Urantia Book Paper 166 Last Visit To Northern Perea

Urantia Book Paper 166 Last Visit To Northern Perea
SPIRITWEB ORG, PROMOTING SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE INTERNET.

Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART IV: The Life and Teachings
of Jesus : The Bestowal Of Michael On Urantia The Times Of Michael's Bestowal
Birth And Infancy Of Jesus The Early Childhood Of Jesus The Later Childhood Of
Jesus Jesus At Jerusalem The Two Crucial Years The Adolescent Years Jesus'
Early Manhood The Later Adult Life Of Jesus On The Way To Rome The World's
Religions The Sojourn At Rome The Return From Rome The Transition Years John
The Baptist Baptism And The Forty Days Tarrying Time In Galilee Training The
Kingdom's Messengers The Twelve Apostles The Ordination Of The Twelve Beginning
The Public Work The Passover At Jerusalem Going Through Samaria At Gilboa And
In The Decapolis Four Eventful Days At Capernaum First Preaching Tour Of
Galilee The Interlude Visit To Jerusalem Training Evangelists At Bethsaida The
Second Preaching Tour The Third Preaching Tour Tarrying And Teaching By The
Seaside Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis The Crisis At Capernaum Last
Days At Capernaum Fleeing Through Northern Galilee The Sojourn At Tyre And
Sidon At Caesarea-philippi The Mount Of Transfiguration The Decapolis Tour
Rodan Of Alexandria Further Discussions With Rodan At The Feast Of Tabernacles
Ordination Of The Seventy At Magadan At The Feast Of Dedication The Perean
Mission Begins Last Visit To Northern Perea The Visit To Philadelphia The
Resurrection Of Lazarus Last Teaching At Pella The Kingdom Of Heaven On The Way
To Jerusalem Going Into Jerusalem Monday In Jerusalem ...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paper 166 Last Visit To Northern Perea

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction

FROM February 11 to 20, Jesus and the twelve made a tour of all the cities and
villages of northern Perea where the associates of Abner and the members of the
women's corps were working. They found these messengers of the gospel meeting
with success, and Jesus repeatedly called the attention of his apostles to the
fact that the gospel of the kingdom could spread without the accompaniment of
miracles and wonders.

This entire mission of three months in Perea was successfully carried on with
little help from the twelve apostles, and the gospel from this time on
reflected, not so much Jesus' personality, as his teachings. But his followers
did not long follow his instructions, for soon after Jesus' death and
resurrection they departed from his teachings and began to build the early
church around the miraculous concepts and the glorified memories of his
divine-human personality.

1. THE PHARISEES AT RAGABA

On Sabbath, February 18, Jesus was at Ragaba, where there lived a wealthy
Pharisee named Nathaniel; and since quite a number of his fellow Pharisees were
following Jesus and the twelve around the country, he made a breakfast on this
Sabbath morning for all of them, about twenty in number, and invited Jesus as
the guest of honor.

By the time Jesus arrived at this breakfast, most of the Pharisees, with two or
three lawyers, were already there and seated at the table. The Master
immediately took his seat at the left of Nathaniel without going to the water
basins to wash his hands. Many of the Pharisees, especially those favorable to
Jesus' teachings, knew that he washed his hands only for purposes of
cleanliness, that he abhorred these purely ceremonial performances; so they
were not surprised at his coming directly to the table without having twice
washed his hands. But Nathaniel was shocked by this failure of the Master to
comply with the strict requirements of Pharisaic practice. Neither did Jesus
wash his hands, as did the Pharisees, after each course of food nor at the end
of the meal.

After considerable whispering between Nathaniel and an unfriendly Pharisee on
his right and after much lifting of eyebrows and sneering curling of lips by
those who sat opposite the Master, Jesus finally said: "I had thought that you
invited me to this house to break bread with you and perchance to inquire of me
concerning the proclamation of the new gospel of the kingdom of God; but I
perceive that you have brought me here to witness an exhibition of cere-

top of page - 1826

monial devotion to your own self-righteousness. That service you have now done
me; what next will you honor me with as your guest on this occasion?"

When the Master had thus spoken, they cast their eyes upon the table and
remained silent. And since no one spoke, Jesus continued: "Many of you
Pharisees are here with me as friends, some are even my disciples, but the
majority of the Pharisees are persistent in their refusal to see the light and
acknowledge the truth, even when the work of the gospel is brought before them
in great power. How carefully you cleanse the outside of the cups and the
platters while the spiritual-food vessels are filthy and polluted! You make
sure to present a pious and holy appearance to the people, but your inner souls
are filled with self-righteousness, covetousness, extortion, and all manner of
spiritual wickedness. Your leaders even dare to plot and plan the murder of the
Son of Man. Do not you foolish men understand that the God of heaven looks at
the inner motives of the soul as well as on your outer pretenses and your pious
professions? Think not that the giving of alms and the paying of tithes will
cleanse you from unrighteousness and enable you to stand clean in the presence
of the Judge of all men. Woe upon you Pharisees who have persisted in rejecting
the light of life! You are meticulous in tithing and ostentatious in
almsgiving, but you knowingly spurn the visitation of God and reject the
revelation of his love. Though it is all right for you to give attention to
these minor duties, you should not have left these weightier requirements
undone. Woe upon all who shun justice, spurn mercy, and reject truth! Woe upon
all those who despise the revelation of the Father while they seek the chief
seats in the synagogue and crave flattering salutations in the market places!"

When Jesus would have risen to depart, one of the lawyers who was at the table,
addressing him, said: "But, Master, in some of your statements you reproach us
also. Is there nothing good in the scribes, the Pharisees, or the lawyers?" And
Jesus, standing, replied to the lawyer: "You, like the Pharisees, delight in
the first places at the feasts and in wearing long robes while you put heavy
burdens, grievous to be borne, on men's shoulders. And when the souls of men
stagger under these heavy burdens, you will not so much as lift with one of
your fingers. Woe upon you who take your greatest delight in building tombs for
the prophets your fathers killed! And that you consent to what your fathers did
is made manifest when you now plan to kill those who come in this day doing
what the prophets did in their day--proclaiming the righteousness of God and
revealing the mercy of the heavenly Father. But of all the generations that are
past, the blood of the prophets and the apostles shall be required of this
perverse and self-righteous generation. Woe upon all of you lawyers who have
taken away the key of knowledge from the common people! You yourselves refuse
to enter into the way of truth, and at the same time you would hinder all
others who seek to enter therein. But you cannot thus shut up the doors of the
kingdom of heaven; these we have opened to all who have the faith to enter, and
these portals of mercy shall not be closed by the prejudice and arrogance of
false teachers and untrue shepherds who are like whited sepulchres which, while
outwardly they appear beautiful, are inwardly full of dead men's bones and all
manner of spiritual uncleanness."

And when Jesus had finished speaking at Nathaniel's table, he went out of the
house without partaking of food. And of the Pharisees who heard these words,
some became believers in his teaching and entered into the kingdom,

top of page - 1827

but the larger number persisted in the way of darkness, becoming all the more
determined to lie in wait for him that they might catch some of his words which
could be used to bring him to trial and judgment before the Sanhedrin at
Jerusalem.

There were just three things to which the Pharisees paid particular attention:

1. The practice of strict tithing.

2. Scrupulous observance of the laws of purification.

3. Avoidance of association with all non-Pharisees.

At this time Jesus sought to expose the spiritual barrenness of the first two
practices, while he reserved his remarks designed to rebuke the Pharisees'
refusal to engage in social intercourse with non-Pharisees for another and
subsequent occasion when he would again be dining with many of these same men.

2. THE TEN LEPERS

The next day Jesus went with the twelve over to Amathus, near the border of
Samaria, and as they approached the city, they encountered a group of ten
lepers who sojourned near this place. Nine of this group were Jews, one a
Samaritan. Ordinarily these Jews would have refrained from all association or
contact with this Samaritan, but their common affliction was more than enough
to overcome all religious prejudice. They had heard much of Jesus and his
earlier miracles of healing, and since the seventy made a practice of
announcing the time of Jesus' expected arrival when the Master was out with the
twelve on these tours, the ten lepers had been made aware that he was expected
to appear in this vicinity at about this time; and they were, accordingly,
posted here on the outskirts of the city where they hoped to attract his
attention and ask for healing. When the lepers saw Jesus drawing near them, not
daring to approach him, they stood afar off and cried to him: "Master, have
mercy on us; cleanse us from our affliction. Heal us as you have healed
others."

Jesus had just been explaining to the twelve why the gentiles of Perea,
together with the less orthodox Jews, were more willing to believe the gospel
preached by the seventy than were the more orthodox and tradition-bound Jews of
Judea. He had called their attention to the fact that their message had
likewise been more readily received by the Galileans, and even by the
Samaritans. But the twelve apostles were hardly yet willing to entertain kind
feelings for the long-despised Samaritans.

Accordingly, when Simon Zelotes observed the Samaritan among the lepers, he
sought to induce the Master to pass on into the city without even hesitating to
exchange greetings with them. Said Jesus to Simon: "But what if the Samaritan
loves God as well as the Jews? Should we sit in judgment on our fellow men? Who
can tell? if we make these ten men whole, perhaps the Samaritan will prove more
grateful even than the Jews. Do you feel certain about your opinions, Simon?"
And Simon quickly replied, "If you cleanse them, you will soon find out." And
Jesus replied: "So shall it be, Simon, and you will soon know the truth
regarding the gratitude of men and the loving mercy of God."

Jesus, going near the lepers, said: "If you would be made whole, go forthwith
and show yourselves to the priests as required by the law of Moses." And

top of page - 1828

as they went, they were made whole. But when the Samaritan saw that he was
being healed, he turned back and, going in quest of Jesus, began to glorify God
with a loud voice. And when he had found the Master, he fell on his knees at
his feet and gave thanks for his cleansing. The nine others, the Jews, had also
discovered their healing, and while they also were grateful for their
cleansing, they continued on their way to show themselves to the priests.

As the Samaritan remained kneeling at Jesus' feet, the Master, looking about at
the twelve, especially at Simon Zelotes, said: "Were not ten cleansed? Where,
then, are the other nine, the Jews? Only one, this alien, has returned to give
glory to God." And then he said to the Samaritan, "Arise and go your way; your
faith has made you whole."

Jesus looked again at his apostles as the stranger departed. And the apostles
all looked at Jesus, save Simon Zelotes, whose eyes were downcast. The twelve
said not a word. Neither did Jesus speak; it was not necessary that he should.

Though all ten of these men really believed they had leprosy, only four were
thus afflicted. The other six were cured of a skin disease which had been
mistaken for leprosy. But the Samaritan really had leprosy.

Jesus enjoined the twelve to say nothing about the cleansing of the lepers, and
as they went on into Amathus, he remarked: "You see how it is that the children
of the house, even when they are insubordinate to their Father's will, take
their blessings for granted. They think it a small matter if they neglect to
give thanks when the Father bestows healing upon them, but the strangers, when
they receive gifts from the head of the house, are filled with wonder and are
constrained to give thanks in recognition of the good things bestowed upon
them." And still the apostles said nothing in reply to the Master's words.

3. THE SERMON AT GERASA

As Jesus and the twelve visited with the messengers of the kingdom at Gerasa,
one of the Pharisees who believed in him asked this question: "Lord, will there
be few or many really saved?" And Jesus, answering, said:

"You have been taught that only the children of Abraham will be saved; that
only the gentiles of adoption can hope for salvation. Some of you have reasoned
that, since the Scriptures record that only Caleb and Joshua from among all the
hosts that went out of Egypt lived to enter the promised land, only a
comparatively few of those who seek the kingdom of heaven shall find entrance
thereto.

"You also have another saying among you, and one that contains much truth: That
the way which leads to eternal life is straight and narrow, that the door which
leads thereto is likewise narrow so that, of those who seek salvation, few can
find entrance through this door. You also have a teaching that the way which
leads to destruction is broad, that the entrance thereto is wide, and that
there are many who choose to go this way. And this proverb is not without its
meaning. But I declare that salvation is first a matter of your personal
choosing. Even if the door to the way of life is narrow, it is wide enough to
admit all who sincerely seek to enter, for I am that door. And the Son will
never refuse entrance to any child of the universe who, by faith, seeks to find
the Father through the Son.

top of page - 1829

"But herein is the danger to all who would postpone their entrance into the
kingdom while they continue to pursue the pleasures of immaturity and indulge
the satisfactions of selfishness: Having refused to enter the kingdom as a
spiritual experience, they may subsequently seek entrance thereto when the
glory of the better way becomes revealed in the age to come. And when,
therefore, those who spurned the kingdom when I came in the likeness of
humanity seek to find an entrance when it is revealed in the likeness of
divinity, then will I say to all such selfish ones: I know not whence you are.
You had your chance to prepare for this heavenly citizenship, but you refused
all such proffers of mercy; you rejected all invitations to come while the door
was open. Now, to you who have refused salvation, the door is shut. This door
is not open to those who would enter the kingdom for selfish glory. Salvation
is not for those who are unwilling to pay the price of wholehearted dedication
to doing my Father's will. When in spirit and soul you have turned your backs
upon the Father's kingdom, it is useless in mind and body to stand before this
door and knock, saying, `Lord, open to us; we would also be great in the
kingdom.' Then will I declare that you are not of my fold. I will not receive
you to be among those who have fought the good fight of faith and won the
reward of unselfish service in the kingdom on earth. And when you say, `Did we
not eat and drink with you, and did you not teach in our streets?' then shall I
again declare that you are spiritual strangers; that we were not fellow
servants in the Father's ministry of mercy on earth; that I do not know you;
and then shall the Judge of all the earth say to you: `Depart from us, all you
who have taken delight in the works of iniquity.'

"But fear not; every one who sincerely desires to find eternal life by entrance
into the kingdom of God shall certainly find such everlasting salvation. But
you who refuse this salvation will some day see the prophets of the seed of
Abraham sit down with the believers of the gentile nations in this glorified
kingdom to partake of the bread of life and to refresh themselves with the
water thereof. And they who shall thus take the kingdom in spiritual power and
by the persistent assaults of living faith will come from the north and the
south and from the east and the west. And, behold, many who are first will be
last, and those who are last will many times be first."

This was indeed a new and strange version of the old and familiar proverb of
the straight and narrow way.

Slowly the apostles and many of the disciples were learning the meaning of
Jesus' early declaration: "Unless you are born again, born of the spirit, you
cannot enter the kingdom of God." Nevertheless, to all who are honest of heart
and sincere in faith, it remains eternally true: "Behold, I stand at the doors
of men's hearts and knock, and if any man will open to me, I will come in and
sup with him and will feed him with the bread of life; we shall be one in
spirit and purpose, and so shall we ever be brethren in the long and fruitful
service of the search for the Paradise Father." And so, whether few or many are
to be saved altogether depends on whether few or many will heed the invitation:
"I am the door, I am the new and living way, and whosoever wills may enter to
embark upon the endless truth-search for eternal life."

Even the apostles were unable fully to comprehend his teaching as to the
necessity for using spiritual force for the purpose of breaking through all
material resistance and for surmounting every earthly obstacle which might
chance to stand in the way of grasping the all-important spiritual values of
the new life in the spirit as the liberated sons of God.

top of page - 1830

4. TEACHING ABOUT ACCIDENTS

While most Palestinians ate only two meals a day, it was the custom of Jesus
and the apostles, when on a journey, to pause at midday for rest and
refreshment. And it was at such a noontide stop on the way to Philadelphia that
Thomas asked Jesus: "Master, from hearing your remarks as we journeyed this
morning, I would like to inquire whether spiritual beings are concerned in the
production of strange and extraordinary events in the material world and,
further, to ask whether the angels and other spirit beings are able to prevent
accidents."

In answer to Thomas's inquiry, Jesus said: "Have I been so long with you, and
yet you continue to ask me such questions? Have you failed to observe how the
Son of Man lives as one with you and consistently refuses to employ the forces
of heaven for his personal sustenance? Do we not all live by the same means
whereby all men exist? Do you see the power of the spiritual world manifested
in the material life of this world, save for the revelation of the Father and
the sometime healing of his afflicted children?

"All too long have your fathers believed that prosperity was the token of
divine approval; that adversity was the proof of God's displeasure. I declare
that such beliefs are superstitions. Do you not observe that far greater
numbers of the poor joyfully receive the gospel and immediately enter the
kingdom? If riches evidence divine favor, why do the rich so many times refuse
to believe this good news from heaven?

"The Father causes his rain to fall on the just and the unjust; the sun
likewise shines on the righteous and the unrighteous. You know about those
Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with the sacrifices, but I tell you these
Galileans were not in any manner sinners above all their fellows just because
this happened to them. You also know about the eighteen men upon whom the tower
of Siloam fell, killing them. Think not that these men who were thus destroyed
were offenders above all their brethren in Jerusalem. These folks were simply
innocent victims of one of the accidents of time.

"There are three groups of events which may occur in your lives:

"1. You may share in those normal happenings which are a part of the life you
and your fellows live on the face of the earth.

"2. You may chance to fall victim to one of the accidents of nature, one of the
mischances of men, knowing full well that such occurrences are in no way
prearranged or otherwise produced by the spiritual forces of the realm.

"3. You may reap the harvest of your direct efforts to comply with the natural
laws governing the world.

"There was a certain man who planted a fig tree in his yard, and when he had
many times sought fruit thereon and found none, he called the vinedressers
before him and said: `Here have I come these three seasons looking for fruit on
this fig tree and have found none. Cut down this barren tree; why should it
encumber the ground?' But the head gardener answered his master: `Let it alone
for one more year so that I may dig around it and put on fertilizer, and then,
next year, if it bears no fruit, it shall be cut down.' And when they had thus
complied with the laws of fruitfulness, since the tree was living and good,
they were rewarded with an abundant yield.

top of page - 1831

"In the matter of sickness and health, you should know that these bodily states
are the result of material causes; health is not the smile of heaven, neither
is affliction the frown of God.

"The Father's human children have equal capacity for the reception of material
blessings; therefore does he bestow things physical upon the children of men
without discrimination. When it comes to the bestowal of spiritual gifts, the
Father is limited by man's capacity for receiving these divine endowments.
Although the Father is no respecter of persons, in the bestowal of spiritual
gifts he is limited by man's faith and by his willingness always to abide by
the Father's will."

As they journeyed on toward Philadelphia, Jesus continued to teach them and to
answer their questions having to do with accidents, sickness, and miracles, but
they were not able fully to comprehend this instruction. One hour of teaching
will not wholly change the beliefs of a lifetime, and so Jesus found it
necessary to reiterate his message, to tell again and again that which he
wished them to understand; and even then they failed to grasp the meaning of
his earth mission until after his death and resurrection.

5. THE CONGREGATION AT PHILADELPHIA

Jesus and the twelve were on their way to visit Abner and his associates, who
were preaching and teaching in Philadelphia. Of all the cities of Perea, in
Philadelphia the largest group of Jews and gentiles, rich and poor, learned and
unlearned, embraced the teachings of the seventy, thereby entering into the
kingdom of heaven. The synagogue of Philadelphia had never been subject to the
supervision of the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem and therefore had never been closed
to the teachings of Jesus and his associates. At this very time, Abner was
teaching three times a day in the Philadelphia synagogue.

This very synagogue later on became a Christian church and was the missionary
headquarters for the promulgation of the gospel through the regions to the
east. It was long a stronghold of the Master's teachings and stood alone in
this region as a center of Christian learning for centuries.

The Jews at Jerusalem had always had trouble with the Jews of Philadelphia. And
after the death and resurrection of Jesus the Jerusalem church, of which James
the Lord's brother was head, began to have serious difficulties with the
Philadelphia congregation of believers. Abner became the head of the
Philadelphia church, continuing as such until his death. And this estrangement
with Jerusalem explains why nothing is heard of Abner and his work in the
Gospel records of the New Testament. This feud between Jerusalem and
Philadelphia lasted throughout the lifetimes of James and Abner and continued
for some time after the destruction of Jerusalem. Philadelphia was really the
headquarters of the early church in the south and east as Antioch was in the
north and west.

It was the apparent misfortune of Abner to be at variance with all of the
leaders of the early Christian church. He fell out with Peter and James (Jesus'
brother) over questions of administration and the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem
church; he parted company with Paul over differences of philosophy and
theology. Abner was more Babylonian than Hellenic in his philosophy, and he
stubbornly resisted all attempts of Paul to remake the teachings of Jesus so as

top of page - 1832

to present less that was objectionable, first to the Jews, then to the
Greco-Roman believers in the mysteries.

Thus was Abner compelled to live a life of isolation. He was head of a church
which was without standing at Jerusalem. He had dared to defy James the Lord's
brother, who was subsequently supported by Peter. Such conduct effectively
separated him from all his former associates. Then he dared to withstand Paul.
Although he was wholly sympathetic with Paul in his mission to the gentiles,
and though he supported him in his contentions with the church at Jerusalem, he
bitterly opposed the version of Jesus' teachings which Paul elected to preach.
In his last years Abner denounced Paul as the "clever corrupter of the life
teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the living God."

During the later years of Abner and for some time thereafter, the believers at
Philadelphia held more strictly to the religion of Jesus, as he lived and
taught, than any other group on earth.

Abner lived to be 89 years old, dying at Philadelphia on the 21st day of
November, A.D. 74. And to the very end he was a faithful believer in, and
teacher of, the gospel of the heavenly kingdom.

top of page - 1833

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART IV: The Life and Teachings
of Jesus : The Bestowal Of Michael On Urantia The Times Of Michael's Bestowal
Birth And Infancy Of Jesus The Early Childhood Of Jesus The Later Childhood Of
Jesus Jesus At Jerusalem The Two Crucial Years The Adolescent Years Jesus'
Early Manhood The Later Adult Life Of Jesus On The Way To Rome The World's
Religions The Sojourn At Rome The Return From Rome The Transition Years John
The Baptist Baptism And The Forty Days Tarrying Time In Galilee Training The
Kingdom's Messengers The Twelve Apostles The Ordination Of The Twelve Beginning
The Public Work The Passover At Jerusalem Going Through Samaria At Gilboa And
In The Decapolis Four Eventful Days At Capernaum First Preaching Tour Of
Galilee The Interlude Visit To Jerusalem Training Evangelists At Bethsaida The
Second Preaching Tour The Third Preaching Tour Tarrying And Teaching By The
Seaside Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis The Crisis At Capernaum Last
Days At Capernaum Fleeing Through Northern Galilee The Sojourn At Tyre And
Sidon At Caesarea-philippi The Mount Of Transfiguration The Decapolis Tour
Rodan Of Alexandria Further Discussions With Rodan At The Feast Of Tabernacles
Ordination Of The Seventy At Magadan At The Feast Of Dedication The Perean
Mission Begins Last Visit To Northern Perea The Visit To Philadelphia The
Resurrection Of Lazarus Last Teaching At Pella The Kingdom Of Heaven On The Way
To Jerusalem Going Into Jerusalem Monday In Jerusalem Tuesday Morning In The
Temple The Last Temple Discourse Tuesday Evening On Mount Olivet Wednesday, The
Rest Day Last Day At The Camp The Last Supper The Farewell Discourse Final
Admonitions And Warnings In Gethsemane The Betrayal And Arrest Of Jesus Before
The Sanhedrin Court The Trial Before Pilate Just Before The Crucifixion The
Crucifixion The Time Of The Tomb The Resurrection Morontia Appearances Of Jesus
Appearances To The Apostles And Other Leaders Appearances In Galilee Final
Appearances And Ascension Bestowal Of The Spirit Of Truth After Pentecost The
Faith Of Jesus

��Ŀ
� // � � � � �
� The Perean � The Visit To � Urantia Book � Search � SiteMap! �
� Miss... � Ph... � PA... � � �
��
//

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
��Ŀ
� � � � � � � SPIRITWEB ORG ([email protected]), � �
� � � � � � � http://www.spiritweb.org � �
� � � � � � � Webmaster <[email protected]> � �
� � � � � � � � �
� � � � � � � ONLINE SINCE 1993. MAINTAINED IN SWITZERLAND. � �
� � � � � � � DISTRIBUTED TO CALIFORNIA, SPAIN, ITALY, SOUTH AFRICA, � �
� � � � � � � AUSTRALIA � �
� � � � � � � � �
��