Paper 149 - The Second Preaching Tour, paralleled · search of him. On this tour Jesus did not...

WORK-IN-PROGRESS (JULY 25, 2015) PARALLEL CHART FOR

Paper 149 — The Second Preaching Tour

© 2015 Matthew Block

Most endnotes and Urantia Book cross-references have been deleted to enhance readability.

Sources for Paper 149, in the order in which they appear

(1) George Adam Smith, D.D., LL.D., Litt.D., Atlas of the Historical Geography of the HolyLand (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1915)

Note: This source is coded Atlas HGHL.

(2) Wm. Arnold Stevens and Ernest Dewitt Burton, A Harmony of the Gospels for HistoricalStudy: An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons,1904, 1932)

(3) J. Middleton Murry, Jesus—Man of Genius (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers,1926)

(4) Robert E. Speer, Studies of the Man Christ Jesus (New York: Fleming H. RevellCompany, 1896)

(5) Harris Franklin Rall, The Teachings of Jesus (New York: The Abingdon Press, 1918)

(6) Orville J. Nave, A.M., D.D., LL.D., Nave’s Topical Bible: A Digest of the HolyScriptures (New York: Topical Bible Publishing Company, 1897)

Note: This source is coded Nave’s TB.

(7) Charles Edward Jefferson, The Character of Jesus (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell &Co., 1908)

Key

(a) Green indicates where a source author first appears, or where he/she reappears.

(b) Yellow highlights most parallelisms.

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(c) Tan highlights parallelisms not occurring on the same row, or parallelisms separated byyellowed parallelisms.

(d) An underlined word or words indicates where the source and the UB writer pointedlydiffer from each other.

(e) Blue indicates original (or “revealed”) information, or UB-specific terminology andconcepts. (What to highlight in this regard is debatable. The highlights are tentative.)

(f) Light green indicates Bible passages or fragments thereof, which are not paralleled in thesource text.

Matthew Block25 July 2015

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SOURCE OR PARALLEL URANTIA PAPER 149

Work-in-progress Version 25 July 2015

© 2015 Matthew BlockPAPER 149 — THE

SECOND PREACHING

TOUR

149:0.1 The second public preachingtour of Galilee began on Sunday, October3, A.D. 28, and continued for almost threemonths, ending on December 30.Participating in this effort were Jesus andhis twelve apostles, assisted by the newlyrecruited corps of 117 evangelists and bynumerous other interested persons.

ATLAS OF THE HISTORICALGEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND(Atlas HGHL)

MAP 21 B4; MAP 19 B2; MAP 20 C3, D3,

C4, C4, E5, E3; MAP 21 B3, A3; MAP 20 E2

(AHGHL)

On this tour they visited Gadara,Ptolemais, Japhia, Dabaritta, Megiddo,Jezreel, Scythopolis, Tarichea, Hippos,Gamala, Bethsaida-Julias,

and many other cities and villages.

149:0.2 Before the departure on thisSunday morning Andrew and Peter askedJesus to give the final charge to the newevangelists, but the Master declined,saying that it was not his province to dothose things which others couldacceptably perform. After due deliber-ation it was decided that James Zebedeeshould administer the charge. At theconclusion of James’s remarks Jesus saidto the evangelists: “Go now forth to dothe work as you have been charged, andlater on, when you have shown your-selves competent and faithful, I willordain you to preach the gospel of thekingdom.”

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149:0.3 On this tour only James andJohn traveled with Jesus. Peter and theother apostles each took with them aboutone dozen of the evangelists andmaintained close contact with them whilethey carried on their work of preachingand teaching. As fast as believers wereready to enter the kingdom, the apostleswould administer baptism. Jesus and histwo companions traveled extensivelyduring these three months, often visitingtwo cities in one day to observe the workof the evangelists and to encourage themin their efforts to establish the kingdom.This entire second preaching tour wasprincipally an effort to afford practicalexperience for this corps of 117 newlytrained evangelists.

149:0.4 Throughout this period andsubsequently, up to the time of the finaldeparture of Jesus and the twelve forJerusalem, David Zebedee maintained apermanent headquarters for the work ofthe kingdom in his father’s house atBethsaida. This was the clearinghouse forJesus’ work on earth and the relay stationfor the messenger service which Davidcarried on between the workers in variousparts of Palestine and adjacent regions.He did all of this on his own initiative butwith the approval of Andrew. Davidemployed forty to fifty messengers in thisintelligence division of the rapidlyenlarging and extending work of thekingdom. While thus employed, hepartially supported himself by spendingsome of his time at his old work offishing.

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1. THE WIDESPREAD FAME

OF JESUS

XIV: ORGANIZATION OF THEKINDOM. (A Harmony of the Gospels 56)

§47. THE WIDE-SPREAD FAME OFCHRIST. Matt. 4:23-25. Matt. 12:15-211. Mark 3:7-12. [Luke 6:17-19.]

149:1.1 By the time the camp atBethsaida had been broken up,

Matt. 4:24 And the report of him wentforth into all Syria: and they brought untohim all that were sick, holden with diversdiseases and torments, possessed withdemons, and epileptic, and palsied; and hehealed them.

the fame of Jesus, particularly as a healer,had spread to all parts of Palestine andthrough all of Syria and the surroundingcountries.

For weeks after they left Bethsaida, thesick continued to arrive, and when theydid not find the Master, on learning fromDavid where he was, they would go insearch of him. On this tour Jesus did notdeliberately perform any so-calledmiracles of healing. Nevertheless, scoresof afflicted found restoration of healthand happiness as a result of the re-constructive power of the intense faithwhich impelled them to seek for healing.

149:1.2 There began to appear aboutthe time of this mission—and continuedthroughout the remainder of Jesus’ life onearth—a peculiar and unexplained seriesof healing phenomena. In the course ofthis three months’ tour

[Mark 3:[7] and a great multitude from Galileefollowed: and from Judæa, 8 and from Jerusalem, andfrom Idumæa, and beyond the Jordan, and aboutTyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing what greatthings he did, came unto him.]

more than one hundred men, women, andchildren from Judea, Idumea, Galilee,Syria, Tyre, and Sidon, and from beyondthe Jordan

were beneficiaries of this unconscioushealing by Jesus

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and, returning to their homes, added tothe enlargement of Jesus’ fame. And theydid this notwithstanding that Jesus would,every time he observed one of these casesof spontaneous healing,

Matt. 12:15 And Jesus perceiving itwithdrew from thence: and many followedhim: and he healed them all, 16 andcharged them that they should not makehim known:

directly charge the beneficiary to “tell noman.”

149:1.3 It was never revealed to us justwhat occurred in these cases ofspontaneous or unconscious healing. TheMaster never explained to his apostleshow these healings were effected, otherthan that on several occasions he merelysaid,

Luke 6:19 And all the multitude sought totouch him: for power came forth fromhim, and healed them all.

“I perceive that power has gone forthfrom me.”

On one occasion he remarked whentouched by an ailing child, “I perceivethat life has gone forth from me.”

149:1.4 In the absence of direct wordfrom the Master regarding the nature ofthese cases of spontaneous healing, itwould be presuming on our part toundertake to explain how they wereaccomplished, but it will be permissibleto record our opinion of all such healingphenomena. We believe that many ofthese apparent miracles of healing, asthey occurred in the course of Jesus’ earthministry, were the result of the co-existence of the following three powerful,potent, and associated influences:

149:1.5 1. The presence of strong,dominant, and living faith in the heart ofthe human being who persistently soughthealing,

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together with the fact that such healingwas desired for its spiritual benefits ratherthan for purely physical restoration.

149:1.6 2. The existence, concomitantwith such human faith, of the greatsympathy and compassion of theincarnated and mercy-dominated CreatorSon of God, who actually possessed in hisperson almost unlimited and timelesscreative healing powers and prerogatives.

149:1.7 3. Along with the faith of thecreature and the life of the Creator itshould also be noted that this God-manwas the personified expression of theFather’s will. If, in the contact of thehuman need and the divine power to meetit, the Father did not will otherwise, thetwo became one, and the healing occurredunconsciously to the human Jesus but wasimmediately recognized by his divinenature. The explanation, then, of many ofthese cases of healing must be found in agreat law which has long been known tous, namely,

[What a Creator Son desires and his Father

wills IS (145:3.11).]

What the Creator Son desires and theeternal Father wills IS.

VII: THE HEALING OF THE PALSIEDMAN (Murry 59)

149:1.8 It is, then, our opinion that, inthe personal presence of Jesus,

Healings were compelled from him,by acts of faith.

certain forms of profound human faithwere literally and truly compelling in themanifestation of healing

by certain creative forces and person-alities of the universe who were at thattime so intimately associated with the Sonof Man.

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When Jesus saw in men who cried to becured, faith that his word and his touchwould cure them, he spoke the word andgave the touch. He could not deny them.He could not deny them, because heloved, and more, because faith was whathe was asking from men. Therefore, hesuffered men to heal themselves by faithin him (M 64).

It therefore becomes a fact of record thatJesus did frequently suffer men to healthemselves in his presence by theirpowerful, personal faith.

149:1.9 Many others sought healing forwholly selfish purposes. A rich widow ofTyre, with her retinue, came seeking to behealed of her infirmities, which weremany; and as she followed Jesus aboutthrough Galilee, she continued to offermore and more money, as if the power ofGod were something to be purchased bythe highest bidder. But never would shebecome interested in the gospel of thekingdom; it was only the cure of herphysical ailments that she sought.

2 . A T T IT U D E O F T H E

PEOPLE

149:2.1 Jesus understood the minds ofmen.

[But Jesus did not commit himself unto them,because he knew all men,

And needed not that any should testify ofman: for he knew what was in man (John 2:24-25).]

He knew what was in the heart of man,

and had his teachings been left as hepresented them, the only commentarybeing the inspired interpretation affordedby his earth life, all nations and allreligions of the world would speedilyhave embraced the gospel of the kingdom.

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The well-meant efforts of Jesus’ earlyfollowers to restate his teachings so as tomake them the more acceptable to certainnations, races, and religions, only resultedin making such teachings the less accep-table to all other nations, races, andreligions.

149:2.2 The Apostle Paul, in his effortsto bring the teachings of Jesus to thefavorable notice of certain groups in hisday, wrote many letters of instruction andadmonition. Other teachers of Jesus’gospel did likewise, but none of themrealized that some of these writingswould subsequently be brought togetherby those who would set them forth as theembodiment of the teachings of Jesus.And so, while so-called Christianity doescontain more of the Master’s gospel thanany other religion, it does also containmuch that Jesus did not teach. Aside fromthe incorporation of many teachings fromthe Persian mysteries and much of theGreek philosophy into early Christianity,two great mistakes were made:

149:2.3 1. The effort to connect thegospel teaching directly onto the Jewishtheology, as illustrated by the Christiandoctrines of the atonement—the teachingthat Jesus was the sacrificed Son whowould satisfy the Father’s stern justiceand appease the divine wrath. Theseteachings originated in a praiseworthyeffort to make the gospel of the kingdommore acceptable to disbelieving Jews.Though these efforts failed as far aswinning the Jews was concerned, they didnot fail to confuse and alienate manyhonest souls in all subsequent gener-ations.

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149:2.4 2. The second great blunder ofthe Master’s early followers, and onewhich all subsequent generations havepersisted in perpetuating, was to organizethe Christian teaching so completelyabout the person of Jesus. This over-emphasis of the personality of Jesus inthe theology of Christianity has worked toobscure his teachings, and all of this hasmade it increasingly difficult for Jews,Mohammedans, Hindus, and other East-ern religionists to accept the teachings ofJesus. We would not belittle the place ofthe person of Jesus in a religion whichmight bear his name, but we would notpermit such consideration to eclipse hisinspired life or to supplant his savingmessage: the fatherhood of God and thebrotherhood of man.

149:2.5 The teachers of the religion ofJesus should approach other religionswith the recognition of the truths whichare held in common (many of which comedirectly or indirectly from Jesus’ mess-age) while they refrain from placing somuch emphasis on the differences.

IV: THE TESTIMONY BORNE TO HIMBY THE DIFFERENT RELATIONSINTO WHICH HE CAME (Speer 131)

I. The testimony of need to His power to supply.(Speer 131)

149:2.6 While, at that particular time,the fame of Jesus rested chiefly upon hisreputation as a healer, it does not followthat it continued so to rest. As timepassed, more and more he was sought forspiritual help. But it was the physicalcures that made the most direct andimmediate appeal to the common people.

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[contd] If the representations of theGospels as to Christ’s ability andreadiness to give help and relief to thosein need are true, they are perfectlyexplicable....

According to these representations,physical sickness fled to Him for relief(Luke vi. 17-19). Moral enslavementsand mental disorders sought His aid(Matt. xvii. 14).

Jesus was increasingly sought by thevictims of moral enslavement and mentalharassments,

and he invariably taught them the way ofdeliverance.

Fathers sought Him for the sake of theirsons,

Fathers sought his advice regarding themanagement of their sons,

and mothers for the restoration of theirdaughters (Matt. xv. 22) (S 131).

and mothers came for help in theguidance of their daughters.

Those who sat in darkness came to him,and he revealed to them the light of life.His ear was ever open to the sorrows ofmankind, and he always helped those whosought his ministry.

II. The testimony of nature to His right tocommand. (Speer 134)

149:2.7 When the Creator himself wason earth, incarnated in the likeness ofmortal flesh, it was inevitable that someextraordinary things should happen. Butyou should never approach Jesus throughthese so-called miraculous occurrences.

[contd] We are accustomed to come tomiracles through Christ

Learn to approach the miracle throughJesus,

but do not make the mistake of

rather than to Christ through miracles.This course He Himself invites as thehighest and truest (John xiv. 10, 11) (S134).

approaching Jesus through the miracle.

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And this admonition is warranted,notwithstanding that

[Consider that Confucius, Zoroaster, SakyaMuni, and Mohammed claimed to work nomiracles (S 134).]

Jesus of Nazareth is the only founder of areligion who performed supermaterialacts on earth.

III. The testimony borne to Him by His attitudetoward woman. (Speer 135)

149:2.8 The most astonishing and themost revolutionary feature of Michael’smission on earth was his attitude towardwomen.

In a day and generation when

Talking with a woman was against thecustom of the doctors. They said, “A manshould not salute a woman in a publicplace;”

a man was not supposed to salute even hisown wife in a public place,

[See 150:1.] Jesus dared to take women along asteachers of the gospel in connection withhis third tour of Galilee.

And he had the consummate courage todo this in the face of the rabbinic teachingwhich declared that

and that it was “better that the words ofthe law should be burned than deliveredto women” (S 135).

it was “better that the words of the lawshould be burned than delivered towomen.”

[Compare S 136-37.]

149:2.9 In one generation Jesus liftedwomen out of the disrespectful oblivionand the slavish drudgery of the ages. Andit is the one shameful thing about thereligion that presumed to take Jesus’name that it lacked the moral courage tofollow this noble example in its sub-sequent attitude toward women.

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IV. He was free from the superstitions of His timeand the current distortions of the religious life.(Speer 137)

149:2.10 As Jesus mingled with thepeople, they found him entirely free fromthe superstitions of that day.

[contd] He was not participant in theorthodox Jewish prejudice against theSamaritans. It is no slight thing for a manto be free from all the race feuds of hispeople, the less slight if there is religiousfeeling or prejudice involved (S 136-37).

He was free from religious prejudices;

he was never intolerant. He had nothingin his heart resembling social antagonism.

It is to be held clearly in mind thatJesus was not a renegade Jew. No chargewas brought against Him such as wasbrought against Paul (Acts xxiv. 5, 6) (S138).

While he complied with the good in thereligion of his fathers,

he did not hesitate to disregard man-madetraditions of superstition and bondage.

He was free (a) from currentinadequate conceptions of providence.When he was speaking once to manythousands ..., certain people ... excitedlytold Him of some wretched murderscommitted by Pilate ... The commun-ication was made with the idea that theGalileans who had been murdered weregreat sinners, and that their violent deathwas what men would call a judgmentupon them. “Do you poor children ofsuperstition,” said Jesus, “think thatbecause of this awful calamity whichbefell them they were specially greatsinners? I tell you, Nay ...” (S 138-39). He dared to teach that catastrophes of

nature, accidents of time, and othercalamitous happenings are not visitationsof divine judgments or mysteriousdispensations of Providence.

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He denounced slavish devotion tomeaningless ceremonials

(c) From materialistic notions ofworship (S 139).

and exposed the fallacy of materialisticworship.

The Sermon on the Mount is full ofillustrations of Jesus’ freedom, His boldemancipation from all narrow, enslaving,literalizing views of His day (S 140).

He boldly proclaimed man’s spiritualfreedom

and dared to teach that mortals of theflesh are indeed and in truth sons of theliving God.

149:2.11 Jesus transcended all theteachings of his forebears when he boldly

His perfect freedom from bondedtraditionalism the Pharisees made acharge against Him; and He replied byasserting His contempt for their formaland lifeless mannerisms and mummeries,by which they made clean hands asubstitute for clean hearts, and the altar ofdevotion a cover for covetousness (Markvii. 1-23).

substituted clean hearts for clean hands

as the mark of true religion.

He constantly asserted reality as againsttradition (Mark vii. 8, 13)

He put reality in the place of tradition

and denounced all substitution ofprofession and pretense for life and visionas hypocrisy and vanity (Mark vii. 6, 7)(S 140).

and swept aside all pretensions of vanityand hypocrisy.

Yet Jesus does not swing over to theother extreme and boast Himself anuntrammeled liberal. He did not makecapital for a destructive movement out ofHis advance beyond the narrowness ofHis time and nation and His freedomfrom it (S 141).

And yet this fearless man of God did notgive vent to destructive criticism

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or manifest an utter disregard of thereligious, social, economic, and politicalusages of his day.

He was not a militant revolutionist; hewas a progressive evolutionist.

Least of all did He ever destroy withoutoffering to reconstruct ... (S 141).

He engaged in the destruction of thatwhich was only when he simultaneouslyoffered his fellows the superior thingwhich ought to be.

V. He called forth the instinctive obedience ofothers. (Speer 142)

149:2.12 Jesus received the obedienceof his followers

He exacted obedience, whatever thecost (S 142).

without exacting it.

Only two declined His call when it waspersonally presented to them (Matt. xix.21; Luke ix. 59), and in each of thesecases His words were rather tests ofcharacter than definite commands (S142).

Only three men who received his personalcall refused to accept the invitation todiscipleship.

Yet Jesus was never regarded asdictatorial or imperious. He drew men(John xii. 32; John iii. 13-17 ; Mark ii.13).

He exercised a peculiar drawing powerover men, but he was not dictatorial.

His teaching commanded the confidenceof men; His love warmly attracted them.

He commanded confidence,

No one, therefore, resented His com-mands (S 144).

and no man ever resented his giving acommand.

Though He treated those who came toHim as belonging to Him, and so spoke ofthem (John xvii. 6; xviii. 36), andassumed toward them a supreme authorityand exceptionless superiority,

He assumed absolute authority over hisdisciples,

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no one seemed surprised or offended (S144-45).

but no one ever objected.

His disciples addressed Himgenerally as “Master,” and He waspleased with this title, and encouraged itsuse (S 145).

He permitted his followers to call himMaster.

VI. The impressions He produced upon others.(Speer 145)

[contd] 1. Admiration for his goodnessand purity (S 145).

149:2.13 The Master was admired by allwho met him

except by those who entertained deep-seated religious prejudices or those whothought they discerned political dangersin his teachings.

2. Astonishment. Men were aston-ished at His originality and authority(Matt. vii. 28), at the fact that His originand training would not account for Him(Matt. xii. 23; xiii. 54-57), at His sagacityand vigorous enthusiasm (Mark vi. 2), atthe unusual things He showed them (Lukev. 26), at the majesty of God as it wasdisplayed in Him (Luke ix. 43) (S 146).

Men were astonished at the originalityand authoritativeness of his teaching.

3. Dumb wonderment and marveling.He would patiently endure a longcontroversy, calmly meeting each freshassault, and then He would sweepeverything before Him—the people struckdumb by His honest subtlety, His keendialectic, His genuine candor (Luke xiv.6 ; Matt. xxii. 46) (S 146).

They marveled at his patience in dealingwith backward and troublesome inquirers.

5. Hope and confidence (S 147). He inspired hope and confidence in thehearts of all who came under his ministry.

6. Fear Only those who had not met him fearedhim,

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and hatred (S 147).

[Compare S 147.]

and he was hated only by those whoregarded him as the champion of thattruth which was destined to overthrow theevil and error which they had determinedto hold in their hearts at all cost.

7. But on both friends and foes Heexercised a strong, fascinating influence(S 148).

149:2.14 On both friends and foes heexercised a strong and peculiarlyfascinating influence.

Multitudes would follow him for weeks,just to hear his gracious words and beholdhis simple life.

8. Many loved Him with a deep andconsuming love (S 149).

Devoted men and women loved Jesuswith a well-nigh superhuman affection.

VII. The better He was known, the greater was Hisacknowledged superiority. (Speer 150)

And the better they knew him the morethey loved him.

And so still, And all this is still true;

even today and in all future ages,

the better Jesus is known the more He isrespected and loved; and those who knowHim best are most ready, with one whoconditioned his faith in His resurrectionupon the evidence of personal knowledgeand close scrutiny, to say, “My Lord andmy God” (S 158).

the more man comes to know this God-man, the more he will love and followafter him.

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3. H OSTILITY OF THE

RELIGIOUS LEADERS

149:3.1 Notwithstanding the favorablereception of Jesus and his teachings bythe common people, the religious leadersat Jerusalem became increasingly alarmedand antagonistic.

II: JESUS’ METHOD AS TEACHER(Rall 25)

He Sets Forth No System. (Rall 25)

The Pharisees had formulated asystematic and dogmatic theology.

[contd] The ordinary teacher has amore or less complete system of ideaswhich he sets forth in order one after theother. This was not the method of Jesus....He taught simply as the occasiondemanded (R 25).

Jesus was a teacher who taught as theoccasion served;

he was not a systematic teacher.

He Is Interested in Life, Not Theory. (Rall26)

Jesus taught not so much from the law asfrom life, by parables.

What is a Parable? (Rall 29)

A parable, like an allegory, is a story usedto prove or illustrate some spiritualmeaning.... The parable, on the otherhand, is an argument intended to proveone central point. Other points maysuggest a comparison, but the real pointof the parable is one (R 29).

(And when he employed a parable forillustrating his message, he designed toutilize just one feature of the story forthat purpose.

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[See R 31.] Many wrong ideas concerning theteachings of Jesus may be secured byattempting to make allegories out of hisparables.)

149:3.2 The religious leaders atJerusalem were becoming well-nighfrantic as a result of the recent conversionof young Abraham and by the desertionof the three spies who had been baptizedby Peter, and who were now out with theevangelists on this second preaching tourof Galilee. The Jewish leaders were in-creasingly blinded by fear and prejudice,while their hearts were hardened by thecontinued rejection of the appealingtruths of the gospel of the kingdom.When men shut off the appeal to the spiritthat dwells within them, there is little thatcan be done to modify their attitude.

149:3.3 When Jesus first met with theevangelists at the Bethsaida camp, inconcluding his address, he said: “Youshould remember that in body andmind—emotionally—men react individ-ually. The only uniform thing about menis the indwelling spirit. Though divinespirits may vary somewhat in the natureand extent of their experience, they reactuniformly to all spiritual appeals. Onlythrough, and by appeal to, this spirit canmankind ever attain unity andbrotherhood.” But many of the leaders ofthe Jews had closed the doors of theirhearts to the spiritual appeal of thegospel. From this day on they ceased notto plan and plot for the Master’sdestruction. They were convinced thatJesus must be apprehended, convicted,and executed as a religious offender, aviolator of the cardinal teachings of theJewish sacred law.

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4 . P R O G R E SS O F T H E

PREACHING TOUR

149:4.1 Jesus did very little publicwork on this preaching tour, but heconducted many evening classes with thebelievers in most of the cities and villageswhere he chanced to sojourn with Jamesand John. At one of these eveningsessions one of the younger evangelistsasked Jesus a question about anger, andthe Master, among other things, said inreply:

149:4.2 “Anger is a material manifes-tation which represents, in a general way,the measure of the failure of the spiritualnature to gain control of the combinedintellectual and physical natures. Angerindicates your lack of tolerant brotherlylove plus your lack of self-respect andself-control. Anger depletes the health,debases the mind, and handicaps the spiritteacher of man’s soul.

ANGER. (Nave’s TB 63)

Have you not read in the Scriptures that

Job 5:2. For wrath killeth the foolishman, and envy slayeth the silly one.

‘wrath kills the foolish man,’

[He teareth himself in his anger: shall theearth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock beremoved out of his place? (Job 18:4)]

and that man ‘tears himself in his anger’?

Prov 14:29. He that is slow to wrathis of great understanding:

That ‘he who is slow of wrath is of greatunderstanding,’

but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. while ‘he who is hasty of temper exaltsfolly’?

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You all know that

Prov. 15:1. A soft answer turnethaway wrath: but grievous words stir upanger.

‘a soft answer turns away wrath,’ andhow ‘grievous words stir up anger.’

Prov 19:11. The discretion of a mandeferreth his anger; and it is his glory topass over a transgression.

‘Discretion defers anger,’

Prov. 25:28. He that hath no rule overhis own spirit is like a city that is brokendown, and without walls.

while ‘he who has no control over hisown self is like a defenseless city withoutwalls.’

Prov. 27:4. Wrath is cruel, and angeris outrageous; but who is able to standbefore envy?

‘Wrath is cruel and anger is outrageous.’

Prov. 29:22. An angry man stirreth upstrife, and a furious man aboundeth intransgression.

‘Angry men stir up strife, while thefurious multiply their transgressions.’

Eccl. 7:9. Be not hasty in thy spirit tobe angry: for anger resteth in the bosomof fools.

‘Be not hasty in spirit, for anger rests inthe bosom of fools.’”

Before Jesus ceased speaking, he saidfurther: “Let your hearts be so dominatedby love that your spirit guide will havelittle trouble in delivering you from thetendency to give vent to those outburstsof animal anger which are inconsistentwith the status of divine sonship.”

VII: THE POISE OF JESUS (Jefferson85)

149:4.3 On this same occasion theMaster talked to the group about thedesirability of possessing

How rarely do we find well-balancedmen! (J 85)

well-balanced characters.

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He recognized that it was necessary formost men to devote themselves to themastery of some vocation, but hedeplored all tendency toward over-specialization, toward becoming narrow-minded and circumscribed in life’s activities.

He called attention to the fact that

Every virtue when pushed beyond itsappointed limit becomes a vice, and everygrace when overdeveloped becomes adefect and disfiguration (J 86).

any virtue, if carried to extremes, maybecome a vice.

Jesus always preached temperance andtaught consistency—proportionate adjust-ment of life problems.

He pointed out that overmuch sympathyand pity may degenerate into seriousemotional instability;

If we are enthusiastic, tremendouslyenthusiastic, our enthusiasm pushes aheaduntil it becomes fanaticism.

that enthusiasm may drive on intofanaticism.

He discussed one of their formerassociates

If we are imaginative, very imaginative,unless we are on our guard we becomeflighty and visionary.

whose imagination had led him off intovisionary and impractical undertakings.

At the same time he warned them against

If we are practical, very level-headed, weare always in danger of becoming prosaicand dull.

the dangers of the dullness of over-conservative mediocrity.

149:4.4 And then Jesus discoursed onthe dangers of

If we have courage in great abundance,our courage passes readily intorecklessness.

courage and faith, how they sometimeslead unthinking souls on to recklessnessand presumption.

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He also showed how

If we are prudent, our prudence is alwayson the point of degenerating intocowardice.

prudence and discretion, when carried toofar, lead to cowardice and failure.

He exhorted his hearers to strive for

If we are original and unique, ouruniqueness is always in danger of passinginto eccentricity.

originality while they shunned alltendency toward eccentricity.

He pleaded for

If we are sympathetic, our sympathy islikely to run into sentimentalism.

sympathy without sentimentality,

If we are pious, our piety has a tendencyto become sanctimonious.

piety without sanctimoniousness.

He taught

If we are religious, our religion tends toslip into superstition (J 86).

reverence free from fear and superstition.

149:4.5 It was not so much what Jesustaught about the balanced character thatimpressed his associates as the fact thathis own life was such an eloquentexemplification of his teaching.

Out of this balance of his powerscomes his unrivalled poise in conduct. Helived always in a whirlwind,—men bentlike reeds around him,—he never somuch as wavered.

He lived in the midst of stress and storm,but he never wavered.

Men laid their traps and tried to catchhim, he walked bravely in the midst ofthem and never was entrapped.

His enemies continually laid snares forhim, but they never entrapped him.

The intellectual athletes of his time triedto trip him—they never did (J 88).

The wise and learned endeavored to triphim, but he did not stumble.

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[See J 88-91.] They sought to embroil him in debate, buthis answers were always enlightening,dignified, and final. When he wasinterrupted in his discourses with multi-tudinous questions, his answers werealways significant and conclusive.

This also is noteworthy that not oneof the enemies of Jesus was able byunfairness or falsehood or hatred to pushJesus into a hasty word or an unrighteousmood (J 91).

Never did he resort to ignoble tactics inmeeting the continuous pressure of hisenemies, who did not hesitate to employ every sort of false, unfair, andunrighteous mode of attack upon him.

149:4.6 While it is true that many menand women must assiduously applythemselves to some definite pursuit as alivelihood vocation, it is neverthelesswholly desirable that human beingsshould cultivate a wide range of culturalfamiliarity with life as it is lived on earth.Truly educated persons are not satisfiedwith remaining in ignorance of the livesand doings of their fellows.

5. LESSON REG A RDING

CONTENTMENT

149:5.1 When Jesus was visiting thegroup of evangelists working under thesupervision of Simon Zelotes, during theirevening conference Simon asked theMaster: “Why are some persons so muchmore happy and contented than others? Iscontentment a matter of religious exper-ience?” Among other things, Jesus said inanswer to Simon’s question:

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149:5.2 “Simon, some persons arenaturally more happy than others. Much,very much, depends upon the willingnessof man to be led and directed by theFather’s spirit which lives within him.Have you not read in the Scriptures thewords of the wise man,

The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD ,searching all the inward parts of the belly (Prov.20:27).

‘The spirit of man is the candle of theLord, searching all the inward parts’?

CONTENTMENT. (Nave’s TB 245)

And also that such spirit-led mortals say:

Psa. 16:6. The lines are fallen untome in pleasant places; yea, I have agoodly heritage.

‘The lines are fallen to me in pleasantplaces; yes, I have a goodly heritage.’

Psa. 37:16. A little that a righteous manhath is better than the riches of manywicked.

‘A little that a righteous man has is betterthan the riches of many wicked,’

[A good man shall be satisfied from himself(Prov. 15:14).]

for ‘a good man shall be satisfied fromwithin himself.’

Prov. 15:13. A merry heart maketh acheerful countenance:

‘A merry heart makes a cheerfulcountenance

15 He that is of a merry heart hath acontinual feast.

and is a continual feast.

[Better is little with the fear of the LORD thangreat treasure and trouble therewith (Prov. 15:16).]

Better is a little with the reverence of theLord than great treasure and troubletherewith.

[Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, thana stalled ox and hatred therewith (Prov. 15:17).]

Better is a dinner of herbs where love isthan a fatted ox and hatred therewith.

Prov. 16:8. Better is a little withrighteousness than great revenues withoutright.

Better is a little with righteousness thangreat revenues without rectitude.’

Prov. 17:22. A merry heart doeth goodlike a medicine:

‘A merry heart does good like amedicine.’

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Eccl. 4:6. Better is an handful withquietness, than both the hands full withtravail and vexation of spirit.

‘Better is a handful with composure thana superabundance with sorrow andvexation of spirit.’

149:5.3 “Much of man’s sorrow is bornof the disappointment of his ambitionsand the wounding of his pride. Althoughmen owe a duty to themselves to make thebest of their lives on earth, having thussincerely exerted themselves, they shouldcheerfully accept their lot and exerciseingenuity in making the most of thatwhich has fallen to their hands. All toomany of man’s troubles take origin in thefear soil of his own natural heart.

The wicked flee when no man pursueth: butthe righteous are bold as a lion (Prov. 28:1).

‘The wicked flee when no man pursues.’

But the wicked are like the troubled sea, whenit cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt(Isa. 57:20).

‘The wicked are like the troubled sea, forit cannot rest, but its waters cast up mireand dirt;

There is no peace, saith my God, to thewicked (Isa. 57:21).

there is no peace, says God, for thewicked.’

149:5.4 “Seek not, then, for false peaceand transient joy but rather for theassurance of faith and the sureties ofdivine sonship which yield composure,contentment, and supreme joy in thespirit.”

[The common cognomen of this world among themisguided and superstitious is a “vale of tears”from which we are redeemed by a certain arbitraryinterposition of God and taken to Heaven—Whata little circumscribed straightened notion!

149:5.5 Jesus hardly regarded thisworld as a “vale of tears.”

He rather looked upon it as the birthsphere of the eternal and immortal spiritsof Paradise ascension,

Call the world if you Please “The vale of Soul-making” (John Keats, letter to brother and sister,April 1819.)]

the “vale of soul making.”

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6. THE “FEAR OF THE LORD”

149:6.1 It was at Gamala, during theevening conference, that Philip said toJesus: “Master, why is it that theScriptures instruct us to ‘fear the Lord,’while you would have us look to theFather in heaven without fear? How arewe to harmonize these teachings?” AndJesus replied to Philip, saying:

149:6.2 “My children, I am notsurprised that you ask such questions. Inthe beginning it was only through fearthat man could learn reverence, but I havecome to reveal the Father’s love so thatyou will be attracted to the worship of theEternal by the drawing of a son’s affec-tionate recognition and reciprocation ofthe Father’s profound and perfect love. Iwould deliver you from the bondage ofdriving yourselves through slavish fear tothe irksome service of a jealous andwrathful King-God. I would instruct youin the Father-son relationship of God andman so that you may be joyfully led intothat sublime and supernal free worship ofa loving, just, and merciful Father-God.

[[The fear of God] is not, of course, fear in theordinary human sense. It has, rather, the meaningof reverence and awe (Rall 39).]

149:6.3 “The ‘fear of the Lord’ has haddifferent meanings in the successive ages,coming up from fear, through anguish anddread, to awe and reverence.

And now from reverence I would lead youup, through recognition, realization, andappreciation, to love. When manrecognizes only the works of God, he isled to fear the Supreme; but when manbegins to understand and experience thepersonality and character of the livingGod, he is led increasingly to love such agood and perfect, universal and eternalFather.

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And it is just this changing of the relationof man to God that constitutes the missionof the Son of Man on earth.

149:6.4 “Intelligent children do not feartheir father in order that they may receivegood gifts from his hand; but havingalready received the abundance of goodthings bestowed by the dictates of thefather’s affection for his sons anddaughters, these much loved children areled to love their father in responsiverecognition and appreciation of suchmunificent beneficence.

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodnessand forbearance and longsuffering; not knowingthat the goodness of God leadeth thee torepentance? (Rom. 2:4)

The goodness of God leads to repentance;

the beneficence of God leads to service;the mercy of God leads to salvation; whilethe love of God leads to intelligent andfreehearted worship.

149:6.5 “Your forebears feared Godbecause he was mighty and mysterious.You shall adore him because he ismagnificent in love, plenteous in mercy,and glorious in truth. The power of Godengenders fear in the heart of man, but thenobility and righteousness of his person-ality beget reverence, love, and willingworship. A dutiful and affectionate sondoes not fear or dread even a mighty andnoble father. I have come into the worldto put love in the place of fear, joy in theplace of sorrow, confidence in the placeof dread, loving service and appreciativeworship in the place of slavish bondageand meaningless ceremonies.

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But it is still true of those who sit indarkness that

The fear of the LORD is the beginning ofwisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is

understanding (Prov. 9:10). [Also Prov. 111:10.]

‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning ofwisdom.’

But when the light has more fully come,the sons of God are led to praise theInfinite for what he is rather than to fearhim for what he does.

149:6.6 “When children are young andunthinking, they must necessarily beadmonished to honor their parents; butwhen they grow older and becomesomewhat more appreciative of thebenefits of the parental ministry andprotection, they are led up, throughunderstanding respect and increasingaffection, to that level of experiencewhere they actually love their parents forwhat they are more than for what theyhave done. The father naturally loves hischild, but the child must develop his lovefor the father from the fear of what thefather can do, through awe, dread,dependence, and reverence, to the appre-ciative and affectionate regard of love.

149:6.7 “You have been taught that youshould

Let us hear the conclusion of the wholematter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: forthis is the whole duty of man (Eccl. 12:13).

‘fear God and keep his commandments,for that is the whole duty of man.’

But I have come to give you a new andhigher commandment. I would teach youto ‘love God and learn to do his will, forthat is the highest privilege of theliberated sons of God.’ Your fathers weretaught to ‘fear God— the Almighty King.’I teach you, ‘Love God—the all-mercifulFather.’

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[Yes, the Kingdom of God was upon them, now, atthis very moment of time: and the secret of theKingdom was that there was no King: only a Father(Murry 30).]

149:6.8 “In the kingdom of heaven,which I have come to declare, there is nohigh and mighty king; this kingdom is adivine family.

The universally recognized and unre-servedly worshiped center and head ofthis far-flung brotherhood of intelligentbeings is my Father and your Father.

I am his Son, and you are also his sons.Therefore it is eternally true that you andI are brethren in the heavenly estate, andall the more so since we have becomebrethren in the flesh of the earthly life.Cease, then, to fear God as a king or servehim as a master; learn to reverence him asthe Creator; honor him as the Father ofyour spirit youth; love him as a mercifuldefender; and ultimately worship him asthe loving and all-wise Father of yourmore mature spiritual realization andappreciation.

VII: HUMILITY AND ASPIRATION(Rall 67)

What Is Humility? (Rall 68)

149:6.9 “Out of your wrong concepts ofthe Father in heaven grow your false ideasof

[contd] There is probably no Christianvirtue which is more misunderstood thanhumility. humility

Humility is not hypocritical self-depreciation; it is not self-depreciation atall.

and springs much of your hypocrisy.

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The true Christian does not call himself aworm of the dust; on the contrary, heknows that he is a son of the Most High.Only he knows that this high place is allthe gift of God, and not of his own worthor desert (R 68).

Man may be a worm of the dust by natureand origin,

but when he becomes indwelt by myFather’s spirit, that man becomes divinein his destiny.

The bestowal spirit of my Father willsurely return to the divine source anduniverse level of origin, and the humansoul of mortal man which shall havebecome the reborn child of this in-dwelling spirit shall certainly ascend withthe divine spirit to the very presence ofthe eternal Father.

149:6.10 “Humility, indeed, becomesmortal man who receives all these giftsfrom the Father in heaven, albeit there isa divine dignity attached to all such faithcandidates for the eternal ascent of theheavenly kingdom. The meaningless andmenial practices of an ostentatious andfalse humility are incompatible with theappreciation of the source of yoursalvation and the recognition of thedestiny of your spirit-born souls. Humilitybefore God is altogether appropriate inthe depths of your hearts; meeknessbefore men is commendable; but thehypocrisy of self-conscious andattention-craving humility is childish andunworthy of the enlightened sons of thekingdom.

149:6.11 “You do well to be meekbefore God and self-controlled beforemen, but let your meekness be of spiritualorigin and not the self-deceptive displayof a self-conscious sense of self-righteoussuperiority.

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HUMILITY. (Nave’s TB 578)

The prophet spoke advisedly when hesaid,

Mic. 6:8. What doth the LORD requireof thee, but to . . . walk humbly with thyGod?

‘Walk humbly with God,’

for, while the Father in heaven is theInfinite and the Eternal,

Isa. 57:15. I dwell in the high andholy place, with him also that is of acontrite and humble spirit, to revive thespirit of the humble, and to revive theheart of the contrite ones.

he also dwells ‘with him who is of acontrite mind and a humble spirit.’

My Father disdains pride, loatheshypocrisy, and abhors iniquity. And it wasto emphasize the value of sincerity andperfect trust in the loving support andfaithful guidance of the heavenly Fatherthat I have so often referred to the littlechild as illustrative of the attitude of mindand the response of spirit which are soessential to the entrance of mortal maninto the spirit realities of the kingdom ofheaven.

HYPOCRISY. (Nave’s TB 584)

149:6.12 “Well did the ProphetJeremiah describe many mortals when hesaid:

Jer. 12:2. Thou hast planted them,yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea,they bring forth fruit: thou art near intheir mouth, and far from their reins.

‘You are near God in the mouth but farfrom him in the heart.’

And have you not also read that direfulwarning of the prophet who said:

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Mic. 3:11. The heads thereof judgefor reward, and the priests thereof teachfor hire, and the prophets thereof divinefor money:

‘The priests thereof teach for hire, and theprophets thereof divine for money.

yet will they lean upon the LORD, andsay, Is not the LORD among us? none evilcan come upon us.

At the same time they profess piety andproclaim that the Lord is with them.’

Have you not been well warned againstthose who

Jer. 9:8. Their tongue is as an arrow shotout; it speaketh deceit: one speakethpeaceably to his neighbour with hismouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.

‘speak peace to their neighbors whenmischief is in their hearts,’

[They speak vanity every one with hisneighbour: with flattering lips and with a doubleheart do they speak (Ps. 12:2).]

those who ‘flatter with the lips while theheart is given to double-dealing’?

Of all the sorrows of a trusting man, noneis so terrible as to be

Zech. 13:6. What are these wounds inthine hands? Then he shall answer, Thosewith which I was wounded in the houseof my friends.

‘wounded in the house of a trustedfriend.’”

7 . R E T U R N I N G T O

BETHSAIDA

149:7.1 Andrew, in consultation withSimon Peter and with the approval ofJesus, had instructed David at Bethsaidato dispatch messengers to the variouspreaching groups with instructions toterminate the tour and return to Bethsaidasometime on Thursday, December 30. Bysupper time on that rainy day all of theapostolic party and the teaching evan-gelists had arrived at the Zebedee home.

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149:7.2 The group remained togetherover the Sabbath day, being accom-modated in the homes of Bethsaida andnear-by Capernaum, after which the entireparty was granted a two weeks’ recess togo home to their families, visit theirfriends, or go fishing. The two or threedays they were together in Bethsaidawere, indeed, exhilarating and inspiring;even the older teachers were edified bythe young preachers as they narrated theirexperiences.

149:7.3 Of the 117 evangelists whoparticipated in this second preaching tourof Galilee, only about seventy-fivesurvived the test of actual experience andwere on hand to be assigned to service atthe end of the two weeks’ recess. Jesus,with Andrew, Peter, James, and John,remained at the Zebedee home and spentmuch time in conference regarding thewelfare and extension of the kingdom.

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