, joy to those in the bondage of fear, and
to heal the sick in accordance with the will of my Father in
heaven. When you find my children in distress, speak encouragingly
to them, saying:
140:3.3 "Happy are the poor in spirit, the
humble, for theirs are the treasures of the kingdom of heaven.
140:3.4 "Happy are they who hunger and thirst
for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
140:3.5 "Happy are the meek, for they shall
inherit the earth.
140:3.6 "Happy are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God.
140:3.7 "And even so speak to my children these
further words of spiritual comfort and promise:
140:3.8 "Happy are they who mourn, for they
shall be comforted. Happy are they who weep, for they shall
receive the spirit of rejoicing.
140:3.9 "Happy are the merciful, for they shall
obtain mercy.
140:3.10 "Happy are the peacemakers, for they
shall be called the sons of God.
140:3.11 "Happy are they who are persecuted for
righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy
are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say
all manner of evil against you falsely. Rejoice and be exceedingly
glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
140:3.12 "My brethren, as I send you forth, you
are the salt of the earth, salt with a saving savor. But if this
salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is
henceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under
foot of men.
140:3.13 "You are the light of the world. A city
set upon a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and
put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light to
all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that
they may see your good works and be led to glorify your Father who
is in heaven.
140:3.14 "I am sending you out into the world to
represent me and to act as ambassadors of my Father's kingdom, and
as you go forth to proclaim the glad tidings, put your trust in
the Father whose messengers you are. Do not forcibly resist
injustice; put not your trust in the arm of the flesh. If your
neighbor smites you on the right cheek, turn to him the other
also. Be willing to suffer injustice rather than to go to law
among yourselves. In kindness and with mercy minister to all who
are in distress and in need.
140:3.15 "I say to you: Love your enemies, do
good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray
for those who despitefully use you. And whatsoever you believe
that I would do to men, do you also to them.
140:3.16 "Your Father in heaven makes the sun to
shine on the evil as well as upon the good; likewise he sends rain
on the just and the unjust. You are the sons of God; even more,
you are now the ambassadors of my Father's kingdom. Be merciful,
even as God is merciful, and in the eternal future of the kingdom
you shall be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.
140:3.17 "You are commissioned to save men, not
to judge them. At the end of your earth life you will all expect
mercy; therefore do I require of you during your mortal life that
you show mercy to all of your brethren in the flesh. Make not the
mistake of trying to pluck a mote out of your brother's eye when
there is a beam in your own eye. Having first cast the beam out of
your own eye, you can the better see to cast the mote out of your
brother's eye.
140:3.18 "Discern the truth clearly; live the
righteous life fearlessly; and so shall you be my apostles and my
Father's ambassadors. You have heard it said: `If the blind lead
the blind, they both shall fall into the pit.' If you would guide
others into the kingdom, you must yourselves walk in the clear
light of living truth. In all the business of the kingdom I exhort
you to show just judgment and keen wisdom. Present not that which
is holy to dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they
trample your gems under foot and turn to rend you.
140:3.19 "I warn you against false prophets who
will come to you in sheep's clothing, while on the inside they are
as ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them. Do men
gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? Even so, every
good tree brings forth good fruit, but the corrupt tree bears evil
fruit. A good tree cannot yield evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good
fruit is presently hewn down and cast into the fire. In gaining an
entrance into the kingdom of heaven, it is the motive that counts.
My Father looks into the hearts of men and judges by their inner
longings and their sincere intentions.
140:3.20 "In the great day of the kingdom
judgment, many will say to me, `Did we not prophesy in your name
and by your name do many wonderful works?' But I will be compelled
to say to them, `I never knew you; depart from me you who are
false teachers.' But every one who hears this charge and sincerely
executes his commission to represent me before men even as I have
represented my Father to you, shall find an abundant entrance into
my service and into the kingdom of the heavenly Father."
140:3.21 Never before had the apostles heard
Jesus speak in this way, for he had talked to them as one having
supreme authority. They came down from the mountain about sundown,
but no man asked Jesus a question.
4.
YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH
140:4.1 The so-called "Sermon on the Mount" is
not the gospel of Jesus. It does contain much helpful instruction,
but it was Jesus' ordination charge to the twelve apostles. It was
the Master's personal commission to those who were to go on
preaching the gospel and aspiring to represent him in the world of
men even as he was so eloquently and perfectly representative of
his Father.
140:4.2 "You are the salt of the earth, salt
with a saving savor. But if this salt has lost its savor,
wherewith shall it be salted? It is henceforth good for nothing
but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men."
140:4.3 In Jesus' time salt was precious. It was
even used for money. The modern word "salary" is derived from
salt. Salt not only flavors food, but it is also a preservative.
It makes other things more tasty, and thus it serves by being
spent.
140:4.4 "You are the light of the world. A
city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle
and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives
light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before
men that they may see your good works and be led to glorify your
Father who is in heaven."
140:4.5 While light dispels darkness, it can
also be so "blinding" as to confuse and frustrate. We are
admonished to let our light so shine that our fellows will
be guided into new and godly paths of enhanced living. Our light
should so shine as not to attract attention to self. Even one's
vocation can be utilized as an effective "reflector" for the
dissemination of this light of life.
140:4.6 Strong characters are not derived
from not doing wrong but rather from actually doing right.
Unselfishness is the badge of human greatness. The highest levels
of self-realization are attained by worship and service. The happy
and effective person is motivated, not by fear of wrongdoing, but
by love of right doing.
140:4.7 "By their fruits you shall know
them." Personality is basically changeless; that which changes
-- grows -- is the moral character. The major error of modern
religions is negativism. The tree which bears no fruit is "hewn
down and cast into the fire." Moral worth cannot be derived from
mere repression -- obeying the injunction "Thou shalt not." Fear
and shame are unworthy motivations for religious living. Religion
is valid only when it reveals the fatherhood of God and enhances
the brotherhood of men.
140:4.8 An effective philosophy of living is
formed by a combination of cosmic insight and the total of one's
emotional reactions to the social and economic environment.
Remember: While inherited urges cannot be fundamentally modified,
emotional responses to such urges can be changed; therefore the
moral nature can be modified, character can be improved. In the
strong character emotional responses are integrated and
co-ordinated, and thus is produced a unified personality.
Deficient unification weakens the moral nature and engenders
unhappiness.
140:4.9 Without a worthy goal, life becomes
aimless and unprofitable, and much unhappiness results. Jesus'
discourse at the ordination of the twelve constitutes a master
philosophy of life. Jesus exhorted his followers to exercise
experiential faith. He admonished them not to depend on mere
intellectual assent, credulity, and established authority.
140:4.10 Education should be a technique of
learning (discovering) the better methods of gratifying our
natural and inherited urges, and happiness is the resulting total
of these enhanced techniques of emotional satisfactions. Happiness
is little dependent on environment, though pleasing surroundings
may greatly contribute thereto.
140:4.11 Every mortal really craves to be a
complete person, to be perfect even as the Father in heaven is
perfect, and such attainment is possible because in the last
analysis the "universe is truly fatherly."
5. FATHERLY AND BROTHERLY LOVE
140:5.1 From the Sermon on the Mount to the
discourse of the Last Supper, Jesus taught his followers to
manifest fatherly love rather than brotherly love.
Brotherly love would love your neighbor as you love yourself, and
that would be adequate fulfillment of the "golden rule." But
fatherly affection would require that you should love your fellow
mortals as Jesus loves you.
140:5.2 Jesus loves mankind with a dual
affection. He lived on earth as a twofold personality -- human and
divine. As the Son of God he loves man with a fatherly love -- he
is man's Creator, his universe Father. As the Son of Man, Jesus
loves mortals as a brother -- he was truly a man among men.
140:5.3 Jesus did not expect his followers to
achieve an impossible manifestation of brotherly love, but he did
expect them to so strive to be like God -- to be perfect even as
the Father in heaven is perfect -- that they could begin to look
upon man as God looks upon his creatures and therefore could begin
to love men as God loves them -- to show forth the beginnings of a
fatherly affection. In the course of these exhortations to
the twelve apostles, Jesus sought to reveal this new concept of
fatherly love as it is related to certain emotional attitudes
concerned in making numerous environmental social adjustments.
140:5.4 The Master introduced this momentous
discourse by calling attention to four faith attitudes as
the prelude to the subsequent portrayal of his four transcendent
and supreme reactions of fatherly love in contrast to the
limitations of mere brotherly love.
140:5.5 He first talked about those who were
poor in spirit, hungered after righteousness, endured meekness,
and who were pure in heart. Such spirit-discerning mortals could
be expected to attain such levels of divine selflessness as to be
able to attempt the amazing exercise of fatherly affection;
that even as mourners they would be empowered to show mercy,
promote peace, and endure persecutions, and throughout all of
these trying situations to love even unlovely mankind with a
fatherly love. A father's affection can attain levels of devotion
that immeasurably transcend a brother's affection.
140:5.6 The faith and the love of these
beatitudes strengthen moral character and create happiness. Fear
and anger weaken character and destroy happiness. This momentous
sermon started out upon the note of happiness.
140:5.7 1. "Happy are the poor in spirit --
the humble." To a child, happiness is the satisfaction of
immediate pleasure craving. The adult is willing to sow seeds of
self-denial in order to reap subsequent harvests of augmented
happiness. In Jesus' times and since, happiness has all too often
been associated with the idea of the possession of wealth. In the
story of the Pharisee and the publican praying in the temple, the
one felt rich in spirit -- egotistical; the other felt "poor in
spirit" -- humble. One was self-sufficient; the other was
teachable and truth-seeking. The poor in spirit seek for goals of
spiritual wealth -- for God. And such seekers after truth do not
have to wait for rewards in a distant future; they are rewarded
now. They find the kingdom of heaven within their own hearts,
and they experience such happiness now.
140:5.8 2. "Happy are they who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." Only
those who feel poor in spirit will ever hunger for righteousness.
Only the humble seek for divine strength and crave spiritual
power. But it is most dangerous to knowingly engage in spiritual
fasting in order to improve one's appetite for spiritual
endowments. Physical fasting becomes dangerous after four or five
days; one is apt to lose all desire for food. Prolonged fasting,
either physical or spiritual, tends to destroy hunger.
140:5.9 Experiential righteousness is a
pleasure, not a duty. Jesus' righteousness is a dynamic love --
fatherly-brotherly affection. It is not the negative or
thou-shalt-not type of righteousness. How could one ever hunger
for something negative -- something "not to do"?
140:5.10 It is not so easy to teach a child mind
these first two of the beatitudes, but the mature mind should
grasp their significance.
140:5.11 3. "Happy are the meek, for they
shall inherit the earth." Genuine meekness has no relation to
fear. It is rather an attitude of man co-operating with God --
"Your will be done." It embraces patience and forbearance and is
motivated by an unshakable faith in a lawful and friendly
universe. It masters all temptations to rebel against the divine
leading. Jesus was the ideal meek man of Urantia, and he inherited
a vast universe.
140:5.12 4. "Happy are the pure in heart, for
they shall see God." Spiritual purity is not a negative
quality, except that it does lack suspicion and revenge. In
discussing purity, Jesus did not intend to deal exclusively with
human sex attitudes. He referred more to that faith which man
should have in his fellow man; that faith which a parent has in
his child, and which enables him to love his fellows even as a
father would love them. A father's love need not pamper, and it
does not condone evil, but it is always anticynical. Fatherly love
has singleness of purpose, and it always looks for the best in
man; that is the attitude of a true parent.
140:5.13 To see God -- by faith -- means to
acquire true spiritual insight. And spiritual insight enhances
Adjuster guidance, and these in the end augment God-consciousness.
And when you know the Father, you are confirmed in the assurance
of divine sonship, and you can increasingly love each of your
brothers in the flesh, not only as a brother -- with brotherly
love -- but also as a father -- with fatherly affection.
140:5.14 It is easy to teach this admonition
even to a child. Children are naturally trustful, and parents
should see to it that they do not lose that simple faith. In
dealing with children, avoid all deception and refrain from
suggesting suspicion. Wisely help them to choose their heroes and
select their lifework.
140:5.15 And then Jesus went on to instruct his
followers in the realization of the chief purpose of all human
struggling -- perfection -- even divine attainment. Always he
admonished them: "Be you perfect, even as your Father in heaven is
perfect." He did not exhort the twelve to love their neighbors as
they loved themselves. That would have been a worthy achievement;
it would have indicated the achievement of brotherly love. He
rather admonished his apostles to love men as he had loved them --
to love with a fatherly as well as a brotherly affection. And he
illustrated this by pointing out four supreme reactions of
fatherly love:
140:5.16 1. "Happy are they who mourn, for
they shall be comforted." So-called common sense or the best
of logic would never suggest that happiness could be derived from
mourning. But Jesus did not refer to outward or ostentatious
mourning. He alluded to an emotional attitude of
tenderheartedness. It is a great error to teach boys and young men
that it is unmanly to show tenderness or otherwise to give
evidence of emotional feeling or physical suffering. Sympathy is a
worthy attribute of the male as well as the female. It is not
necessary to be calloused in order to be manly. This is the wrong
way to create courageous men. The world's great men have not been
afraid to mourn. Moses, the mourner, was a greater man than either
Samson or Goliath. Moses was a superb leader, but he was also a
man of meekness. Being sensitive and responsive to human need
creates genuine and lasting happiness, while such kindly attitudes
safeguard the soul from the destructive influences of anger, hate,
and suspicion.
140:5.17 2. "Happy are the merciful, for they
shall obtain mercy." Mercy here denotes the height and depth
and breadth of the truest friendship -- loving-kindness. Mercy
sometimes may be passive, but here it is active and dynamic --
supreme fatherliness. A loving parent experiences little
difficulty in forgiving his child, even many times. And in an
unspoiled child the urge to relieve suffering is natural. Children
are normally kind and sympathetic when old enough to appreciate
actual conditions.
140:5.18 3. "Happy are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called the sons of God." Jesus' hearers were
longing for military deliverance, not for peacemakers. But Jesus'
peace is not of the pacific and negative kind. In the face of
trials and persecutions he said, "My peace I leave with you." "Let
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." This is the
peace that prevents ruinous conflicts. Personal peace integrates
personality. Social peace prevents fear, greed, and anger.
Political peace prevents race antagonisms, national suspicions,
and war. Peacemaking is the cure of distrust and suspicion.
140:5.19 Children can easily be taught to
function as peacemakers. They enjoy team activities; they like to
play together. Said the Master at another time: "Whosoever will
save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life
shall find it."
140:5.20 4. "Happy are they who are
persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Happy are you when men shall revile you and persecute you
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely. Rejoice and
be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven."
140:5.21 So often persecution does follow peace.
But young people and brave adults never shun difficulty or danger.
"Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his
friends." And a fatherly love can freely do all these things --
things which brotherly love can hardly encompass. And progress has
always been the final harvest of persecution.
140:5.22
Children always respond to the challenge of courage. Youth is ever
willing to "take a dare." And every child should early learn to
sacrifice.
140:5.23 And so it is revealed that the
beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount are based on faith and love
and not on law -- ethics and duty.
140:5.24 Fatherly love delights in returning
good for evil -- doing good in retaliation for injustice.
6. THE EVENING OF THE ORDINATION
140:6.1 Sunday evening, on reaching the home of
Zebedee from the highlands north of Capernaum, Jesus and the
twelve partook of a simple meal. Afterward, while Jesus went for a
walk along the beach, the twelve talked among themselves. After a
brief conference, while the twins built a small fire to give them
warmth and more light, Andrew went out to find Jesus, and when he
had overtaken him, he said: "Master, my brethren are unable to
comprehend what you have said about the kingdom. We do not feel
able to begin this work until you have given us further
instruction. I have come to ask you to join us in the garden and
help us to understand the meaning of your words." And Jesus went
with Andrew to meet with the apostles.
140:6.2 When he had entered the garden, he
gathered the apostles around him and taught them further, saying:
"You find it difficult to receive my message because you would
build the new teaching directly upon the old, but I declare that
you must be reborn. You must start out afresh as little children
and be willing to trust my teaching and believe in God. The new
gospel of the kingdom cannot be made to conform to that which is.
You have wrong ideas of the Son of Man and his mission on earth.
But do not make the mistake of thinking that I have come to set
aside the law and the prophets; I have not come to destroy but to
fulfill, to enlarge and illuminate. I come not to transgress the
law but rather to write these new commandments on the tablets of
your hearts.
140:6.3 "I demand of you a righteousness that
shall exceed the righteousness of those who seek to obtain the
Father's favor by almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. If you would
enter the kingdom, you must have a righteousness that consists in
love, mercy, and truth -- the sincere desire to do the will of my
Father in heaven."
140:6.4 Then said Simon Peter: "Master, if you
have a new commandment, we would hear it. Reveal the new way to
us." Jesus answered Peter: "You have heard it said by those who
teach the law: `You shall not kill; that whosoever kills shall be
subject to judgment.' But I look beyond the act to uncover the
motive. I declare to you that every one who is angry with his
brother is in danger of condemnation. He who nurses hatred in his
heart and plans vengeance in his mind stands in danger of
judgment. You must judge your fellows by their deeds; the Father
in heaven judges by the intent.
140:6.5 "You have heard the teachers of the law
say, `You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that every
man who looks upon a woman with intent to lust after her has
already committed adultery with her in his heart. You can only
judge men by their acts, but my Father looks into the hearts of
his children and in mercy adjudges them in accordance with their
intents and real desires."
140:6.6 Jesus was minded to go on discussing the
other commandments when James Zebedee interrupted him, asking:
"Master, what shall we teach the people regarding divorcement?
Shall we allow a man to divorce his wife as Moses has directed?"
And when Jesus heard this question, he said: "I have not come to
legislate but to enlighten. I have come not to reform the kingdoms
of this world but rather to establish the kingdom of heaven. It is
not the will of the Father that I should yield to the temptation
to teach you rules of government, trade, or social behavior,
which, while they might be good for today, would be far from
suitable for the society of another age. I am on earth solely to
comfort the minds, liberate the spirits, and save the souls of
men. But I will say , concerning this question of divorcement,
that, while Moses looked with favor upon such things, it was not
so in the days of Adam and in the Garden."
140:6.7 After the apostles had talked among
themselves for a short time, Jesus went on to say: "Always must
you recognize the two viewpoints of all mortal conduct -- the
human and the divine; the ways of the flesh and the way of the
spirit; the estimate of time and the viewpoint of eternity." And
though the twelve could not comprehend all that he taught them,
they were truly helped by this instruction.
140:6.8
And then said Jesus: "But you will
stumble over my teaching because you are wont to interpret my
message literally; you are slow to discern the spirit of my
teaching. Again must you remember that you are my messengers; you
are beholden to live your lives as I have in spirit lived mine.
You are my personal representatives; but do not err in expecting
all men to live as you do in every particular. Also must you
remember that I have sheep not of this flock, and that I am
beholden to them also, to the end that I must provide for them the
pattern of doing the will of God while living the life of the
mortal nature."
140:6.9 Then asked Nathaniel: "Master, shall we
give no place to justice? The law of Moses says, `An eye for an
eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' What shall we say?" And Jesus
answered: "You shall return good for evil. My messengers must not
strive with men, but be gentle toward all. Measure for measure
shall not be your rule. The rulers of men may have such laws, but
not so in the kingdom; mercy always shall determine your judgments
and love your conduct. And if these are hard sayings, you can even
now turn back. If you find the requirements of apostleship too
hard, you may return to the less rigorous pathway of
discipleship."
140:6.10 On hearing these startling words, the
apostles drew apart by themselves for a while, but they soon
returned, and Peter said: "Master, we would go on with you; not
one of us would turn back. We are fully prepared to pay the extra
price; we will drink the cup. We would be apostles, not merely
disciples."
140:6.11 When Jesus heard this, he said: "Be
willing, then, to take up your responsibilities and follow me. Do
your good deeds in secret; when you give alms, let not the left
hand know what the right hand does. And when you pray, go apart by
yourselves and use not vain repetitions and meaningless phrases.
Always remember that the Father knows what you need even before
you ask him. And be not given to fasting with a sad countenance to
be seen by men. As my chosen apostles, now set apart for the
service of the kingdom, lay not up for yourselves treasures on
earth, but by your unselfish service lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, for where your treasures are, there will your
hearts be also.
140:6.12 "The lamp of the body is the eye; if,
therefore, your eye is generous, your whole body will be full of
light. But if your eye is selfish, the whole body will be filled
with darkness. If the very light which is in you is turned to
darkness, how great is that darkness!"
140:6.13 And then Thomas asked Jesus if they
should "continue having everything in common." Said the Master:
"Yes, my brethren, I would that we should live together as one
understanding family. You are intrusted with a great work, and I
crave your undivided service. You know that it has been well said:
`No man can serve two masters.' You cannot sincerely worship God
and at the same time wholeheartedly serve mammon. Having now
enlisted unreservedly in the work of the kingdom, be not anxious
for your lives; much less be concerned with what you shall eat or
what you shall drink; nor yet for your bodies, what clothing you
shall wear. Already have you learned that willing hands and
earnest hearts shall not go hungry. And now, when you prepare to
devote all of your energies to the work of the kingdom, be assured
that the Father will not be unmindful of your needs. Seek first
the kingdom of God, and when you have found entrance thereto, all
things needful shall be added to you. Be not, therefore, unduly
anxious for the morrow. Sufficient for the day is the trouble
thereof."
140:6.14 When Jesus saw they were disposed to
stay up all night to ask questions, he said to them: "My brethren,
you are earthen vessels; it is best for you to go to your rest so
as to be ready for the morrow's work." But sleep had departed from
their eyes. Peter ventured to request of his Master that "I have
just a little private talk with you. Not that I would have secrets
from my brethren, but I have a troubled spirit, and if, perchance,
I should deserve a rebuke from my Master, I could the better
endure it alone with you." And Jesus said, "Come with me, Peter"
-- leading the way into the house. When Peter returned from the
presence of his Master much cheered and greatly encouraged, James
decided to go in to talk with Jesus. And so on through the early
hours of the morning, the other apostles went in one by one to
talk with the Master. When they had all held personal conferences
with him save the twins, who had fallen asleep, Andrew went in to
Jesus and said: "Master, the twins have fallen asleep in the
garden by the fire; shall I arouse them to inquire if they would
also talk with you?" And Jesus smilingly said to Andrew, "They do
well -- trouble them not." And now the night was passing; the
light of another day was dawning.
7. THE WEEK FOLLOWING THE ORDINATION
140:7.1 After a few hours' sleep, when the
twelve were assembled for a late breakfast with Jesus, he said:
"Now must you begin your work of preaching the glad tidings and
instructing believers. Make ready to go to Jerusalem." After Jesus
had spoken, Thomas mustered up courage to say: "I know, Master,
that we should now be ready to enter upon the work, but I fear we
are not yet able to accomplish this great undertaking. Would you
consent for us to stay hereabouts for just a few days more before
we begin the work of the kingdom?" And when Jesus saw that all of
his apostles were possessed by this same fear, he said: "It shall
be as you have requested; we will remain here over the Sabbath
day."
140:7.2 For weeks and weeks small groups of
earnest truth seekers, together with curious spectators, had been
coming to Bethsaida to see Jesus. Already word about him had
spread over the countryside; inquiring groups had come from cities
as far away as Tyre, Sidon, Damascus, Caesarea, and Jerusalem.
Heretofore, Jesus had greeted these people and taught them
concerning the kingdom, but the Master now turned this work over
to the twelve. Andrew would select one of the apostles and assign
him to a group of visitors, and sometimes all twelve of them were
so engaged.
140:7.3 For two days they worked, teaching by
day and holding private conferences late into the night. On the
third day Jesus visited with Zebedee and Salome while he sent his
apostles off to "go fishing, seek carefree change, or perchance
visit your families." On Thursday they returned for three more
days of teaching.
140:7.4 During this week of rehearsing, Jesus
many times repeated to his apostles the two great motives of his
postbaptismal mission on earth:
1. To reveal the Father to man.
2. To lead men to become son-conscious
-- to faith-realize that they are the children of the Most High.
140:7.5 One week of this varied experience did
much for the twelve; some even became over self-confident. At the
last conference, the night after the Sabbath, Peter and James came
to Jesus, saying, "We are ready -- let us now go forth to take the
kingdom." To which Jesus replied, "May your wisdom equal your zeal
and your courage atone for your ignorance."
140:7.6 Though the apostles failed to comprehend
much of his teaching, they did not fail to grasp the significance
of the charmingly beautiful life he lived with them.
8. THURSDAY AFTERNOON ON THE LAKE
140:8.1 Jesus well knew that his apostles were
not fully assimilating his teachings. He decided to give some
special instruction to Peter, James, and John, hoping they would
be able to clarify the ideas of their associates. He saw that,
while some features of the idea of a spiritual kingdom were being
grasped by the twelve, they steadfastly persisted in attaching
these new spiritual teachings directly onto their old and
entrenched literal concepts of the kingdom of heaven as a
restoration of David's throne and the re-establishment of Israel
as a temporal power on earth. Accordingly, on Thursday afternoon
Jesus went out from the shore in a boat with Peter, James, and
John to talk over the affairs of the kingdom. This was a four
hours' teaching conference, embracing scores of questions and
answers, and may most profitably be put in this record by
reorganizing the summary of this momentous afternoon as it was
given by Simon Peter to his brother, Andrew, the following
morning:
140:8.2 1. Doing the Father's will.
Jesus' teaching to trust in the overcare of the heavenly Father
was not a blind and passive fatalism. He quoted with approval, on
this afternoon, an old Hebrew saying: "He who will not work shall
not eat." He pointed to his own experience as sufficient
commentary on his teachings. His precepts about trusting the
Father must not be adjudged by the social or economic conditions
of modern times or any other age. His instruction embraces the
ideal principles of living near God in all ages and on all worlds.
140:8.3 Jesus made clear to the three the
difference between the requirements of apostleship and
discipleship. And even then he did not forbid the exercise of
prudence and foresight by the twelve. What he preached against was
not forethought but anxiety, worry. He taught the active and alert
submission to God's will. In answer to many of their questions
regarding frugality and thriftiness, he simply called attention to
his life as carpenter, boatmaker, and fisherman, and to his
careful organization of the twelve. He sought to make it clear
that the world is not to be regarded as an enemy; that the
circumstances of life constitute a divine dispensation working
along with the children of God.
140:8.4 Jesus had great difficulty in getting
them to understand his personal practice of nonresistance. He
absolutely refused to defend himself, and it appeared to the
apostles that he would be pleased if they would pursue the same
policy. He taught them not to resist evil, not to combat injustice
or injury, but he did not teach passive tolerance of wrongdoing.
And he made it plain on this afternoon that he approved of the
social punishment of evildoers and criminals, and that the civil
government must sometimes employ force for the maintenance of
social order and in the execution of justice.
140:8.5 He never ceased to warn his disciples
against the evil practice of retaliation; he made no
allowance for revenge, the idea of getting even. He deplored the
holding of grudges. He disallowed the idea of an eye for an eye
and a tooth for a tooth. He discountenanced the whole concept of
private and personal revenge, assigning these matters to civil
government, on the one hand, and to the judgment of God, on the
other. He made it clear to the three that his teachings applied to
the individual, not the state. He summarized his
instructions up to that time regarding these matters, as:
140:8.6 Love your enemies -- remember the moral
claims of human brotherhood.
140:8.7 The futility of evil: A wrong is not
righted by vengeance. Do not make the mistake of fighting evil
with its own weapons.
140:8.8 Have faith -- confidence in the eventual
triumph of divine justice and eternal goodness.
140:8.9 2. Political attitude. He
cautioned his apostles to be discreet in their remarks concerning
the strained relations then existing between the Jewish people and
the Roman government; he forbade them to become in any way
embroiled in these difficulties. He was always careful to avoid
the political snares of his enemies, ever making reply, "Render to
Caesar the things which are Caesar's and to God the things which
are God's." He refused to have his attention diverted from his
mission of establishing a new way of salvation; he would not
permit himself to be concerned about anything else. In his
personal life he was always duly observant of all civil laws and
regulations; in all his public teachings he ignored the civic,
social, and economic realms. He told the three apostles that he
was concerned only with the principles of man's inner and personal
spiritual life.
140:8.10 Jesus was not, therefore, a political
reformer. He did not come to reorganize the world; even if he had
done this, it would have been applicable only to that day and
generation. Nevertheless, he did show man the best way of living,
and no generation is exempt from the labor of discovering how best
to adapt Jesus' life to its own problems. But never make the
mistake of identifying Jesus' teachings with any political or
economic theory, with any social or industrial system.
140:8.11 3. Social attitude. The Jewish
rabbis had long debated the question: Who is my neighbor? Jesus
came presenting the idea of active and spontaneous kindness, a
love of one's fellow men so genuine that it expanded the
neighborhood to include the whole world, thereby making all men
one's neighbors. But with all this, Jesus was interested only in
the individual, not the mass. Jesus was not a sociologist, but he
did labor to break down all forms of selfish isolation. He taught
pure sympathy, compassion. Michael of Nebadon is a mercy-dominated
Son; compassion is his very nature.
140:8.12 The Master did not say that men should
never entertain their friends at meat, but he did say that his
followers should make feasts for the poor and the unfortunate.
Jesus had a firm sense of justice, but it was always tempered with
mercy. He did not teach his apostles that they were to be imposed
upon by social parasites or professional alms-seekers. The nearest
he came to making sociological pronouncements was to say, "Judge
not, that you be not judged."
140:8.13 He made it clear that indiscriminate
kindness may be blamed for many social evils. The following day
Jesus definitely instructed Judas that no apostolic funds were to
be given out as alms except upon his request or upon the joint
petition of two of the apostles. In all these matters it was the
practice of Jesus always to say, "Be as wise as serpents but as
harmless as doves." It seemed to be his purpose in all social
situations to teach patience, tolerance, and forgiveness.
140:8.14 The family occupied the very center of
Jesus' philosophy of life -- here and hereafter. He based his
teachings about God on the family, while he sought to correct the
Jewish tendency to overhonor ancestors. He exalted family life as
the highest human duty but made it plain that family relationships
must not interfere with religious obligations. He called attention
to the fact that the family is a temporal institution; that it
does not survive death. Jesus did not hesitate to give up his
family when the family ran counter to the Father's will. He taught
the new and larger brotherhood of man -- the sons of God. In
Jesus' time divorce practices were lax in Palestine and throughout
the Roman Empire. He repeatedly refused to lay down laws regarding
marriage and divorce, but many of Jesus' early followers had
strong opinions on divorce and did not hesitate to attribute them
to him. All of the New Testament writers held to these more
stringent and advanced ideas about divorce except John Mark.
140:8.15 4. Economic attitude. Jesus
worked, lived, and traded in the world as he found it. He was not
an economic reformer, although he did frequently call attention to
the injustice of the unequal distribution of wealth. But he did
not offer any suggestions by way of remedy. He made it plain to
the three that, while his apostles were not to hold property, he
was not preaching against wealth and property, merely its unequal
and unfair distribution. He recognized the need for social justice
and industrial fairness, but he offered no rules for their
attainment.
140:8.16 He never taught his followers to avoid
earthly possessions, only his twelve apostles. Luke, the
physician, was a strong believer in social equality, and he did
much to interpret Jesus' sayings in harmony with his personal
beliefs. Jesus never personally directed his followers to adopt a
communal mode of life; he made no pronouncement of any sort
regarding such matters.
140:8.17 Jesus frequently warned his listeners
against covetousness, declaring that "a man's happiness consists
not in the abundance of his material possessions." He constantly
reiterated, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world
and lose his own soul?" He made no direct attack on the possession
of property, but he did insist that it is eternally essential that
spiritual values come first. In his later teachings he sought to
correct many erroneous Urantia views of life by narrating numerous
parables which he presented in the course of his public ministry.
Jesus never intended to formulate economic theories; he well knew
that each age must evolve its own remedies for existing troubles.
And if Jesus were on earth today, living his life in the flesh, he
would be a great disappointment to the majority of good men and
women for the simple reason that he would not take sides in
present-day political, social, or economic disputes. He would
remain grandly aloof while teaching you how to perfect your inner
spiritual life so as to render you manyfold more competent to
attack the solution of your purely human problems.
140:8.18 Jesus would make all men Godlike and
then stand by sympathetically while these sons of God solve their
own political, social, and economic problems. It was not wealth
that he denounced, but what wealth does to the majority of its
devotees. On this Thursday afternoon Jesus first told his
associates that "it is more blessed to give than to receive."
140:8.19 5. Personal religion. You, as
did his apostles, should the better understand Jesus' teachings by
his life. He lived a perfected life on Urantia, and his unique
teachings can only be understood when that life is visualized in
its immediate background. It is his life, and not his lessons to
the twelve or his sermons to the multitudes, that will assist most
in revealing the Father's divine character and loving personality.
140:8.20 Jesus did not attack the teachings of
the Hebrew prophets or the Greek moralists. The Master recognized
the many good things which these great teachers stood for, but he
had come down to earth to teach something additional, "the
voluntary conformity of man's will to God's will." Jesus did not
want simply to produce a religious man, a mortal wholly
occupied with religious feelings and actuated only by spiritual
impulses. Could you have had but one look at him, you would have
known that Jesus was a real man of great experience in the things
of this world. The teachings of Jesus in this respect have been
grossly perverted and much misrepresented all down through the
centuries of the Christian era; you have also held perverted ideas
about the Master's meekness and humility. What he aimed at in his
life appears to have been a superb self-respect. He only
advised man to humble himself that he might become truly exalted;
what he really aimed at was true humility toward God. He placed
great value upon sincerity -- a pure heart. Fidelity was a
cardinal virtue in his estimate of character, while courage
was the very heart of his teachings. "Fear not" was his watchword,
and patient endurance his ideal of strength of character. The
teachings of Jesus constitute a religion of valor, courage, and
heroism. And this is just why he chose as his personal
representatives twelve commonplace men, the majority of whom were
rugged, virile, and manly fishermen.
140:8.21 Jesus had little to say about the
social vices of his day; seldom did he make reference to moral
delinquency. He was a positive teacher of true virtue. He
studiously avoided the negative method of imparting instruction;
he refused to advertise evil. He was not even a moral reformer. He
well knew, and so taught his apostles, that the sensual urges of
mankind are not suppressed by either religious rebuke or legal
prohibitions. His few denunciations were largely directed against
pride, cruelty, oppression, and hypocrisy.
140:8.22 Jesus did not vehemently denounce even
the Pharisees, as did John. He knew many of the scribes and
Pharisees were honest of heart; he understood their enslaving
bondage to religious traditions. Jesus laid great emphasis on
"first making the tree good." He impressed the three that he
valued the whole life, not just a certain few special virtues.
140:8.23 The one thing which John gained from
this day's teaching was that the heart of Jesus' religion
consisted in the acquirement of a compassionate character coupled
with a personality motivated to do the will of the Father in
heaven.
140:8.24 Peter grasped the idea that the gospel
they were about to proclaim was really a fresh beginning for the
whole human race. He conveyed this impression subsequently to
Paul, who formulated therefrom his doctrine of Christ as "the
second Adam."
140:8.25 James grasped the thrilling truth that
Jesus wanted his children on earth to live as though they were
already citizens of the completed heavenly kingdom.
140:8.26 Jesus knew men were different, and he
so taught his apostles. He constantly exhorted them to refrain
from trying to mold the disciples and believers according to some
set pattern. He sought to allow each soul to develop in its own
way, a perfecting and separate individual before God. In answer to
one of Peter's many questions, the Master said: "I want to set men
free so that they can start out afresh as little children upon the
new and better life." Jesus always insisted that true goodness
must be unconscious, in bestowing charity not allowing the left
hand to know what the right hand does.
140:8.27 The three apostles were shocked this
afternoon when they realized that their Master's religion made no
provision for spiritual self-examination. All religions before and
after the times of Jesus, even Christianity, carefully provide for
conscientious self-examination. But not so with the religion of
Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus' philosophy of life is without religious
introspection. The carpenter's son never taught character
building; he taught character growth, declaring that
the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. But Jesus said
nothing which would proscribe self-analysis as a prevention of
conceited egotism.
140:8.28 The right to enter the kingdom is
conditioned by faith, personal belief. The cost of remaining in
the progressive ascent of the kingdom is the pearl of great price,
in order to possess which a man sells all that he has.
140:8.29 The teaching of Jesus is a religion for
everybody, not alone for weaklings and slaves. His religion never
became crystallized (during his day) into creeds and theological
laws; he left not a line of writing behind him. His life and
teachings were bequeathed the universe as an inspirational and
idealistic inheritance suitable for the spiritual guidance and
moral instruction of all ages on all worlds. And even today,
Jesus' teaching stands apart from all religions, as such, albeit
it is the living hope of every one of them.
140:8.30 Jesus did not teach his apostles that
religion is man's only earthly pursuit; that was the Jewish idea
of serving God. But he did insist that religion was the exclusive
business of the twelve. Jesus taught nothing to deter his
believers from the pursuit of genuine culture; he only detracted
from the tradition-bound religious schools of Jerusalem. He was
liberal, bighearted, learned, and tolerant. Self-conscious piety
had no place in his philosophy of righteous living.
140:8.31 The Master offered no solutions for the
nonreligious problems of his own age nor for any subsequent age.
Jesus wished to develop spiritual insight into eternal realities
and to stimulate initiative in the originality of living; he
concerned himself exclusively with the underlying and permanent
spiritual needs of the human race. He revealed a goodness equal to
God. He exalted love -- truth, beauty, and goodness -- as the
divine ideal and the eternal reality.
140:8.32 The Master came to create in man a new
spirit, a new will -- to impart a new capacity for knowing the
truth, experiencing compassion, and choosing goodness -- the will
to be in harmony with God's will, coupled with the eternal urge to
become perfect, even as the Father in heaven is perfect.
9. THE DAY OF CONSECRATION
140:9.1 The next Sabbath day Jesus devoted to
his apostles, journeying back to the highland where he had
ordained them; and there, after a long and beautifully touching
personal message of encouragement, he engaged in the solemn act of
the consecration of the twelve. This Sabbath afternoon Jesus
assembled the apostles around him on the hillside and gave them
into the hands of his heavenly Father in preparation for the day
when he would be compelled to leave them alone in the world. There
was no new teaching on this occasion, just visiting and communion.
140:9.2 Jesus reviewed many features of the
ordination sermon, delivered on this same spot, and then, calling
them before him one by one, he commissioned them to go forth in
the world as his representatives. The Master's consecration charge
was: "Go into all the world and preach the glad tidings of the
kingdom. Liberate spiritual captives, comfort the oppressed, and
minister to the afflicted. Freely you have received, freely give."
140:9.3 Jesus advised them to take neither money
nor extra clothing, saying, "The laborer is worthy of his hire."
And finally he said: "Behold I send you forth as sheep in the
midst of wolves; be you therefore as wise as serpents and as
harmless as doves. But take heed, for your enemies will bring you
up before their councils, while in their synagogues they will
castigate you. Before governors and rulers you will be brought
because you believe this gospel, and your very testimony shall be
a witness for me to them. And when they lead you to judgment, be
not anxious about what you shall say, for the spirit of my Father
indwells you and will at such a time speak through you. Some of
you will be put to death, and before you establish the kingdom on
earth, you will be hated by many peoples because of this gospel;
but fear not; I will be with you, and my spirit shall go before
you into all the world. And my Father's presence will abide with
you while you go first to the Jews, then to the gentiles."
140:9.4 And when they came down from the
mountain, they journeyed back to their home in Zebedee's house.
10. THE EVENING AFTER THE CONSECRATION
140:10.1 That evening while teaching in the
house, for it had begun to rain, Jesus talked at great length,
trying to show the twelve what they must be, not what they
must do. They knew only a religion that imposed the
doing of certain things as the means of attaining
righteousness -- salvation. But Jesus would reiterate, "In the
kingdom you must be righteous in order to do the work."
Many times did he repeat, "Be you therefore perfect, even
as your Father in heaven is perfect." All the while was the Master
explaining to his bewildered apostles that the salvation which he
had come to bring to the world was to be had only by believing,
by simple and sincere faith. Said Jesus: "John preached a baptism
of repentance, sorrow for the old way of living. You are to
proclaim the baptism of fellowship with God. Preach repentance to
those who stand in need of such teaching, but to those already
seeking sincere entrance to the kingdom, open the doors wide and
bid them enter into the joyous fellowship of the sons of God." But
it was a difficult task to persuade these Galilean fishermen that,
in the kingdom, being righteous, by faith, must precede
doing righteousness in the daily life of the mortals of
earth.
140:10.2 Another great handicap in this work of
teaching the twelve was their tendency to take highly idealistic
and spiritual principles of religious truth and remake them into
concrete rules of personal conduct. Jesus would present to them
the beautiful spirit of the soul's attitude, but they insisted on
translating such teachings into rules of personal behavior. Many
times, when they did make sure to remember what the Master said,
they were almost certain to forget what he did not say. But
they slowly assimilated his teaching because Jesus was all
that he taught. What they could not gain from his verbal
instruction, they gradually acquired by living with him.
140:10.3 It was not apparent to the apostles
that their Master was engaged in living a life of spiritual
inspiration for every person of every age on every world of a
far-flung universe. Notwithstanding what Jesus told them from time
to time, the apostles did not grasp the idea that he was doing a
work on this world but for all other worlds in his
vast creation. Jesus lived his earth life on Urantia, not to set a
personal example of mortal living for the men and women of this
world, but rather to create a high spiritual and inspirational
ideal for all mortal beings on all worlds.
140:10.4 This same evening Thomas asked Jesus:
"Master, you say that we must become as little children before we
can gain entrance to the Father's kingdom, and yet you have warned
us not to be deceived by false prophets nor to become guilty of
casting our pearls before swine. Now, I am honestly puzzled. I
cannot understand your teaching." Jesus replied to Thomas: "How
long shall I bear with you! Ever you insist on making literal all
that I teach. When I asked you to become as little children as the
price of entering the kingdom, I referred not to ease of
deception, mere willingness to believe, nor to quickness to trust
pleasing strangers. What I did desire that you should gather from
the illustration was the child-father relationship. You are the
child, and it is your Father's kingdom you seek to enter.
There is present that natural affection between every normal child
and its father which insures an understanding and loving
relationship, and which forever precludes all disposition to
bargain for the Father's love and mercy. And the gospel you are
going forth to preach has to do with a salvation growing out of
the faith-realization of this very and eternal child-father
relationship."
140:10.5 The one characteristic of Jesus'
teaching was that the morality of his philosophy originated
in the personal relation of the individual to God -- this very
child-father relationship. Jesus placed emphasis on the
individual, not on the race or nation. While eating supper,
Jesus had the talk with Matthew in which he explained that the
morality of any act is determined by the individual's motive.
Jesus' morality was always positive. The golden rule as restated
by Jesus demands active social contact; the older negative rule
could be obeyed in isolation. Jesus stripped morality of all rules
and ceremonies and elevated it to majestic levels of spiritual
thinking and truly righteous living.
140:10.6 This new religion of Jesus was not
without its practical implications, but whatever of practical
political, social, or economic value there is to be found in his
teaching is the natural outworking of this inner experience of the
soul as it manifests the fruits of the spirit in the spontaneous
daily ministry of genuine personal religious experience.
140:10.7 After Jesus and Matthew had finished
talking, Simon Zelotes asked, "But, Master, are all men the
sons of God?" And Jesus answered: "Yes, Simon, all men are the
sons of God, and that is the good news you are going to proclaim."
But the apostles could not grasp such a doctrine; it was a new,
strange, and startling announcement. And it was because of his
desire to impress this truth upon them that Jesus taught his
followers to treat all men as their brothers.
140:10.8 In response to a question asked by
Andrew, the Master made it clear that the morality of his teaching
was inseparable from the religion of his living. He taught
morality, not from the nature of man, but from the
relation of man to God.
140:10.9 John asked Jesus, "Master, what is the
kingdom of heaven?" And Jesus answered:
"The kingdom of heaven
consists in these three essentials: first, recognition of the fact
of the sovereignty of God; second, belief in the truth of sonship
with God; and third, faith in the effectiveness of the supreme
human desire to do the will of God -- to be like God. And this is
the good news of the gospel: that by faith every mortal may have
all these essentials of salvation."
140:10.10 And now the week of waiting was over,
and they prepared to depart on the morrow for Jerusalem.
►
