The Urantia Book
PAPER 145
FOUR EVENTFUL DAYS AT CAPERNAUM
145:0.1 JESUS and the apostles arrived in
Capernaum the evening of Tuesday, January 13. As usual, they made
their headquarters at the home of Zebedee in Bethsaida. Now that
John the Baptist had been sent to his death, Jesus prepared to
launch out in the first open and public preaching tour of Galilee.
The news that Jesus had returned rapidly spread throughout the
city, and early the next day, Mary the mother of Jesus hastened
away, going over to Nazareth to visit her son Joseph.
145:0.2 Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Jesus
spent at the Zebedee house instructing his apostles preparatory to
their first extensive public preaching tour. He also received and
taught many earnest inquirers, both singly and in groups. Through
Andrew, he arranged to speak in the synagogue on the coming
Sabbath day.
145:0.3 Late on Friday evening Jesus' baby
sister, Ruth, secretly paid him a visit. They spent almost an hour
together in a boat anchored a short distance from the shore. No
human being, save John Zebedee, ever knew of this visit, and he
was admonished to tell no man. Ruth was the only member of Jesus'
family who consistently and unwaveringly believed in the divinity
of his earth mission from the times of her earliest spiritual
consciousness right on down through his eventful ministry, death,
resurrection, and ascension; and she finally passed on to the
worlds beyond never having doubted the supernatural character of
her father-brother's mission in the flesh. Baby Ruth was the chief
comfort of Jesus, as regards his earth family, throughout the
trying ordeal of his trial, rejection, and crucifixion.
1. THE DRAUGHT OF FISHES
145:1.1 On Friday morning of this same week,
when Jesus was teaching by the seaside, the people crowded him so
near the water's edge that he signaled to some fishermen occupying
a near-by boat to come to his rescue. Entering the boat, he
continued to teach the assembled multitude for more than two
hours. This boat was named "Simon"; it was the former fishing
vessel of Simon Peter and had been built by Jesus' own hands. On
this particular morning the boat was being used by David Zebedee
and two associates, who had just come in near shore from a
fruitless night of fishing on the lake. They were cleaning and
mending their nets when Jesus requested them to come to his
assistance.
145:1.2 After Jesus had finished teaching the
people, he said to David: "As you were delayed by coming to my
help, now let me work with you. Let us go fishing; put out into
yonder deep and let down your nets for a draught." But Simon, one
of David's assistants, answered: "Master, it is useless. We toiled
all night and took nothing; however, at your bidding we will put
out and let down the nets." And Simon consented to follow Jesus'
directions because of a gesture made by his master, David. When
they had proceeded to the place designated by Jesus, they let down
their nets and enclosed such a multitude of fish that they feared
the nets would break, so much so that they signaled to their
associates on the shore to come to their assistance. When they had
filled all three boats with fish, almost to sinking, this Simon
fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, Master, for I
am a sinful man." Simon and all who were concerned in this episode
were amazed at the draught of fishes. From that day David Zebedee,
this Simon, and their associates forsook their nets and followed
Jesus.
145:1.3 But this was in no sense a miraculous
draught of fishes. Jesus was a close student of nature; he was an
experienced fisherman and knew the habits of the fish in the Sea
of Galilee. On this occasion he merely directed these men to the
place where the fish were usually to be found at this time of day.
But Jesus' followers always regarded this as a miracle.
2. AFTERNOON AT THE SYNAGOGUE
145:2.1 The next Sabbath, at the afternoon
service in the synagogue, Jesus preached his sermon on "The Will
of the Father in Heaven." In the morning Simon Peter had preached
on "The Kingdom." At the Thursday evening meeting of the synagogue
Andrew had taught, his subject being "The New Way." At this
particular time more people believed in Jesus in Capernaum than in
any other one city on earth.
145:2.2 As Jesus taught in the synagogue this
Sabbath afternoon, according to custom he took the first text from
the law, reading from the Book of Exodus: "And you shall serve the
Lord, your God, and he shall bless your bread and your water, and
all sickness shall be taken away from you." He chose the second
text from the Prophets, reading from Isaiah: "Arise and shine, for
your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Darkness may cover the earth and gross darkness the people, but
the spirit of the Lord shall arise upon you, and the divine glory
shall be seen with you. Even the gentiles shall come to this
light, and many great minds shall surrender to the brightness of
this light."
145:2.3 This sermon was an effort on Jesus' part
to make clear the fact that religion is a personal experience.
Among other things, the Master said:
145:2.4 "You well know that, while a kindhearted
father loves his family as a whole, he so regards them as a group
because of his strong affection for each individual member of that
family. No longer must you approach the Father in heaven as a
child of Israel but as a child of God. As a group, you are
indeed the children of Israel, but as individuals, each one of you
is a child of God. I have come, not to reveal the Father to the
children of Israel, but rather to bring this knowledge of God and
the revelation of his love and mercy to the individual believer as
a genuine personal experience. The prophets have all taught you
that Yahweh cares for his people, that God loves Israel. But I
have come among you to proclaim a greater truth, one which many of
the later prophets also grasped, that God loves you --
every one of you -- as individuals. All these generations have you
had a national or racial religion; now have I come to give you a
personal religion.
145:2.5 "But even this is not a new idea. Many
of the spiritually minded among you have known this truth,
inasmuch as some of the prophets have so instructed you. Have you
not read in the Scriptures where the Prophet Jeremiah says: `In
those days they shall no more say, the fathers have eaten sour
grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge. Every man shall
die for his own iniquity; every man who eats sour grapes, his
teeth shall be set on edge. Behold, the days shall come when I
will make a new covenant with my people, not according to the
covenant which I made with their fathers when I brought them out
of the land of Egypt, but according to the new way. I will even
write my law in their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall
be my people. In that day they shall not say, one man to his
neighbor, do you know the Lord? Nay! For they shall all know me
personally, from the least to the greatest.'
145:2.6 "Have you not read these promises? Do
you not believe the Scriptures? Do you not understand that the
prophet's words are fulfilled in what you behold this very day?
And did not Jeremiah exhort you to make religion an affair of the
heart, to relate yourselves to God as individuals? Did not the
prophet tell you that the God of heaven would search your
individual hearts? And were you not warned that the natural human
heart is deceitful above all things and oftentimes desperately
wicked?
145:2.7 "Have you not read also where Ezekiel
taught even your fathers that religion must become a reality in
your individual experiences? No more shall you use the proverb
which says, `The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's
teeth are set on edge.' `As I live,' says the Lord God, `behold
all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of
the son. Only the soul that sins shall die.' And then Ezekiel
foresaw even this day when he spoke in behalf of God, saying: `A
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you.'
145:2.8 "No more should you fear that God will
punish a nation for the sin of an individual; neither will the
Father in heaven punish one of his believing children for the sins
of a nation, albeit the individual member of any family must often
suffer the material consequences of family mistakes and group
transgressions. Do you not realize that the hope of a better
nation -- or a better world -- is bound up in the progress and
enlightenment of the individual?"
145:2.9 Then the Master portrayed that the
Father in heaven, after man discerns this spiritual freedom, wills
that his children on earth should begin that eternal ascent of the
Paradise career which consists in the creature's conscious
response to the divine urge of the indwelling spirit to find the
Creator, to know God and to seek to become like him.
145:2.10 The apostles were greatly helped by
this sermon. All of them realized more fully that the gospel of
the kingdom is a message directed to the individual, not to the
nation.
145:2.11 Even though the people of Capernaum
were familiar with Jesus' teaching, they were astonished at his
sermon on this Sabbath day. He taught, indeed, as one having
authority and not as the scribes.
145:2.12 Just as Jesus finished speaking, a
young man in the congregation who had been much agitated by his
words was seized with a violent epileptic attack and loudly cried
out. At the end of the seizure, when recovering consciousness, he
spoke in a dreamy state, saying: "What have we to do with you,
Jesus of Nazareth? You are the holy one of God; have you come to
destroy us?" Jesus bade the people be quiet and, taking the young
man by the hand, said, "Come out of it" -- and he was immediately
awakened.
145:2.13 This young man was not possessed of an
unclean spirit or demon; he was a victim of ordinary epilepsy. But
he had been taught that his affliction was due to possession by an
evil spirit. He believed this teaching and behaved accordingly in
all that he thought or said concerning his ailment. The people all
believed that such phenomena were directly caused by the presence
of unclean spirits. Accordingly they believed that Jesus had cast
a demon out of this man. But Jesus did not at that time cure his
epilepsy. Not until later on that day, after sundown, was this man
really healed. Long after the day of Pentecost the Apostle John,
who was the last to write of Jesus' doings, avoided all reference
to these so-called acts of "casting out devils," and this he did
in view of the fact that such cases of demon possession never
occurred after Pentecost.
145:2.14 As a result of this commonplace
incident the report was rapidly spread through Capernaum that
Jesus had cast a demon out of a man and miraculously healed him in
the synagogue at the conclusion of his afternoon sermon. The
Sabbath was just the time for the rapid and effective spreading of
such a startling rumor. This report was also carried to all the
smaller settlements around Capernaum, and many of the people
believed it.
145:2.15 The cooking and the housework at the
large Zebedee home, where Jesus and the twelve made their
headquarters, was for the most part done by Simon Peter's wife and
her mother. Peter's home was near that of Zebedee; and Jesus and
his friends stopped there on the way from the synagogue because
Peter's wife's mother had for several days been sick with chills
and fever. Now it chanced that, at about the time Jesus stood over
this sick woman, holding her hand, smoothing her brow, and
speaking words of comfort and encouragement, the fever left her.
Jesus had not yet had time to explain to his apostles that no
miracle had been wrought at the synagogue; and with this incident
so fresh and vivid in their minds, and recalling the water and the
wine at Cana, they seized upon this coincidence as another
miracle, and some of them rushed out to spread the news abroad
throughout the city.
145:2.16 Amatha, Peter's mother-in-law, was
suffering from malarial fever. She was not miraculously healed by
Jesus at this time. Not until several hours later, after sundown,
was her cure effected in connection with the extraordinary event
which occurred in the front yard of the Zebedee home.
145:2.17 And these cases are typical of the
manner in which a wonder-seeking generation and a miracle-minded
people unfailingly seized upon all such coincidences as the
pretext for proclaiming that another miracle had been wrought by
Jesus.
3. THE HEALING AT SUNDOWN
145:3.1 By the time Jesus and his apostles had
made ready to partake of their evening meal near the end of this
eventful Sabbath day, all Capernaum and its environs were agog
over these reputed miracles of healing; and all who were sick or
afflicted began preparations to go to Jesus or to have themselves
carried there by their friends just as soon as the sun went down.
According to Jewish teaching it was not permissible even to go in
quest of health during the sacred hours of the Sabbath.
145:3.2 Therefore, as soon as the sun sank
beneath the horizon, scores of afflicted men, women, and children
began to make their way toward the Zebedee home in Bethsaida. One
man started out with his paralyzed daughter just as soon as the
sun sank behind his neighbor's house.
145:3.3 The whole day's events had set the stage
for this extraordinary sundown scene. Even the text Jesus had used
for his afternoon sermon had intimated that sickness should be
banished; and he had spoken with such unprecedented power and
authority! His message was so compelling! While he made no appeal
to human authority, he did speak directly to the consciences and
souls of men. Though he did not resort to logic, legal quibbles,
or clever sayings, he did make a powerful, direct, clear, and
personal appeal to the hearts of his hearers.
145:3.4 That Sabbath was a great day in the
earth life of Jesus, yes, in the life of a universe. To all local
universe intents and purposes the little Jewish city of Capernaum
was the real capital of Nebadon. The handful of Jews in the
Capernaum synagogue were not the only beings to hear that
momentous closing statement of Jesus' sermon: "Hate is the shadow
of fear; revenge the mask of cowardice." Neither could his hearers
forget his blessed words, declaring, "Man is the son of God, not a
child of the devil."
145:3.5 Soon after the setting of the sun, as
Jesus and the apostles still lingered about the supper table,
Peter's wife heard voices in the front yard and, on going to the
door, saw a large company of sick folks assembling, and that the
road from Capernaum was crowded by those who were on their way to
seek healing at Jesus' hands. On seeing this sight, she went at
once and informed her husband, who told Jesus.
145:3.6 When the Master stepped out of the front
entrance of Zebedee's house, his eyes met an array of stricken and
afflicted humanity. He gazed upon almost one thousand sick and
ailing human beings; at least that was the number of persons
gathered together before him. Not all present were afflicted; some
had come assisting their loved ones in this effort to secure
healing.
145:3.7 The sight of these afflicted mortals,
men, women, and children, suffering in large measure as a result
of the mistakes and misdeeds of his own trusted Sons of universe
administration, peculiarly touched the human heart of Jesus and
challenged the divine mercy of this benevolent Creator Son. But
Jesus well knew he could never build an enduring spiritual
movement upon the foundation of purely material wonders. It had
been his consistent policy to refrain from exhibiting his creator
prerogatives. Not since Cana had the supernatural or miraculous
attended his teaching; still, this afflicted multitude touched his
sympathetic heart and mightily appealed to his understanding
affection.
145:3.8 A voice from the front yard exclaimed:
"Master, speak the word, restore our health, heal our diseases,
and save our souls." No sooner had these words been uttered than a
vast retinue of seraphim, physical controllers, Life Carriers, and
midwayers, such as always attended this incarnated Creator of a
universe, made themselves ready to act with creative power should
their Sovereign give the signal. This was one of those moments in
the earth career of Jesus in which divine wisdom and human
compassion were so interlocked in the judgment of the Son of Man
that he sought refuge in appeal to his Father's will.
145:3.9 When Peter implored the Master to heed
their cry for help, Jesus, looking down upon the afflicted throng,
answered: "I have come into the world to reveal the Father and
establish his kingdom. For this purpose have I lived my life to
this hour. If, therefore, it should be the will of Him who sent me
and not inconsistent with my dedication to the proclamation of the
gospel of the kingdom of heaven, I would desire to see my children
made whole -- and --" but the further words of Jesus were lost in
the tumult.
145:3.10 Jesus had passed the responsibility of
this healing decision to the ruling of his Father. Evidently the
Father's will interposed no objection, for the words of the Master
had scarcely been uttered when the assembly of celestial
personalities serving under the command of Jesus' Personalized
Thought Adjuster was mightily astir. The vast retinue descended
into the midst of this motley throng of afflicted mortals, and in
a moment of time 683 men, women, and children were made whole,
were perfectly healed of all their physical diseases and other
material disorders. Such a scene was never witnessed on earth
before that day, nor since. And for those of us who were present
to behold this creative wave of healing, it was indeed a thrilling
spectacle.
145:3.11 But of all the beings who were
astonished at this sudden and unexpected outbreak of supernatural
healing, Jesus was the most surprised. In a moment when his human
interests and sympathies were focused upon the scene of suffering
and affliction there spread out before him, he neglected to bear
in his human mind the admonitory warnings of his Personalized
Adjuster regarding the impossibility of limiting the time element
of the creator prerogatives of a Creator Son under certain
conditions and in certain circumstances. Jesus desired to see
these suffering mortals made whole if his Father's will would not
thereby be violated. The Personalized Adjuster of Jesus instantly
ruled that such an act of creative energy at that time would not
transgress the will of the Paradise Father, and by such a decision
-- in view of Jesus' preceding expression of healing desire -- the
creative act was. What a Creator Son desires and his
Father wills IS. Not in all of Jesus' subsequent earth life
did another such en masse physical healing of mortals take place.
145:3.12 As might have been expected, the fame
of this sundown healing at Bethsaida in Capernaum spread
throughout all Galilee and Judea and to the regions beyond. Once
more were the fears of Herod aroused, and he sent watchers to
report on the work and teachings of Jesus and to ascertain if he
was the former carpenter of Nazareth or John the Baptist risen
from the dead.
145:3.13 Chiefly because of this unintended
demonstration of physical healing, henceforth, throughout the
remainder of his earth career, Jesus became as much a physician as
a preacher. True, he continued his teaching, but his personal work
consisted mostly in ministering to the sick and the distressed,
while his apostles did the work of public preaching and baptizing
believers.
145:3.14 But the majority of those who were
recipients of supernatural or creative physical healing at this
sundown demonstration of divine energy were not permanently
spiritually benefited by this extraordinary manifestation of
mercy. A small number were truly edified by this physical
ministry, but the spiritual kingdom was not advanced in the hearts
of men by this amazing eruption of timeless creative healing.
145:3.15 The healing wonders which every now and
then attended Jesus' mission on earth were not a part of his plan
of proclaiming the kingdom. They were incidentally inherent in
having on earth a divine being of well-nigh unlimited creator
prerogatives in association with an unprecedented combination of
divine mercy and human sympathy. But such so-called miracles gave
Jesus much trouble in that they provided prejudice-raising
publicity and afforded much unsought notoriety.
4. THE EVENING AFTER
145:4.1 Throughout the evening following this
great outburst of healing, the rejoicing and happy throng overran
Zebedee's home, and the apostles of Jesus were keyed up to the
highest pitch of emotional enthusiasm. From a human standpoint,
this was probably the greatest day of all the great days of their
association with Jesus. At no time before or after did their hopes
surge to such heights of confident expectation. Jesus had told
them only a few days before, and when they were yet within the
borders of Samaria, that the hour had come when the kingdom was to
be proclaimed in power, and now their eyes had seen what
they supposed was the fulfillment of that promise. They were
thrilled by the vision of what was to come if this amazing
manifestation of healing power was just the beginning. Their
lingering doubts of Jesus' divinity were banished. They were
literally intoxicated with the ecstasy of their bewildered
enchantment.
145:4.2 But when they sought for Jesus, they
could not find him. The Master was much perturbed by what had
happened. These men, women, and children who had been healed of
diverse diseases lingered late into the evening, hoping for Jesus'
return that they might thank him. The apostles could not
understand the Master's conduct as the hours passed and he
remained in seclusion; their joy would have been full and perfect
but for his continued absence. When Jesus did return to their
midst, the hour was late, and practically all of the beneficiaries
of the healing episode had gone to their homes. Jesus refused the
congratulations and adoration of the twelve and the others who had
lingered to greet him, only saying: "Rejoice not that my Father is
powerful to heal the body, but rather that he is mighty to save
the soul. Let us go to our rest, for tomorrow we must be about the
Father's business."
145:4.3 And again did twelve disappointed,
perplexed, and heart-sorrowing men go to their rest; few of them,
except the twins, slept much that night. No sooner would the
Master do something to cheer the souls and gladden the hearts of
his apostles, than he seemed immediately to dash their hopes in
pieces and utterly to demolish the foundations of their courage
and enthusiasm. As these bewildered fishermen looked into each
other's eyes, there was but one thought: "We cannot understand
him. What does all this mean?"
5. EARLY SUNDAY MORNING
145:5.1 Neither did Jesus sleep much that
Saturday night. He realized that the world was filled with
physical distress and overrun with material difficulties, and he
contemplated the great danger of being compelled to devote so much
of his time to the care of the sick and afflicted that his mission
of establishing the spiritual kingdom in the hearts of men would
be interfered with or at least subordinated to the ministry of
things physical. Because of these and similar thoughts which
occupied the mortal mind of Jesus during the night, he arose that
Sunday morning long before daybreak and went all alone to one of
his favorite places for communion with the Father. The theme of
Jesus' prayer on this early morning was for wisdom and judgment
that he might not allow his human sympathy, joined with his divine
mercy, to make such an appeal to him in the presence of mortal
suffering that all of his time would be occupied with physical
ministry to the neglect of the spiritual. Though he did not wish
altogether to avoid ministering to the sick, he knew that he must
also do the more important work of spiritual teaching and
religious training.
145:5.2 Jesus went out in the hills to pray so
many times because there were no private rooms suitable for his
personal devotions.
145:5.3 Peter could not sleep that night; so,
very early, shortly after Jesus had gone out to pray, he aroused
James and John, and the three went to find their Master. After
more than an hour's search they found Jesus and besought him to
tell them the reason for his strange conduct. They desired to know
why he appeared to be troubled by the mighty outpouring of the
spirit of healing when all the people were overjoyed and his
apostles so much rejoiced.
145:5.4 For more than four hours Jesus
endeavored to explain to these three apostles what had happened.
He taught them about what had transpired and explained the dangers
of such manifestations. Jesus confided to them the reason for his
coming forth to pray. He sought to make plain to his personal
associates the real reasons why the kingdom of the Father could
not be built upon wonder-working and physical healing. But they
could not comprehend his teaching.
145:5.5 Meanwhile, early Sunday morning, other
crowds of afflicted souls and many curiosity seekers began to
gather about the house of Zebedee. They clamored to see Jesus.
Andrew and the apostles were so perplexed that, while Simon
Zelotes talked to the assembly, Andrew, with several of his
associates, went to find Jesus. When Andrew had located Jesus in
company with the three, he said: "Master, why do you leave us
alone with the multitude? Behold, all men seek you; never before
have so many sought after your teaching. Even now the house is
surrounded by those who have come from near and far because of
your mighty works. Will you not return with us to minister to
them?"
145:5.6 When Jesus heard this, he answered:
"Andrew, have I not taught you and these others that my mission on
earth is the revelation of the Father, and my message the
proclamation of the kingdom of heaven? How is it, then, that you
would have me turn aside from my work for the gratification of the
curious and for the satisfaction of those who seek for signs and
wonders? Have we not been among these people all these months, and
have they flocked in multitudes to hear the good news of the
kingdom? Why have they now come to besiege us? Is it not because
of the healing of their physical bodies rather than as a result of
the reception of spiritual truth for the salvation of their souls?
When men are attracted to us because of extraordinary
manifestations, many of them come seeking not for truth and
salvation but rather in quest of healing for their physical
ailments and to secure deliverance from their material
difficulties.
145:5.7 "All this time I have been in Capernaum,
and both in the synagogue and by the seaside have I proclaimed the
good news of the kingdom to all who had ears to hear and hearts to
receive the truth. It is not the will of my Father that I should
return with you to cater to these curious ones and to become
occupied with the ministry of things physical to the exclusion of
the spiritual. I have ordained you to preach the gospel and
minister to the sick, but I must not become engrossed in healing
to the exclusion of my teaching. No, Andrew, I will not return
with you. Go and tell the people to believe in that which we have
taught them and to rejoice in the liberty of the sons of God, and
make ready for our departure for the other cities of Galilee,
where the way has already been prepared for the preaching of the
good tidings of the kingdom. It was for this purpose that I came
forth from the Father. Go, then, and prepare for our immediate
departure while I here await your return."
145:5.8 When Jesus had spoken, Andrew and his
fellow apostles sorrowfully made their way back to Zebedee's
house, dismissed the assembled multitude, and quickly made ready
for the journey as Jesus had directed. And so, on the afternoon of
Sunday, January 18, A.D. 28, Jesus and the apostles started out
upon their first really public and open preaching tour of the
cities of Galilee. On this first tour they preached the gospel of
the kingdom in many cities, but they did not visit Nazareth.
145:5.9 That Sunday afternoon, shortly after
Jesus and his apostles had left for Rimmon, his brothers James and
Jude came to see him, calling at Zebedee's house. About noon of
that day Jude had sought out his brother James and insisted that
they go to Jesus. By the time James consented to go with Jude,
Jesus had already departed.
145:5.10 The apostles were loath to leave the
great interest which had been aroused at Capernaum. Peter
calculated that no less than one thousand believers could have
been baptized into the kingdom. Jesus listened to them patiently,
but he would not consent to return. Silence prevailed for a
season, and then Thomas addressed his fellow apostles, saying:
"Let's go! The Master has spoken. No matter if we cannot fully
comprehend the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, of one thing we
are certain: We follow a teacher who seeks no glory for himself."
And reluctantly they went forth to preach the good tidings in the
cities of Galilee.
►
