Episode:Jesus of Nazareth—Childhood Career (Part 6)
During the tenth year of his life, Jesus began to show a marked preference for the company of older persons. He delighted in talking over things cultural, educational, social, economic, political, and religious with older minds, and his depth of reasoning and keenness of observation so charmed his adult associates that they were always more than willing to visit with him.
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Keywords: Urantia, Jesus, Natural Leader, Born Teacher, Heathen Vaingloriousness
Opening thought: …the Master was so changed that they did not yet recognize him with his back turned to the dim light. And as they pondered his words, he addressed [Mary] Magdalene with a familiar voice, saying, “Mary.” And…she rushed to kneel at his feet while she exclaimed, “My Lord, and my Master!” [189:4.10]
Closing thought: Truth is what we seek in this revelation.
Summary by David
The Ten Concept of the Divine Law
As each of us begin our initial courageous steps into the Kingdom, we instinctively believe that we must follow the letter of the law down to even the smallest detail, as if we could actualize enough perfection to satisfy the requirements for salvation right now. Gradually there's really a recognition that the value is not in our actualization, but rather in our potential. We are not perfect, we are perfecting. As such individuals, our duty is to the unending pursuit of progress. It's the concept of the divine law enshrined in our hearts rather than the actual perfect adherence thereto.
In each instance that commandments are given to us from above, there's always an established basic framework in each set, followed by some specifics within the remaining commandments. For instance:
- In the seven commandments given to us by Hap as the Father's way, the first two commandments are the basis or framing, and the remaining five are some specifics.
- Regarding the ten commandments, the first four are the framing basis, while the remaining six are the specifics within that framework.
In other words, there are foundational commandments regarding man's relationship with God, and secondary commandments of man's relationships to everyone and everything else.
We see this even in the greatest commandments of them all: "Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength." [174:4.2] This is the first and great commandment. And the second commandment is like the first; indeed, it springs directly therefrom, and it is: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." This reviewer sees the commandments as a foundation to his morality, and the lens through which he chooses to see the world, and act within it. Evidence of growth is recognized by the humble and by the teachable—the docile.
Quid Est Veritas? (What is Truth)
Like most revelatory concepts, it's beneficial for us to start by saying what something is not, and then we can be grown eventually into more recognition (insight) of what it is. Truth is not immediately apparent. Truth is not something we can see with the eyes that we're given at birth, and sincere students of the revelation do well to remember what we hunger and thirst for cannot be seen. The words we read in the revelation do not convey truth to us. At best they convey facts, assuming we're not entirely distorting the meaning intended for us to recognize. Truth transcends fact, and is the result of adequate recognition of both fact and goodness. It's a superadditive consequence of both. It's better to think of truth as flowing through the words of the revelation rather than the static crystalized words in the actual book itself.
124.2 (cont'd)
There's an apparent supremacy at play regarding the swift and certain retribution the older and uncouth ("unknown by God") youths suffered at the hands of Jesus' self-appointed champion and ever ready defender, Jacob the stone mason's son. Jesus chose not to engage in physical combat; he exhibited a creature willingness to abide by the Father's will, and chose to not administer justice. However, there was justice administration by Jacob, his champion. As someone who's worked with stone mason's, who knows their callused and bulging firsts of steel, I imagine it didn't take too many times of being thumped on the skull before those youths figured out it's not a good idea to mess with Jesus. Interestingly Jacob was acting in a downstepped role of the Trinity as he administered that justice, while Jesus was playing the Father by choosing to suffer rather than to take the law into his own hands (pun intended).
Many misinterpret Jesus' unwillingness to defend himself and fight for his rights as a pacifist framework as a revelation of there not being any justice administration in the cosmos. But no. This is a presumption on God's love that any of us can do anything we desire without any retribution. Every human will always suffer swift and certain retribution for their sin. The love of the Universal Father is based upon the justice administration of the Paradise Trinity. This is one of the most important and fundamental aspects of the fifth epochal revelation. No little amount of confusion, and tension has resulted from this lost fact.
Even at ten years of age, young Jesus was already beginning to function as a top-down being. In other words, he was showing very advanced maturity in spirituality through taking delight in cultivating courageous and independent cosmic thinking. That much is evidenced by how he sought to master everything he engaged in. Let that serve as both precept and example for each of us. Each of us who aspires to become a first circler will eventually hear a voice that says it's time to be about our Fathers business.
Brad's Notes
- Jesus not fighting for his rights.
- In youth, it's part of his genetic wiring—temperament.
- Later, it becomes an active part of his will.
- Jesus was here to reveal God he Father. The Universal Father is not the predicate for justice administration.
- There is always an agent of justice administration. Coincidentally, Jesus has this as a child.
- False orthodoxies: It is NOT the case that Jesus revealed there is no justice administration.
- Precision of language: The revelators use the etymologies of words, not the senses of the words
- Docile literally means teachable. Jesus was docile.
- Uncouth literally means unknown—a stranger is uncouth. Their ways are unknown to your God. God doesn't know them. "I never knew you."
- Joseph provided Jesus a grounding influence: religious consciousness should not float you up to visionary ideas. You need a livelihood.
- Mentoring is important. Jesus too repeated trips to see his uncle and go fishing. Notice how often this is repeated.
- Sagacious is insight and foresight.
- With sagacity, your wisdom is originaitave, not just memorizing, parroting, and conforming to Proverbs.
- Sagacity has depth.
- Jesus here was working on his "philosophic attainment" when visiting Scythopolis.
- Larning to balance idealism with pragmatism.
- Like the "checkmate" between the angels of the churches and of progress.
Our Merried Life Notes
- Episode 7
- Body, mind, and spirit balance
- Jesus objectively sees the value of physical competency/prowess while at Scythopolis.
- Jesus would bring more of this to his people, as Jewish culture was prejudiced against this.
- This is also beauty, so long as it doesn't enter vainglorious/idolatry territory.
- Identity gets forged in middle school.
- Brad identified as being intellectual, not a "meathead."
- He especially disliked "pointless" physical activity like a gym.
- "Just get exercise from your blue-collar job." Don't count on that being balanced exercise of all muscles.
- But Brad was also a Trekkie and didn't notice that Starfleet requires outstanding physical ability.
- Ruthie loved physical education.
- Is exercise more innately purposed in the era of light and life? Or is it still a means to an end?
- A "moralist" over-emphasizes the mind. A "colorless ascetic" over-emphasized the spirit. Both to the exclusion of the body.
- Is focus on the body prideful? Not if kept in proportion. Pride is also possible in the mind or spirit.
- See all 3 in their proper place and order. Body is subordinate to mind, which is subordinate to spirit.
- "The beauty of making friends between religion and science."
- Mentorship and children relating to elders
- Brad and Ruthie also liked associating with grown-ups when they were kids.
- Children whose temperament is inclined toward leadership/teaching might need this more than other kids.
- The power of "the hyphen": a father-brother, a father-partner. Be okay with the hyphen.
- Dual responsibilities in this form of relationship
- The youthful: be courageous, idealistic, claim a confident "I can do this" posture
- The mentor/older: make this safe and comfortable for them to try on.
- "Argh. I missed my cello lesson." "Thank you for telling me" is far better than "How dare you waste my time!"
- Good preparation for being mature employees and bosses.
- Adults: always consider how any response in any one moment could affect the long-term relationship. Be mature.
- Brad and Ruthie also liked associating with grown-ups when they were kids.
