Episode:Jesus in Galilee—Early Public Work (Part 1)

From Symmetry of Soul


The first public preaching tour of Galilee began on Sunday, January 18, A.D. 28, and continued for about two months, ending with the return to Capernaum on March 17. On this tour Jesus and the twelve apostles, assisted by the former apostles of John the Baptist, preached the gospel and baptized believers. This was the first time Jesus permitted his associates to preach without restraint.

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Keywords: Urantia, Jesus, Prayer, Universal Law, Forgiveness

Summary by Kermit

Commentary on the Review

We revisited [92:7.5-7.10] with respect to a change in text from the original consisting of the addition of the word “of.” Our discussion was very instructive as to key issues to be considered when contemplating changes to the text of the 5th ER. First, a high bar must be established when proposing any change to the revelation. Second, one needs to sincerely and rigorously attempt to refute any proposed change, keeping in mind that reflective refutation is not the same as negative rationalization. Our discussion points to the extremely sophisticated linguistic construction of the revelation. The interested student can visit the archive of the show for details of the specific change cited.

Continuing our discussion we considered the important distinction between the evolutionary philosophic definition of truth--given as “correct understanding”--and a revelation of the “truths of eternity” which cannot be defined with words.

A caller inquired about how to genuinely seek truth. First, the ineffable nature of truth must be recognized. Second, trust that the spirit ministries in the higher mind will actually grow a sincere truth seeker who cultivates favorable conditions thereto. Truth is characterized experientially by a dynamic and liberating quality.

Paper 146 First Preaching Tour of Galilee

We noted in the first paragraph of the preface that the authors’ narrative is very detailed and specific as to dates and locations. This led to the conclusion and our discussion that they are using a Julian calendar dating system. Of course as permanent citizens of our planet and eye witnesses to events described, the Midwayers can speak thus with such authoritative specificity.

Note that this new arc begins in the middle of Part IV, and that the famous “healing at sundown” episode occurred the day before our narrative picks up. Careful reading of the text would indicate that this supernatural exhibition of divine power seriously inhibits Jesus’ effectiveness as a preacher such that the bulk of the preaching duties fell predominately to the apostles. Jesus’ fame as healer and physician became an impediment to his spiritual message. He was continually besieged by the multitudes for the amelioration of their material problems to the neglect of their spiritual well-being.

146:1. Preaching at Rimmon

Rimmon once was dedicated to nature worship. As a result, Jesus and the twenty-four were occupied with the task of attempting to clarify the difference between older beliefs and the new gospel. The revelators point out that later many Persian and Babylonian ideas of dual spiritism became part of Christianity, along with many of Plato’s theories all to the end that Jesus’ teaching would be more palatable to people of the Near East and the western Greeks. We lingered in our discussion on the difficulties which dual spiritism still inflicts on modern religio-philosophic thought.

And who is Todan? Here we see another instance of the revelators name dropping out of the blue. We might suspect these hitherto unknown names may enable historians to connect the dots to help coordinate essential knowledge in our human records.

146:2. At Jotapata

As mentioned, this section has been read twice before for our SoS studies. It contains a distillation of Jesus’ answer to a question by Nathaniel concerning prayer, thanksgiving, and worship. We find here another instance of our midwayer authors issuing a disclaimer as they summarize Jesus’ teachings in modern phraseology. This has the effect of putting Jesus’ teachings in a 5th ER context which is more rugged and challenging than the 4th ER’s exclusive spiritual uplift mode.

We managed to read through the first three items of this sixteen item list on prayer.

1. Iniquity. Jesus makes clear that persistently holding, expressing, and acting out iniquitous concepts destroys the prayer connection between man and his Maker. We discussed the etymology of word “iniquity” and discovered that it essentially means out of step, or non-conformity with the cosmos. It is the spirit gravity of the Eternal Mother Son that actually carries prayer to Deity.

2. Abominable prayers. Here Jesus takes prayer out of the realm of magic and points to necessity of complying with the universe laws of spirit, mind, and matter in order for them to be efficacious. The ruggedness referred to above with respect to the midwayers’ restatements of Jesus’ teachings is found in his choice of Old Testament passages labeling such negligent prayer as an abomination to God.

3. Forgiveness. Here the correct function of the God-man channel is described as regards prayer. Also, the dynamics of this God-man channel is explained in the process of forgiveness of sin. The Father’s forgiveness does not have to be sought. The Father forgives before being asked. The sinner experiences this forgiveness as soon as he forgives his fellows. Such dynamics are illustrated in the prayer Jesus taught his apostles.

Notes by Brad

  • Refutation is not a negative rationalization scheme. True refutation is deeper and more reflective than just something the fancy 2nd [adjutant mind-spirit]] can help you do.
  • Quid est veritas? Truth is not merely correct understanding. So what is truth? Indeed. The longer we live, we humbly reflect perhaps we know nothing about this. Our peripatetic "I know nothing about truth" moment.
    • Be expectant. Set the bar high. Hold out a sublime hope that someday you will know truth. Be humble and acknowledge you don't know much about it right not, if anything really. Truth is a high word.
    • You can obey truth. Truth flows. Facts fixate. Truth liberates.
    • Personality is a high word, also.
    • Truly finding the truth will set you free.
  • In the main... it's evolutionary and quite slow. Can we be in a parallel stream, get our inner lives in order, and then reengage the mainstream anew?
  • The indispensables, elements for the progress of advancing civilization (toward an advanced civilization): true religion, true monogamy, prayer, god-consciousness


  • And now a new arc. Is this a travelogue? Best of luck with that, most of these cities are long gone. And this list-o-cities is just a highlight list.
  • Specific geography, specific dates and sometimes even times. Oh my! But the permanent inhabitants of our planet--the Midwayers--would be quite excellent at this kind of detail. Us? We can't even remember what year our great-grandparents were born in more often than not.
    • So which calendar is this? Today's Gregorian (instituted in 16th century), or the Julian calendar of those times? The latter.
    • Read more: "When is Jesus Birthday?" a paper at Perfecting Horizons Institute.


  • Look for the truth flowing through even the most apparently prosaic paragraph.
  • Very early on in the preaching tour, unfortunate fixations appear almost immediately.
    • Notably baptism.
      • Of course, even Jesus played into this by allowing himself to be baptized.
      • New wine in old wineskins. A water fetish.
    • Parlor tricks. Signs and miracles as supposed proof of spirit's existence.


  • Leading up to the, there was extreme disappointment on the part of the apostles just 4 days before.
    • But they now are finding "earnestness and joy" in this work.
  • And in some ways, Jesus' direct preaching already is kindof over here.
    • Why? People already are short circuiting, looking for miracles, signs, and wonders. What ails them materially. "Heal me! Feed me!"
    • So in many ways, he must keep a low profile to avoid short circuiting.
    • The apostles did most of the preaching. Jesus from here on mostly ministered to the sick.


  • Do your one tiny part well. Then trust. Be patient. Let it be.
    • Do you find that difficult? Jesus didn't, and he made this local universe.
      • Even a Creator Son knows the tail cannot wag the dog. He is one of 100,000
    • "I'm a very small part in a very large process."


  • Why is nature worship so vogue these days? Because our natural animal-origin minds thing "the older the idea, the more powerful the idea."
    • Particularly during times of trouble, tumult, upheaval.


  • Who was Todan? Why a whole paragraph? He's not commonly known about.
    • But run things in reverse. If you find early records of Jesus gospel beyond the Euphrates, you might ask, "Was that Todan?"


  • Iniquity: not + equity.
    • And equity in its true sense. Not in conformity (synchronized) with the cosmos.


  • This writer finds some items of section 2 particularly lashing.
    • 9. Don't be self-centered in your prayers. ...Sigh. But I am an introvert and think inside my head all the time.
    • 10. Pray for those who curse and persecute you. ...Sigh. Even intransigent emotional coworkers?
    • 15. Stop being constantly overanxious about your common needs. ...Sigh. I'm still terribly afraid of not being able to pay my mortgage, and that drives all too much of my behavior.