642 lines
39 KiB
Plaintext
642 lines
39 KiB
Plaintext
Urantia Book Paper 159 The Decapolis Tour
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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 159 The Decapolis Tour
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Introduction
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WHEN Jesus and the twelve arrived at Magadan Park, they found awaiting them a
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group of almost one hundred evangelists and disciples, including the women's
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corps, and they were ready immediately to begin the teaching and preaching tour
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of the cities of the Decapolis.
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On this Thursday morning, August 18, the Master called his followers together
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and directed that each of the apostles should associate himself with one of the
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twelve evangelists, and that with others of the evangelists they should go out
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in twelve groups to labor in the cities and villages of the Decapolis. The
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women's corps and others of the disciples he directed to remain with him. Jesus
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allotted four weeks to this tour, instructing his followers to return to
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Magadan not later than Friday, September 16. He promised to visit them often
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during this time. In the course of this month these twelve groups labored in
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Gerasa, Gamala, Hippos, Zaphon, Gadara, Abila, Edrei, Philadelphia, Heshbon,
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Dium, Scythopolis, and many other cities. Throughout this tour no miracles of
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healing or other extraordinary events occurred.
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1. THE SERMON ON FORGIVENESS
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One evening at Hippos, in answer to a disciple's question, Jesus taught the
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lesson on forgiveness. Said the Master:
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"If a kindhearted man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, does he
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not immediately leave the ninety and nine and go out in search of the one that
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has gone astray? And if he is a good shepherd, will he not keep up his quest
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for the lost sheep until he finds it? And then, when the shepherd has found his
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lost sheep, he lays it over his shoulder and, going home rejoicing, calls to
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his friends and neighbors, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was
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lost.' I declare that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
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than over ninety and nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Even so, it
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is not the will of my Father in heaven that one of these little ones should go
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astray, much less that they should perish. In your religion God may receive
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repentant sinners; in the gospel of the kingdom the Father goes forth to find
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them even before they have seriously thought of repentance.
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"The Father in heaven loves his children, and therefore should you learn to
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love one another; the Father in heaven forgives you your sins; therefore should
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you learn to forgive one another. If your brother sins against you, go to him
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and with tact and patience show him his fault. And do all this between you and
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him alone. If he will listen to you, then have you won your brother. But if
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your brother will not hear you, if he persists in the error of his way, go
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again to him, taking with you one or two mutual friends that you may thus have
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two or even
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three witnesses to confirm your testimony and establish the fact that you have
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dealt justly and mercifully with your offending brother. Now if he refuses to
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hear your brethren, you may tell the whole story to the congregation, and then,
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if he refuses to hear the brotherhood, let them take such action as they deem
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wise; let such an unruly member become an outcast from the kingdom. While you
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cannot pretend to sit in judgment on the souls of your fellows, and while you
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may not forgive sins or otherwise presume to usurp the prerogatives of the
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supervisors of the heavenly hosts, at the same time, it has been committed to
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your hands that you should maintain temporal order in the kingdom on earth.
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While you may not meddle with the divine decrees concerning eternal life, you
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shall determine the issues of conduct as they concern the temporal welfare of
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the brotherhood on earth. And so, in all these matters connected with the
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discipline of the brotherhood, whatsoever you shall decree on earth shall be
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recognized in heaven. Although you cannot determine the eternal fate of the
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individual, you may legislate regarding the conduct of the group, for, where
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two or three of you agree concerning any of these things and ask of me, it
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shall be done for you if your petition is not inconsistent with the will of my
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Father in heaven. And all this is ever true, for, where two or three believers
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are gathered together, there am I in the midst of them."
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Simon Peter was the apostle in charge of the workers at Hippos, and when he
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heard Jesus thus speak, he asked: "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against
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me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?" And Jesus answered Peter: "Not only
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seven times but even to seventy times and seven. Therefore may the kingdom of
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heaven be likened to a certain king who ordered a financial reckoning with his
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stewards. And when they had begun to conduct this examination of accounts, one
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of his chief retainers was brought before him confessing that he owed his king
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ten thousand talents. Now this officer of the king's court pleaded that hard
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times had come upon him, and that he did not have wherewith to pay this
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obligation. And so the king commanded that his property be confiscated, and
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that his children be sold to pay his debt. When this chief steward heard this
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stern decree, he fell down on his face before the king and implored him to have
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mercy and grant him more time, saying, `Lord, have a little more patience with
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me, and I will pay you all.' And when the king looked upon this negligent
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servant and his family, he was moved with compassion. He ordered that he should
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be released, and that the loan should be wholly forgiven.
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"And this chief steward, having thus received mercy and forgiveness at the
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hands of the king, went about his business, and finding one of his subordinate
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stewards who owed him a mere hundred denarii, he laid hold upon him and, taking
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him by the throat, said, `Pay me all you owe.' And then did this fellow steward
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fall down before the chief steward and, beseeching him, said: `Only have
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patience with me, and I will presently be able to pay you.' But the chief
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steward would not show mercy to his fellow steward but rather had him cast in
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prison until he should pay his debt. When his fellow servants saw what had
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happened, they were so distressed that they went and told their lord and
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master, the king. When the king heard of the doings of his chief steward, he
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called this ungrateful and unforgiving man before him and said: 'You are a
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wicked and unworthy steward. When you sought for compassion, I freely forgave
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you your entire debt. Why did you not also show mercy to your fellow steward,
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even as I showed mercy to you?' And the king was so very angry that he
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delivered his
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ungrateful chief steward to the jailers that they might hold him until he had
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paid all that was due. And even so shall my heavenly Father show the more
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abundant mercy to those who freely show mercy to their fellows. How can you
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come to God asking consideration for your shortcomings when you are wont to
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chastise your brethren for being guilty of these same human frailties? I say to
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all of you: Freely you have received the good things of the kingdom; therefore
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freely give to your fellows on earth."
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Thus did Jesus teach the dangers and illustrate the unfairness of sitting in
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personal judgment upon one's fellows. Discipline must be maintained, justice
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must be administered, but in all these matters the wisdom of the brotherhood
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should prevail. Jesus invested legislative and judicial authority in the group,
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not in the individual. Even this investment of authority in the group must not
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be exercised as personal authority. There is always danger that the verdict of
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an individual may be warped by prejudice or distorted by passion. Group
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judgment is more likely to remove the dangers and eliminate the unfairness of
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personal bias. Jesus sought always to minimize the elements of unfairness,
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retaliation, and vengeance.
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[The use of the term seventy-seven as an illustration of mercy and forbearance
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was derived from the Scriptures referring to Lamech's exultation because of the
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metal weapons of his son Tubal-Cain, who, comparing these superior instruments
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with those of his enemies, exclaimed: "If Cain, with no weapon in his hand, was
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avenged seven times, I shall now be avenged seventy-seven."]
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2. THE STRANGE PREACHER
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Jesus went over to Gamala to visit John and those who worked with him at that
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place. That evening, after the session of questions and answers, John said to
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Jesus: "Master, yesterday I went over to Ashtaroth to see a man who was
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teaching in your name and even claiming to be able to cast out devils. Now this
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fellow had never been with us, neither does he follow after us; therefore I
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forbade him to do such things." Then said Jesus: "Forbid him not. Do you not
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perceive that this gospel of the kingdom shall presently be proclaimed in all
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the world? How can you expect that all who will believe the gospel shall be
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subject to your direction? Rejoice that already our teaching has begun to
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manifest itself beyond the bounds of our personal influence. Do you not see,
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John, that those who profess to do great works in my name must eventually
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support our cause? They certainly will not be quick to speak evil of me. My
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son, in matters of this sort it would be better for you to reckon that he who
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is not against us is for us. In the generations to come many who are not wholly
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worthy will do many strange things in my name, but I will not forbid them. I
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tell you that, even when a cup of cold water is given to a thirsty soul, the
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Father's messengers shall ever make record of such a service of love."
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This instruction greatly perplexed John. Had he not heard the Master say, "He
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who is not with me is against me"? And he did not perceive that in this case
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Jesus was referring to man's personal relation to the spiritual teachings of
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the kingdom, while in the other case reference was made to the outward and
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far-flung social relations of believers regarding the questions of
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administrative control and the jurisdiction of one group of believers over the
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work of other groups which would eventually compose the forthcoming world-wide
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brotherhood.
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But John oftentimes recounted this experience in connection with his subsequent
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labors in behalf of the kingdom. Nevertheless, many times did the apostles take
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offense at those who made bold to teach in the Master's name. To them it always
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seemed inappropriate that those who had never sat at Jesus' feet should dare to
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teach in his name.
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This man whom John forbade to teach and work in Jesus' name did not heed the
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apostle's injunction. He went right on with his efforts and raised up a
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considerable company of believers at Kanata before going on into Mesopotamia.
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This man, Aden, had been led to believe in Jesus through the testimony of the
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demented man whom Jesus healed near Kheresa, and who so confidently believed
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that the supposed evil spirits which the Master cast out of him entered the
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herd of swine and rushed them headlong over the cliff to their destruction.
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3. INSTRUCTION FOR TEACHERS AND BELIEVERS
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At Edrei, where Thomas and his associates labored, Jesus spent a day and a
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night and, in the course of the evening's discussion, gave expression to the
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principles which should guide those who preach truth, and which should activate
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all who teach the gospel of the kingdom. Summarized and restated in modern
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phraseology, Jesus taught:
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Always respect the personality of man. Never should a righteous cause be
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promoted by force; spiritual victories can be won only by spiritual power. This
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injunction against the employment of material influences refers to psychic
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force as well as to physical force. Overpowering arguments and mental
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superiority are not to be employed to coerce men and women into the kingdom.
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Man's mind is not to be crushed by the mere weight of logic or overawed by
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shrewd eloquence. While emotion as a factor in human decisions cannot be wholly
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eliminated, it should not be directly appealed to in the teachings of those who
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would advance the cause of the kingdom. Make your appeals directly to the
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divine spirit that dwells within the minds of men. Do not appeal to fear, pity,
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or mere sentiment. In appealing to men, be fair; exercise self-control and
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exhibit due restraint; show proper respect for the personalities of your
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pupils. Remember that I have said: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and
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if any man will open, I will come in."
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In bringing men into the kingdom, do not lessen or destroy their self-respect.
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While overmuch self-respect may destroy proper humility and end in pride,
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conceit, and arrogance, the loss of self-respect often ends in paralysis of the
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will. It is the purpose of this gospel to restore self-respect to those who
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have lost it and to restrain it in those who have it. Make not the mistake of
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only condemning the wrongs in the lives of your pupils; remember also to accord
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generous recognition for the most praiseworthy things in their lives. Forget
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not that I will stop at nothing to restore self-respect to those who have lost
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it, and who really desire to regain it.
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Take care that you do not wound the self-respect of timid and fearful souls. Do
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not indulge in sarcasm at the expense of my simple-minded brethren. Be not
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cynical with my fear-ridden children. Idleness is destructive of self-respect;
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therefore, admonish your brethren ever to keep busy at their chosen tasks, and
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put forth every effort to secure work for those who find themselves without
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employment.
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Never be guilty of such unworthy tactics as endeavoring to frighten men and
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women into the kingdom. A loving father does not frighten his children into
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yielding obedience to his just requirements.
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Sometime the children of the kingdom will realize that strong feelings of
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emotion are not equivalent to the leadings of the divine spirit. To be strongly
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and strangely impressed to do something or to go to a certain place, does not
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necessarily mean that such impulses are the leadings of the indwelling spirit.
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Forewarn all believers regarding the fringe of conflict which must be traversed
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by all who pass from the life as it is lived in the flesh to the higher life as
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it is lived in the spirit. To those who live quite wholly within either realm,
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there is little conflict or confusion, but all are doomed to experience more or
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less uncertainty during the times of transition between the two levels of
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living. In entering the kingdom, you cannot escape its responsibilities or
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avoid its obligations, but remember: The gospel yoke is easy and the burden of
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truth is light.
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The world is filled with hungry souls who famish in the very presence of the
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bread of life; men die searching for the very God who lives within them. Men
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seek for the treasures of the kingdom with yearning hearts and weary feet when
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they are all within the immediate grasp of living faith. Faith is to religion
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what sails are to a ship; it is an addition of power, not an added burden of
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life. There is but one struggle for those who enter the kingdom, and that is to
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fight the good fight of faith. The believer has only one battle, and that is
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against doubt--unbelief.
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In preaching the gospel of the kingdom, you are simply teaching friendship with
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God. And this fellowship will appeal alike to men and women in that both will
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find that which most truly satisfies their characteristic longings and ideals.
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Tell my children that I am not only tender of their feelings and patient with
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their frailties, but that I am also ruthless with sin and intolerant of
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iniquity. I am indeed meek and humble in the presence of my Father, but I am
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equally and relentlessly inexorable where there is deliberate evildoing and
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sinful rebellion against the will of my Father in heaven.
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You shall not portray your teacher as a man of sorrows. Future generations
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shall know also the radiance of our joy, the buoyance of our good will, and the
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inspiration of our good humor. We proclaim a message of good news which is
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infectious in its transforming power. Our religion is throbbing with new life
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and new meanings. Those who accept this teaching are filled with joy and in
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their hearts are constrained to rejoice evermore. Increasing happiness is
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always the experience of all who are certain about God.
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Teach all believers to avoid leaning upon the insecure props of false sympathy.
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You cannot develop strong characters out of the indulgence of self-pity;
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honestly endeavor to avoid the deceptive influence of mere fellowship in
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misery. Extend sympathy to the brave and courageous while you withhold overmuch
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pity from those cowardly souls who only halfheartedly stand up before the
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trials of living. Offer not consolation to those who lie down before their
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troubles without a struggle. Sympathize not with your fellows merely that they
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may sympathize with you in return.
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When my children once become self-conscious of the assurance of the divine
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presence, such a faith will expand the mind, ennoble the soul, reinforce the
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personality, augment the happiness, deepen the spirit perception, and enhance
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the power to love and be loved.
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Teach all believers that those who enter the kingdom are not thereby rendered
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immune to the accidents of time or to the ordinary catastrophes of nature.
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Believing the gospel will not prevent getting into trouble, but it will insure
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that you shall be unafraid when trouble does overtake you. If you dare to
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believe in me and wholeheartedly proceed to follow after me, you shall most
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certainly by so doing enter upon the sure pathway to trouble. I do not promise
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to deliver you from the waters of adversity, but I do promise to go with you
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through all of them.
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And much more did Jesus teach this group of believers before they made ready
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for the night's sleep. And they who heard these sayings treasured them in their
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hearts and did often recite them for the edification of the apostles and
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disciples who were not present when they were spoken.
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4. THE TALK WITH NATHANIEL
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And then went Jesus over to Abila, where Nathaniel and his associates labored.
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Nathaniel was much bothered by some of Jesus' pronouncements which seemed to
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detract from the authority of the recognized Hebrew scriptures. Accordingly, on
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this night, after the usual period of questions and answers, Nathaniel took
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Jesus away from the others and asked: "Master, could you trust me to know the
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truth about the Scriptures? I observe that you teach us only a portion of the
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sacred writings--the best as I view it--and I infer that you reject the
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teachings of the rabbis to the effect that the words of the law are the very
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words of God, having been with God in heaven even before the times of Abraham
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and Moses. What is the truth about the Scriptures?" When Jesus heard the
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question of his bewildered apostle, he answered:
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"Nathaniel, you have rightly judged; I do not regard the Scriptures as do the
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rabbis. I will talk with you about this matter on condition that you do not
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relate these things to your brethren, who are not all prepared to receive this
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teaching. The words of the law of Moses and the teachings of the Scriptures
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were not in existence before Abraham. Only in recent times have the Scriptures
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been gathered together as we now have them. While they contain the best of the
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higher thoughts and longings of the Jewish people, they also contain much that
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is far from being representative of the character and teachings of the Father
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in heaven; wherefore must I choose from among the better teachings those truths
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which are to be gleaned for the gospel of the kingdom.
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"These writings are the work of men, some of them holy men, others not so holy.
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The teachings of these books represent the views and extent of enlightenment of
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the times in which they had their origin. As a revelation of truth, the last
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are more dependable than the first. The Scriptures are faulty and altogether
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human in origin, but mistake not, they do constitute the best collection of
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religious wisdom and spiritual truth to be found in all the world at this time.
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"Many of these books were not written by the persons whose names they bear, but
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that in no way detracts from the value of the truths which they contain. If the
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story of Jonah should not be a fact, even if Jonah had never lived, still would
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the profound truth of this narrative, the love of God for Nineveh and the
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so-called heathen, be none the less precious in the eyes of all those who love
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their
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fellow men. The Scriptures are sacred because they present the thoughts and
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acts of men who were searching for God, and who in these writings left on
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record their highest concepts of righteousness, truth, and holiness. The
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Scriptures contain much that is true, very much, but in the light of your
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present teaching, you know that these writings also contain much that is
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misrepresentative of the Father in heaven, the loving God I have come to reveal
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to all the worlds.
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"Nathaniel, never permit yourself for one moment to believe the Scripture
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records which tell you that the God of love directed your forefathers to go
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forth in battle to slay all their enemies--men, women, and children. Such
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records are the words of men, not very holy men, and they are not the word of
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God. The Scriptures always have, and always will, reflect the intellectual,
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moral, and spiritual status of those who create them. Have you not noted that
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the concepts of Yahweh grow in beauty and glory as the prophets make their
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records from Samuel to Isaiah? And you should remember that the Scriptures are
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intended for religious instruction and spiritual guidance. They are not the
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works of either historians or philosophers.
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"The thing most deplorable is not merely this erroneous idea of the absolute
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perfection of the Scripture record and the infallibility of its teachings, but
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rather the confusing misinterpretation of these sacred writings by the
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tradition-enslaved scribes and Pharisees at Jerusalem. And now will they employ
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both the doctrine of the inspiration of the Scriptures and their
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misinterpretations thereof in their determined effort to withstand these newer
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teachings of the gospel of the kingdom. Nathaniel, never forget, the Father
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does not limit the revelation of truth to any one generation or to any one
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people. Many earnest seekers after the truth have been, and will continue to
|
||
be, confused and disheartened by these doctrines of the perfection of the
|
||
Scriptures.
|
||
|
||
"The authority of truth is the very spirit that indwells its living
|
||
manifestations, and not the dead words of the less illuminated and supposedly
|
||
inspired men of another generation. And even if these holy men of old lived
|
||
inspired and spirit-filled lives, that does not mean that their words were
|
||
similarly spiritually inspired. Today we make no record of the teachings of
|
||
this gospel of the kingdom lest, when I have gone, you speedily become divided
|
||
up into sundry groups of truth contenders as a result of the diversity of your
|
||
interpretation of my teachings. For this generation it is best that we live
|
||
these truths while we shun the making of records.
|
||
|
||
"Mark you well my words, Nathaniel, nothing which human nature has touched can
|
||
be regarded as infallible. Through the mind of man divine truth may indeed
|
||
shine forth, but always of relative purity and partial divinity. The creature
|
||
may crave infallibility, but only the Creators possess it.
|
||
|
||
"But the greatest error of the teaching about the Scriptures is the doctrine of
|
||
their being sealed books of mystery and wisdom which only the wise minds of the
|
||
nation dare to interpret. The revelations of divine truth are not sealed except
|
||
by human ignorance, bigotry, and narrow-minded intolerance. The light of the
|
||
Scriptures is only dimmed by prejudice and darkened by superstition. A false
|
||
fear of sacredness has prevented religion from being safeguarded by common
|
||
sense. The fear of the authority of the sacred writings of the past effectively
|
||
prevents the honest souls of today from accepting the new light of the gospel,
|
||
the light which these very God-knowing men of another generation so intensely
|
||
longed to see.
|
||
|
||
top of page - 1769
|
||
|
||
"But the saddest feature of all is the fact that some of the teachers of the
|
||
sanctity of this traditionalism know this very truth. They more or less fully
|
||
understand these limitations of Scripture, but they are moral cowards,
|
||
intellectually dishonest. They know the truth regarding the sacred writings,
|
||
but they prefer to withhold such disturbing facts from the people. And thus do
|
||
they pervert and distort the Scriptures, making them the guide to slavish
|
||
details of the daily life and an authority in things nonspiritual instead of
|
||
appealing to the sacred writings as the repository of the moral wisdom,
|
||
religious inspiration, and the spiritual teaching of the God-knowing men of
|
||
other generations."
|
||
|
||
Nathaniel was enlightened, and shocked, by the Master's pronouncement. He long
|
||
pondered this talk in the depths of his soul, but he told no man concerning
|
||
this conference until after Jesus' ascension; and even then he feared to impart
|
||
the full story of the Master's instruction.
|
||
|
||
5. THE POSITIVE NATURE OF JESUS' RELIGION
|
||
|
||
At Philadelphia, where James was working, Jesus taught the disciples about the
|
||
positive nature of the gospel of the kingdom. When, in the course of his
|
||
remarks, he intimated that some parts of the Scripture were more
|
||
truth-containing than others and admonished his hearers to feed their souls
|
||
upon the best of the spiritual food, James interrupted the Master, asking:
|
||
"Would you be good enough, Master, to suggest to us how we may choose the
|
||
better passages from the Scriptures for our personal edification?" And Jesus
|
||
replied: "Yes, James, when you read the Scriptures look for those eternally
|
||
true and divinely beautiful teachings, such as:
|
||
|
||
"Create in me a clean heart, O Lord.
|
||
|
||
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
|
||
|
||
"You should love your neighbor as yourself.
|
||
|
||
"For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying, fear not; I will
|
||
help you.
|
||
|
||
"Neither shall the nations learn war any more."
|
||
|
||
And this is illustrative of the way Jesus, day by day, appropriated the cream
|
||
of the Hebrew scriptures for the instruction of his followers and for inclusion
|
||
in the teachings of the new gospel of the kingdom. Other religions had
|
||
suggested the thought of the nearness of God to man, but Jesus made the care of
|
||
God for man like the solicitude of a loving father for the welfare of his
|
||
dependent children and then made this teaching the cornerstone of his religion.
|
||
And thus did the doctrine of the fatherhood of God make imperative the practice
|
||
of the brotherhood of man. The worship of God and the service of man became the
|
||
sum and substance of his religion. Jesus took the best of the Jewish religion
|
||
and translated it to a worthy setting in the new teachings of the gospel of the
|
||
kingdom.
|
||
|
||
Jesus put the spirit of positive action into the passive doctrines of the
|
||
Jewish religion. In the place of negative compliance with ceremonial
|
||
requirements, Jesus enjoined the positive doing of that which his new religion
|
||
required of those who accepted it. Jesus' religion consisted not merely in
|
||
believing, but in actually doing, those things which the gospel required. He
|
||
did not teach that the essence
|
||
|
||
top of page - 1770
|
||
|
||
of his religion consisted in social service, but rather that social service was
|
||
one of the certain effects of the possession of the spirit of true religion.
|
||
|
||
Jesus did not hesitate to appropriate the better half of a Scripture while he
|
||
repudiated the lesser portion. His great exhortation, "Love your neighbor as
|
||
yourself," he took from the Scripture which reads: "You shall not take
|
||
vengeance against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor
|
||
as yourself." Jesus appropriated the positive portion of this Scripture while
|
||
rejecting the negative part. He even opposed negative or purely passive
|
||
nonresistance. Said he: "When an enemy smites you on one cheek, do not stand
|
||
there dumb and passive but in positive attitude turn the other; that is, do the
|
||
best thing possible actively to lead your brother in error away from the evil
|
||
paths into the better ways of righteous living." Jesus required his followers
|
||
to react positively and aggressively to every life situation. The turning of
|
||
the other cheek, or whatever act that may typify, demands initiative,
|
||
necessitates vigorous, active, and courageous expression of the believer's
|
||
personality.
|
||
|
||
Jesus did not advocate the practice of negative submission to the indignities
|
||
of those who might purposely seek to impose upon the practitioners of
|
||
nonresistance to evil, but rather that his followers should be wise and alert
|
||
in the quick and positive reaction of good to evil to the end that they might
|
||
effectively overcome evil with good. Forget not, the truly good is invariably
|
||
more powerful than the most malignant evil. The Master taught a positive
|
||
standard of righteousness: "Whosoever wishes to be my disciple, let him
|
||
disregard himself and take up the full measure of his responsibilities daily to
|
||
follow me." And he so lived himself in that "he went about doing good." And
|
||
this aspect of the gospel was well illustrated by many parables which he later
|
||
spoke to his followers. He never exhorted his followers patiently to bear their
|
||
obligations but rather with energy and enthusiasm to live up to the full
|
||
measure of their human responsibilities and divine privileges in the kingdom of
|
||
God.
|
||
|
||
When Jesus instructed his apostles that they should, when one unjustly took
|
||
away the coat, offer the other garment, he referred not so much to a literal
|
||
second coat as to the idea of doing something positive to save the wrongdoer in
|
||
the place of the olden advice to retaliate--"an eye for an eye" and so on.
|
||
Jesus abhorred the idea either of retaliation or of becoming just a passive
|
||
sufferer or victim of injustice. On this occasion he taught them the three ways
|
||
of contending with, and resisting, evil:
|
||
|
||
1. To return evil for evil--the positive but unrighteous method.
|
||
|
||
2. To suffer evil without complaint and without resistance--the purely negative
|
||
method.
|
||
|
||
3. To return good for evil, to assert the will so as to become master of the
|
||
situation, to overcome evil with good--the positive and righteous method.
|
||
|
||
One of the apostles once asked: "Master, what should I do if a stranger forced
|
||
me to carry his pack for a mile?" Jesus answered: "Do not sit down and sigh for
|
||
relief while you berate the stranger under your breath. Righteousness comes not
|
||
from such passive attitudes. If you can think of nothing more effectively
|
||
positive to do, you can at least carry the pack a second mile. That will of a
|
||
certainty challenge the unrighteous and ungodly stranger."
|
||
|
||
The Jews had heard of a God who would forgive repentant sinners and try to
|
||
forget their misdeeds, but not until Jesus came, did men hear about a God who
|
||
went in search of lost sheep, who took the initiative in looking for sinners,
|
||
and
|
||
|
||
top of page - 1771
|
||
|
||
who rejoiced when he found them willing to return to the Father's house. This
|
||
positive note in religion Jesus extended even to his prayers. And he converted
|
||
the negative golden rule into a positive admonition of human fairness.
|
||
|
||
In all his teaching Jesus unfailingly avoided distracting details. He shunned
|
||
flowery language and avoided the mere poetic imagery of a play upon words. He
|
||
habitually put large meanings into small expressions. For purposes of
|
||
illustration Jesus reversed the current meanings of many terms, such as salt,
|
||
leaven, fishing, and little children. He most effectively employed the
|
||
antithesis, comparing the minute to the infinite and so on. His pictures were
|
||
striking, such as, "The blind leading the blind." But the greatest strength to
|
||
be found in his illustrative teaching was its naturalness. Jesus brought the
|
||
philosophy of religion from heaven down to earth. He portrayed the elemental
|
||
needs of the soul with a new insight and a new bestowal of affection.
|
||
|
||
6. THE RETURN TO MAGADAN
|
||
|
||
The mission of four weeks in the Decapolis was moderately successful. Hundreds
|
||
of souls were received into the kingdom, and the apostles and evangelists had a
|
||
valuable experience in carrying on their work without the inspiration of the
|
||
immediate personal presence of Jesus.
|
||
|
||
On Friday, September 16, the entire corps of workers assembled by
|
||
prearrangement at Magadan Park. On the Sabbath day a council of more than one
|
||
hundred believers was held at which the future plans for extending the work of
|
||
the kingdom were fully considered. The messengers of David were present and
|
||
made reports concerning the welfare of the believers throughout Judea, Samaria,
|
||
Galilee, and adjoining districts.
|
||
|
||
Few of Jesus' followers at this time fully appreciated the great value of the
|
||
services of the messenger corps. Not only did the messengers keep the believers
|
||
throughout Palestine in touch with each other and with Jesus and the apostles,
|
||
but during these dark days they also served as collectors of funds, not only
|
||
for the sustenance of Jesus and his associates, but also for the support of the
|
||
families of the twelve apostles and the twelve evangelists.
|
||
|
||
About this time Abner moved his base of operations from Hebron to Bethlehem,
|
||
and this latter place was also the headquarters in Judea for David's
|
||
messengers. David maintained an overnight relay messenger service between
|
||
Jerusalem and Bethsaida. These runners left Jerusalem each evening, relaying at
|
||
Sychar and Scythopolis, arriving in Bethsaida by breakfast time the next
|
||
morning.
|
||
|
||
Jesus and his associates now prepared to take a week's rest before they made
|
||
ready to start upon the last epoch of their labors in behalf of the kingdom.
|
||
This was their last rest, for the Perean mission developed into a campaign of
|
||
preaching and teaching which extended right on down to the time of their
|
||
arrival at Jerusalem and of the enactment of the closing episodes of Jesus'
|
||
earth career.
|
||
|
||
top of page - 1772
|
||
|
||
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
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