Episode:Jesus of Nazareth—Childhood Career (Part 8)
At no time in his life did Jesus ever experience such a purely human thrill as that which at this time so completely enthralled him as he stood there on this April afternoon on the Mount of Olives, drinking in his first view of Jerusalem. And in after years, on this same spot he stood and wept over the city which was about to reject another prophet, the last and the greatest of her heavenly teachers.
Keywords: Urantia, Jesus, Journey to Jerusalem, The Father’s Business, Human and Divine
Opening thought: There are degrees of disloyalty: the partial loyalty of indecision; the divided loyalty of confliction; the dying loyalty of indifference; and the death of loyalty exhibited in devotion to godless ideals. [89:10.2]
Opening prayer: Heavenly Parent, we thank you so deeply for this revelation. We pray that we embrace, with a whole heart, the desire to be changeable, adjustable, and controllable. It is truly our will that Your will be done in our lives.
Closing thought: Seek that Bethel—the house of God within. Don't turn your back on it as the travelers from Nazareth did on their way to Jerusalem.
Summary by Andrea
Commentary after review
We discussed, as we have many times before, how the word human means "up from the humus." Generally, we think of humus as the earth or matter. But it is more than that. It is about being up from all three of the energies that impinge upon us: matter, mind, and spirit energies. And it is through Personality management that this can be accomplished. Remember, personality is a Deity stuff and not of reality at all. We can choose to rise above all of those energies. Seek first to establish your relationship to eternity by faith, and faith alone.
We were also reminded that when it comes to working with our Thought Adjuster, it is that very Thought Adjuster who is the changer, the adjuster, and the controller during the various stages of our life. All we can do is provide favorable conditions to be grown. Do we open ourselves to and trust in God by submitting ourselves to be changeable, adjustable, and controllable? Faith submission is not a popular approach to life nowadays, but it is clearly what we are being called to do. This humble submission is the key and is easy when we trust in God implicitly.
Jesus had to challenge and reject the first-stage evil that all of us, by default, must face. He was not somehow immune from this because of his status. Despite his many superb accomplishments at such a young age, they refer to him as an average boy. And yet, he was never prideful. He had to go through the same trials we all face, and he most acceptably passed these tests.
By definition, we are an energy phenomenon. We are made up of matter, mind, and spirit and, if left to our own devices, we become prideful. Isn’t that interesting? We must challenge ourselves to see this and choose otherwise. Our spiritualized mind becomes prideful naturally unless we choose otherwise. Being a Son of God is a choice.
124:6. The Journey to Jerusalem
Our reading began at 55 minutes into the broadcast.
We learned that after completing his education in the synagogue schools, Jesus joined his parents on their journey to Jerusalem to celebrate his first Passover. Interestingly, they chose a route that bypassed the town of Bethel, as their travel companions harbored animosity towards Samaritans and wished to avoid interactions with them and so they bypassed the town of Bethel due to their biased feelings. It's noteworthy that the word Bethel means "the house of God." Can we take this lesson to heart and consider the validity of *our* preconceived notions OR the influence of others' opinions on us thereby missing “the house of the Lord?” Turning away from Bethel symbolically suggests a missed opportunity to connect with God. And it suggests that traveling alone may have been preferable to making such an error.
During their journey, Jesus' parents and companions engage in lengthy discussions about familiar Hebrew stories deeply ingrained in their collective knowledge. Immersing Jesus in this rich history has provided an opportunity for profound conversations that have shaped his religious upbringing. These narratives underscore the centrality of God in their lives. We noted the scarcity of similar teachings among contemporary parents.
Jesus' anticipation of beholding Jerusalem, the house of his Heavenly Father, is palpable. Though he may face disappointment, it doesn't deter him from becoming a great master in his public ministry. His humble beginnings are integral to his journey into manhood, shaping his deepening connection with his Heavenly Father. Our modern-day scientific skepticism and consequent cynicism make that type of religious life difficult but not unattainable.
We have been so indoctrinated into having this bias against fundamentalism. We mock religionists as fanatics and look down upon their naivety.
When they paused for rest in the borders of a little village called Bethany, Jesus and his parents were invited into the home of Simon’s family with his three children: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. As we know, Jesus became lifelong friends with this family and often stayed at their home when he was in the area.
While Jerusalem bustled with Passover preparations, Joseph took his son to visit the Hebrew academy, where Jesus was scheduled to resume his education in two years upon reaching fifteen. Joseph puzzled over Jesus' apparent lack of interest in these plans. But we know that Jesus is anchored in eternity. He knows that he will and must “seek first the kingdom of heaven” if all things should be added together for the good that will manifest in his life.
Jesus was deeply impressed by the temple and its services. He was dismayed by the animal sacrifices. His father’s answers to his questions about the necessity of it all left his deep-thinking nature quite unsatisfied. How ironic is it that he became known as the supreme sacrifice?
It was on this day that Jesus’ human heart was filled to overflowing with affectionate pity for the spiritually blind and morally ignorant multitudes assembled for the celebration of the ancient Passover commemoration. And, because he had achieved the 6th level of meaning at this point in his mortal career, during the night, there appeared to him an assigned messenger from Salvington, who said: "The hour has come. It is time that you began to be about your Father's business."
The Midwayers writing this account say that “the mystery of the incarnation became, to all of us, more and more unfathomable.” And we marveled at how these midwayer authors who are tens of thousands of years old use the word unfathomable. Without a Thought Adjuster, they cannot plumb the depths the way we might be able to do if we take delight in cultivating courageous and independent cosmic thinking.
In this arc we have seen the childhood career of a normal boy. We see him dealing with his life, which is, inescapably, all about time, and watching him slowly turn that life into something that will transcend time. Our question must be “How did he do that? How did he survive?” We’ve learned that he didn’t do it on his own, nor was it just a free gift of grace. We’ve learned about the role his parents, neighbors, and church played. For us here today, we all live in an evil-dominated world where the loyalties of parents leave much to be desired. Fortunately, Jesus did not have that problem to contend with. How do we learn what he did, given our circumstances? Certainly, deep prayer must be a factor.
There are so many lessons that can be learned by studying the childhood of Jesus. Lessons that will someday help the human race get back on track. While this part of the book may seem like a simple factual account, it is full of the deep and profound truths of eternity and we all feel so fortunate to have studied it in-depth over the last few months.
