551 lines
35 KiB
Plaintext
551 lines
35 KiB
Plaintext
Urantia Book Paper 152 Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis
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SPIRITWEB ORG, PROMOTING SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE INTERNET.
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Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART IV: The Life and Teachings
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of Jesus : The Bestowal Of Michael On Urantia The Times Of Michael's Bestowal
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Birth And Infancy Of Jesus The Early Childhood Of Jesus The Later Childhood Of
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Jesus Jesus At Jerusalem The Two Crucial Years The Adolescent Years Jesus'
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Early Manhood The Later Adult Life Of Jesus On The Way To Rome The World's
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Religions The Sojourn At Rome The Return From Rome The Transition Years John
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The Baptist Baptism And The Forty Days Tarrying Time In Galilee Training The
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Kingdom's Messengers The Twelve Apostles The Ordination Of The Twelve Beginning
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The Public Work The Passover At Jerusalem Going Through Samaria At Gilboa And
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In The Decapolis Four Eventful Days At Capernaum First Preaching Tour Of
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Galilee The Interlude Visit To Jerusalem Training Evangelists At Bethsaida The
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Second Preaching Tour The Third Preaching Tour Tarrying And Teaching By The
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Seaside Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis The Crisis At Capernaum Last
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Days At Capernaum Fleeing Through Northern Galilee The Sojourn At Tyre And
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Sidon At Caesarea-philippi The Mount Of Transfiguration The Decapolis Tour
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Rodan Of Alexandria Further Discussions With Rodan At The Feast Of Tabernacles
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Ordination Of The Seventy At Magadan At The Feast Of Dedication The Perean
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Mission Begins Last Visit To Northern Perea The Visit To Philadelphia The
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Resurrection Of Lazarus Last Teaching At Pella The Kingdom Of Heaven On The Way
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To Jerusalem Going Into Jerusalem Monday In Jerusalem ...
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Paper 152 Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis
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Introduction
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THE story of the cure of Amos, the Kheresa lunatic, had already reached
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Bethsaida and Capernaum, so that a great crowd was waiting for Jesus when his
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boat landed that Tuesday forenoon. Among this throng were the new observers
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from the Jerusalem Sanhedrin who had come down to Capernaum to find cause for
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the Master's apprehension and conviction. As Jesus spoke with those who had
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assembled to greet him, Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue, made his
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way through the crowd and, falling down at his feet, took him by the hand and
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besought that he would hasten away with him, saying: "Master, my little
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daughter, an only child, lies in my home at the point of death. I pray that you
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will come and heal her." When Jesus heard the request of this father, he said:
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"I will go with you."
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As Jesus went along with Jairus, the large crowd which had heard the father's
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request followed on to see what would happen. Shortly before they reached the
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ruler's house, as they hastened through a narrow street and as the throng
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jostled him, Jesus suddenly stopped, exclaiming, "Someone touched me." And when
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those who were near him denied that they had touched him, Peter spoke up:
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"Master, you can see that this crowd presses you, threatening to crush us, and
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yet you say `someone has touched me.' What do you mean?" Then Jesus said: "I
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asked who touched me, for I perceived that living energy had gone forth from
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me." As Jesus looked about him, his eyes fell upon a near-by woman, who, coming
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forward, knelt at his feet and said: "For years I have been afflicted with a
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scourging hemorrhage. I have suffered many things from many physicians; I have
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spent all my substance, but none could cure me. Then I heard of you, and I
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thought if I may but touch the hem of his garment, I shall certainly be made
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whole. And so I pressed forward with the crowd as it moved along until,
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standing near you, Master, I touched the border of your garment, and I was made
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whole; I know that I have been healed of my affliction."
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When Jesus heard this, he took the woman by the hand and, lifting her up, said:
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"Daughter, your faith has made you whole; go in peace." It was her faith and
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not her touch that made her whole. And this case is a good illustration of many
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apparently miraculous cures which attended upon Jesus' earth career, but which
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he in no sense consciously willed. The passing of time demonstrated that this
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woman was really cured of her malady. Her faith was of the sort that laid
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direct hold upon the creative power resident in the Master's person. With the
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faith she had, it was only necessary to approach the Master's person. It was
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not at all necessary to touch his garment; that was merely the superstitious
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part of her belief. Jesus called this woman, Veronica of Caesarea-Philippi,
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into
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top of page - 1699
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his presence to correct two errors which might have lingered in her mind, or
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which might have persisted in the minds of those who witnessed this healing: He
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did not want Veronica to go away thinking that her fear in attempting to steal
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her cure had been honored, or that her superstition in associating the touch of
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his garment with her healing had been effective. He desired all to know that it
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was her pure and living faith that had wrought the cure.
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1. AT JAIRUS'S HOUSE
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Jairus was, of course, terribly impatient of this delay in reaching his home;
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so they now hastened on at quickened pace. Even before they entered the ruler's
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yard, one of his servants came out, saying: "Trouble not the Master; your
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daughter is dead." But Jesus seemed not to heed the servant's words, for,
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taking with him Peter, James, and John, he turned and said to the
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grief-stricken father: "Fear not; only believe." When he entered the house, he
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found the flute-players already there with the mourners, who were making an
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unseemly tumult; already were the relatives engaged in weeping and wailing. And
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when he had put all the mourners out of the room, he went in with the father
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and mother and his three apostles. He had told the mourners that the damsel was
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not dead, but they laughed him to scorn. Jesus now turned to the mother,
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saying: "Your daughter is not dead; she is only asleep." And when the house had
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quieted down, Jesus, going up to where the child lay, took her by the hand and
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said, "Daughter, I say to you, awake and arise!" And when the girl heard these
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words, she immediately rose up and walked across the room. And presently, after
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she had recovered from her daze, Jesus directed that they should give her
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something to eat, for she had been a long time without food.
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Since there was much agitation in Capernaum against Jesus, he called the family
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together and explained that the maiden had been in a state of coma following a
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long fever, and that he had merely aroused her, that he had not raised her from
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the dead. He likewise explained all this to his apostles, but it was futile;
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they all believed he had raised the little girl from the dead. What Jesus said
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in explanation of many of these apparent miracles had little effect on his
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followers. They were miracle-minded and lost no opportunity to ascribe another
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wonder to Jesus. Jesus and the apostles returned to Bethsaida after he had
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specifically charged all of them that they should tell no man.
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When he came out of Jairus's house, two blind men led by a dumb boy followed
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him and cried out for healing. About this time Jesus' reputation as a healer
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was at its very height. Everywhere he went the sick and the afflicted were
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waiting for him. The Master now looked much worn, and all of his friends were
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becoming concerned lest he continue his work of teaching and healing to the
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point of actual collapse.
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Jesus' apostles, let alone the common people, could not understand the nature
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and attributes of this God-man. Neither has any subsequent generation been able
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to evaluate what took place on earth in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. And
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there can never occur an opportunity for either science or religion to check up
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on these remarkable events for the simple reason that such an extraordinary
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situation can never again occur, either on this world or on any other world in
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Nebadon. Never again, on any world in this entire universe, will a being appear
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in the likeness of mortal flesh, at the same time embodying all
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top of page - 1700
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the attributes of creative energy combined with spiritual endowments which
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transcend time and most other material limitations.
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Never before Jesus was on earth, nor since, has it been possible so directly
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and graphically to secure the results attendant upon the strong and living
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faith of mortal men and women. To repeat these phenomena, we would have to go
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into the immediate presence of Michael, the Creator, and find him as he was in
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those days--the Son of Man. Likewise, today, while his absence prevents such
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material manifestations, you should refrain from placing any sort of limitation
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on the possible exhibition of his spiritual power. Though the Master is absent
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as a material being, he is present as a spiritual influence in the hearts of
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men. By going away from the world, Jesus made it possible for his spirit to
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live alongside that of his Father which indwells the minds of all mankind.
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2. FEEDING THE FIVE THOUSAND
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Jesus continued to teach the people by day while he instructed the apostles and
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evangelists at night. On Friday he declared a furlough of one week that all his
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followers might go home or to their friends for a few days before preparing to
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go up to Jerusalem for the Passover. But more than one half of his disciples
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refused to leave him, and the multitude was daily increasing in size, so much
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so that David Zebedee desired to establish a new encampment, but Jesus refused
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consent. The Master had so little rest over the Sabbath that on Sunday morning,
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March 27, he sought to get away from the people. Some of the evangelists were
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left to talk to the multitude while Jesus and the twelve planned to escape,
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unnoticed, to the opposite shore of the lake, where they proposed to obtain
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much needed rest in a beautiful park south of Bethsaida-Julias. This region was
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a favorite resorting place for Capernaum folks; they were all familiar with
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these parks on the eastern shore.
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But the people would not have it so. They saw the direction taken by Jesus'
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boat, and hiring every craft available, they started out in pursuit. Those who
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could not obtain boats fared forth on foot to walk around the upper end of the
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lake.
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By late afternoon more than a thousand persons had located the Master in one of
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the parks, and he spoke to them briefly, being followed by Peter. Many of these
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people had brought food with them, and after eating the evening meal, they
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gathered about in small groups while Jesus' apostles and disciples taught them.
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Monday afternoon the multitude had increased to more than three thousand. And
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still--way into the evening--the people continued to flock in, bringing all
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manner of sick folks with them. Hundreds of interested persons had made their
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plans to stop over at Capernaum to see and hear Jesus on their way to the
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Passover, and they simply refused to be disappointed. By Wednesday noon about
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five thousand men, women, and children were assembled here in this park to the
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south of Bethsaida-Julias. The weather was pleasant, it being near the end of
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the rainy season in this locality.
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Philip had provided a three days' supply of food for Jesus and the twelve,
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which was in the custody of the Mark lad, their boy of all chores. By afternoon
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of this, the third day for almost half of this multitude, the food the people
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had brought with them was nearly exhausted. David Zebedee had no tented
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top of page - 1701
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city here to feed and accommodate the crowds. Neither had Philip made food
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provision for such a multitude. But the people, even though they were hungry,
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would not go away. It was being quietly whispered about that Jesus, desiring to
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avoid trouble with both Herod and the Jerusalem leaders, had chosen this quiet
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spot outside the jurisdiction of all his enemies as the proper place to be
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crowned king. The enthusiasm of the people was rising every hour. Not a word
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was said to Jesus, though, of course, he knew all that was going on. Even the
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twelve apostles were still tainted with such notions, and especially the
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younger evangelists. The apostles who favored this attempt to proclaim Jesus
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king were Peter, John, Simon Zelotes, and Judas Iscariot. Those opposing the
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plan were Andrew, James, Nathaniel, and Thomas. Matthew, Philip, and the
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Alpheus twins were noncommittal. The ringleader of this plot to make him king
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was Joab, one of the young evangelists.
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This was the stage setting about five o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, when
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Jesus asked James Alpheus to summon Andrew and Philip. Said Jesus: "What shall
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we do with the multitude? They have been with us now three days, and many of
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them are hungry. They have no food." Philip and Andrew exchanged glances, and
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then Philip answered: "Master, you should send these people away so that they
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may go to the villages around about and buy themselves food." And Andrew,
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fearing the materialization of the king plot, quickly joined with Philip,
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saying: "Yes, Master, I think it best that you dismiss the multitude so that
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they may go their way and buy food while you secure rest for a season." By this
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time others of the twelve had joined the conference. Then said Jesus: "But I do
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not desire to send them away hungry; can you not feed them?" This was too much
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for Philip, and he spoke right up: "Master, in this country place where can we
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buy bread for this multitude? Two hundred denarii worth would not be enough for
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lunch."
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Before the apostles had an opportunity to express themselves, Jesus turned to
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Andrew and Philip, saying: "I do not want to send these people away. Here they
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are, like sheep without a shepherd. I would like to feed them. What food have
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we with us?" While Philip was conversing with Matthew and Judas, Andrew sought
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out the Mark lad to ascertain how much was left of their store of provisions.
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He returned to Jesus, saying: "The lad has left only five barley loaves and two
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dried fishes"--and Peter promptly added, "We have yet to eat this evening."
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For a moment Jesus stood in silence. There was a faraway look in his eyes. The
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apostles said nothing. Jesus turned suddenly to Andrew and said, "Bring me the
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loaves and fishes." And when Andrew had brought the basket to Jesus, the Master
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said: "Direct the people to sit down on the grass in companies of one hundred
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and appoint a leader over each group while you bring all of the evangelists
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here with us."
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Jesus took up the loaves in his hands, and after he had given thanks, he broke
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the bread and gave to his apostles, who passed it on to their associates, who
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in turn carried it to the multitude. Jesus in like manner broke and distributed
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the fishes. And this multitude did eat and were filled. And when they had
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finished eating, Jesus said to the disciples: "Gather up the broken pieces that
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remain over so that nothing will be lost." And when they had finished gathering
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up the fragments, they had twelve basketfuls. They who ate of this
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extraordinary feast numbered about five thousand men, women, and children.
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top of page - 1702
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And this is the first and only nature miracle which Jesus performed as a result
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of his conscious preplanning. It is true that his disciples were disposed to
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call many things miracles which were not, but this was a genuine supernatural
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ministration. In this case, so we were taught, Michael multiplied food elements
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as he always does except for the elimination of the time factor and the visible
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life channel.
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3. THE KING-MAKING EPISODE
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The feeding of the five thousand by supernatural energy was another of those
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cases where human pity plus creative power equaled that which happened. Now
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that the multitude had been fed to the full, and since Jesus' fame was then and
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there augmented by this stupendous wonder, the project to seize the Master and
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proclaim him king required no further personal direction. The idea seemed to
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spread through the crowd like a contagion. The reaction of the multitude to
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this sudden and spectacular supplying of their physical needs was profound and
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overwhelming. For a long time the Jews had been taught that the Messiah, the
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son of David, when he should come, would cause the land again to flow with milk
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and honey, and that the bread of life would be bestowed upon them as manna from
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heaven was supposed to have fallen upon their forefathers in the wilderness.
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And was not all of this expectation now fulfilled right before their eyes? When
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this hungry, undernourished multitude had finished gorging itself with the
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wonder-food, there was but one unanimous reaction: "Here is our king." The
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wonder-working deliverer of Israel had come. In the eyes of these simple-minded
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people the power to feed carried with it the right to rule. No wonder, then,
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that the multitude, when it had finished feasting, rose as one man and shouted,
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"Make him king!"
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This mighty shout enthused Peter and those of the apostles who still retained
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the hope of seeing Jesus assert his right to rule. But these false hopes were
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not to live for long. This mighty shout of the multitude had hardly ceased to
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reverberate from the near-by rocks when Jesus stepped upon a huge stone and,
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lifting up his right hand to command their attention, said: "My children, you
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mean well, but you are short-sighted and material-minded." There was a brief
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pause; this stalwart Galilean was there majestically posed in the enchanting
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glow of that eastern twilight. Every inch he looked a king as he continued to
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speak to this breathless multitude: "You would make me king, not because your
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souls have been lighted with a great truth, but because your stomachs have been
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filled with bread. How many times have I told you that my kingdom is not of
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this world? This kingdom of heaven which we proclaim is a spiritual
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brotherhood, and no man rules over it seated upon a material throne. My Father
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in heaven is the all-wise and the all-powerful Ruler over this spiritual
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brotherhood of the sons of God on earth. Have I so failed in revealing to you
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the Father of spirits that you would make a king of his Son in the flesh! Now
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all of you go hence to your own homes. If you must have a king, let the Father
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of lights be enthroned in the heart of each of you as the spirit Ruler of all
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things."
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These words of Jesus sent the multitude away stunned and disheartened. Many who
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had believed in him turned back and followed him no more from that day. The
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apostles were speechless; they stood in silence gathered about the twelve
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baskets of the fragments of food; only the chore boy, the Mark
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top of page - 1703
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lad, spoke, "And he refused to be our king." Jesus, before going off to be
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alone in the hills, turned to Andrew and said: "Take your brethren back to
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Zebedee's house and pray with them, especially for your brother, Simon Peter."
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4. SIMON PETER'S NIGHT VISION
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The apostles, without their Master--sent off by themselves--entered the boat
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and in silence began to row toward Bethsaida on the western shore of the lake.
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None of the twelve was so crushed and downcast as Simon Peter. Hardly a word
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was spoken; they were all thinking of the Master alone in the hills. Had he
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forsaken them? He had never before sent them all away and refused to go with
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them. What could all this mean?
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Darkness descended upon them, for there had arisen a strong and contrary wind
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which made progress almost impossible. As the hours of darkness and hard rowing
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passed, Peter grew weary and fell into a deep sleep of exhaustion. Andrew and
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James put him to rest on the cushioned seat in the stern of the boat. While the
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other apostles toiled against the wind and the waves, Peter dreamed a dream; he
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saw a vision of Jesus coming to them walking on the sea. When the Master seemed
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to walk on by the boat, Peter cried out, "Save us, Master, save us." And those
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who were in the rear of the boat heard him say some of these words. As this
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apparition of the night season continued in Peter's mind, he dreamed that he
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heard Jesus say: "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." This was like the
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balm of Gilead to Peter's disturbed soul; it soothed his troubled spirit, so
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that (in his dream) he cried out to the Master: "Lord, if it really is you, bid
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me come and walk with you on the water." And when Peter started to walk upon
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the water, the boisterous waves frightened him, and as he was about to sink, he
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cried out, "Lord, save me!" And many of the twelve heard him utter this cry.
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Then Peter dreamed that Jesus came to the rescue and, stretching forth his
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hand, took hold and lifted him up, saying: "O, you of little faith, wherefore
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did you doubt?"
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In connection with the latter part of his dream Peter arose from the seat
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whereon he slept and actually stepped overboard and into the water. And he
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awakened from his dream as Andrew, James, and John reached down and pulled him
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out of the sea.
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To Peter this experience was always real. He sincerely believed that Jesus came
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to them that night. He only partially convinced John Mark, which explains why
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Mark left a portion of the story out of his narrative. Luke, the physician, who
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made careful search into these matters, concluded that the episode was a vision
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of Peter's and therefore refused to give place to this story in the preparation
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of his narrative.
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5. BACK IN BETHSAIDA
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Thursday morning, before daylight, they anchored their boat offshore near
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Zebedee's house and sought sleep until about noontime. Andrew was first up and,
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going for a walk by the sea, found Jesus, in company with their chore boy,
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sitting on a stone by the water's edge. Notwithstanding that many of the
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multitude and the young evangelists searched all night and much of the next day
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about the eastern hills for Jesus, shortly after midnight he and the Mark lad
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had started to walk around the lake and across the river, back to Bethsaida.
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top of page - 1704
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Of the five thousand who were miraculously fed, and who, when their stomachs
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were full and their hearts empty, would have made him king, only about five
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hundred persisted in following after him. But before these received word that
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he was back in Bethsaida, Jesus asked Andrew to assemble the twelve apostles
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and their associates, including the women, saying, "I desire to speak with
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them." And when all were ready, Jesus said:
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"How long shall I bear with you? Are you all slow of spiritual comprehension
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and deficient in living faith? All these months have I taught you the truths of
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the kingdom, and yet are you dominated by material motives instead of spiritual
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considerations. Have you not even read in the Scriptures where Moses exhorted
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the unbelieving children of Israel, saying: `Fear not, stand still and see the
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salvation of the Lord'? Said the singer: `Put your trust in the Lord.' `Be
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patient, wait upon the Lord and be of good courage. He shall strengthen your
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heart.' `Cast your burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain you. Trust him at
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all times and pour out your heart to him, for God is your refuge.' `He who
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dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the
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Almighty.' `It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in human
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princes.'
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"And now do you all see that the working of miracles and the performance of
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material wonders will not win souls for the spiritual kingdom? We fed the
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multitude, but it did not lead them to hunger for the bread of life neither to
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thirst for the waters of spiritual righteousness. When their hunger was
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satisfied, they sought not entrance into the kingdom of heaven but rather
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sought to proclaim the Son of Man king after the manner of the kings of this
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world, only that they might continue to eat bread without having to toil
|
||
therefor. And all this, in which many of you did more or less participate, does
|
||
nothing to reveal the heavenly Father or to advance his kingdom on earth. Have
|
||
we not sufficient enemies among the religious leaders of the land without doing
|
||
that which is likely to estrange also the civil rulers? I pray that the Father
|
||
will anoint your eyes that you may see and open your ears that you may hear, to
|
||
the end that you may have full faith in the gospel which I have taught you."
|
||
|
||
Jesus then announced that he wished to withdraw for a few days of rest with his
|
||
apostles before they made ready to go up to Jerusalem for the Passover, and he
|
||
forbade any of the disciples or the multitude to follow him. Accordingly they
|
||
went by boat to the region of Gennesaret for two or three days of rest and
|
||
sleep. Jesus was preparing for a great crisis of his life on earth, and he
|
||
therefore spent much time in communion with the Father in heaven.
|
||
|
||
The news of the feeding of the five thousand and the attempt to make Jesus king
|
||
aroused widespread curiosity and stirred up the fears of both the religious
|
||
leaders and the civil rulers throughout all Galilee and Judea. While this great
|
||
miracle did nothing to further the gospel of the kingdom in the souls of
|
||
material-minded and halfhearted believers, it did serve the purpose of bringing
|
||
to a head the miracle-seeking and king-craving proclivities of Jesus' immediate
|
||
family of apostles and close disciples. This spectacular episode brought an end
|
||
to the early era of teaching, training, and healing, thereby preparing the way
|
||
for the inauguration of this last year of proclaiming the higher and more
|
||
spiritual phases of the new gospel of the kingdom--divine sonship, spiritual
|
||
liberty, and eternal salvation.
|
||
|
||
top of page - 1705
|
||
|
||
6. AT GENNESARET
|
||
|
||
While resting at the home of a wealthy believer in the Gennesaret region, Jesus
|
||
held informal conferences with the twelve every afternoon. The ambassadors of
|
||
the kingdom were a serious, sober, and chastened group of disillusioned men.
|
||
But even after all that had happened, and as subsequent events disclosed, these
|
||
twelve men were not yet fully delivered from their inbred and long-cherished
|
||
notions about the coming of the Jewish Messiah. Events of the preceding few
|
||
weeks had moved too swiftly for these astonished fishermen to grasp their full
|
||
significance. It requires time for men and women to effect radical and
|
||
extensive changes in their basic and fundamental concepts of social conduct,
|
||
philosophic attitudes, and religious convictions.
|
||
|
||
While Jesus and the twelve were resting at Gennesaret, the multitudes
|
||
dispersed, some going to their homes, others going on up to Jerusalem for the
|
||
Passover. In less than one month's time the enthusiastic and open followers of
|
||
Jesus, who numbered more than fifty thousand in Galilee alone, shrank to less
|
||
than five hundred. Jesus desired to give his apostles such an experience with
|
||
the fickleness of popular acclaim that they would not be tempted to rely on
|
||
such manifestations of transient religious hysteria after he should leave them
|
||
alone in the work of the kingdom, but he was only partially successful in this
|
||
effort.
|
||
|
||
The second night of their sojourn at Gennesaret the Master again told the
|
||
apostles the parable of the sower and added these words: "You see, my children,
|
||
the appeal to human feelings is transitory and utterly disappointing; the
|
||
exclusive appeal to the intellect of man is likewise empty and barren; it is
|
||
only by making your appeal to the spirit which lives within the human mind that
|
||
you can hope to achieve lasting success and accomplish those marvelous
|
||
transformations of human character that are presently shown in the abundant
|
||
yielding of the genuine fruits of the spirit in the daily lives of all who are
|
||
thus delivered from the darkness of doubt by the birth of the spirit into the
|
||
light of faith--the kingdom of heaven."
|
||
|
||
Jesus taught the appeal to the emotions as the technique of arresting and
|
||
focusing the intellectual attention. He designated the mind thus aroused and
|
||
quickened as the gateway to the soul, where there resides that spiritual nature
|
||
of man which must recognize truth and respond to the spiritual appeal of the
|
||
gospel in order to afford the permanent results of true character
|
||
transformations.
|
||
|
||
Jesus thus endeavored to prepare the apostles for the impending shock--the
|
||
crisis in the public attitude toward him which was only a few days distant. He
|
||
explained to the twelve that the religious rulers of Jerusalem would conspire
|
||
with Herod Antipas to effect their destruction. The twelve began to realize
|
||
more fully (though not finally) that Jesus was not going to sit on David's
|
||
throne. They saw more fully that spiritual truth was not to be advanced by
|
||
material wonders. They began to realize that the feeding of the five thousand
|
||
and the popular movement to make Jesus king was the apex of the
|
||
miracle-seeking, wonder-working expectance of the people and the height of
|
||
Jesus' acclaim by the populace. They vaguely discerned and dimly foresaw the
|
||
approaching times of spiritual sifting and cruel adversity. These twelve men
|
||
were
|
||
|
||
top of page - 1706
|
||
|
||
slowly awaking to the realization of the real nature of their task as
|
||
ambassadors of the kingdom, and they began to gird themselves for the trying
|
||
and testing ordeals of the last year of the Master's ministry on earth.
|
||
|
||
Before they left Gennesaret, Jesus instructed them regarding the miraculous
|
||
feeding of the five thousand, telling them just why he engaged in this
|
||
extraordinary manifestation of creative power and also assuring them that he
|
||
did not thus yield to his sympathy for the multitude until he had ascertained
|
||
that it was "according to the Father's will."
|
||
|
||
7. AT JERUSALEM
|
||
|
||
Sunday, April 3, Jesus, accompanied only by the twelve apostles, started from
|
||
Bethsaida on the journey to Jerusalem. To avoid the multitudes and to attract
|
||
as little attention as possible, they journeyed by way of Gerasa and
|
||
Philadelphia. He forbade them to do any public teaching on this trip; neither
|
||
did he permit them to teach or preach while sojourning in Jerusalem. They
|
||
arrived at Bethany, near Jerusalem, late on Wednesday evening, April 6. For
|
||
this one night they stopped at the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, but the
|
||
next day they separated. Jesus, with John, stayed at the home of a believer
|
||
named Simon, near the house of Lazarus in Bethany. Judas Iscariot and Simon
|
||
Zelotes stopped with friends in Jerusalem, while the rest of the apostles
|
||
sojourned, two and two, in different homes.
|
||
|
||
Jesus entered Jerusalem only once during this Passover, and that was on the
|
||
great day of the feast. Many of the Jerusalem believers were brought out by
|
||
Abner to meet Jesus at Bethany. During this sojourn at Jerusalem the twelve
|
||
learned how bitter the feeling was becoming toward their Master. They departed
|
||
from Jerusalem all believing that a crisis was impending.
|
||
|
||
On Sunday, April 24, Jesus and the apostles left Jerusalem for Bethsaida, going
|
||
by way of the coast cities of Joppa, Caesarea, and Ptolemais. Thence, overland
|
||
they went by Ramah and Chorazin to Bethsaida, arriving on Friday, April 29.
|
||
Immediately on reaching home, Jesus dispatched Andrew to ask of the ruler of
|
||
the synagogue permission to speak the next day, that being the Sabbath, at the
|
||
afternoon service. And Jesus well knew that that would be the last time he
|
||
would ever be permitted to speak in the Capernaum synagogue.
|
||
|
||
top of page - 1707
|
||
|
||
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART IV: The Life and Teachings
|
||
of Jesus : The Bestowal Of Michael On Urantia The Times Of Michael's Bestowal
|
||
Birth And Infancy Of Jesus The Early Childhood Of Jesus The Later Childhood Of
|
||
Jesus Jesus At Jerusalem The Two Crucial Years The Adolescent Years Jesus'
|
||
Early Manhood The Later Adult Life Of Jesus On The Way To Rome The World's
|
||
Religions The Sojourn At Rome The Return From Rome The Transition Years John
|
||
The Baptist Baptism And The Forty Days Tarrying Time In Galilee Training The
|
||
Kingdom's Messengers The Twelve Apostles The Ordination Of The Twelve Beginning
|
||
The Public Work The Passover At Jerusalem Going Through Samaria At Gilboa And
|
||
In The Decapolis Four Eventful Days At Capernaum First Preaching Tour Of
|
||
Galilee The Interlude Visit To Jerusalem Training Evangelists At Bethsaida The
|
||
Second Preaching Tour The Third Preaching Tour Tarrying And Teaching By The
|
||
Seaside Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis The Crisis At Capernaum Last
|
||
Days At Capernaum Fleeing Through Northern Galilee The Sojourn At Tyre And
|
||
Sidon At Caesarea-philippi The Mount Of Transfiguration The Decapolis Tour
|
||
Rodan Of Alexandria Further Discussions With Rodan At The Feast Of Tabernacles
|
||
Ordination Of The Seventy At Magadan At The Feast Of Dedication The Perean
|
||
Mission Begins Last Visit To Northern Perea The Visit To Philadelphia The
|
||
Resurrection Of Lazarus Last Teaching At Pella The Kingdom Of Heaven On The Way
|
||
To Jerusalem Going Into Jerusalem Monday In Jerusalem Tuesday Morning In The
|
||
Temple The Last Temple Discourse Tuesday Evening On Mount Olivet Wednesday, The
|
||
Rest Day Last Day At The Camp The Last Supper The Farewell Discourse Final
|
||
Admonitions And Warnings In Gethsemane The Betrayal And Arrest Of Jesus Before
|
||
The Sanhedrin Court The Trial Before Pilate Just Before The Crucifixion The
|
||
Crucifixion The Time Of The Tomb The Resurrection Morontia Appearances Of Jesus
|
||
Appearances To The Apostles And Other Leaders Appearances In Galilee Final
|
||
Appearances And Ascension Bestowal Of The Spirit Of Truth After Pentecost The
|
||
Faith Of Jesus
|
||
|
||
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ
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