Episode:Jesus—The Transition Years (Part 1)
During his Mediterranean journey Jesus had found out that Palestine was the best place in all the Roman world wherein to enact the final scenes of his life on earth. He therefore returned to Galilee to await the beginning of his lifework as a public teacher of truth. But Jesus first embarked on a caravan trip of exploration and personal ministry.
Keywords: Urantia, Jesus, Personal Ministry, Silk Road, Urmia
Summary by Kermit
Paper 134 The Transition Years
This year of Jesus’ life immediately follows the almost two year Mediterranean tour he made with the east Indian merchant and his son. We previously mentioned that Jesus was a man among men on this Mediterranean tour and demonstrated the character of one having attained the third psychic circle of cosmic development. During this, his thirtieth year we suggest that Jesus was most likely a 2nd circler. While the narrative of Jesus’ exploits with Gonod and Ganid is rich with details of his doings and sayings, this year of transition from third circle to first circle is very sparse in detail, which we suspected may have something to do with the revelation mandate. Here, Jesus is making the transition from God appearing as man to man appearing as God, and as such his experiences become less directly relevant for us as an example of how to meet various life situations. For a cross reference we were directed to Paper 129 for midwayer clues to Jesus traversal of the psychic circles.
Our author reminds us that Jesus reached his final decision as to the remainder of his life on earth around this transition time, and that he did it of his own free will. Even though Gabriel had set the table so to speak for Jesus to be born of Jewish parents and grow up in Palestine, Jesus, of his own free will approved these plans and decided to plan for a public career among his father’s people. So it is with us in our paradise ascent. We have been initiated into the cosmic family by grace, but we will perfect ourselves and ascend to Paradise through the exercise of our own free will.
We had an edifying discussion about the terms decision and choice. As was mentioned, the mind decides, the personality chooses. Choices are down stepped from the spiritual domain where personality functions, into the mind which is where the Thought Adjuster (TA) actually resides. Synchronizing with the TA requires more than a consecration of will. It requires a consecration of mind as well. Thus choices become synchronized with the TA in the mind, as and through, decisions. All of this we now know from the revelation, whereas until now even the greatest thinkers were unable to clearly distinguish between the self and personality. Consult the archive for the full discussion.
134:1. The Thirtieth Year (A.D. 24)
After completion of his Mediterranean tour Jesus returned very briefly to Capernaum, and Nazareth to visit with friends and family. He never confided in them any of the details of his previous journey and allowed them to think he was in Alexandria, studying. We mused about the implications of this God-man allowing his closest family members to harbor erroneous ideas as to his whereabouts during his long absence. And as mentioned, his human encounters and life episodes are documented here with much less specificity. Jesus’ reasons for not being more forthcoming about his life episodes were pointed out in [Paper 128:4.5-4.7], as a deterrent to the building up of such an impressive human career as to encourage exaltation of the teacher to the exclusion of his message. Of course we know how successful that was.
Given that Jesus’ doings during his Mediterranean tour are much more relevant as examples for us to emulate, and his public ministry when he was man appearing as God much less so, it is a tribute to Christians over the centuries who have cultivated faith and trust in Jesus with only record of his birth and public ministry. As we were reminded, that it was a full three hundred years post resurrection when the feast of the nativity was instituted and Jesus began to be remembered as having been true man and not just God.
This was one of the more unusual years in the inner life of Jesus; great progress was made in effecting working harmony between his human mind and his indwelling TA. It was by apparent coincidence that the leader of a large caravan which happened to be passing through Nazareth was taken violently ill and Jesus took his place, necessitating his absence for a full year.
134:2. The Caravan Trip to the Caspian
Jesus’ exploits and salutary effects on his travel companions are mentioned, but in much less detail than his Mediterranean tour for reasons we speculated about earlier. This trip enabled Jesus to gain a better understanding of the Far-Eastern peoples. He made intimate and personal contact with each of the surviving races of Urantia except the red. This trip allowed Jesus the most exposure to the diversity of racial types on the planet without his having to actually go to their lands. We are told that people from the Far West to the Far East alike were able to receive his words of hope and eternal life and were equally influenced by his life of loving service and spiritual ministry, and were thus made better for the remainder of their natural lives.
Upon his return from the caravan trip Jesus was never again considered a Nazareth resident nor did he live with his family.
134:3. The Urmia Lectures
Jesus’ caravan tour took him to the Persian city of Urmia, on the lake of the same name, where he tarried for several days rest. Here a temple of the philosophy of religions had been established by a wealthy merchant citizen of Urmia, Cymboyton. Each day, two lecture-discussions were held; morning, afternoon and a discussion period in the evening. Jesus participated in a number of these sessions and made plans to return to Urmia to give twenty-four lectures on “The Brotherhood of Man”, more correctly called the “Kingdom of God” and the “Kingdoms of Men.” These lectures constituted the most systematic and formal of all the Master’s teaching on Urantia.
More than thirty religions and cults were represented on the Urmia faculty. In order for a religion to have a representative on the faculty, there was but one doctrine which had to be accepted; every represented religion must recognize God—some sort of supreme Deity. Intolerance, a contentious spirit, or any other disruptive disposition on the part of any faculty member would bring his summary removal. Jesus appeared as an independent teacher, not representing any organized religion. Note that this material is not merely for historical clarification, but can serve as instruction for those today who would enter upon the challenge of cultivating enhanced interfaith relations among the various religions on the planet.
This section ends with an intriguing aside by the midwayer authors. We are given a behind the scenes glimpse of the deliberations by the authors as to what is included in the revelation and what isn’t. The seraphim of the churches and the seraphim of progress could not agree as to the wisdom of including these teachings of Jesus’ in the revelation. (recall that the angels of the churches are the checkmates to the angels of progress) Because the content of Jesus’ lecture series was so specific to first century times and the political and religious conditions in the twentieth century are so different from those, the midwayer commission could never produce a version of these teachings that was acceptable to both groups of angels. Thus, three midwayers were appointed to prepare a draft and Machiventa Melchizedek, chairman of this third revelatory commission, edited it. And this is what we will study tonight.
