The Urantia Book
PAPER 151
TARRYING AND TEACHING BY THE SEASIDE
151:0.1 BY MARCH 10 all of the preaching and
teaching groups had forgathered at Bethsaida. Thursday night and
Friday many of them went out to fish, while on the Sabbath day
they attended the synagogue to hear an aged Jew of Damascus
discourse on the glory of father Abraham. Jesus spent most of this
Sabbath day alone in the hills. That Saturday night the Master
talked for more than an hour to the assembled groups on "The
mission of adversity and the spiritual value of disappointment."
This was a memorable occasion, and his hearers never forgot the
lesson he imparted.
151:0.2 Jesus had not fully recovered from the
sorrow of his recent rejection at Nazareth; the apostles were
aware of a peculiar sadness mingled with his usual cheerful
demeanor. James and John were with him much of the time, Peter
being more than occupied with the many responsibilities having to
do with the welfare and direction of the new corps of evangelists.
This time of waiting before starting for the Passover at
Jerusalem, the women spent in visiting from house to house,
teaching the gospel, and ministering to the sick in Capernaum and
the surrounding cities and villages.
1. THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
151:1.1 About this time Jesus first began to
employ the parable method of teaching the multitudes that so
frequently gathered about him. Since Jesus had talked with the
apostles and others long into the night, on this Sunday morning
very few of the group were up for breakfast; so he went out by the
seaside and sat alone in the boat, the old fishing boat of Andrew
and Peter, which was always kept at his disposal, and meditated on
the next move to be made in the work of extending the kingdom. But
the Master was not to be alone for long. Very soon the people from
Capernaum and near-by villages began to arrive, and by ten o'clock
that morning almost one thousand were assembled on shore near
Jesus' boat and were clamoring for attention. Peter was now up
and, making his way to the boat, said to Jesus, "Master, shall I
talk to them?" But Jesus answered, "No, Peter, I will tell them a
story." And then Jesus began the recital of the parable of the
sower, one of the first of a long series of such parables which he
taught the throngs that followed after him. This boat had an
elevated seat on which he sat (for it was the custom to sit when
teaching) while he talked to the crowd assembled along the shore.
After Peter had spoken a few words, Jesus said:
151:1.2 "A sower went forth to sow, and it came
to pass as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside to be
trodden underfoot and devoured by the birds of heaven. Other seed
fell upon the rocky places where there was little earth, and
immediately it sprang up because there was no depth to the soil,
but as soon as the sun shone, it withered because it had no root
whereby to secure moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns, and
as the thorns grew up, it was choked so that it yielded no grain.
Still other seed fell upon good ground and, growing, yielded, some
thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold." And when he
had finished speaking this parable, he said to the multitude, "He
who has ears to hear, let him hear."
151:1.3 The apostles and those who were with
them, when they heard Jesus teach the people in this manner, were
greatly perplexed; and after much talking among themselves, that
evening in the Zebedee garden Matthew said to Jesus: "Master, what
is the meaning of the dark sayings which you present to the
multitude? Why do you speak in parables to those who seek the
truth?" And Jesus answered:
151:1.4 "In patience have I instructed you all
this time. To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven, but to the undiscerning multitudes and to those who
seek our destruction, from now on, the mysteries of the kingdom
shall be presented in parables. And this we will do so that those
who really desire to enter the kingdom may discern the meaning of
the teaching and thus find salvation, while those who listen only
to ensnare us may be the more confounded in that they will see
without seeing and will hear without hearing. My children, do you
not perceive the law of the spirit which decrees that to him who
has shall be given so that he shall have an abundance; but from
him who has not shall be taken away even that which he has.
Therefore will I henceforth speak to the people much in parables
to the end that our friends and those who desire to know the truth
may find that which they seek, while our enemies and those who
love not the truth may hear without understanding. Many of these
people follow not in the way of the truth. The prophet did,
indeed, describe all such undiscerning souls when he said: `For
this people's heart has waxed gross, and their ears are dull of
hearing, and their eyes they have closed lest they should discern
the truth and understand it in their hearts.'"
151:1.5 The apostles did not fully comprehend
the significance of the Master's words. As Andrew and Thomas
talked further with Jesus, Peter and the other apostles withdrew
to another portion of the garden where they engaged in earnest and
prolonged discussion.
2. INTERPRETATION OF THE PARABLE
151:2.1 Peter and the group about him came to
the conclusion that the parable of the sower was an allegory, that
each feature had some hidden meaning, and so they decided to go to
Jesus and ask for an explanation. Accordingly, Peter approached
the Master, saying: "We are not able to penetrate the meaning of
this parable, and we desire that you explain it to us since you
say it is given us to know the mysteries of the kingdom." And when
Jesus heard this, he said to Peter: "My son, I desire to withhold
nothing from you, but first suppose you tell me what you have been
talking about; what is your interpretation of the parable?"
151:2.2 After a moment of silence, Peter said:
"Master, we have talked much concerning the parable, and this is
the interpretation I have decided upon: The sower is the gospel
preacher; the seed is the word of God. The seed which fell by the
wayside represents those who do not understand the gospel
teaching. The birds which snatched away the seed that fell upon
the hardened ground represent Satan, or the evil one, who steals
away that which has been sown in the hearts of these ignorant
ones. The seed which fell upon the rocky places, and which sprang
up so suddenly, represents those superficial and unthinking
persons who, when they hear the glad tidings, receive the message
with joy; but because the truth has no real root in their deeper
understanding, their devotion is short-lived in the face of
tribulation and persecution. When trouble comes, these believers
stumble; they fall away when tempted. The seed which fell among
thorns represents those who hear the word willingly, but who allow
the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches to choke
the word of truth so that it becomes unfruitful. Now the seed
which fell on good ground and sprang up to bear, some thirty, some
sixty, and some a hundredfold, represents those who, when they
have heard the truth, receive it with varying degrees of
appreciation -- owing to their differing intellectual endowments
-- and hence manifest these varying degrees of religious
experience."
151:2.3 Jesus, after listening to Peter's
interpretation of the parable, asked the other apostles if they
did not also have suggestions to offer. To this invitation only
Nathaniel responded. Said he: "Master, while I recognize many good
things about Simon Peter's interpretation of the parable, I do not
fully agree with him. My idea of this parable would be: The seed
represents the gospel of the kingdom, while the sower stands for
the messengers of the kingdom. The seed which fell by the wayside
on hardened ground represents those who have heard but little of
the gospel, along with those who are indifferent to the message,
and who have hardened their hearts. The birds of the sky that
snatched away the seed which fell by the wayside represent one's
habits of life, the temptation of evil, and the desires of the
flesh. The seed which fell among the rocks stands for those
emotional souls who are quick to receive new teaching and equally
quick to give up the truth when confronted with the difficulties
and realities of living up to this truth; they lack spiritual
perception. The seed which fell among the thorns represents those
who are attracted to the truths of the gospel; they are minded to
follow its teachings, but they are prevented by the pride of life,
jealousy, envy, and the anxieties of human existence. The seed
which fell on good soil, springing up to bear, some thirty, some
sixty, and some a hundredfold, represents the natural and varying
degrees of ability to comprehend truth and respond to its
spiritual teachings by men and women who possess diverse
endowments of spirit illumination."
151:2.4 When Nathaniel had finished speaking,
the apostles and their associates fell into serious discussion and
engaged in earnest debate, some contending for the correctness of
Peter's interpretation, while almost an equal number sought to
defend Nathaniel's explanation of the parable. Meanwhile Peter and
Nathaniel had withdrawn to the house, where they were involved in
a vigorous and determined effort the one to convince and change
the mind of the other.
151:2.5 The Master permitted this confusion to
pass the point of most intense expression; then he clapped his
hands and called them about him. When they had all gathered around
him once more, he said, "Before I tell you about this parable, do
any of you have aught to say?" Following a moment of silence,
Thomas spoke up: "Yes, Master, I wish to say a few words. I
remember that you once told us to beware of this very thing. You
instructed us that, when using illustrations for our preaching, we
should employ true stories, not fables, and that we should select
a story best suited to the illustration of the one central and
vital truth which we wished to teach the people, and that, having
so used the story, we should not attempt to make a spiritual
application of all the minor details involved in the telling of
the story. I hold that Peter and Nathaniel are both wrong in their
attempts to interpret this parable. I admire their ability to do
these things, but I am equally sure that all such attempts to make
a natural parable yield spiritual analogies in all its features
can only result in confusion and serious misconception of the true
purpose of such a parable. That I am right is fully proved by the
fact that, whereas we were all of one mind an hour ago, now are we
divided into two separate groups who hold different opinions
concerning this parable and hold such opinions so earnestly as to
interfere, in my opinion, with our ability fully to grasp the
great truth which you had in mind when you presented this parable
to the multitude and subsequently asked us to make comment upon
it."
151:2.6 The words which Thomas spoke had a
quieting effect on all of them. He caused them to recall what
Jesus had taught them on former occasions, and before Jesus
resumed speaking, Andrew arose, saying: "I am persuaded that
Thomas is right, and I would like to have him tell us what meaning
he attaches to the parable of the sower." After Jesus had beckoned
Thomas to speak, he said: "My brethren, I did not wish to prolong
this discussion, but if you so desire, I will say that I think
this parable was spoken to teach us one great truth. And that is
that our teaching of the gospel of the kingdom, no matter how
faithfully and efficiently we execute our divine commissions, is
going to be attended by varying degrees of success; and that all
such differences in results are directly due to conditions
inherent in the circumstances of our ministry, conditions over
which we have little or no control."
151:2.7 When Thomas had finished speaking, the
majority of his fellow preachers were about ready to agree with
him, even Peter and Nathaniel were on their way over to speak with
him, when Jesus arose and said: "Well done, Thomas; you have
discerned the true meaning of parables; but both Peter and
Nathaniel have done you all equal good in that they have so fully
shown the danger of undertaking to make an allegory out of my
parables. In your own hearts you may often profitably engage in
such flights of the speculative imagination, but you make a
mistake when you seek to offer such conclusions as a part of your
public teaching."
151:2.8 Now that the tension was over, Peter and
Nathaniel congratulated each other on their interpretations, and
with the exception of the Alpheus twins, each of the apostles
ventured to make an interpretation of the parable of the sower
before they retired for the night. Even Judas Iscariot offered a
very plausible interpretation. The twelve would often, among
themselves, attempt to figure out the Master's parables as they
would an allegory, but never again did they regard such
speculations seriously. This was a very profitable session for the
apostles and their associates, especially so since from this time
on Jesus more and more employed parables in connection with his
public teaching.
3. MORE ABOUT PARABLES
151:3.1 The apostles were parable-minded, so
much so that the whole of the next evening was devoted to the
further discussion of parables. Jesus introduced the evening's
conference by saying: "My beloved, you must always make a
difference in teaching so as to suit your presentation of truth to
the minds and hearts before you. When you stand before a multitude
of varying intellects and temperaments, you cannot speak different
words for each class of hearers, but you can tell a story to
convey your teaching; and each group, even each individual, will
be able to make his own interpretation of your parable in
accordance with his own intellectual and spiritual endowments. You
are to let your light shine but do so with wisdom and discretion.
No man, when he lights a lamp, covers it up with a vessel or puts
it under the bed; he puts his lamp on a stand where all can behold
the light. Let me tell you that nothing is hid in the kingdom of
heaven which shall not be made manifest; neither are there any
secrets which shall not ultimately be made known. Eventually, all
these things shall come to light. Think not only of the multitudes
and how they hear the truth; take heed also to yourselves how you
hear. Remember that I have many times told you: To him who has
shall be given more, while from him who has not shall be taken
away even that which he thinks he has."
151:3.2 The continued discussion of parables and
further instruction as to their interpretation may be summarized
and expressed in modern phraseology as follows:
151:3.3 1. Jesus advised against the use of
either fables or allegories in teaching the truths of the gospel.
He did recommend the free use of parables, especially nature
parables. He emphasized the value of utilizing the analogy
existing between the natural and the spiritual worlds as a means
of teaching truth. He frequently alluded to the natural as "the
unreal and fleeting shadow of spirit realities."
151:3.4 2. Jesus narrated three or four parables
from the Hebrew scriptures, calling attention to the fact that
this method of teaching was not wholly new. However, it became
almost a new method of teaching as he employed it from this time
onward.
151:3.5 3. In teaching the apostles the value of
parables, Jesus called attention to the following points:
151:3.6 The parable provides for a simultaneous
appeal to vastly different levels of mind and spirit. The parable
stimulates the imagination, challenges the discrimination, and
provokes critical thinking; it promotes sympathy without arousing
antagonism.
151:3.7 The parable proceeds from the things
which are known to the discernment of the unknown. The parable
utilizes the material and natural as a means of introducing the
spiritual and the supermaterial.
151:3.8 Parables favor the making of impartial
moral decisions. The parable evades much prejudice and puts new
truth gracefully into the mind and does all this with the arousal
of a minimum of the self-defense of personal resentment.
151:3.9 To reject the truth contained in
parabolical analogy requires conscious intellectual action which
is directly in contempt of one's honest judgment and fair
decision. The parable conduces to the forcing of thought through
the sense of hearing.
151:3.10 The use of the parable form of teaching
enables the teacher to present new and even startling truths while
at the same time he largely avoids all controversy and outward
clashing with tradition and established authority.
151:3.11 The parable also possesses the
advantage of stimulating the memory of the truth taught when the
same familiar scenes are subsequently encountered.
151:3.12 In this way Jesus sought to acquaint
his followers with many of the reasons underlying his practice of
increasingly using parables in his public teaching.
151:3.13 Toward the close of the evening's
lesson Jesus made his first comment on the parable of the sower.
He said the parable referred to two things: First, it was a review
of his own ministry up to that time and a forecast of what lay
ahead of him for the remainder of his life on earth. And second,
it was also a hint as to what the apostles and other messengers of
the kingdom might expect in their ministry from generation to
generation as time passed.
151:3.14 Jesus also resorted to the use of
parables as the best possible refutation of the studied effort of
the religious leaders at Jerusalem to teach that all of his work
was done by the assistance of demons and the prince of devils. The
appeal to nature was in contravention of such teaching since the
people of that day looked upon all natural phenomena as the
product of the direct act of spiritual beings and supernatural
forces. He also determined upon this method of teaching because it
enabled him to proclaim vital truths to those who desired to know
the better way while at the same time affording his enemies less
opportunity to find cause for offense and for accusations against
him.
151:3.15 Before he dismissed the group for the
night, Jesus said: "Now will I tell you the last of the parable of
the sower. I would test you to know how you will receive this: The
kingdom of heaven is also like a man who cast good seed upon the
earth; and while he slept by night and went about his business by
day, the seed sprang up and grew, and although he knew not how it
came about, the plant came to fruit. First there was the blade,
then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And then when the
grain was ripe, he put forth the sickle, and the harvest was
finished. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear."
151:3.16 Many times did the apostles turn this
saying over in their minds, but the Master never made further
mention of this addition to the parable of the sower.
4. MORE PARABLES BY THE SEA
151:4.1 The next day Jesus again taught the
people from the boat, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man
who sowed good seed in his field; but while he slept, his enemy
came and sowed weeds among the wheat and hastened away. And so
when the young blades sprang up and later were about to bring
forth fruit, there appeared also the weeds. Then the servants of
this householder came and said to him: `Sir, did you not sow good
seed in your field? Whence then come these weeds?' And he replied
to his servants, `An enemy has done this.' The servants then asked
their master, `Would you have us go out and pluck up these weeds?'
But he answered them and said: `No, lest while you are gathering
them up, you uproot the wheat also. Rather let them both grow
together until the time of the harvest, when I will say to the
reapers, Gather up first the weeds and bind them in bundles to
burn and then gather up the wheat to be stored in my barn.'"
151:4.2 After the people had asked a few
questions, Jesus spoke another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is
like a grain of mustard seed which a man sowed in his field. Now a
mustard seed is the least of seeds, but when it is full grown, it
becomes the greatest of all herbs and is like a tree so that the
birds of heaven are able to come and rest in the branches
thereof."
151:4.3 "The kingdom of heaven is also like
leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, and
in this way it came about that all of the meal was leavened."
151:4.4
"The kingdom of heaven is also like a treasure hidden in a field,
which a man discovered. In his joy he went forth to sell all he
had that he might have the money to buy the field."
151:4.5 "The kingdom of heaven is also like a
merchant seeking goodly pearls; and having found one pearl of
great price, he went out and sold everything he possessed that he
might be able to buy the extraordinary pearl."
151:4.6 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
sweep net which was cast into the sea, and it gathered up every
kind of fish. Now, when the net was filled, the fishermen drew it
up on the beach, where they sat down and sorted out the fish,
gathering the good into vessels while the bad they threw away."
151:4.7 Many other parables spoke Jesus to the
multitudes. In fact, from this time forward he seldom taught the
masses except by this means. After speaking to a public audience
in parables, he would, during the evening classes, more fully and
explicitly expound his teachings to the apostles and the
evangelists.
5. THE VISIT TO KHERESA
151:5.1 The multitude continued to increase
throughout the week. On Sabbath Jesus hastened away to the hills,
but when Sunday morning came, the crowds returned. Jesus spoke to
them in the early afternoon after the preaching of Peter, and when
he had finished, he said to his apostles: "I am weary of the
throngs; let us cross over to the other side that we may rest for
a day."
151:5.2 On the way across the lake they
encountered one of those violent and sudden windstorms which are
characteristic of the Sea of Galilee, especially at this season of
the year. This body of water is almost seven hundred feet below
the level of the sea and is surrounded by high banks, especially
on the west. There are steep gorges leading up from the lake into
the hills, and as the heated air rises in a pocket over the lake
during the day, there is a tendency after sunset for the cooling
air of the gorges to rush down upon the lake. These gales come on
quickly and sometimes go away just as suddenly.
151:5.3 It was just such an evening gale that
caught the boat carrying Jesus over to the other side on this
Sunday evening. Three other boats containing some of the younger
evangelists were trailing after. This tempest was severe,
notwithstanding that it was confined to this region of the lake,
there being no evidence of a storm on the western shore. The wind
was so strong that the waves began to wash over the boat. The high
wind had torn the sail away before the apostles could furl it, and
they were now entirely dependent on their oars as they laboriously
pulled for the shore, a little more than a mile and a half
distant.
151:5.4 Meanwhile Jesus lay asleep in the stern
of the boat under a small overhead shelter. The Master was weary
when they left Bethsaida, and it was to secure rest that he had
directed them to sail him across to the other side. These
ex-fishermen were strong and experienced oarsmen, but this was one
of the worst gales they had ever encountered. Although the wind
and the waves tossed their boat about as though it were a toy
ship, Jesus slumbered on undisturbed. Peter was at the right-hand
oar near the stern. When the boat began to fill with water, he
dropped his oar and, rushing over to Jesus, shook him vigorously
in order to awaken him, and when he was aroused, Peter said:
"Master, don't you know we are in a violent storm? If you do not
save us, we will all perish."
151:5.5 As Jesus came out in the rain, he looked
first at Peter, and then peering into the darkness at the
struggling oarsmen, he turned his glance back upon Simon Peter,
who, in his agitation, had not yet returned to his oar, and said:
"Why are all of you so filled with fear? Where is your faith?
Peace, be quiet." Jesus had hardly uttered this rebuke to Peter
and the other apostles, he had hardly bidden Peter seek peace
wherewith to quiet his troubled soul, when the disturbed
atmosphere, having established its equilibrium, settled down into
a great calm. The angry waves almost immediately subsided, while
the dark clouds, having spent themselves in a short shower,
vanished, and the stars of heaven shone overhead. All this was
purely coincidental as far as we can judge; but the apostles,
particularly Simon Peter, never ceased to regard the episode as a
nature miracle. It was especially easy for the men of that day to
believe in nature miracles inasmuch as they firmly believed that
all nature was a phenomenon directly under the control of spirit
forces and supernatural beings.
151:5.6 Jesus plainly explained to the twelve
that he had spoken to their troubled spirits and had addressed
himself to their fear-tossed minds, that he had not commanded the
elements to obey his word, but it was of no avail. The Master's
followers always persisted in placing their own interpretation on
all such coincidental occurrences. From this day on they insisted
on regarding the Master as having absolute power over the natural
elements. Peter never grew weary of reciting how "even the winds
and the waves obey him."
151:5.7 It was late in the evening when Jesus
and his associates reached the shore, and since it was a calm and
beautiful night, they all rested in the boats, not going ashore
until shortly after sunrise the next morning. When they were
gathered together, about forty in all, Jesus said: "Let us go up
into yonder hills and tarry for a few days while we ponder over
the problems of the Father's kingdom."
6. THE KHERESA LUNATIC
151:6.1 Although most of the near-by eastern
shore of the lake sloped up gently to the highlands beyond, at
this particular spot there was a steep hillside, the shore in some
places dropping sheer down into the lake. Pointing up to the side
of the near-by hill, Jesus said: "Let us go up on this hillside
for our breakfast and under some of the shelters rest and talk."
151:6.2 This entire hillside was covered with
caverns which had been hewn out of the rock. Many of these niches
were ancient sepulchres. About halfway up the hillside on a small,
relatively level spot was the cemetery of the little village of
Kheresa. As Jesus and his associates passed near this burial
ground, a lunatic who lived in these hillside caverns rushed up to
them. This demented man was well known about these parts, having
onetime been bound with fetters and chains and confined in one of
the grottos. Long since he had broken his shackles and now roamed
at will among the tombs and abandoned sepulchres.
151:6.3 This man, whose name was Amos, was
afflicted with a periodic form of insanity. There were
considerable spells when he would find some clothing and deport
himself fairly well among his fellows. During one of these lucid
intervals he had gone over to Bethsaida, where he heard the
preaching of Jesus and the apostles, and at that time had become a
halfhearted believer in the gospel of the kingdom. But soon a
stormy phase of his trouble appeared, and he fled to the tombs,
where he moaned, cried out aloud, and so conducted himself as to
terrorize all who chanced to meet him.
151:6.4 When Amos recognized Jesus, he fell down
at his feet and exclaimed: "I know you, Jesus, but I am possessed
of many devils, and I beseech that you will not torment me." This
man truly believed that his periodic mental affliction was due to
the fact that, at such times, evil or unclean spirits entered into
him and dominated his mind and body. His troubles were mostly
emotional -- his brain was not grossly diseased.
151:6.5 Jesus, looking down upon the man
crouching like an animal at his feet, reached down and, taking him
by the hand, stood him up and said to him: "Amos, you are not
possessed of a devil; you have already heard the good news that
you are a son of God. I command you to come out of this spell."
And when Amos heard Jesus speak these words, there occurred such a
transformation in his intellect that he was immediately restored
to his right mind and the normal control of his emotions. By this
time a considerable crowd had assembled from the near-by village,
and these people, augmented by the swine herders from the highland
above them, were astonished to see the lunatic sitting with Jesus
and his followers, in possession of his right mind and freely
conversing with them.
151:6.6 As the swine herders rushed into the
village to spread the news of the taming of the lunatic, the dogs
charged upon a small and untended herd of about thirty swine and
drove most of them over a precipice into the sea. And it was this
incidental occurrence, in connection with the presence of Jesus
and the supposed miraculous curing of the lunatic, that gave
origin to the legend that Jesus had cured Amos by casting a legion
of devils out of him, and that these devils had entered into the
herd of swine, causing them forthwith to rush headlong to their
destruction in the sea below. Before the day was over, this
episode was published abroad by the swine tenders, and the whole
village believed it. Amos most certainly believed this story; he
saw the swine tumbling over the brow of the hill shortly after his
troubled mind had quieted down, and he always believed that they
carried with them the very evil spirits which had so long
tormented and afflicted him. And this had a good deal to do with
the permanency of his cure. It is equally true that all of Jesus'
apostles (save Thomas) believed that the episode of the swine was
directly connected with the cure of Amos.
151:6.7 Jesus did not obtain the rest he was
looking for. Most of that day he was thronged by those who came in
response to the word that Amos had been cured, and who were
attracted by the story that the demons had gone out of the lunatic
into the herd of swine. And so, after only one night of rest,
early Tuesday morning Jesus and his friends were awakened by a
delegation of these swine-raising gentiles who had come to urge
that he depart from their midst. Said their spokesman to Peter and
Andrew: "Fishermen of Galilee, depart from us and take your
prophet with you. We know he is a holy man, but the gods of our
country do not know him, and we stand in danger of losing many
swine. The fear of you has descended upon us, so that we pray you
to go hence." And when Jesus heard them, he said to Andrew, "Let
us return to our place."
151:6.8 As they were about to depart, Amos
besought Jesus to permit him to go back with them, but the Master
would not consent. Said Jesus to Amos: "Forget not that you are a
son of God. Return to your own people and show them what great
things God has done for you." And Amos went about publishing that
Jesus had cast a legion of devils out of his troubled soul, and
that these evil spirits had entered into a herd of swine, driving
them to quick destruction. And he did not stop until he had gone
into all the cities of the Decapolis, declaring what great things
Jesus had done for him.
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