The Urantia Book
PAPER 162
AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
162:0.1 WHEN Jesus started up to Jerusalem with
the ten apostles, he planned to go through Samaria, that being the
shorter route. Accordingly, they passed down the eastern shore of
the lake and, by way of Scythopolis, entered the borders of
Samaria. Near nightfall Jesus sent Philip and Matthew over to a
village on the eastern slopes of Mount Gilboa to secure lodging
for the company. It so happened that these villagers were greatly
prejudiced against the Jews, even more so than the average
Samaritans, and these feelings were heightened at this particular
time as so many were on their way to the feast of tabernacles.
These people knew very little about Jesus, and they refused him
lodging because he and his associates were Jews. When Matthew and
Philip manifested indignation and informed these Samaritans that
they were declining to entertain the Holy One of Israel, the
infuriated villagers chased them out of the little town with
sticks and stones.
162:0.2 After Philip and Matthew had returned to
their fellows and reported how they had been driven out of the
village, James and John stepped up to Jesus and said: "Master, we
pray you to give us permission to bid fire come down from heaven
to devour these insolent and impenitent Samaritans." But when
Jesus heard these words of vengeance, he turned upon the sons of
Zebedee and severely rebuked them: "You know not what manner of
attitude you manifest. Vengeance savors not of the outlook of the
kingdom of heaven. Rather than dispute, let us journey over to the
little village by the Jordan ford." Thus because of sectarian
prejudice these Samaritans denied themselves the honor of showing
hospitality to the Creator Son of a universe.
162:0.3 Jesus and the ten stopped for the night
at the village near the Jordan ford. Early the next day they
crossed the river and continued on to Jerusalem by way of the east
Jordan highway, arriving at Bethany late Wednesday evening. Thomas
and Nathaniel arrived on Friday, having been delayed by their
conferences with Rodan.
162:0.4 Jesus and the twelve remained in the
vicinity of Jerusalem until the end of the following month
(October), about four and one-half weeks. Jesus himself went into
the city only a few times, and these brief visits were made during
the days of the feast of tabernacles. He spent a considerable
portion of October with Abner and his associates at Bethlehem.
1. THE DANGERS OF THE VISIT TO JERUSALEM
162:1.1 Long before they fled from Galilee, the
followers of Jesus had implored him to go to Jerusalem to proclaim
the gospel of the kingdom in order that his message might have the
prestige of having been preached at the center of Jewish culture
and learning; but now that he had actually come to Jerusalem to
teach, they were afraid for his life. Knowing that the Sanhedrin
had sought to bring Jesus to Jerusalem for trial and recalling the
Master's recently reiterated declarations that he must be subject
to death, the apostles had been literally stunned by his sudden
decision to attend the feast of tabernacles. To all their previous
entreaties that he go to Jerusalem he had replied, "The hour has
not yet come." Now, to their protests of fear he answered only,
"But the hour has come."
162:1.2 During the feast of tabernacles Jesus
went boldly into Jerusalem on several occasions and publicly
taught in the temple. This he did in spite of the efforts of his
apostles to dissuade him. Though they had long urged him to
proclaim his message in Jerusalem, they now feared to see him
enter the city at this time, knowing full well that the scribes
and Pharisees were bent on bringing about his death.
162:1.3 Jesus' bold appearance in Jerusalem more
than ever confused his followers. Many of his disciples, and even
Judas Iscariot, the apostle, had dared to think that Jesus had
fled in haste into Phoenicia because he feared the Jewish leaders
and Herod Antipas. They failed to comprehend the significance of
the Master's movements. His presence in Jerusalem at the feast of
tabernacles, even in opposition to the advice of his followers,
sufficed forever to put an end to all whisperings about fear and
cowardice.
162:1.4 During the feast of tabernacles,
thousands of believers from all parts of the Roman Empire saw
Jesus, heard him teach, and many even journeyed out to Bethany to
confer with him regarding the progress of the kingdom in their
home districts.
162:1.5 There were many reasons why Jesus was
able publicly to preach in the temple courts throughout the days
of the feast, and chief of these was the fear that had come over
the officers of the Sanhedrin as a result of the secret division
of sentiment in their own ranks. It was a fact that many of the
members of the Sanhedrin either secretly believed in Jesus or else
were decidedly averse to arresting him during the feast, when such
large numbers of people were present in Jerusalem, many of whom
either believed in him or were at least friendly to the spiritual
movement which he sponsored.
162:1.6 The efforts of Abner and his associates
throughout Judea had also done much to consolidate sentiment
favorable to the kingdom, so much so that the enemies of Jesus
dared not be too outspoken in their opposition. This was one of
the reasons why Jesus could publicly visit Jerusalem and live to
go away. One or two months before this he would certainly have
been put to death.
162:1.7 But the audacious boldness of Jesus in
publicly appearing in Jerusalem overawed his enemies; they were
not prepared for such a daring challenge. Several times during
this month the Sanhedrin made feeble attempts to place the Master
under arrest, but nothing came of these efforts. His enemies were
so taken aback by Jesus' unexpected public appearance in Jerusalem
that they conjectured he must have been promised protection by the
Roman authorities. Knowing that Philip (Herod Antipas's brother)
was almost a follower of Jesus, the members of the Sanhedrin
speculated that Philip had secured for Jesus promises of
protection against his enemies. Jesus had departed from their
jurisdiction before they awakened to the realization that they had
been mistaken in the belief that his sudden and bold appearance in
Jerusalem had been due to a secret understanding with the Roman
officials.
162:1.8 Only the twelve apostles had known that
Jesus intended to attend the feast of tabernacles when they had
departed from Magadan. The other followers of the Master were
greatly astonished when he appeared in the temple courts and began
publicly to teach, and the Jewish authorities were surprised
beyond expression when it was reported that he was teaching in the
temple.
162:1.9 Although his disciples had not expected
Jesus to attend the feast, the vast majority of the pilgrims from
afar who had heard of him entertained the hope that they might see
him at Jerusalem. And they were not disappointed, for on several
occasions he taught in Solomon's Porch and elsewhere in the temple
courts. These teachings were really the official or formal
announcement of the divinity of Jesus to the Jewish people and to
the whole world.
162:1.10 The multitudes who listened to the
Master's teachings were divided in their opinions. Some said he
was a good man; some a prophet; some that he was truly the
Messiah; others said he was a mischievous meddler, that he was
leading the people astray with his strange doctrines. His enemies
hesitated to denounce him openly for fear of his friendly
believers, while his friends feared to acknowledge him openly for
fear of the Jewish leaders, knowing that the Sanhedrin was
determined to put him to death. But even his enemies marveled at
his teaching, knowing that he had not been instructed in the
schools of the rabbis.
162:1.11 Every time Jesus went to Jerusalem, his
apostles were filled with terror. They were the more afraid as,
from day to day, they listened to his increasingly bold
pronouncements regarding the nature of his mission on earth. They
were unaccustomed to hearing Jesus make such positive claims and
such amazing assertions even when preaching among his friends.
2. THE FIRST TEMPLE TALK
162:2.1 The first afternoon that Jesus taught in
the temple, a considerable company sat listening to his words
depicting the liberty of the new gospel and the joy of those who
believe the good news, when a curious listener interrupted him to
ask: "Teacher, how is it you can quote the Scriptures and teach
the people so fluently when I am told that you are untaught in the
learning of the rabbis?" Jesus replied: "No man has taught me the
truths which I declare to you. And this teaching is not mine but
His who sent me. If any man really desires to do my Father's will,
he shall certainly know about my teaching, whether it be God's or
whether I speak for myself. He who speaks for himself seeks his
own glory, but when I declare the words of the Father, I thereby
seek the glory of Him who sent me. But before you try to enter
into the new light, should you not rather follow the light you
already have? Moses gave you the law, yet how many of you honestly
seek to fulfill its demands? Moses in this law enjoins you,
saying, `You shall not kill'; notwithstanding this command some of
you seek to kill the Son of Man."
162:2.2 When the crowd heard these words, they
fell to wrangling among themselves. Some said he was mad; some
that he had a devil. Others said this was indeed the prophet of
Galilee whom the scribes and Pharisees had long sought to kill.
Some said the religious authorities were afraid to molest him;
others thought that they laid not hands upon him because they had
become believers in him. After considerable debate one of the
crowd stepped forward and asked Jesus, "Why do the rulers seek to
kill you?" And he replied: "The rulers seek to kill me because
they resent my teaching about the good news of the kingdom, a
gospel that sets men free from the burdensome traditions of a
formal religion of ceremonies which these teachers are determined
to uphold at any cost. They circumcise in accordance with the law
on the Sabbath day, but they would kill me because I once on the
Sabbath day set free a man held in the bondage of affliction. They
follow after me on the Sabbath to spy on me but would kill me
because on another occasion I chose to make a grievously stricken
man completely whole on the Sabbath day. They seek to kill me
because they well know that, if you honestly believe and dare to
accept my teaching, their system of traditional religion will be
overthrown, forever destroyed. Thus will they be deprived of
authority over that to which they have devoted their lives since
they steadfastly refuse to accept this new and more glorious
gospel of the kingdom of God. And now do I appeal to every one of
you: Judge not according to outward appearances but rather judge
by the true spirit of these teachings; judge righteously."
162:2.3 Then said another inquirer: "Yes,
Teacher, we do look for the Messiah, but when he comes, we know
that his appearance will be in mystery. We know whence you are.
You have been among your brethren from the beginning. The
deliverer will come in power to restore the throne of David's
kingdom. Do you really claim to be the Messiah?" And Jesus
replied: "You claim to know me and to know whence I am. I wish
your claims were true, for indeed then would you find abundant
life in that knowledge. But I declare that I have not come to you
for myself; I have been sent by the Father, and he who sent me is
true and faithful. By refusing to hear me, you are refusing to
receive Him who sends me. You, if you will receive this gospel,
shall come to know Him who sent me. I know the Father, for I have
come from the Father to declare and reveal him to you."
162:2.4 The agents of the scribes wanted to lay
hands upon him, but they feared the multitude, for many believed
in him. Jesus' work since his baptism had become well known to all
Jewry, and as many of these people recounted these things, they
said among themselves: "Even though this teacher is from Galilee,
and even though he does not meet all of our expectations of the
Messiah, we wonder if the deliverer, when he does come, will
really do anything more wonderful than this Jesus of Nazareth has
already done?"
162:2.5 When the Pharisees and their agents
heard the people talking this way, they took counsel with their
leaders and decided that something should be done forthwith to put
a stop to these public appearances of Jesus in the temple courts.
The leaders of the Jews, in general, were disposed to avoid a
clash with Jesus, believing that the Roman authorities had
promised him immunity. They could not otherwise account for his
boldness in coming at this time to Jerusalem; but the officers of
the Sanhedrin did not wholly believe this rumor. They reasoned
that the Roman rulers would not do such a thing secretly and
without the knowledge of the highest governing body of the Jewish
nation.
162:2.6 Accordingly, Eber, the proper officer of
the Sanhedrin, with two assistants was dispatched to arrest Jesus.
As Eber made his way toward Jesus, the Master said: "Fear not to
approach me. Draw near while you listen to my teaching. I know you
have been sent to apprehend me, but you should understand that
nothing will befall the Son of Man until his hour comes. You are
not arrayed against me; you come only to do the bidding of your
masters, and even these rulers of the Jews verily think they are
doing God's service when they secretly seek my destruction.
162:2.7 "I bear none of you ill will. The Father
loves you, and therefore do I long for your deliverance from the
bondage of prejudice and the darkness of tradition. I offer you
the liberty of life and the joy of salvation. I proclaim the new
and living way, the deliverance from evil and the breaking of the
bondage of sin. I have come that you might have life, and have it
eternally. You seek to be rid of me and my disquieting teachings.
If you could only realize that I am to be with you only a little
while! In just a short time I go to Him who sent me into this
world. And then will many of you diligently seek me, but you shall
not discover my presence, for where I am about to go you cannot
come. But all who truly seek to find me shall sometime attain the
life that leads to my Father's presence."
162:2.8 Some of the scoffers said among
themselves: "Where will this man go that we cannot find him? Will
he go to live among the Greeks? Will he destroy himself? What can
he mean when he declares that soon he will depart from us, and
that we cannot go where he goes?"
162:2.9 Eber and his assistants refused to
arrest Jesus; they returned to their meeting place without him.
When, therefore, the chief priests and the Pharisees upbraided
Eber and his assistants because they had not brought Jesus with
them, Eber only replied: "We feared to arrest him in the midst of
the multitude because many believe in him. Besides, we never heard
a man speak like this man. There is something out of the ordinary
about this teacher. You would all do well to go over to hear him."
And when the chief rulers heard these words, they were astonished
and spoke tauntingly to Eber: "Are you also led astray? Are you
about to believe in this deceiver? Have you heard that any of our
learned men or any of the rulers have believed in him? Have any of
the scribes or the Pharisees been deceived by his clever
teachings? How does it come that you are influenced by the
behavior of this ignorant multitude who know not the law or the
prophets? Do you not know that such untaught people are accursed?"
And then answered Eber: "Even so, my masters, but this man speaks
to the multitude words of mercy and hope. He cheers the
downhearted, and his words were comforting even to our souls. What
can there be wrong in these teachings even though he may not be
the Messiah of the Scriptures? And even then does not our law
require fairness? Do we condemn a man before we hear him?" And the
chief of the Sanhedrin was wroth with Eber and, turning upon him,
said: "Have you gone mad? Are you by any chance also from Galilee?
Search the Scriptures, and you will discover that out of Galilee
arises no prophet, much less the Messiah."
162:2.10 The Sanhedrin disbanded in confusion,
and Jesus withdrew to Bethany for the night.
3. THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY
162:3.1 It was during this visit to Jerusalem
that Jesus dealt with a certain woman of evil repute who was
brought into his presence by her accusers and his enemies. The
distorted record you have of this episode would suggest that this
woman had been brought before Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees,
and that Jesus so dealt with them as to indicate that these
religious leaders of the Jews might themselves have been guilty of
immorality. Jesus well knew that, while these scribes and
Pharisees were spiritually blind and intellectually prejudiced by
their loyalty to tradition, they were to be numbered among the
most thoroughly moral men of that day and generation.
162:3.2 What really happened was this: Early the
third morning of the feast, as Jesus approached the temple, he was
met by a group of the hired agents of the Sanhedrin who were
dragging a woman along with them. As they came near, the spokesman
said: "Master, this woman was taken in adultery -- in the very
act. Now, the law of Moses commands that we should stone such a
woman. What do you say should be done with her?"
162:3.3 It was the plan of Jesus' enemies, if he
upheld the law of Moses requiring that the self-confessed
transgressor be stoned, to involve him in difficulty with the
Roman rulers, who had denied the Jews the right to inflict the
death penalty without the approval of a Roman tribunal. If he
forbade stoning the woman, they would accuse him before the
Sanhedrin of setting himself up above Moses and the Jewish law. If
he remained silent, they would accuse him of cowardice. But the
Master so managed the situation that the whole plot fell to pieces
of its own sordid weight.
162:3.4 This woman, once comely, was the wife of
an inferior citizen of Nazareth, a man who had been a troublemaker
for Jesus throughout his youthful days. The man, having married
this woman, did most shamefully force her to earn their living by
making commerce of her body. He had come up to the feast at
Jerusalem that his wife might thus prostitute her physical charms
for financial gain. He had entered into a bargain with the
hirelings of the Jewish rulers thus to betray his own wife in her
commercialized vice. And so they came with the woman and her
companion in transgression for the purpose of ensnaring Jesus into
making some statement which could be used against him in case of
his arrest.
162:3.5 Jesus, looking over the crowd, saw her
husband standing behind the others. He knew what sort of man he
was and perceived that he was a party to the despicable
transaction. Jesus first walked around to near where this
degenerate husband stood and wrote upon the sand a few words which
caused him to depart in haste. Then he came back before the woman
and wrote again upon the ground for the benefit of her would-be
accusers; and when they read his words, they, too, went away, one
by one. And when the Master had written in the sand the third
time, the woman's companion in evil took his departure, so that,
when the Master raised himself up from this writing, he beheld the
woman standing alone before him. Jesus said: "Woman, where are
your accusers? did no man remain to stone you?" And the woman,
lifting up her eyes, answered, "No man, Lord." And then said
Jesus: "I know about you; neither do I condemn you. Go your way in
peace." And this woman, Hildana, forsook her wicked husband and
joined herself to the disciples of the kingdom.
4. THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
162:4.1 The presence of people from all of the
known world, from Spain to India, made the feast of tabernacles an
ideal occasion for Jesus for the first time publicly to proclaim
his full gospel in Jerusalem. At this feast the people lived much
in the open air, in leafy booths. It was the feast of the harvest
ingathering, and coming, as it did, in the cool of the autumn
months, it was more generally attended by the Jews of the world
than was the Passover at the end of the winter or Pentecost at the
beginning of summer. The apostles at last beheld their Master
making the bold announcement of his mission on earth before all
the world, as it were.
162:4.2 This was the feast of feasts, since any
sacrifice not made at the other festivals could be made at this
time. This was the occasion of the reception of the temple
offerings; it was a combination of vacation pleasures with the
solemn rites of religious worship. Here was a time of racial
rejoicing, mingled with sacrifices, Levitical chants, and the
solemn blasts of the silvery trumpets of the priests. At night the
impressive spectacle of the temple and its pilgrim throngs was
brilliantly illuminated by the great candelabras which burned
brightly in the court of the women as well as by the glare of
scores of torches standing about the temple courts. The entire
city was gaily decorated except the Roman castle of Antonia, which
looked down in grim contrast upon this festive and worshipful
scene. And how the Jews did hate this ever-present reminder of the
Roman yoke!
162:4.3 Seventy bullocks were sacrificed during
the feast, the symbol of the seventy nations of heathendom. The
ceremony of the outpouring of the water symbolized the outpouring
of the divine spirit. This ceremony of the water followed the
sunrise procession of the priests and Levites. The worshipers
passed down the steps leading from the court of Israel to the
court of the women while successive blasts were blown upon the
silvery trumpets. And then the faithful marched on toward the
beautiful gate, which opened upon the court of the gentiles. Here
they turned about to face westward, to repeat their chants, and to
continue their march for the symbolic water.
162:4.4 On the last day of the feast almost four
hundred and fifty priests with a corresponding number of Levites
officiated. At daybreak the pilgrims assembled from all parts of
the city, each carrying in the right hand a sheaf of myrtle,
willow, and palm branches, while in the left hand each one carried
a branch of the paradise apple -- the citron, or the "forbidden
fruit." These pilgrims divided into three groups for this early
morning ceremony. One band remained at the temple to attend the
morning sacrifices; another group marched down below Jerusalem to
near Maza to cut the willow branches for the adornment of the
sacrificial altar, while the third group formed a procession to
march from the temple behind the water priest, who, to the sound
of the silvery trumpets, bore the golden pitcher which was to
contain the symbolic water, out through Ophel to near Siloam,
where was located the fountain gate. After the golden pitcher had
been filled at the pool of Siloam, the procession marched back to
the temple, entering by way of the water gate and going directly
to the court of the priests, where the priest bearing the water
pitcher was joined by the priest bearing the wine for the drink
offering. These two priests then repaired to the silver funnels
leading to the base of the altar and poured the contents of the
pitchers therein. The execution of this rite of pouring the wine
and the water was the signal for the assembled pilgrims to begin
the chanting of the Psalms from 113 to 118 inclusive, in
alternation with the Levites. And as they repeated these lines,
they would wave their sheaves at the altar. Then followed the
sacrifices for the day, associated with the repeating of the Psalm
for the day, the Psalm for the last day of the feast being the
eighty-second, beginning with the fifth verse.
5. SERMON ON THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
162:5.1 On the evening of the next to the last
day of the feast, when the scene was brilliantly illuminated by
the lights of the candelabras and the torches, Jesus stood up in
the midst of the assembled throng and said:
162:5.2 "I am the light of the world. He who
follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of
life. Presuming to place me on trial and assuming to sit as my
judges, you declare that, if I bear witness of myself, my witness
cannot be true. But never can the creature sit in judgment on the
Creator. Even if I do bear witness about myself, my witness is
everlastingly true, for I know whence I came, who I am, and
whither I go. You who would kill the Son of Man know not whence I
came, who I am, or whither I go. You only judge by the appearances
of the flesh; you do not perceive the realities of the spirit. I
judge no man, not even my archenemy. But if I should choose to
judge, my judgment would be true and righteous, for I would judge
not alone but in association with my Father, who sent me into the
world, and who is the source of all true judgment. You even allow
that the witness of two reliable persons may be accepted -- well,
then, I bear witness of these truths; so also does my Father in
heaven. And when I told you this yesterday, in your darkness you
asked me, `Where is your Father?' Truly, you know neither me nor
my Father, for if you had known me, you would also have known the
Father.
162:5.3 "I have already told you that I am going
away, and that you will seek me and not find me, for where I am
going you cannot come. You who would reject this light are from
beneath; I am from above. You who prefer to sit in darkness are of
this world; I am not of this world, and I live in the eternal
light of the Father of lights. You all have had abundant
opportunity to learn who I am, but you shall have still other
evidence confirming the identity of the Son of Man. I am the light
of life, and every one who deliberately and with understanding
rejects this saving light shall die in his sins. Much I have to
tell you, but you are unable to receive my words. However, he who
sent me is true and faithful; my Father loves even his erring
children. And all that my Father has spoken I also proclaim to the
world.
162:5.4 "When the Son of Man is lifted up, then
shall you all know that I am he, and that I have done nothing of
myself but only as the Father has taught me. I speak these words
to you and to your children. And he who sent me is even now with
me; he has not left me alone, for I do always that which is
pleasing in his sight."
162:5.5 As Jesus thus taught the pilgrims in the
temple courts, many believed. And no man dared to lay hands upon
him.
6. DISCOURSE ON THE WATER OF LIFE
162:6.1 On the last day, the great day of the
feast, as the procession from the pool of Siloam passed through
the temple courts, and just after the water and the wine had been
poured down upon the altar by the priests, Jesus, standing among
the pilgrims, said: "If any man thirst, let him come to me and
drink. From the Father above I bring to this world the water of
life. He who believes me shall be filled with the spirit which
this water represents, for even the Scriptures have said, `Out of
him shall flow rivers of living waters.' When the Son of Man has
finished his work on earth, there shall be poured out upon all
flesh the living Spirit of Truth. Those who receive this spirit
shall never know spiritual thirst."
162:6.2 Jesus did not interrupt the service to
speak these words. He addressed the worshipers immediately after
the chanting of the Hallel, the responsive reading of the Psalms
accompanied by waving of the branches before the altar. Just here
was a pause while the sacrifices were being prepared, and it was
at this time that the pilgrims heard the fascinating voice of the
Master declare that he was the giver of living water to every
spirit-thirsting soul.
162:6.3 At the conclusion of this early morning
service Jesus continued to teach the multitude, saying: "Have you
not read in the Scripture: `Behold, as the waters are poured out
upon the dry ground and spread over the parched soil, so will I
give the spirit of holiness to be poured out upon your children
for a blessing even to your children's children'? Why will you
thirst for the ministry of the spirit while you seek to water your
souls with the traditions of men, poured from the broken pitchers
of ceremonial service? That which you see going on about this
temple is the way in which your fathers sought to symbolize the
bestowal of the divine spirit upon the children of faith, and you
have done well to perpetuate these symbols, even down to this day.
But now has come to this generation the revelation of the Father
of spirits through the bestowal of his Son, and all of this will
certainly be followed by the bestowal of the spirit of the Father
and the Son upon the children of men. To every one who has faith
shall this bestowal of the spirit become the true teacher of the
way which leads to life everlasting, to the true waters of life in
the kingdom of heaven on earth and in the Father's Paradise over
there."
162:6.4 And Jesus continued to answer the
questions of both the multitude and the Pharisees. Some thought he
was a prophet; some believed him to be the Messiah; others said he
could not be the Christ, seeing that he came from Galilee, and
that the Messiah must restore David's throne. Still they dared not
arrest him.
7. THE DISCOURSE ON SPIRITUAL FREEDOM
162:7.1 On the afternoon of the last day of the
feast and after the apostles had failed in their efforts to
persuade him to flee from Jerusalem, Jesus again went into the
temple to teach. Finding a large company of believers assembled in
Solomon's Porch, he spoke to them, saying:
162:7.2 "If my words abide in you and you are
minded to do the will of my Father, then are you truly my
disciples. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free. I know how you will answer me: We are the children of
Abraham, and we are in bondage to none; how then shall we be made
free? Even so, I do not speak of outward subjection to another's
rule; I refer to the liberties of the soul. Verily, verily, I say
to you, everyone who commits sin is the bond-servant of sin. And
you know that the bond servant is not likely to abide forever in
the master's house. You also know that the son does remain in his
father's house. If, therefore, the Son shall make you free, shall
make you sons, you shall be free indeed.
162:7.3 "I know that you are Abraham's seed, yet
your leaders seek to kill me because my word has not been allowed
to have its transforming influence in their hearts. Their souls
are sealed by prejudice and blinded by the pride of revenge. I
declare to you the truth which the eternal Father shows me, while
these deluded teachers seek to do the things which they have
learned only from their temporal fathers. And when you reply that
Abraham is your father, then do I tell you that, if you were the
children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham. Some of
you believe my teaching, but others seek to destroy me because I
have told you the truth which I received from God. But Abraham did
not so treat the truth of God. I perceive that some among you are
determined to do the works of the evil one. If God were your
Father, you would know me and love the truth which I reveal. Will
you not see that I come forth from the Father, that I am sent by
God, that I am not doing this work of myself? Why do you not
understand my words? Is it because you have chosen to become the
children of evil? If you are the children of darkness, you will
hardly walk in the light of the truth which I reveal. The children
of evil follow only in the ways of their father, who was a
deceiver and stood not for the truth because there came to be no
truth in him. But now comes the Son of Man speaking and living the
truth, and many of you refuse to believe.
162:7.4 "Which of you convicts me of sin? If I,
then, proclaim and live the truth shown me by the Father, why do
you not believe? He who is of God hears gladly the words of God;
for this cause many of you hear not my words, because you are not
of God. Your teachers have even presumed to say that I do my works
by the power of the prince of devils. One near by has just said
that I have a devil, that I am a child of the devil. But all of
you who deal honestly with your own souls know full well that I am
not a devil. You know that I honor the Father even while you would
dishonor me. I seek not my own glory, only the glory of my
Paradise Father. And I do not judge you, for there is one who
judges for me.
162:7.5 "Verily, verily, I say to you who
believe the gospel that, if a man will keep this word of truth
alive in his heart, he shall never taste death. And now just at my
side a scribe says this statement proves that I have a devil,
seeing that Abraham is dead, also the prophets. And he asks: `Are
you so much greater than Abraham and the prophets that you dare to
stand here and say that whoso keeps your word shall not taste
death? Who do you claim to be that you dare to utter such
blasphemies?' And I say to all such that, if I glorify myself, my
glory is as nothing. But it is the Father who shall glorify me,
even the same Father whom you call God. But you have failed to
know this your God and my Father, and I have come to bring you
together; to show you how to become truly the sons of God. Though
you know not the Father, I truly know him. Even Abraham rejoiced
to see my day, and by faith he saw it and was glad."
162:7.6 When the unbelieving Jews and the agents
of the Sanhedrin who had gathered about by this time heard these
words, they raised a tumult, shouting: "You are not fifty years of
age, and yet you talk about seeing Abraham; you are a child of the
devil!" Jesus was unable to continue the discourse. He only said
as he departed, "Verily, verily, I say to you, before Abraham was,
I am." Many of the unbelievers rushed forth for stones to cast at
him, and the agents of the Sanhedrin sought to place him under
arrest, but the Master quickly made his way through the temple
corridors and escaped to a secret meeting place near Bethany where
Martha, Mary, and Lazarus awaited him.
8. THE VISIT WITH MARTHA AND MARY
162:8.1 It had been arranged that Jesus should
lodge with Lazarus and his sisters at a friend's house, while the
apostles were scattered here and there in small groups, these
precautions being taken because the Jewish authorities were again
becoming bold with their plans to arrest him.
162:8.2 For years it had been the custom for
these three to drop everything and listen to Jesus' teaching
whenever he chanced to visit them. With the loss of their parents,
Martha had assumed the responsibilities of the home life, and so
on this occasion, while Lazarus and Mary sat at Jesus' feet
drinking in his refreshing teaching, Martha made ready to serve
the evening meal. It should be explained that Martha was
unnecessarily distracted by numerous needless tasks, and that she
was cumbered by many trivial cares; that was her disposition.
162:8.3 As Martha busied herself with all these
supposed duties, she was perturbed because Mary did nothing to
help. Therefore she went to Jesus and said: "Master, do you not
care that my sister has left me alone to do all of the serving?
Will you not bid her to come and help me?" Jesus answered:
"Martha, Martha, why are you always anxious about so many things
and troubled by so many trifles? Only one thing is really worth
while, and since Mary has chosen this good and needful part, I
shall not take it away from her. But when will both of you learn
to live as I have taught you: both serving in co-operation and
both refreshing your souls in unison? Can you not learn that there
is a time for everything -- that the lesser matters of life should
give way before the greater things of the heavenly kingdom?"
9. AT BETHLEHEM WITH ABNER
162:9.1 Throughout the week that followed the
feast of tabernacles, scores of believers forgathered at Bethany
and received instruction from the twelve apostles. The Sanhedrin
made no effort to molest these gatherings since Jesus was not
present; he was throughout this time working with Abner and his
associates in Bethlehem. The day following the close of the feast,
Jesus had departed for Bethany, and he did not again teach in the
temple during this visit to Jerusalem.
162:9.2 At this time, Abner was making his
headquarters at Bethlehem, and from that center many workers had
been sent to the cities of Judea and southern Samaria and even to
Alexandria. Within a few days of his arrival, Jesus and Abner
completed the arrangements for the consolidation of the work of
the two groups of apostles.
162:9.3 Throughout his visit to the feast of
tabernacles, Jesus had divided his time about equally between
Bethany and Bethlehem. At Bethany he spent considerable time with
his apostles; at Bethlehem he gave much instruction to Abner and
the other former apostles of John. And it was this intimate
contact that finally led them to believe in him. These former
apostles of John the Baptist were influenced by the courage he
displayed in his public teaching in Jerusalem as well as by the
sympathetic understanding they experienced in his private teaching
at Bethlehem. These influences finally and fully won over each of
Abner's associates to a wholehearted acceptance of the kingdom and
all that such a step implied.
162:9.4 Before leaving Bethlehem for the last
time, the Master made arrangements for them all to join him in the
united effort which was to precede the ending of his earth career
in the flesh. It was agreed that Abner and his associates were to
join Jesus and the twelve in the near future at Magadan Park.
162:9.5 In accordance with this understanding,
early in November Abner and his eleven fellows cast their lot with
Jesus and the twelve and labored with them as one organization
right on down to the crucifixion.
162:9.6 In the latter part of October Jesus and
the twelve withdrew from the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem. On
Sunday, October 30, Jesus and his associates left the city of
Ephraim, where he had been resting in seclusion for a few days,
and, going by the west Jordan highway directly to Magadan Park,
arrived late on the afternoon of Wednesday, November 2.
162:9.7 The apostles were greatly relieved to
have the Master back on friendly soil; no more did they urge him
to go up to Jerusalem to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom.
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