Episode:Jesus in Galilee—Building to the Climax (Part 10)

From Symmetry of Soul


The twelve began to realize more fully that Jesus was not going to sit on David’s throne. They saw more fully that spiritual truth was not to be advanced by material wonders. They vaguely discerned and dimly foresaw the approaching times of spiritual sifting and cruel adversity. These twelve men were slowly awaking to the realization of the real nature of their task as ambassadors of the kingdom.

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Keywords: Urantia, Jesus, Divine Sonship, Spiritual Liberty, Eternal Salvation

Note: Ann and David Tucker filled in for Brad and Andrea, who were away and under the weather, respectively.

Summary by Kermit

Commentary on the Review

We talked about the problems which arise with the discovery of a religious consciousness in the absence of a scientific consciousness based on fact and causality. For the dawning spiritual consciousness, gaps of knowledge in understanding reality are readily filled in with magic. Rather than demonizing magic, we are challenged to recognize the evolutionary path of which magic is a normal element and foster forward the quest for knowledge. Even the guilt instilled by primitive religion leads to humility, one of our favorite favorable conditions for being grown by God into an adult of God.

We further remarked on the treatment of the “walking on water” incident found in the New Testament gospels, noting that Mark left out a portion of the story, and Luke left out the incident entirely.

152:5. Back in Bethsaida

Of those miraculously fed, only about ten percent persisted in following him after he refused to be made king. Noting the revelators’ use of the word heart in describing the five thousand as disheartened, and as having full stomachs and empty hearts, it should be obvious that heart is not designative of the feeling center of us mortals. But as we have previously suggested heart is more properly understood as the spiritualized mind in the upper domain of human mind. So it is how the use of material wonders in efforts to attract people to a spiritual path has the actual effect of pulling their consciousness down from the moorings on the spiritual level and out to the realm of the material and external.

Back in Bethsaida, Jesus assembled the apostles, associates, and the women to put the recent events into perspective. Jesus began with his customary rhetorical challenge, “How long shall I bear with you?” He then questioned their spiritual comprehension, living faith, and domination by material motives. We examined in more detail the meaning of “material motives”, which involves our oft’ referred to contamination of upper domain spiritualized mind with lower domain material considerations along with preconceived opinions, settled ideas, and longstanding prejudices. He moved next to reinforce their religious foundations with scripture reminders from Moses and the Psalms. And as we noted, these citations are in sequential order as found in the Old Testament. He then reiterated the futility of winning souls for the spiritual kingdom with the working of miracles and performance of material wonders. While it is entirely natural for men and women to seek after unearned material benefits, natural minds do not produce progressive civilization.

Following Jesus’ sobering address to his assembled apostles, associates, and women he announced his withdrawal to Gennesaret accompanied by only his apostles for a few days rest in preparation for their journey to Jerusalem for the Passover.

With the feeding of the five thousand ends the first phase of Jesus’ public ministry of teaching, training, and healing, thus preparing the way for the more spiritual phases of the gospel of the kingdom—divine sonship, spiritual liberty, and eternal salvation.

Continuing our scrutiny of the revelators’ use of the word heart we examined the implications of the meaning of the term half-hearted, referring to [1:6.5, p. 30], and observing that half-hearted efforts to know God are to no avail. Thus half-hearted does not result in partial success, but represents the true binary on-off state whereby the three cosmic intuitions are not coordinated and harmonized. Non-triune cosmic engagement is unavailing.

152:6. At Gennesaret

Even while resting, the Master held informal conferences with the twelve, who after all they had witnessed and experienced were a serious, sober, and chastened group of disillusioned men. However, they were not entirely delivered of their erroneous ideas of the Jewish Messiah. Time is required to effect radical and extensive changes in basic and fundamental concepts of social conduct, philosophic attitudes, and religious convictions.

In Galilee alone in less than a month the enthusiastic and open followers of Jesus had decreased from fifty thousand to less than five hundred. Jesus had hoped this lesson in the fickleness of popularity of the multitudes would stanch any further temptation to rely on transient religious hysteria after his departure.

Jesus, explained that the exclusive appeal to either the emotions or the intellect alone were ineffective in really bringing people into the kingdom. He taught them to make their appeal to the spirit that dwells within as the only way to achieve lasting success in delivering individuals from the darkness of doubt by the birth of the spirit into the light of faith. Jesus taught approvingly of initially appealing to the emotions for the purpose of arresting and focusing the intellectual attention. The mind thus aroused and quickened becomes the gateway to the soul.

Through all of this Jesus tried to prepare the twelve for the crisis just ahead. They did vaguely begin to realize that Jesus was not to sit on David’s throne, and were slowly awaking to the realization of the real nature of their task as ambassadors of the kingdom, and they began to gird themselves for the trying and testing ordeals of the last year of the Master’s ministry on earth.

152:7. At Jerusalem

Jesus and the apostles travelled to Jerusalem so as to attract as little attention as possible. The apostles were forbade from teaching and preaching during their time in Jerusalem. They saw first-hand the growing bitterness of feeling for their Master. All sensed a crisis was impending as they departed Jerusalem. Upon reaching Bethsaida Jesus made arrangements for speaking at the Capernaum synagogue, which he knew would be his last.