Aquarian Age Gospel of Jesus

Chapters 137 - 143

CHAPTER 130

Jesus and the three disciples return to Caesarea-Philippi. The nine had failed to cure an epileptic child. Jesus heal it and rebukes his disciples for their lack of trust in God. The Christines return to Capernaum.

WHEN Jesus, Peter, James and John were come unto the city's gates a multitude of people thronged the way. 2 The nine apostles who went not with Jesus to the mount, had tried to heal an epileptic child who was obsessed waited for the coming of the Lord. 3 When Jesus came the father of the child knelt down before him and implored his help. 4 He said, My master, I beseech that you will look in pity on my son, my only child; he is an epileptic child and suffers grievously. 5 Sometimes he falls into the fire and is burned; again he falls into the water and is like to drown; and many times a day he falls, he grinds his teeth, the foam pours from his mouth. 6 I took my child to your disciples, and they failed to give relief. 7 And as he spoke a servant brought the child before the Lord (the child spoke not, for he was dumb), and instantly he fell upon the ground, he foamed, he writhed in agony. 8 And Jesus said, How long has he been troubled thus? 9 The father said, From infancy; and we have sought in many lands for help, but found it not; but I believe that you can speak the Word and heal my son. 10 And Jesus said, Faith is the power of God. All things are possible for him who in his heart believes. 11 The father cried, in tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 12 And Jesus spoke the Word of power; the epileptic child lay in a swoon; he did not breathe, and all the people said, The child is dead. 13 But Jesus took him by the hand and said: Arise; and he arose and spoke. 14 The people were amazed, and many said, This surely is a man of God, for no such power was ever given to man. 15 Then Jesus and the twelve went to the house, and after they had taken food and been refreshed, the nine disciples said, 16 Lord, why could we not heal this child? We spoke the Word; but even that was powerless. 17 And Jesus said, Your great success in all your former work has made you careless, and you forgot to recognise the power of God. 18 Without the spirit of the Word, the Word is like an idle tale; and you forgot to pray. 19 There is no faith without the prayer of faith. Faith is the wings of prayer; but wings alone fly not. 20 By prayer and faith you can bring down the mountain peaks, and cast them in the sea; the little hills will skip about like lambs at your command. 21 This failure may be well for you. The great lessons that are learned in life come through the failures that are made. 22 As the disciples sat in thoughtful meditation Jesus said, Let these words sink into your hearts: 23 The time has nearly come when you must bear your load alone; that is, without my presence in the flesh. 24 For I will fall into the hands of wicked men, and they will slay me on a mount beyond Bezetha wall. 25 And men will lay my body in a tomb where, by the sacred Word, it will be guarded and preserved three days; then I will rise again. 26 The twelve were sad; they did not understand, and yet they feared to ask him to reveal the meaning of his word. 27 Next day the Christine master and the twelve began their journey of return, and soon were in Capernaum.

CHAPTER 131

Jesus and Peter pay the half-shekel tax. The disciples contend for the supremacy. Jesus rebukes them. Teaches them many practical lessons. The parable of the good shepherd.

AS Jesus and the twelve were resting in the house, the tax collector came to Peter saying, Man, do Jesus and yourself pay this half-shekel tax? 2 And Peter said, We pay whatever is assessed. 3 And Jesus said, From whom do publicans collect this special tax? from strangers or from native sons? 4 And Peter said, The strangers only are supposed to pay this tax. 5 Then Jesus said, We all are native sons and we are free; but lest we cause contention we will pay the tax; but neither had the shekel wherewithal to pay. 6 And Jesus said, Go to the sea; cast in a hook and catch a fish and you will find within its inner parts a shekel, which take up and pay the tax for you and me. 7 And Peter did as Jesus said; he found the shekel and he paid the tax. 8 Now Jesus heard the twelve dispute among themselves. The spirit of the carnal self was moving in their hearts, and they were questioning among themselves who was the greatest in the sight of God and man. 9 And Jesus said, You men, for shame! The greatest is the servant of the rest. And then he called to him a little child; he took it in his arms and said. 10 The greatest is the little child, and if you would be great at all you must become as is this child in innocence, in truth, in purity in life. 11 Great men scorn not the little things of earth; he who regards and honours such a child, regards and honours me, and he who scorns a child, scorns me. 12 If you would enter through the kingdom gate you must be humble as this little child. 13 Hear me, you men, This child, as every other child, has one to plead its cause before the throne of God. 14 You scorn it at your peril, men, for lo, I say, its counterpart beholds the face of God at every moment, every day. 15 And hear me once again, He who shall cause a little one to stumble and to fall is marked, accursed; and it were better far if he had drowned himself. 16 Behold, offences everywhere! Men find occasions for to sin and fall, and they grow strong by rising when they fall; 17 But woe to him who causes other men to stumble and to fall. 18 Be on your guard, you men of God, lest you constrain another man to fall; beware lest you fall into sinful ways yourselves. 19 Now, if your hands cause you to sin, you better cut them off; for it is better far to have no hands and not be guilty in the sight of God and men, than to be perfect in your form and lose your soul. 20 And if your feet should cause offence, you better cut them off; for it is better far to enter into life without your feet than fall beneath the curse. 21 And if your eyes, or ears, cause you to sin, you better lose them all than lose your soul. 22 Your thoughts and words and deeds will all be tried by fire. 23 Remember that you are the salt of earth; but if you lose the virtues of the salt, you are but refuse in the sight of God. 24 Retain the virtues of the salt of life and be at peace among yourselves. 25 The world is full of men who have not in themselves the salt of life, and they are lost. I come to seek and save the lost. 26 How think you? if a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, will he not leave the ninety and the nine, 27 And go out in the desert ways and mountain tops to seek the one that went astray? 28 Yes, this you know; and if he finds the one that went astray, lo, he is glad, and he rejoices over it far more than over all the ninety and the nine that did not go astray. 29 And so there is rejoicing in the human courts of heaven when one human birth who has gone forth into the ways of sin is found and brought back to the fold; 30 Yea, there is joy, more joy than over all the righteous men who never went astray. 31 And John said, Master, who may seek and save the lost? and who may heal the sick, and cast the demons out of those obsessed? 32 When we were on the way we saw a man who was not one of us cast demons out and heal the sick. 33 He did it by the sacred Word and in the name of Christ? but we forbade him, for he did not walk with us. 34 And Jesus said, You sons of men, do you imagine that you own the powers of God? 35 And do you think that all the world must wait for you to do the works of God? 36 God is not man that he should have a special care for any man, and give him special gifts. 37 Forbid not any man to do the works of God. 38 There is no man who can pronounce the sacred Word, and in the name of Christ restore the sick, and cast the unclean spirits out, who is not child of God. 39 The man of whom you speak is one with us. Whoever gathers in the grain of heaven is one with us. 40 Whoever gives a cup of water in the name of Christ is one with us; so God shall judge.

CHAPTER 132

Jesus defends a man who has been convicted of stealing bread. The verdict is reversed. The man goes free, and the people supply the needs of his starving family.

A MULTITUDE of people thronged the streets. The officers were on the way to court withone, a man accused of stealing bread. 2 And in a little while the man was brought before the judge to answer to the charge. 3 And Jesus and the twelve were there. The man showed in his face and hands the hard drawn lines of toil and want. 4 A woman richly clad, the accuser of the man, stood forth and said, I caught this man myself: I know him well, for yesterday he came to beg for bread. 5 And when I drove him from my door, he should have known that I would harbour not a man like him; and then to-day he came and took the bread. 6 He is a thief and I demand that he be sent to jail. 7 The servants also testified against the man; he was adjudged a thief, and officers were leading him away. 8 But Jesus standing forth exclaimed, You officers and judge, be not in haste to lead this man away. 9 Is this a land of justice and of right? can you accuse and sentence men to punishment for any crime until they testify themselves? 10 The Roman law will not permit such travesty on right, and I demand that you permit this man to speak. 11 And then the judge recalled the man and said, If you have any tale to tell, say on. 12 In tears the man stood forth and said, I have a wife and little ones and they are perishing for bread, and I have told my story oft, and begged for bread; but none would hear. 13 This morning when I left our cheerless hut in search of work my children cried for bread, and I resolved to feed them or to die. 14 I took the bread, and I appeal to God, Was it a crime? 15 This woman snatched the loaf away and threw it to the dogs, and called the officers and I am here. 16 Good people, do with me whate'er you will, but save my wife and little ones from death. 17 Then Jesus said, Who is the culprit in this case? 18 I charge this woman as a felon in the sight of God. 19 I charge this judge as criminal before the bar of human rights. 20 I charge these servants and these officers as parties to the crime. 21 I charge the people of Capernaum with cruelty and theft, because they heeded not the cries of poverty and want, and have withheld from helpless ones that which is theirs by every law of right; 22 And I appeal unto these people here, and ask, Are not my charges based on righteousness and truth? 23 And every man said, Yes. 24 The accused woman blushed for shame; the judge shrank back in fear; the officers threw off the shackles from the man and ran away. 25 Then Jesus said, Give this man what he needs and let him go and feed his wife and little ones. 26 The people gave abundantly; the man went on his way. 27 And Jesus said, There is no standard law to judge of crime. The facts must all be stated e'er a judgment can be rendered in a case. 28 You men with hearts; go forth and stand where stood this man and answer me, What would you do? 29 The thief thinks every other man a thief and judges him accordingly. 30 The man who judges harshly is the man whose heart is full of crime. 31 The courtesan who keeps her wickedness concealed by what she calls respectability, has not a word of pity for the honest courtesan who claims to be just what she is. 32 I tell you, men, if you would censure not till you are free from sin, the world would soon forget the meaning of the word, accused.

CHAPTER 133

The twelve go to the feast in Jerusalem, but Jesus remains in Capernaum. He selects seventy disciples, and sends them out to teach and heal. He goes alone to the feast and on his way he heals ten lepers. He teaches in the temple.

THE harvest feast drew near; the twelve went to Jerusalem, but Jesus did not go with them; he tarried in Capernaum. 2 Among the multitudes that followed him were many who went not up to the feast; they were not Jews. 3 And Jesus called three-score-and -ten of these disciples unto him and said, THe kingdom of the Christ is not for Jews alone; it is for every man. 4 Lo, I have chosen twelve to preach the gospel, first unto the Jews; and they are Jews. 5 Twelve is the number of the Jew and seven the number of the all, including every man. 6 God is the ten, the holy Jod. 7 When God and man are multiplied we have three-score-and-ten, the number of the brotherhood of man. 8 And now I send you forth by twos and twos; not to the Jews alone, but unto every nation under heaven; to Greek and to Assyrian; to the Samaritan; to those beyond the seas; to every man. 9 You need not go afar, for men of every land are here and in Samaria. 10 Arise and go your way; but go in faith; and take no gold nor silver in your purse; no extra coat or shoes. 11 Go in the sacred name; trust God and you will never come to want. 12 And let this be your salutation everywhere, Peace be to all; good will to all. 13 And if the son of peace be in the house, the door will open wide and you will enter in; and then the holy peace will rest upon that house. 14 The seventy in twos went forth; they went into Samaria, and as they went they said, Peace be to all; good will to all! 15 Repent and turn from sin, and set your house in order, for a son of man who bears the image of the Christ, will come, and you may see his face. 16 They entered every village of Samaria; they preached in Tyre and in Sidon by the sea. Some went to Crete, and others into Greece, and others went to Gilead and taught. 17 And Jesus, all alone, went to the feast by the Samaria way; and as he went through Sychar on the way, the lepers saw him and a company of ten called from afar and said, 18 Lord Jesus, stay and speak the Word for us that we may be made clean. 19 And Jesus said, Go forth and show yourselves unto the priests. 20 They went, and as they went their leprosy was healed. One of the ten, a native of Samaria, returned to thank the master and to praise the Lord. 21 And Jesus said to him, Lo, ten were cleansed; where are the nine? Arise, and go your way; your faith has made you whole. 22 You have revealed your heart and shown that you are worthy of the power; behold the nine will find again their leprous hands and feet. 23 And Jesus went his way, and while the feast was on he came into Jerusalem, and went into the temple courts. 24 And he rebuked the scribes and Pharisees, the priests and doctors of the law for their hypocrisy and selfishness. 25 The common people were amazed; they said, From whence has come the wisdom of this man? he speaks as speaks a sage. 26 And Jesus said, I did not learn the wisdom of the Holy One within the schools of men; my teaching is not mine; I speak the words of him who sent me here to do his will. 27 If any man would know whereof I speak, lo, he must do the will of God. No man can know except he enters into life and does the will of God. 28 Now, Moses gave the law; but none of you have kept the law; how can you judge the worthiness of any man? 29 Once in these courts I healed a man upon a Sabbath day, and in a rage you sought to take my life; and now because I tell the truth you seek again to take my life. 30 A scribe spoke out and said, You foolish man, you are obsessed; who wants to take your life? 31 The common people said, Is this not Jesus whom the rulers long have sought to kill? and now he comes and teaches in the temple courts. 32 If he is guilty of such monstrous crimes, why do they not take him away in chains? 33 And Jesus said, You all know me, and know from whence I came; but you know not the God who sent me here, whose words I speak. 34 The multitudes again stood forth in his defence; they said, if this is not the Christ whom God has promised to reveal to men, will he do greater works when he shall come than does this man? 35 The Pharisees and ruling priests were angered and they sent their officers to take him e'er he went away. The officers were filled with fear; they seized him not. 36 And Jesus said, lo, I am here but for a little time and then I go my way to him who sent me here to do his will. 37 You seek me now and you can find me now; the time will come when you will seek and will not find, for where I go you cannot come. 38 The people said, Where will he go that men can find him not? Will he go forth to Greece and teach the Greeks? or will he go to Egypt or Assyria to teach? 39 But Jesus answered not; unnoticed by the multitudes he left the temple courts and went his way.

CHAPTER 134

Jesus teaches in the temple. His words enrage the rulers. Nicodemus defends him. He spends the night in prayer on Mount Olives. Next day he again teaches in the temple. An adultress is brought before him for judgement.

NOW, on the last day of the feast when multitudes were in the courtways, Jesus said, 2 Whoever is athirst may come to me and drink. 3 He who believes in me and in the Christ whom God had sent, may drink the cup of life, and from his inner parts shall streams of living waters flow. 4 The Holy Breath will over-shadow him, and he will breathe the Breath, and speak the words, and live the life. 5 The people were divided in their views concerning him. Some said, This man is prophet of the living God. 6 And others said, He is Messiah whom our prophets said would come. 7 And others said, He cannot be the Christ, for he came down from Galilee; the Christ must come from Bethlehem where David lived. 8 Again the priests and Pharisees sent officers to bring him into court to answer for his life; but when the officers returned and brought him not, 9 The rulers were enraged and said, Why did you not arrest this man and hale him into court? 10 The officers replied, We never heard a man speak like this man speaks. 11 In rage the Pharisees stood forth and said, Have you gone mad? Have you been led astray? Are you disciples of this man? 12 Have any of the rulers, or the Pharisees believed on him? The common people! yes, they may believe; they are accursed; they know not anything. 13 But Nicodemus came before the rulers and he said, Can Jewish judges judge a man and sentence him until they hear his plea? Let Jesus stand before this bar and testify himself. 14 The rulers said, This Jesus is a wily man, and if we suffer him to speak, he will rebuke us face to face, and then the multitudes will laugh and stand in his defence. 15 And then you know, as well as we, that prophets do not come from Galilee. 16 The rulers felt the force of what the officers and Nicodemus said, and they said nothing more. 17 And then the people went their way, each to his home; but Jesus went unto Mount Olives where he spent the night in prayer. 18 BUt in the morning when the sun had scarcely risen, Jesus came again, and many people came to see him in the temple courts, and he sat down and taught the multitudes. 19 The Pharisees and scribes were still alert to find a cause whereby they might condemn him by the words he spoke. 20 The officers had taken in the very act of crime, a courtesan. As Jesus taught, they brought this woman and set her in the midst and said, 21 Rabboni, this vile woman has been taken in adultery. The law of Moses says that such as she shall die, be stoned to death; what do you say should be her punishment? 22 And Jesus stooped and made a figure on the ground and in it placed the a soul, and then he sat in silent thought. 23 And when the priests demanded that he speak, he said, Let him who has no sin stand forth and be the first to cast a stone at her. 24 And then he closed his eyes, and not a word was said. When he arose and saw the woman all alone he said, 25 Where are the men who brought you here? they who accused? 26 The woman said, They all are gone; no one was here who could condemn. 27 And Jesus said, And I condemn you not; go on your way in peace, and sin no more.

CHAPTER 135

Jesus teaches in the temple. He reveals some of the deeper meanings of the Christine ministry. The rulers are greatly enraged and attempt to stone him, but he disappears.

THE feast was done and Jesus, Peter, James and John were sitting in the temple treasury. 2 The nine had gone back to Capernaum. 3 The people thronged the temple courts and Jesus said, 4 I am the lamp; Christ is the oil of life; the Holy Breath the fire. Behold the light! and he who follows me shall not walk in the dark, but he shall have the light of life. 5 A lawyer said, You witness for yourself, your witness is not true. 6 and Jesus said, If I do witness for myself I speak that which is true, for I know whence I came and where I go. 7 And no one else in flesh can testify for me, for none know whence I came, nor where I go. 8 My works bear witness to the truth I speak. As man I could not speak the words of Holy Breath; and then my Father testifies for me. 9 The lawyer said, Where does your father live? 10 And Jesus said, You know me not or you would know my Father, and if you knew the Father you would know the son, because the Father and the son are one. 11 I go my way and you shall find me not; for where I go you canot come, because you do not know the way. 12 You cannot find the way because your hearts are gross, your ears are dull, your eyes are closed. 13 The light of life cannot shine through the murky veil that you have drawn about your hearts. 14 You do not know the Christ and if the Christ be not within the heart there is no light. 15 I come to manifest the Christ to men and you receive me not, and you will dwell in darkness and in the shadow of the grave till you believe the words I speak. 16 But you will vilify the son of man, and lift him up and laugh to see him die. 17 But then a little light will come and you will know that I am what I am. 18 The people did not comprehend the meaning of the words he spoke. 19 And then he spoke unto the people who believed in him and said, If you abide in Christ, and Christ abide in you, and if you keep my words within your heart, 20 You are the way, you are disciples in the way, and you shall know what is the truth, and truth shall make you free. 21 And still the people did not understand; they said, We are the seed of Abraham and are already free; we never were the slaves of any man; why do you say, We shall be free? 22 And Jesus sadi, Do you not know that every one committing sin is slave of sin? abides in bondage unto sin? 23 If you sin not then you are free; but if you sin in thought, or word, or deed, then you are slaves, and naught but truth can set you free; if you are free through Christ, then you are free indeed. 24 You are the seed of Abraham, and yet you seek to kill me just because I speak the truth of Abraham. 25 You are the children of the flesh of Abraham; but, lo, I say, There is a spiritual Abraham whom you know not. 26 In spirit you are children of your father, and your father is Diabolus; you hang upon his words and do his will. 27 He was a murderer from the first; he cannot tell the truth, and when he tells a lie he speaks his own; he is himself a lie, and he is father of himself. 28 If you were children of my Father-God, then you could hear the words of God; I speak the words of God, but you can bear them not. 29 A Pharisee stood forth and said, This fellow is not one of us he is a curst Samaritan and is obsesed. 30 But Jesus heeded not the words of Pharisee or scribe; he knew that all the people knew he was a Jew. 31 And then he said, Whoever keeps my words shall never die. 32 A lawyer said, And now we know he is obsessed. Our father Abraham is dead; the prophets all are dead, and yet this fellow says, Whoever keeps my words shall never die. 33 Is this man greater than our Father Abraham? Is he above the prophets? and all of them are dead. 34 And Jesus said, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad. 35 The lawyer said, You simple man; you are not fifty years of age; have you seen Abraham? 36 And Jesus said, Before the days of Abraham I am. 37 Again the scribes and Pharisees were in a rage; they took up stones to cast at him, but, like a phamtom of the night, he disappeared; the people knew not where he went.

CHAPTER 136

Jesus teaches in the temple. Relates the parable of the good Samaritan. Goes to Bethany. Teaches in Lazarus' home. Rebukes Martha for her anxiety about the things of this life.

AND Jesus stood again within the temple courts and taught. 2 A master of the law was sent to question him that he might find a cause to censure and accuse him of a crime. 3 He said, Lord, tell me what to do that I may have eternal life? 4 And Jesus said, You know the law; what does it say? 5 The lawyer answered, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and you shall love your neighbour as yourself. 6 And Jesus said, Lo, you have answered well; this do and you shall live. 7 The lawyer said, My neighbour, who is he? 8 And Jesus said, A man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho, and lo, he met with robbers on the way, who beat him, robbed him of his goods, and left him bleeding by the way. 9 A Pharisee was going down that way; he saw the wounded man; but then he had no time to lose; he passed by on the other side. 10 A Levite came and saw the man; but he was loath to soil his sacerdotal robes, and he passed by. 11 A lawyer on his way to Jericho observed the dying man, and then he said, If I could make a shekel I might help the man; but he has nothing left to give, I have no time for charity; and he passed on. 12 And then a stranger from Samaria came that way; he saw the wounded man; his heart was touched with pity, and he stopped, dismounted from his horse, 13 Revived the man, and placed him on his horse and took him to an inn and charged the keeper of the inn to nurse him back to strength. 14 He gave the keeper all the money that he had and said, Your charges may be more than this, but care for this unfortunate, and when I come again I will pay all; and then he went his way. 15 Now, master of the law, which of these four was neighbour unto him who fell among the thieves? 16 The lawyer said, The man who showed him mercy; he who cared for him. 17 And Jesus said, Go on your way and likewise do, and you shall live. 18 Now, Jesus, Peter, James and John went out to Bethany where Lazarus lived. 19 And Mary sat at Jesus' feet and heard him speak the words of life while Martha served. 20 And Martha called, but Mary would not leave the Lord to help her serve. 21 And Martha said to Jesus, Do you not care that Mary makes me bear the burdens of the serving all the day? I beg that you will bid her help. 22 And Jesus said, You are too anxious, Martha, for your guests; you need not trouble so about the things of life. 23 You grow a-weary by your care for little things and slight the one thing needed most of all. 24 Your sister here has chosen far the better part, a part that none can atke away.

Previous | Next

The Aquarian Age Gospel of Jesus, the Christ of the Piscean Age. Transcribed from the Book of God's Remembrance Known as the Akashic records