The Urantia Book
PAPER 154
LAST DAYS AT CAPERNAUM
154:0.1 ON THE eventful Saturday night of April
30, as Jesus was speaking words of comfort and courage to his
downcast and bewildered disciples, at Tiberias a council was being
held between Herod Antipas and a group of special commissioners
representing the Jerusalem Sanhedrin. These scribes and Pharisees
urged Herod to arrest Jesus; they did their best to convince him
that Jesus was stirring up the populace to dissension and even to
rebellion. But Herod refused to take action against him as a
political offender. Herod's advisers had correctly reported the
episode across the lake when the people sought to proclaim Jesus
king and how he rejected the proposal.
154:0.2 One of Herod's official family, Chuza,
whose wife belonged to the women's ministering corps, had informed
him that Jesus did not propose to meddle with the affairs of
earthly rule; that he was only concerned with the establishment of
the spiritual brotherhood of his believers, which brotherhood he
called the kingdom of heaven. Herod had confidence in Chuza's
reports, so much so that he refused to interfere with Jesus'
activities. Herod was also influenced at this time, in his
attitude toward Jesus, by his superstitious fear of John the
Baptist. Herod was one of those apostate Jews who, while he
believed nothing, feared everything. He had a bad conscience for
having put John to death, and he did not want to become entangled
in these intrigues against Jesus. He knew of many cases of
sickness which had been apparently healed by Jesus, and he
regarded him as either a prophet or a relatively harmless
religious fanatic.
154:0.3 When the Jews threatened to report to
Caesar that he was shielding a traitorous subject, Herod ordered
them out of his council chamber. Thus matters rested for one week,
during which time Jesus prepared his followers for the impending
dispersion.
1. A WEEK OF COUNSEL
154:1.1 From May 1 to May 7 Jesus held intimate
counsel with his followers at the Zebedee house. Only the tried
and trusted disciples were admitted to these conferences. At this
time there were only about one hundred disciples who had the moral
courage to brave the opposition of the Pharisees and openly
declare their adherence to Jesus. With this group he held sessions
morning, afternoon, and evening. Small companies of inquirers
assembled each afternoon by the seaside, where some of the
evangelists or apostles discoursed to them. These groups seldom
numbered more than fifty.
154:1.2 On Friday of this week official action
was taken by the rulers of the Capernaum synagogue closing the
house of God to Jesus and all his followers. This action was taken
at the instigation of the Jerusalem Pharisees. Jairus resigned as
chief ruler and openly aligned himself with Jesus.
154:1.3 The last of the seaside meetings was
held on Sabbath afternoon, May 7. Jesus talked to less than one
hundred and fifty who had assembled at that time. This Saturday
night marked the time of the lowest ebb in the tide of popular
regard for Jesus and his teachings. From then on there was a
steady, slow, but more healthful and dependable growth in
favorable sentiment; a new following was built up which was better
grounded in spiritual faith and true religious experience. The
more or less composite and compromising transition stage between
the materialistic concepts of the kingdom held by the Master's
followers and those more idealistic and spiritual concepts taught
by Jesus, had now definitely ended. From now on there was a more
open proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom in its larger scope
and in its far-flung spiritual implications.
2. A WEEK OF REST
154:2.1 Sunday, May 8, A.D. 29, at Jerusalem,
the Sanhedrin passed a decree closing all the synagogues of
Palestine to Jesus and his followers. This was a new and
unprecedented usurpation of authority by the Jerusalem Sanhedrin.
Theretofore each synagogue had existed and functioned as an
independent congregation of worshipers and was under the rule and
direction of its own board of governors. Only the synagogues of
Jerusalem had been subject to the authority of the Sanhedrin. This
summary action of the Sanhedrin was followed by the resignation of
five of its members. One hundred messengers were immediately
dispatched to convey and enforce this decree. Within the short
space of two weeks every synagogue in Palestine had bowed to this
manifesto of the Sanhedrin except the synagogue at Hebron. The
rulers of the Hebron synagogue refused to acknowledge the right of
the Sanhedrin to exercise such jurisdiction over their assembly.
This refusal to accede to the Jerusalem decree was based on their
contention of congregational autonomy rather than on sympathy with
Jesus' cause. Shortly thereafter the Hebron synagogue was
destroyed by fire.
154:2.2 This same Sunday morning, Jesus declared
a week's holiday, urging all of his disciples to return to their
homes or friends to rest their troubled souls and speak words of
encouragement to their loved ones. He said: "Go to your several
places to play or fish while you pray for the extension of the
kingdom."
154:2.3 This week of rest enabled Jesus to visit
many families and groups about the seaside. He also went fishing
with David Zebedee on several occasions, and while he went about
alone much of the time, there always lurked near by two or three
of David's most trusted messengers, who had no uncertain orders
from their chief respecting the safeguarding of Jesus. There was
no public teaching of any sort during this week of rest.
154:2.4 This was the week that Nathaniel and
James Zebedee suffered from more than a slight illness. For three
days and nights they were acutely afflicted with a painful
digestive disturbance. On the third night Jesus sent Salome,
James's mother, to her rest, while he ministered to his suffering
apostles. Of course Jesus could have instantly healed these two
men, but that is not the method of either the Son or the Father in
dealing with these commonplace difficulties and afflictions of the
children of men on the evolutionary worlds of time and space.
Never once, throughout all of his eventful life in the flesh, did
Jesus engage in any sort of supernatural ministration to any
member of his earth family or in behalf of any one of his
immediate followers.
154:2.5 Universe difficulties must be met and
planetary obstacles must be encountered as a part of the
experience training provided for the growth and development, the
progressive perfection, of the evolving souls of mortal creatures.
The spiritualization of the human soul requires intimate
experience with the educational solving of a wide range of real
universe problems. The animal nature and the lower forms of will
creatures do not progress favorably in environmental ease.
Problematic situations, coupled with exertion stimuli, conspire to
produce those activities of mind, soul, and spirit which
contribute mightily to the achievement of worthy goals of mortal
progression and to the attainment of higher levels of spirit
destiny.
3. THE SECOND TIBERIAS CONFERENCE
154:3.1 On May 16 the second conference at
Tiberias between the authorities at Jerusalem and Herod Antipas
was convened. Both the religious and the political leaders from
Jerusalem were in attendance. The Jewish leaders were able to
report to Herod that practically all the synagogues in both
Galilee and Judea were closed to Jesus' teachings. A new effort
was made to have Herod place Jesus under arrest, but he refused to
do their bidding. On May 18, however, Herod did agree to the plan
of permitting the Sanhedrin authorities to seize Jesus and carry
him to Jerusalem to be tried on religious charges, provided the
Roman ruler of Judea concurred in such an arrangement. Meanwhile,
Jesus' enemies were industriously spreading the rumor throughout
Galilee that Herod had become hostile to Jesus, and that he meant
to exterminate all who believed in his teachings.
154:3.2 On Saturday night, May 21, word reached
Tiberias that the civil authorities at Jerusalem had no objection
to the agreement between Herod and the Pharisees that Jesus be
seized and carried to Jerusalem for trial before the Sanhedrin on
charges of flouting the sacred laws of the Jewish nation.
Accordingly, just before midnight of this day, Herod signed the
decree which authorized the officers of the Sanhedrin to seize
Jesus within Herod's domains and forcibly to carry him to
Jerusalem for trial. Strong pressure from many sides was brought
to bear upon Herod before he consented to grant this permission,
and he well knew that Jesus could not expect a fair trial before
his bitter enemies at Jerusalem.
4. SATURDAY NIGHT IN CAPERNAUM
154:4.1 On this same Saturday night, in
Capernaum a group of fifty leading citizens met at the synagogue
to discuss the momentous question: "What shall we do with Jesus?"
They talked and debated until after midnight, but they could not
find any common ground for agreement. Aside from a few persons who
inclined to the belief that Jesus might be the Messiah, at least a
holy man, or perhaps a prophet, the meeting was divided into four
nearly equal groups who held, respectively, the following views of
Jesus:
1. That he was a deluded and harmless
religious fanatic.
2. That he was a dangerous and
designing agitator who might stir up rebellion.
3. That he was in league with devils,
that he might even be a prince of devils.
4. That he was beside himself, that he
was mad, mentally unbalanced.
154:4.2 There was much talk about Jesus'
preaching doctrines which were upsetting for the common people;
his enemies maintained that his teachings were impractical, that
everything would go to pieces if everybody made an honest effort
to live in accordance with his ideas. And the men of many
subsequent generations have said the same things. Many intelligent
and well-meaning men, even in the more enlightened age of these
revelations, maintain that modern civilization could not have been
built upon the teachings of Jesus -- and they are partially right.
But all such doubters forget that a much better civilization could
have been built upon his teachings, and sometime will be. This
world has never seriously tried to carry out the teachings of
Jesus on a large scale, notwithstanding that halfhearted attempts
have often been made to follow the doctrines of so-called
Christianity.
5. THE EVENTFUL SUNDAY MORNING
154:5.1 May 22 was an eventful day in the life
of Jesus. On this Sunday morning, before daybreak, one of David's
messengers arrived in great haste from Tiberias, bringing the word
that Herod had authorized, or was about to authorize, the arrest
of Jesus by the officers of the Sanhedrin. The receipt of the news
of this impending danger caused David Zebedee to arouse his
messengers and send them out to all the local groups of disciples,
summoning them for an emergency council at seven o'clock that
morning. When the sister-in-law of Jude (Jesus' brother) heard
this alarming report, she hastened word to all of Jesus' family
who dwelt near by, summoning them forthwith to assemble at
Zebedee's house. And in response to this hasty call, presently
there were assembled Mary, James, Joseph, Jude, and Ruth.
154:5.2 At this early morning meeting Jesus
imparted his farewell instructions to the assembled disciples;
that is, he bade them farewell for the time being, knowing well
that they would soon be dispersed from Capernaum. He directed them
all to seek God for guidance and to carry on the work of the
kingdom regardless of consequences. The evangelists were to labor
as they saw fit until such time as they might be called. He
selected twelve of the evangelists to accompany him; the twelve
apostles he directed to remain with him no matter what happened.
The twelve women he instructed to remain at the Zebedee house and
at Peter's house until he should send for them.
154:5.3 Jesus consented to David Zebedee's
continuing his countrywide messenger service, and in bidding the
Master farewell presently, David said: "Go forth to your work,
Master. Don't let the bigots catch you, and never doubt that the
messengers will follow after you. My men will never lose contact
with you, and through them you shall know of the kingdom in other
parts, and by them we will all know about you. Nothing that might
happen to me will interfere with this service, for I have
appointed first and second leaders, even a third. I am neither a
teacher nor a preacher, but it is in my heart to do this, and none
can stop me."
154:5.4 About 7:30 this morning Jesus began his
parting address to almost one hundred believers who had crowded
indoors to hear him. This was a solemn occasion for all present,
but Jesus seemed unusually cheerful; he was once more like his
normal self. The seriousness of weeks had gone, and he inspired
all of them with his words of faith, hope, and courage.
6. JESUS' FAMILY ARRIVES
154:6.1 It was about eight o'clock on this
Sunday morning when five members of Jesus' earth family arrived on
the scene in response to the urgent summons of Jude's
sister-in-law. Of all his family in the flesh, only one, Ruth,
believed wholeheartedly and continuously in the divinity of his
mission on earth. Jude and James, and even Joseph, still retained
much of their faith in Jesus, but they had permitted pride to
interfere with their better judgment and real spiritual
inclinations. Mary was likewise torn between love and fear,
between mother love and family pride. Though she was harassed by
doubts, she could never quite forget the visit of Gabriel ere
Jesus was born. The Pharisees had been laboring to persuade Mary
that Jesus was beside himself, demented. They urged her to go with
her sons and seek to dissuade him from further efforts at public
teaching. They assured Mary that soon Jesus' health would break,
and that only dishonor and disgrace could come upon the entire
family as a result of allowing him to go on. And so, when the word
came from Jude's sister-in-law, all five of them started at once
for Zebedee's house, having been together at Mary's home, where
they had met with the Pharisees the evening before. They had
talked with the Jerusalem leaders long into the night, and all
were more or less convinced that Jesus was acting strangely, that
he had acted strangely for some time. While Ruth could not explain
all of his conduct, she insisted that he had always treated his
family fairly and refused to agree to the program of trying to
dissuade him from further work.
154:6.2 On the way to Zebedee's house they
talked these things over and agreed among themselves to try to
persuade Jesus to come home with them, for, said Mary: "I know I
could influence my son if he would only come home and listen to
me." James and Jude had heard rumors concerning the plans to
arrest Jesus and take him to Jerusalem for trial. They also feared
for their own safety. As long as Jesus was a popular figure in the
public eye, his family allowed matters to drift along, but now
that the people of Capernaum and the leaders at Jerusalem had
suddenly turned against him, they began keenly to feel the
pressure of the supposed disgrace of their embarrassing position.
154:6.3 They had expected to meet Jesus, take
him aside, and urge him to go home with them. They had thought to
assure him that they would forget his neglect of them -- they
would forgive and forget -- if he would only give up the
foolishness of trying to preach a new religion which could bring
only trouble to himself and dishonor upon his family. To all of
this Ruth would say only: "I will tell my brother that I think he
is a man of God, and that I hope he would be willing to die before
he would allow these wicked Pharisees to stop his preaching."
Joseph promised to keep Ruth quiet while the others labored with
Jesus.
154:6.4 When they reached the Zebedee house,
Jesus was in the very midst of delivering his parting address to
the disciples. They sought to gain entrance to the house, but it
was crowded to overflowing. Finally they established themselves on
the back porch and had word passed in to Jesus, from person to
person, so that it finally was whispered to him by Simon Peter,
who interrupted his talking for the purpose, and who said:
"Behold, your mother and your brothers are outside, and they are
very anxious to speak with you." Now it did not occur to his
mother how important was the giving of this parting message to his
followers, neither did she know that his address was likely to be
terminated any moment by the arrival of his apprehenders. She
really thought, after so long an apparent estrangement, in view of
the fact that she and his brothers had shown the grace actually to
come to him, that Jesus would cease speaking and come to them the
moment he received word they were waiting.
154:6.5 It was just another of those instances
in which his earth family could not comprehend that he must be
about his Father's business. And so Mary and his brothers were
deeply hurt when, notwithstanding that he paused in his speaking
to receive the message, instead of his rushing out to greet them,
they heard his musical voice speak with increased volume: "Say to
my mother and my brothers that they should have no fear for me.
The Father who sent me into the world will not forsake me; neither
shall any harm come upon my family. Bid them be of good courage
and put their trust in the Father of the kingdom. But, after all,
who is my mother and who are my brothers?" And stretching forth
his hands toward all of his disciples assembled in the room, he
said: "I have no mother; I have no brothers. Behold my mother and
behold my brethren! For whosoever does the will of my Father who
is in heaven, the same is my mother, my brother, and my sister."
154:6.6 And when Mary heard these words, she
collapsed in Jude's arms. They carried her out in the garden to
revive her while Jesus spoke the concluding words of his parting
message. He would then have gone out to confer with his mother and
his brothers, but a messenger arrived in haste from Tiberias
bringing word that the officers of the Sanhedrin were on their way
with authority to arrest Jesus and carry him to Jerusalem. Andrew
received this message and, interrupting Jesus, told it to him.
154:6.7 Andrew did not recall that David had
posted some twenty-five sentinels about the Zebedee house, and
that no one could take them by surprise; so he asked Jesus what
should be done. The Master stood there in silence while his
mother, having heard the words, "I have no mother," was recovering
from the shock in the garden. It was at just this time that a
woman in the room stood up and exclaimed, "Blessed is the womb
that bore you and blessed are the breasts that nursed you." Jesus
turned aside a moment from his conversation with Andrew to answer
this woman by saying, "No, rather is the one blessed who hears the
word of God and dares to obey it."
154:6.8 Mary and Jesus' brothers thought that
Jesus did not understand them, that he had lost interest in them,
little realizing that it was they who failed to understand Jesus.
Jesus fully understood how difficult it is for men to break with
their past. He knew how human beings are swayed by the preacher's
eloquence, and how the conscience responds to emotional appeal as
the mind does to logic and reason, but he also knew how far more
difficult it is to persuade men to disown the past.
154:6.9 It is forever true that all who may
think they are misunderstood or not appreciated have in Jesus a
sympathizing friend and an understanding counselor. He had warned
his apostles that a man's foes may be they of his own household,
but he had hardly realized how near this prediction would come to
apply to his own experience. Jesus did not forsake his earth
family to do his Father's work -- they forsook him. Later on,
after the Master's death and resurrection, when James became
connected with the early Christian movement, he suffered
immeasurably as a result of his failure to enjoy this earlier
association with Jesus and his disciples.
154:6.10 In passing through these events, Jesus
chose to be guided by the limited knowledge of his human mind. He
desired to undergo the experience with his associates as a mere
man. And it was in the human mind of Jesus to see his family
before he left. He did not wish to stop in the midst of his
discourse and thus render their first meeting after so long a
separation such a public affair. He had intended to finish his
address and then have a visit with them before leaving, but this
plan was thwarted by the conspiracy of events which immediately
followed.
154:6.11 The haste of their flight was augmented
by the arrival of a party of David's messengers at the rear
entrance of the Zebedee home. The commotion produced by these men
frightened the apostles into thinking that these new arrivals
might be their apprehenders, and in fear of immediate arrest, they
hastened through the front entrance to the waiting boat. And all
of this explains why Jesus did not see his family waiting on the
back porch.
154:6.12 But he did say to David Zebedee as he
entered the boat in hasty flight: "Tell my mother and my brothers
that I appreciate their coming, and that I intended to see them.
Admonish them to find no offense in me but rather to seek for a
knowledge of the will of God and for grace and courage to do that
will."
7. THE HASTY FLIGHT
154:7.1 And so it was on this Sunday morning,
the twenty-second of May, in the year A.D. 29, that Jesus, with
his twelve apostles and the twelve evangelists, engaged in this
hasty flight from the Sanhedrin officers who were on their way to
Bethsaida with authority from Herod Antipas to arrest him and take
him to Jerusalem for trial on charges of blasphemy and other
violations of the sacred laws of the Jews. It was almost half past
eight this beautiful morning when this company of twenty-five
manned the oars and pulled for the eastern shore of the Sea of
Galilee.
154:7.2 Following the Master's boat was another
and smaller craft, containing six of David's messengers, who had
instructions to maintain contact with Jesus and his associates and
to see that information of their whereabouts and safety was
regularly transmitted to the home of Zebedee in Bethsaida, which
had served as headquarters for the work of the kingdom for some
time. But Jesus was never again to make his home at the house of
Zebedee. From now on, throughout the remainder of his earth life,
the Master truly "had not where to lay his head." No more did he
have even the semblance of a settled abode.
154:7.3 They rowed over to near the village of
Kheresa, put their boat in the custody of friends, and began the
wanderings of this eventful last year of the Master's life on
earth. For a time they remained in the domains of Philip, going
from Kheresa up to Caesarea-Philippi, thence making their way over
to the coast of Phoenicia.
154:7.4 The crowd lingered about the home of
Zebedee watching these two boats make their way over the lake
toward the eastern shore, and they were well started when the
Jerusalem officers hurried up and began their search for Jesus.
They refused to believe he had escaped them, and while Jesus and
his party were journeying northward through Batanea, the Pharisees
and their assistants spent almost a full week vainly searching for
him in the neighborhood of Capernaum.
154:7.5 Jesus' family returned to their home in
Capernaum and spent almost a week in talking, debating, and
praying. They were filled with confusion and consternation. They
enjoyed no peace of mind until Thursday afternoon, when Ruth
returned from a visit to the Zebedee house, where she learned from
David that her father-brother was safe and in good health and
making his way toward the Phoenician coast.
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