The Urantia Book
PAPER 178
LAST DAY AT THE CAMP
178:0.1 JESUS planned to spend this Thursday,
his last free day on earth as a divine Son incarnated in the
flesh, with his apostles and a few loyal and devoted disciples.
Soon after the breakfast hour on this beautiful morning, the
Master led them to a secluded spot a short distance above their
camp and there taught them many new truths. Although Jesus
delivered other discourses to the apostles during the early
evening hours of the day, this talk of Thursday forenoon was his
farewell address to the combined camp group of apostles and chosen
disciples, both Jews and gentiles. The twelve were all present
save Judas. Peter and several of the apostles remarked about his
absence, and some of them thought Jesus had sent him into the city
to attend to some matter, probably to arrange the details of their
forthcoming celebration of the Passover. Judas did not return to
the camp until midafternoon, a short time before Jesus led the
twelve into Jerusalem to partake of the Last Supper.
1. DISCOURSE ON SONSHIP AND CITIZENSHIP
178:1.1 Jesus talked to about fifty of his
trusted followers for almost two hours and answered a score of
questions regarding the relation of the kingdom of heaven to the
kingdoms of this world, concerning the relation of sonship with
God to citizenship in earthly governments. This discourse,
together with his answers to questions, may be summarized and
restated in modern language as follows:
178:1.2 The kingdoms of this world, being
material, may often find it necessary to employ physical force in
the execution of their laws and for the maintenance of order. In
the kingdom of heaven true believers will not resort to the
employment of physical force. The kingdom of heaven, being a
spiritual brotherhood of the spirit-born sons of God, may be
promulgated only by the power of the spirit. This distinction of
procedure refers to the relations of the kingdom of believers to
the kingdoms of secular government and does not nullify the right
of social groups of believers to maintain order in their ranks and
administer discipline upon unruly and unworthy members.
178:1.3 There is nothing incompatible between
sonship in the spiritual kingdom and citizenship in the secular or
civil government. It is the believer's duty to render to Caesar
the things which are Caesar's and to God the things which are
God's. There cannot be any disagreement between these two
requirements, the one being material and the other spiritual,
unless it should develop that a Caesar presumes to usurp the
prerogatives of God and demand that spiritual homage and supreme
worship be rendered to him. In such a case you shall worship only
God while you seek to enlighten such misguided earthly rulers and
in this way lead them also to the recognition of the Father in
heaven. You shall not render spiritual worship to earthly rulers;
neither should you employ the physical forces of earthly
governments, whose rulers may sometime become believers, in the
work of furthering the mission of the spiritual kingdom.
178:1.4 Sonship in the kingdom, from the
standpoint of advancing civilization, should assist you in
becoming the ideal citizens of the kingdoms of this world since
brotherhood and service are the cornerstones of the gospel of the
kingdom. The love call of the spiritual kingdom should prove to be
the effective destroyer of the hate urge of the unbelieving and
war-minded citizens of the earthly kingdoms. But these
material-minded sons in darkness will never know of your spiritual
light of truth unless you draw very near them with that unselfish
social service which is the natural outgrowth of the bearing of
the fruits of the spirit in the life experience of each individual
believer.
178:1.5 As mortal and material men, you are
indeed citizens of the earthly kingdoms, and you should be good
citizens, all the better for having become reborn spirit sons of
the heavenly kingdom. As faith-enlightened and spirit-liberated
sons of the kingdom of heaven, you face a double responsibility of
duty to man and duty to God while you voluntarily assume a third
and sacred obligation: service to the brotherhood of God-knowing
believers.
178:1.6 You may not worship your temporal
rulers, and you should not employ temporal power in the
furtherance of the spiritual kingdom; but you should manifest the
righteous ministry of loving service to believers and unbelievers
alike. In the gospel of the kingdom there resides the mighty
Spirit of Truth, and presently I will pour out this same spirit
upon all flesh. The fruits of the spirit, your sincere and loving
service, are the mighty social lever to uplift the races of
darkness, and this Spirit of Truth will become your
power-multiplying fulcrum.
178:1.7 Display wisdom and exhibit sagacity in
your dealings with unbelieving civil rulers. By discretion show
yourselves to be expert in ironing out minor disagreements and in
adjusting trifling misunderstandings. In every possible way -- in
everything short of your spiritual allegiance to the rulers of the
universe -- seek to live peaceably with all men. Be you always as
wise as serpents but as harmless as doves.
178:1.8 You should be made all the better
citizens of the secular government as a result of becoming
enlightened sons of the kingdom; so should the rulers of earthly
governments become all the better rulers in civil affairs as a
result of believing this gospel of the heavenly kingdom. The
attitude of unselfish service of man and intelligent worship of
God should make all kingdom believers better world citizens, while
the attitude of honest citizenship and sincere devotion to one's
temporal duty should help to make such a citizen the more easily
reached by the spirit call to sonship in the heavenly kingdom.
178:1.9
So long as the rulers of earthly
governments seek to exercise the authority of religious dictators,
you who believe this gospel can expect only trouble, persecution,
and even death. But the very light which you bear to the world,
and even the very manner in which you will suffer and die for this
gospel of the kingdom, will, in themselves, eventually enlighten
the whole world and result in the gradual divorcement of politics
and religion. The persistent preaching of this gospel of the
kingdom will some day bring to all nations a new and unbelievable
liberation, intellectual freedom, and religious liberty.
178:1.10 Under the soon-coming persecutions by
those who hate this gospel of joy and liberty, you will thrive and
the kingdom will prosper. But you will stand in grave danger in
subsequent times when most men will speak well of kingdom
believers and many in high places nominally accept the gospel of
the heavenly kingdom. Learn to be faithful to the kingdom even in
times of peace and prosperity. Tempt not the angels of your
supervision to lead you in troublous ways as a loving discipline
designed to save your ease-drifting souls.
178:1.11 Remember that you are commissioned to
preach this gospel of the kingdom -- the supreme desire to do the
Father's will coupled with the supreme joy of the faith
realization of sonship with God -- and you must not allow anything
to divert your devotion to this one duty. Let all mankind benefit
from the overflow of your loving spiritual ministry, enlightening
intellectual communion, and uplifting social service; but none of
these humanitarian labors, nor all of them, should be permitted to
take the place of proclaiming the gospel. These mighty
ministrations are the social by-products of the still more mighty
and sublime ministrations and transformations wrought in the heart
of the kingdom believer by the living Spirit of Truth and by the
personal realization that the faith of a spirit-born man confers
the assurance of living fellowship with the eternal God.
178:1.12 You must not seek to promulgate truth
nor to establish righteousness by the power of civil governments
or by the enaction of secular laws. You may always labor to
persuade men's minds, but you must never dare to compel them. You
must not forget the great law of human fairness which I have
taught you in positive form: Whatsoever you would that men should
do to you, do even so to them.
178:1.13 When a kingdom believer is called upon
to serve the civil government, let him render such service as a
temporal citizen of such a government, albeit such a believer
should display in his civil service all of the ordinary traits of
citizenship as these have been enhanced by the spiritual
enlightenment of the ennobling association of the mind of mortal
man with the indwelling spirit of the eternal God. If the
unbeliever can qualify as a superior civil servant, you should
seriously question whether the roots of truth in your heart have
not died from the lack of the living waters of combined spiritual
communion and social service. The consciousness of sonship with
God should quicken the entire life service of every man, woman,
and child who has become the possessor of such a mighty stimulus
to all the inherent powers of a human personality.
178:1.14 You are not to be passive mystics or
colorless ascetics; you should not become dreamers and drifters,
supinely trusting in a fictitious Providence to provide even the
necessities of life. You are indeed to be gentle in your dealings
with erring mortals, patient in your intercourse with ignorant
men, and forbearing under provocation; but you are also to be
valiant in defense of righteousness, mighty in the promulgation of
truth, and aggressive in the preaching of this gospel of the
kingdom, even to the ends of the earth.
178:1.15 This gospel of the kingdom is a living
truth. I have told you it is like the leaven in the dough, like
the grain of mustard seed; and now I declare that it is like the
seed of the living being, which, from generation to generation,
while it remains the same living seed, unfailingly unfolds itself
in new manifestations and grows acceptably in channels of new
adaptation to the peculiar needs and conditions of each successive
generation. The revelation I have made to you is a living
revelation, and I desire that it shall bear appropriate fruits
in each individual and in each generation in accordance with the
laws of spiritual growth, increase, and adaptative development.
From generation to generation this gospel must show increasing
vitality and exhibit greater depth of spiritual power. It must not
be permitted to become merely a sacred memory, a mere tradition
about me and the times in which we now live.
178:1.16 And forget not: We have made no direct
attack upon the persons or upon the authority of those who sit in
Moses' seat; we only offered them the new light, which they have
so vigorously rejected. We have assailed them only by the
denunciation of their spiritual disloyalty to the very truths
which they profess to teach and safeguard. We clashed with these
established leaders and recognized rulers only when they threw
themselves directly in the way of the preaching of the gospel of
the kingdom to the sons of men. And even now, it is not we who
assail them, but they who seek our destruction. Do not forget that
you are commissioned to go forth preaching only the good news. You
are not to attack the old ways; you are skillfully to put the
leaven of new truth in the midst of the old beliefs. Let the
Spirit of Truth do his own work. Let controversy come only when
they who despise the truth force it upon you. But when the willful
unbeliever attacks you, do not hesitate to stand in vigorous
defense of the truth which has saved and sanctified you.
178:1.17 Throughout the vicissitudes of life,
remember always to love one another. Do not strive with men, even
with unbelievers. Show mercy even to those who despitefully abuse
you. Show yourselves to be loyal citizens, upright artisans,
praiseworthy neighbors, devoted kinsmen, understanding parents,
and sincere believers in the brotherhood of the Father's kingdom.
And my spirit shall be upon you, now and even to the end of the
world.
178:1.18 When Jesus had concluded his teaching,
it was almost one o'clock, and they immediately went back to the
camp, where David and his associates had lunch ready for them.
2. AFTER THE NOONTIME MEAL
178:2.1 Not many of the Master's hearers were
able to take in even a part of his forenoon address. Of all who
heard him, the Greeks comprehended most. Even the eleven apostles
were bewildered by his allusions to future political kingdoms and
to successive generations of kingdom believers. Jesus' most
devoted followers could not reconcile the impending end of his
earthly ministry with these references to an extended future of
gospel activities. Some of these Jewish believers were beginning
to sense that earth's greatest tragedy was about to take place,
but they could not reconcile such an impending disaster with
either the Master's cheerfully indifferent personal attitude or
his forenoon discourse, wherein he repeatedly alluded to the
future transactions of the heavenly kingdom, extending over vast
stretches of time and embracing relations with many and successive
temporal kingdoms on earth.
178:2.2 By noon of this day all the apostles and
disciples had learned about the hasty flight of Lazarus from
Bethany. They began to sense the grim determination of the Jewish
rulers to exterminate Jesus and his teachings.
178:2.3 David Zebedee, through the work of his
secret agents in Jerusalem, was fully advised concerning the
progress of the plan to arrest and kill Jesus. He knew all about
the part of Judas in this plot, but he never disclosed this
knowledge to the other apostles nor to any of the disciples.
Shortly after lunch he did lead Jesus aside and, making bold,
asked him whether he knew -- but he never got further with his
question. The Master, holding up his hand, stopped him, saying:
"Yes, David, I know all about it, and I know that you know, but
see to it that you tell no man. Only doubt not in your own heart
that the will of God will prevail in the end."
178:2.4 This conversation with David was
interrupted by the arrival of a messenger from Philadelphia
bringing word that Abner had heard of the plot to kill Jesus and
asking if he should depart for Jerusalem. This runner hastened off
for Philadelphia with this word for Abner: "Go on with your work.
If I depart from you in the flesh, it is only that I may return in
the spirit. I will not forsake you. I will be with you to the
end."
178:2.5 About this time Philip came to the
Master and asked: "Master, seeing that the time of the Passover
draws near, where would you have us prepare to eat it?" And when
Jesus heard Philip's question, he answered: "Go and bring Peter
and John, and I will give you directions concerning the supper we
will eat together this night. As for the Passover, that you will
have to consider after we have first done this."
178:2.6 When Judas heard the Master speaking
with Philip about these matters, he drew closer that he might
overhear their conversation. But David Zebedee, who was standing
near, stepped up and engaged Judas in conversation while Philip,
Peter, and John went to one side to talk with the Master.
178:2.7 Said Jesus to the three: "Go immediately
into Jerusalem, and as you enter the gate, you will meet a man
bearing a water pitcher. He will speak to you, and then shall you
follow him. When he leads you to a certain house, go in after him
and ask of the good man of that house, `Where is the guest chamber
wherein the Master is to eat supper with his apostles?' And when
you have thus inquired, this householder will show you a large
upper room all furnished and ready for us."
178:2.8 When the apostles reached the city, they
met the man with the water pitcher near the gate and followed on
after him to the home of John Mark, where the lad's father met
them and showed them the upper room in readiness for the evening
meal.
178:2.9 And all of this came to pass as the
result of an understanding arrived at between the Master and John
Mark during the afternoon of the preceding day when they were
alone in the hills. Jesus wanted to be sure he would have this one
last meal undisturbed with his apostles, and believing if Judas
knew beforehand of their place of meeting he might arrange with
his enemies to take him, he made this secret arrangement with John
Mark. In this way Judas did not learn of their place of meeting
until later on when he arrived there in company with Jesus and the
other apostles.
178:2.10 David Zebedee had much business to
transact with Judas so that he was easily prevented from following
Peter, John, and Philip, as he so much desired to do. When Judas
gave David a certain sum of money for provisions, David said to
him: "Judas, might it not be well, under the circumstances, to
provide me with a little money in advance of my actual needs?" And
after Judas had reflected for a moment, he answered: "Yes, David,
I think it would be wise. In fact, in view of the disturbed
conditions in Jerusalem, I think it would be best for me to turn
over all the money to you. They plot against the Master, and in
case anything should happen to me, you would not be hampered."
178:2.11 And so David received all the apostolic
cash funds and receipts for all money on deposit. Not until the
evening of the next day did the apostles learn of this
transaction.
178:2.12 It was about half past four o'clock
when the three apostles returned and informed Jesus that
everything was in readiness for the supper. The Master immediately
prepared to lead his twelve apostles over the trail to the Bethany
road and on into Jerusalem. And this was the last journey he ever
made with all twelve of them.
3. ON THE WAY TO THE SUPPER
178:3.1 Seeking again to avoid the crowds
passing through the Kidron valley back and forth between
Gethsemane Park and Jerusalem, Jesus and the twelve walked over
the western brow of Mount Olivet to meet the road leading from
Bethany down to the city. As they drew near the place where Jesus
had tarried the previous evening to discourse on the destruction
of Jerusalem, they unconsciously paused while they stood and
looked down in silence upon the city. As they were a little early,
and since Jesus did not wish to pass through the city until after
sunset, he said to his associates:
178:3.2 "Sit down and rest yourselves while I
talk with you about what must shortly come to pass. All these
years have I lived with you as brethren, and I have taught you the
truth concerning the kingdom of heaven and have revealed to you
the mysteries thereof. And my Father has indeed done many
wonderful works in connection with my mission on earth. You have
been witnesses of all this and partakers in the experience of
being laborers together with God. And you will bear me witness
that I have for some time warned you that I must presently return
to the work the Father has given me to do; I have plainly told you
that I must leave you in the world to carry on the work of the
kingdom. It was for this purpose that I set you apart, in the
hills of Capernaum. The experience you have had with me, you must
now make ready to share with others. As the Father sent me into
this world, so am I about to send you forth to represent me and
finish the work I have begun.
178:3.3 "You look down on yonder city in sorrow,
for you have heard my words telling of the end of Jerusalem. I
have forewarned you lest you should perish in her destruction and
so delay the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom. Likewise
do I warn you to take heed lest you needlessly expose yourselves
to peril when they come to take the Son of Man. I must go, but you
are to remain to witness to this gospel when I have gone, even as
I directed that Lazarus flee from the wrath of man that he might
live to make known the glory of God. If it is the Father's will
that I depart, nothing you may do can frustrate the divine plan.
Take heed to yourselves lest they kill you also. Let your souls be
valiant in defense of the gospel by spirit power but be not misled
into any foolish attempt to defend the Son of Man. I need no
defense by the hand of man; the armies of heaven are even now near
at hand; but I am determined to do the will of my Father in
heaven, and therefore must we submit to that which is so soon to
come upon us.
178:3.4 "When you see this city destroyed,
forget not that you have entered already upon the eternal life of
endless service in the ever-advancing kingdom of heaven, even of
the heaven of heavens. You should know that in my Father's
universe and in mine are many abodes, and that there awaits the
children of light the revelation of cities whose builder is God
and worlds whose habit of life is righteousness and joy in the
truth. I have brought the kingdom of heaven to you here on earth,
but I declare that all of you who by faith enter therein and
remain therein by the living service of truth, shall surely ascend
to the worlds on high and sit with me in the spirit kingdom of our
Father. But first must you gird yourselves and complete the work
which you have begun with me. You must first pass through much
tribulation and endure many sorrows -- and these trials are even
now upon us -- and when you have finished your work on earth, you
shall come to my joy, even as I have finished my Father's work on
earth and am about to return to his embrace."
178:3.5 When the Master had spoken, he arose,
and they all followed him down Olivet and into the city. None of
the apostles, save three, knew where they were going as they made
their way along the narrow streets in the approaching darkness.
The crowds jostled them, but no one recognized them nor knew that
the Son of God was passing by on his way to the last mortal
rendezvous with his chosen ambassadors of the kingdom. And neither
did the apostles know that one of their own number had already
entered into a conspiracy to betray the Master into the hands of
his enemies.
178:3.6 John Mark had followed them all the way
into the city, and after they had entered the gate, he hurried on
by another street so that he was waiting to welcome them to his
father's home when they arrived.
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