Episode:Jesus Faces Death—The Crucifixion (Part 1)

From Symmetry of Soul


As Judas left the Sanhedrin chamber, he removed the thirty pieces of silver from the bag and threw them broadcast over the temple floor. When the betrayer left the temple, he was almost beside himself. Judas was now passing through the experience of the realization of the true nature of sin. All the glamor, fascination, and intoxication of wrongdoing had vanished. He was forsaken and alone.

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Keywords: Urantia, Jesus, Judas's Disillusionment, Judas's Despair, Judas's Death

Summary by Kermit

Commentary after Review

We discussed aspects of the dynamics of mob phenomena, in terms of lower domain adjutant-mind activity. The fifth adjutant, the social urge and origin of the herd instinct in association with the 6th adjutant with its energy of zeal, and lacking significant coordination by the 7th leads to such problematic outcomes as exhibited by this unfeeling and unthinking bunch. The 6th adjutant is called the spirit of worship, but in actuality it has no direct connection to spirit (unity), but evinces a gravitation towards unity-like experience—uniformity. It requires the faculties of the upper domain discriminators, our three cosmic intuitions to illuminate the difference between unity and uniformity.

The religious modality of this attraction to uniformity gives rise to the exaltation of the idea purity and of course its antagonist uncleanliness. Application to today’s pandemic crisis we find that, when aroused by fear, the seemingly civilized man gravitates to the more primitive evolutionary religious response to perceived impurity (viral infection) as opposed to a more scientific reason based response. Remember, the 5th ER is a revelation of truth which is timeless and not merely a disclosure of historical facts. Take the challenge to find personal application of the fruits of the revelation in the here and now.

Our discussion also noted and considered how differently the authors depicted Pilate, alluding to his foundations of civilized temperament in contrast with their characterization of Herod as the wicked Idumean. We cannot escape speculating on the destiny of those Jewish leaders whom Jesus recognized as being somewhat aware of his divinity, inasmuch as here they are in the very presence of personalized Deity, excruciatingly and willfully rejecting the Master.

Paper 186: Just Before the Crucifixion

In the preface of this paper the midwayers do some coordination of essential knowledge, which is certain to be mined by scholars in more accurately sorting out the scriptures and clarifying the movements, locations, and actions of all the principals of our story. Truth being difficult of discernment is readily obscured when facts and the derived knowledge are contaminated with figments and missing crucial elements. These three paragraphs barely advance our narrative, but serve to provide a correct frame for apprehending the truth unattainable in the gospel accounts. Note that the precision of detail regarding the clarification of which Mary and which Martha, sisters of Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead, is seemingly redundant for us who are familiar with this Midwayer retelling, yet it serves to effectively eliminate possible ambiguities on the part of Bible scholars who undoubtedly one day will find themselves scrutinizing the 5th ER along-side the gospel accounts.

186:1. The End of Judas Iscariot

Here we have a painfully intimate look at the inner workings of the rapid disruption of Judas’s mind as he moves from being pricked in his conscience to a state of well-nigh absolute despair and desperation. How disrupted must have been his state of mind that the loathing* of the Jewish leaders was perceived by him as merely “coolness and aloofness”, all the while envisioning a generous monetary reward, honors, and being eulogized before the full meeting of the Sanhedrin. But his delusions of grandeur are suddenly swept away as he is given his reward of thirty pieces of silver, the price of a good slave. Imagine the impact on Judas, in his trance-like wandering about the city when he witnesses in the distance the very moment of Jesus being hoisted up on his cross. This sight propelled him back to the Sanhedrin who were still in session, to publicly repent his sin of betrayal by returning the blood money seeking escape from his guilt. We discussed the significance of the thirty pieces of silver being the prices of a slave, and noted that this meaning was not lost on Judas in his confession.

The 5th ER definition of sin as deliberate disloyalty to Deity of course was not known in this day. Judas’s self-condemnation illustrated the primitive evolutionary religious functioning consciousness of guilt. So we may ask if this represents actual sin or merely guilt in recognition of taboo against betrayal of trusted friends. The midwayers give us more information regarding Judas’s realization of the true nature of sin. And while we acknowledge Judas’s deliberate disloyalty to the Master and fellow apostles, we can hardly call this iniquity. So notwithstanding Judas’s suicide, we expect him to be on the Mansion worlds and offered rehabilitation and redemption.

186:2. The Master’s Attitude

As we have addressed in previous episodes of this arc, Jesus fully understood what his earthly fate was to be and therefore showed little concern for the details of his so-called trials while exhibiting a divine silent majesty and solemn dignity throughout this tragic chapter in his bestowal. Only when he perceived that Pilate or any other person might be helped to a better knowledge of the truth or in response to a direct question as to his divinity or mission on earth did the Master speak. We also remarked on the Master’s refusal to attempt to employ even his purely human powers of persuasive eloquence to influence the outcome of the sham proceedings and save himself.

Our final paragraph reiterates Jesus’ awful silence as he surveys the death scene of the Jewish nation—his earthly father’s own people.


Note: the difference between loath—unwilling, reluctant and loathe—feel disgust or intense aversion

Question from last week on how long after Pilate’s cowardly capitulation did he take his own life. Historical references have him committing suicide in A.D 39, nine years following the crucifixion in A.D. 30.

Notes by Brad

  • The 5th ER is not a history lesson. It's here, here and now, to help us with the problems here and now.


  • With higher mind ministries, we are expected to consciously wield them judiciously.
    • If we don't, they manifest in a negative mode. Namely, a group flashing into a blind mob.
    • And unity will descend into mere uniformity. All the while there mere uniformity will feel as if it is unity, because only a higher discriminator (cosmic intuitions) could determine this is a deceptive substitute.
    • A mob isn't just a 5th adjutant herd. It's a "herd plus!" It has 6th adjutant energy, too—zealous energy.
    • To him that much is given, is much expected.


  • Our natural selves have a primitive religious underpinning that sees the world through a looking glass.
    • When someone contracts a virus, say, that is global and fear-inducing, we don't just see them as infected. On a subconscious level they are somehow almost... impure, or even unclean.
    • "I am by nature sinful and unclean" begins many a Christian liturgy. And un-cleanness is the foundational element.
    • And ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny.
      • Civilization evolves along this line, but so do each of us.
      • Hence, know thyself is so important.
    • If you let yourself be ruled by fear, all this old primitive stuff gets spun up.
      • Suddenly it isn't the virus itself, or the facts about it, but the frothy subjective, natural, animal-origin mind you've allowed to spun up.


  • When you're stressed, all the more is it important you need the flow of living truth—not just facts.
    • Facts bobble like corks in a tortured sea. Truth stands unmoved.


  • Deliberate disloyalty to deity (sin) was much easier to achieve when Jesus was incarnate, in the flesh, before these people.
    • But, mark you well: it's impossible to generalize, via surface appearances, between someone who "knows not what they do" (evil) and someone, like Herod, who is "wicked" (sinful).


  • Note that John Zebedee was not present with Jesus in front of Herod, or later back before Pilate.
    • The revelators make us double back on our reading and study here!
      • Synthetic, in-depth study is warranted and rewarded!
    • Thus, when John is crafting his gospel, he uses the 3 existing gospels and other stories, not his direct recorded memories.
    • Here, we see John already starting to tell his story to others.
      • Hence, the stories later told in Luke and the other gospels already are a game of telephone here.


  • Remember the limited number of names back then.
    • Mary the mother of Jesus, herself, has sisters named Martha and Mary!
    • Hence all the clarification in the text.


  • The end of Judas is far more extensive here (very little reference in the gospels)
    • The Sanhedrists have already gone back to business as usual. Plenty of ritual this weekend with Passover, for example.
      • They don't have 2,000 years of hindsight to know how momentous these events are, and that they really shouldn't just be glibly getting back to business as usual.
    • Judas had built himself up in his mind, despite being pricked a bit in his conscience about his actions.
    • Oh, how certain he was he'd be "eulogized" as his reward!
      • But the Sanhedrin loathed him, a traitor. They hated Jesus, but they loathed Judas.
      • 30 pieces of silver, today, would be, perhaps $300 USD. Not worth much. Maybe 120 days' wages (assuming 1 Roman denarius per day).
    • The price of 1 slave.
      • And "price of one slave" is Judas's interpretation of the amount of this reward, too (the revelators mention it twice, once frmo his own mouth)
      • It's as if the Saducees said, "You've not even a pawn, Judas! We used you as a slave."


  • Disillusionment has a particular feeling, doesn't it?
    • When overcontrol is severed, there's a dire physics of mind that plays out. Be it Judas or any other mortal.
      • We aren't a self-sustaining phenomenon. Without cosmic overcontrol, we eventually fall apart.
    • Of all things, while in a trace-like state, for Judas to see Jesus hoisted onto a cross.
      • It wakes him up, and disrupts him at the same time. He returns to the temple.
    • "I have betrayed innocent blood" is not sin in and of itself, as Judas is quoted as saying.
      • But "betrayal of trust and loyalty of one's confiding friends" is highly disruptive of personality--the revelators tell us this elsewhere.
      • Don't confuse true sin (deliberate disloyalty to deity) with what has always been called sin (transgression of taboo)
    • Is Judas iniquitous? No, no such person would repent as he did before the temple Sanhedrin
    • Is Judas guilt-stricken? You bet. But that's a dawn-mammal feeling, not a cosmic intuition of recognition of sin.
      • It's more like the look in a dog's eyes when it's yelled at.
    • Had Judas been sinful? Yes.
      • And realizing that (a high word in the 5th ER) put him almost beside himself.


  • Yes, true sin is intoxicating. Yes, we are built that way.
    • Watch out for its glamorous allure.
      • There may not be real witches, but that doesn't mean your mind cannot be bewitched.
    • But if you do fall into sin, do hope you eventually "realize the true nature of sin", hard as that would be to bear.
      • Because the alternative is more sin and a spiraling path toward iniquity.


  • The valley of Hinnom is on the south side of Jerusalem.
    • It's notorious for human sacrifice,idolatry, all the things the Jews tried to leave behind. Few go there.
    • In a trance like state, Judas is drawn to that place of cultural darkness.
    • The revelators use dark poetry here in describing his moment of death.
      • Judas is dashed to pieces. Like 30 piece of silver.
      • "Ere he was dead" is morepoetic than "before he was dead."


  • Section 2 offers us the Midwayers' direct reflection on the events of the day.
    • Here on SoS, we've already spoken of these reflective ideas.
    • A true human can have clear sight in the darkest of times.
    • Can you make paragraph 2 your personal social-media policy? Or at least "don't cast your pearls before swine?"


  • This author suggests, concerning COVID-19—this global concern of this hour, week, and month:
    • Be well everyone. Fear not.
    • Be philosophical in your thinking as events swirl around.
    • Make every hour this week a moment of conscious and reflective thought.
    • And compare your social-media posting policy with Jesus' speaking policy during his trial (what we just read)