Episode:Jesus the Tutor—Sojourn at Rome (Part 1)
Jesus learned much about men while in Rome, but the most valuable experiences of his six months’ sojourn in that city were his contacts with, and influences upon, the religious leaders of the empire’s capital. He enhanced their discernment of truth and thus prepared them for the recognition of similar truths in the teachings of the early Christian missionaries.
Keywords: Urantia, Jesus, Peter, Paul, Christianity
Summary by Kermit
Commentary on Review
We reflected on the key element of service embodied by Jesus, that being look for opportunities to do something for others which you are certain they really want done. Otherwise, your service is a species of self-service. We expanded on the description of personality as an influence from eternity. The revelators use the word personality in two modes.
- In one sense personality refers to a non-object abstract concept that is spirit pattern and it is in this sense that it can be said to be an influence from eternity (an existential fact).
- When personality becomes identified with a self it produces a personalized self and functions in time and space. In this sense it is not said to be an influence from eternity.
Our discussion led to a consideration of the existential (non-experiencible) aspects of reality in contrast with the experiential aspects of reality, including God the Father (God as transcendent), and God the Mother (God as immanent), and Thought Adjusters. Summarization of this discussion is beyond the scope of this review. Visit the archive for the full experience.
Paper 132 The Sojourn at Rome
We find further testimony to the charm of Jesus’ personality in the narration of his meeting with the Roman Emperor Tiberius accompanying Gonod and Ganid as they delivered greetings from the princes of India. Also we must conclude that Gonod was a man of real substance and standing to receive such an audience.
Jesus was quick to prosecute his plan to make the acquaintance of the worth-while leaders of the Cynics, the Stoics, and the mystery cults, most notably the Mithraic group, to the end that the religious soil of Rome be prepared for the better and more certain reception of the message carried by his disciples proclaiming the kingdom of heaven. Within the first week of his arrival in Rome he selected thirty-two of these religious leaders to receive personal instruction for the duration of his six month stay. His positive method of instruction was to avoid attacking their errors or mentioning the flaws in their teaching, but focus on embellishing the truth in their teaching thus allowing enhanced truth to grow and crowd out associated error.
We tried to make clear that Jesus’ actions and decision during this sojourn took origin in Jesus the man. This is a pitfall in considering Jesus during his pre- and post-baptismal periods. There is a temptation to ascribe a number of the remarkable incidents during his Roman stay as originating in the divine mind of Michael of Nebadon instead of the third circle human Jesus, and by so doing draw unwarranted conclusions about this private ministry. This distinction is vital if we hope to understand the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it.
The narrative attributes the receptivity of these Roman religious leaders to Jesus’ teaching as being due to their freedom from settled preconceptions as to future religious developments, they were teachable. The authors consider this preliminary preparation of the Roman religious leaders one of the three most important factors in the early setting of the stage for the rapid spread of Christianity throughout Europe. The other two were the choosing and holding of Peter as an apostle, and Jesus’ talk with Stephen which led to the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Interestingly and most certainly by design, neither Peter, Paul, nor the Jesus-taught Roman religious leaders ever made the connection between the scribe of Damascus or the tentmaker of Antioch and Jesus.
132:1. True Values
The authors include here a restatement of one of Jesus’ discussions with the leader of the Stoics. Jesus highlighted the triune nature of reality, emphasizing that the standard of true values is to be found in the spiritual domain on divine levels of eternal reality. Lower and material standards are transient, partial, and inferior. The augmentation of moral insight and spiritual attainment must accompany materialistic and scientific advancement if civilization is to survive and progress. In order for each of the three domains of reality to endure, they must all be harmonized through personal choosing. The scientist and the religionist must increasingly recognize their duty to mankind. If the science or religion in any age is false, each must be purified if they are to be upheld and endure, lest they collapse and await the emergence of a material science or spiritual religion of a truer and more worthy order.
Notes by Brad
- Are you sure you're sure you know something someone wants done? I find, in humility, I'm not at all sure I know much about what people want done, other than silly immature things like "uhh, do all my work for me."
- Friendly reminder: personality is used in two different modes
- An abstract concept: non-identified spirit pattern. An influence from eternity. It cannot be experienced directly, only recognized as a fact logically through insight.
- Once it identifies with a self, it partly produces a personalized self. It's the "applied" space. The personalized self is not an influence from eternity--that's a path to self-righteousness.
- Existential is--by definition!-not experiencable. The existential only can be recognized through insight.
- Much of this part of Jesus' life played out in a way where his own self got out of the way. Providence is at play in much of this.
- He remained humble. Not self-righteous. Not feeling like his agenda was the way.
- But he's not ignorant of where he's headed. A Brilliant Evening Star visited him in childhood. He just does not have access to the consciousness of a Creator Son.
- And he also has [Paper 129] some degree of conscious contact with his Thought Adjuster.
- When reading this part of Jesus' life, don't get confused and "pour" these stories into the 2,000 year old wineskins of only thinking of him as Michael.
- This part of Jesus' life, don't undersell how valuable this "human knowledge" is about this religious life of Jesus is. It's applicable.
- The divide between you and your TA is what powers progress. You WANT the tension there so you have progress. Embrace the tension between you and your Adjuster.
- Stay humble. Stay patient.
- And remember: Lucifer was all about saying we have a right to be impatient, a right to be in intimate contact with our TA. This is sophistry.
- The ancient Greeks recognized the concept of "cosmos," hence cosmopolitan. Rome had something of a harmony of all the types of people on the planet. Rome was a reminder that harmony is possible.
- Cosmopolitan implies harmony, not unity.
- Harmony can be grown even in the ancient world, in the midst of empire. Without a lot of material comfort, and certainly without light and life.
- Harmony can exist anytime. It takes creativity--mind over manner--to manifest harmony.
- The religious life of Jesus and how he lived it. Look at the 6 months he spent talking to religious teachers in Rome. Look at his amazing method of instruction. Notice his discrimination: "worth-while leaders"
- Remain teachable. Avoid unfortunate eternalizations of your mind (at the worst, "This is adequate", which is an unfortunate use of personality on your mind to freeze it and make it unteachable).
- The product of reflective thinking may be new wine, but what do you think happens if you put it into old wineskins?
