CHAPTER 116
The Christines are in Philip’s home. Jesus interprets the parable of the wheat and tares. He explains the unfoldment of the kingdom by parables: the good seed; the growth of the tree; the leaven; the hidden treasure. He goes to a mountain to pray.
The Christines were in Philip’s home and Peter said to Jesus, Lord, will you explain to us the meaning of the parables you spoke today? The one about the wheat and tares, especially?
2 And Jesus said, God’s kingdom is a dualty; it has an outer and an inner form.
3 As seen by man it is composed of men, of those who make confession of the name of Christ.
4 For various reasons various people crowd this outer kingdom of our God.
5 The inner kingdom is the kingdom of the soul, the kingdom of the pure in heart.
6 The outer kingdom I may well explain in parables. Behold, for I have seen you cast a great net out into the sea,
7 And when you hauled it in, lo, it was full of every kind of fish, some good, some bad, some great, some small; and I have seen you save the good and throw the bad away.
8 This outer kingdom is the net, and every kind of man is caught; but in the sorting day the bad will all be cast away, the good reserved.
9 Hear, then, the meaning of the parable of wheat and tares:
10 The sower is the son of man; the field, the world; the good seed are the children of the light; the tares, the children of the dark; the enemy, the carnal self; the harvest day, the closing of the age; the reapers are the messengers of God.
11 The reckoning day will come to every man; then will the tares be gathered up, and cast into the fire and be burned.
12 Then will the good shine forth as suns in the kingdom of the soul.
13 And Philip said, Must men and women suffer in the flames because they have not found the way of life?
14 And Jesus said, The fire purifies. The chemist throws into the fire the ores that hold all kinds of dross.
15 The useless metal seems to be consumed; but not a grain of gold is lost.
16 There is no man that has not in him gold that cannot be destroyed. The evil things of men are all consumed in fire; the gold survives.
17 The inner kingdom of the soul I may explain in parables:
18 The son of man goes forth and scatters seeds of truth; God waters well the soil; the seeds show life and grow; first comes the blade, and then the stalk, and then the ear, and then the full wheat in the ear.
19 The harvest comes and, lo, the reapers bear the ripened sheaves into the garner of the Lord.
20 Again, this kingdom of the soul is like a little seed that men may plant in fertile soil.
21 (A thousand of these seeds would scarcely be a shekel’s weight.)
22 The tiny seed begins to grow; it pushes through the earth, and after years of growth it is a mighty tree and birds rest in its leafy bowers and men find refuge ’neath its sheltering boughs from sun and storm.
23 Again, the truth, the spirit of the kingdom of the soul, is like a ball of leaven that a woman hid in measures, three, of flour and in a little time the whole was leavened.
24 Again, the kingdom of the soul is like a treasure hidden in a field which one has found, and straitway goes his way and sells all that he has and buys the field.
25 When Jesus had thus said he went alone into a mountain pass near by to pray.
CHAPTER 117
A royal feast is held in Machaerus. John, the harbinger, is beheaded. His body is buried in Hebron. His disciples mourn. The Christines cross the sea in the night. Jesus calms a raging storm.
A royal feast was held in honor of the birthday of the tetrarch in fortified Machaerus, east of the Bitter Sea.
2 The tetrarch, Herod, and his wife, Herodias, together with Salome were there; and all the men and women of the royal court were there.
3 And when the feast was done, lo, all the guests and courtiers were drunk with wine; they danced and leaped about like children in their play.
4 Salome, daughter of Herodias, came in and danced before the king. The beauty of her form, her grace and winning ways entranced the silly Herod, then half drunk with wine.
5 He called the maiden to his side and said, Salome, you have won my heart, and you may ask and I will give you anything you wish.
6 The maiden ran in childish glee and told her mother what the ruler said.
7 Her mother said, Go back and say, Give me the head of John, the harbinger.
8 The maiden ran and told the ruler what she wished.
9 And Herod called his trusty executioner and said to him, Go to the tower and tell the keeper that by my authority you come to execute the prisoner known as John.
10 The man went forth and in a little while returned and on a platter bore the lifeless head of John, and Herod offered it unto the maiden in the presence of the guests.
11 The maiden stood aloof; her innocence was outraged when she saw the bloody gift, and she would touch it not.
12 Her mother, steeped and hardened well in crime, came up and took the head and held it up before the guests and said,
13 This is the fate of every man who dares to scorn, or criticize, the acts of him who reigns.
14 The drunken rabble gazed upon the grewsome sight with fiendish joy.
15 The head was taken back unto the tower. The body had been given unto holy men who had been friends of John; they placed it in a burial case and carried it away.
16 They bore it to the Jordan, which they crossed just at the ford where John first preached the word;
17 And through the passes of the Judean hills they carried it.
18 They reached the sacred grounds near Hebron, where the bodies of the parents of the harbinger lay in their tombs;
19 And there they buried it; and then they went their way.
20 Now, when the news reached Galilee that John was dead the people met to sing the sonnets of the dead.
21 And Jesus and the foreign masters and the twelve took ship to cross the sea of Galilee.
22 A scribe, a faithful friend of John, stood by the sea; he called to Jesus and he said, Rabboni, let me follow where you go.
23 And Jesus said, You seek a safe retreat from evil men. There is no safety for your life with me;
24 For evil men will take my life as they have taken John’s.
25 The foxes of the earth have safe retreats; the birds have nests secure among the hidden rocks, but I have not a place where I may lay my head and rest secure.
26 Then an apostle said, Lord, suffer me to tarry here a while, that I may take my father, who is dead, and lay him in the tomb.
27 But Jesus said, The dead can care for those who die; the living wait for those who live; come, follow me.
28 The evening came; three boats put out to sea and Jesus rested in the foremost boat; he slept.
29 A storm came on; the boats were tossed about like toys upon the sea.
30 The waters swept the decks; the hardy boatmen were afraid lest all be lost.
31 And Thomas found the master fast asleep; he called, and Jesus woke.
32 And Thomas said, Behold the storm! have you no care for us? The boats are going down.
33 And Jesus stood; he raised his hand; he talked unto the spirits of the winds and waves as men would talk with men.
34 And, lo, the winds blew not; the waves came tremblingly and kissed his feet; the sea was calm.
35 And then he said, You men of faith, where is your faith? for you can speak and winds and waves will hear and will obey.
36 And the disciples were amazed. They said, Who is this man that even winds and waves obey his voice?
CHAPTER 118
The Christines are in Gadara. Jesus casts a legion of unclean spirits out of a man. The spirits go into vicious animals which run into the sea, and are drowned. The people are in fear and request Jesus to leave their coast. With his disciples, he returns to Capernaum.
The morning came; the Christines landed in the country of the Geracenes.
2 They went to Gadara, chief city of the Peracans, and here for certain days they tarried and they taught.
3 Now, legends hold that Gadara is sacred to the dead, and all the hills about are known as holy ground.
4 These are the burial grounds of all the regions round about; the hills are full of tombs; and many dead from Galilee are here entombed.
5 Now, spirits of the lately dead that cannot rise to higher planes, remain about the tombs that hold the flesh and bones of what was once their mortal homes.
6 They sometimes take possession of the living, whom they torture in a hundred ways.
7 And all through Gadara were men obsessed, and there was no one strong enough to bring relief.
8 That they might meet these hidden foes and learn the way to dispossess the evil ones the master took the foreign masters and the twelve into the tombs.
9 And as they neared the gates they met a man obsessed. A legion of the unclean ones were in this man, and they had made him strong;
10 And none could bind him down, no, not with chains; for he could break the stoutest chains, and go his way.
11 Now, unclean spirits cannot live in light; they revel in the dark.
12 When Jesus came he brought the light of life, and all the evil spirits were disturbed.
13 The leader of the legion in the man called out, Thou Jesus, thou Immanuel, we beg that thou wilt not consign it to the depths. Torment us not before our time.
14 And Jesus said, What is your number and your name?
15 The evil spirit said, Our name is legion, and our number is the number of the beast.
16 And Jesus spoke; and with a voice that shook the very hills, he said, Come forth; possess this man no more.
17 Now, all the hills were filled with unclean animals that fed, and carried forth and spread the plague among the people of the land.
18 And when the evil spirits begged that they might not be driven forth without a home, the master said,
19 Go forth and take possession of the unclean quadrupeds.
20 And they, and all the evil spirits of the tombs went forth and took possession of the breeders of the plague,
21 Which, wild with rage, ran down the steeps into the sea, and all were drowned.
22 And all the land was freed of the contagion, and the unclean spirits came no more.
23 But when the people saw the mighty works that Jesus did they were alarmed. They said,
24 If he can free the country of the plague, and drive the unclean spirits out, he is a man of such transcendent power that he can devastate our land at will.
25 And then they came and prayed that he would not remain in Gadara.
26 And Jesus did not tarry longer there, and with the other masters and the twelve, he went aboard the boats to go away.
27 The man who had been rescued from the unclean legion stood upon the shore and said, Lord, let me go with you.
28 But Jesus said, It is not well; go forth unto your home and tell the news that men may know what man can do when he is tuned with God.
29 And then the man went forth through all Decapolis and told the news.
30 The Christines sailed away, re-crossed the sea and came again into Capernaum.
CHAPTER 119
The people of Capernaum welcome Jesus. Matthew gives a feast. The Pharisees rebuke Jesus for eating with sinners. He tells them that he is sent to save sinners. He gives lessons on fasting and on the philosophy of good and evil.
The news soon spread through all the land that Jesus was at home and then the people came in throngs to welcome him.
2 And Matthew, one of the twelve, a man of wealth, whose home was in Capernaum, spread forth a sumptuous feast, and Jesus and the foreign masters and the twelve, and people of all shades of thought, were guests.
3 And when the Pharisees observed that Jesus sat and ate with publicans and those of ill repute they said,
4 For shame! This man who claims to be a man of God, consorts with publicans and courtesans and with the common herd of men, For shame!
5 When Jesus knew their thoughts he said, They who are well cannot be healed; the pure need not be saved.
6 They who are well are whole; they who are pure are saved.
7 They who love justice and do right need not repent; I came not unto them, but to the sinner I am come.
8 A band of John’s disciples who had heard that John was dead were wearing badges for their dead;
9 Were fasting and were praying in their hearts, which when the Pharisees observed they came to Jesus and they said,
10 Why fast the followers of John and your disciples do not fast?
11 And Jesus said, Lo, you are masters of the law; you ought to know; perhaps you will make known your knowledge to these men.
12 What are the benefits derived from fasts? The Pharisees were mute; they answered not.
13 Then Jesus said, The vital force of men depends on what they eat and drink.
14 Is spirit-life the stronger when the vital force is weak? Is sainthood reached by starving, self imposed?
15 A glutton is a sinner in the sight of God, and he is not a saint who makes himself a weakling and unfitted for the heavy tasks of life by scorning to make use of God’s own means of strength.
16 Lo, John is dead, and his devoted followers are fasting in their grief.
17 Their love for him impels them on to show respect, for they have thought, and have been taught that it is sin to lightly treat the memory of the dead.
18 To them it is a sin, and it is well that they should fast.
19 When men defy their consciences and listen not to what they say, the heart is grieved and they become unfitted for the work of life; and thus they sin.
20 The conscience may be taught. One man may do in conscience what another cannot do.
21 What is a sin for me to do may not be sin for you to do. The place you occupy upon the way of life determines what is sin.
22 There is no changeless law of good; for good and evil both are judged by other things.
23 One man may fast and in his deep sincerity of heart is blest.
24 Another man may fast and in the faithlessness of such a task imposed is cursed.
25 You cannot make a bed to fit the form of every man. If you can make a bed to fit yourself you have done well.
26 Why should these men who follow me resort to fasting, or to anything that would impair their strength? They need it all to serve the race.
27 The time will come when God will let you have your way, and you will do to me what Herod did to John;
28 And in the awfulness of that sad hour these men will fast.
29 They who have ears to hear may hear; they who have hearts to feel may understand.
CHAPTER 120
Nicodemus is at the feast. He asks Jesus, Cannot the Christine religion be introduced more successfully by reforming the Jewish service? Jesus answers in the negative and gives his reasons. Jesus heals a woman with hemorrhages. Heals Jairus’ daughter. Disappears when the people would worship him.
Now, Nicodemus, who once came to Jesus in the night to learn the way of life, was one among the guests.
2 And standing forth he said, Rabboni, it is true that Jewish laws and Jewish practices do not agree.
3 The priesthood needs to be reformed; the rulers should become more merciful and kind; the lawyers should become more just; the common people should not bear such loads.
4 But could we not gain these reforms and not destroy the service of the Jews?
5 Could you not harmonize your mighty work with that of Pharisee and scribe? Might not the priesthood be a benefit to your divine philosophy?
6 But Jesus said, You cannot put new wine in ancient skins, for when it purifies itself, lo, it expands; the ancient bottles cannot bear the strain; they burst, and all the wine is lost.
7 Men do not mend a wornout garment with a piece of cloth unworn, which cannot yield to suit the fabric, weak with age, and then a greater rent appears.
8 Old wine may be preserved in ancient skins; but new wine calls for bottles new.
9 This spirit-truth I bring is to this generation new, and if we put it in the ancient skins of Jewish forms, lo, it will all be lost.
10 It must expand; the ancient bottles cannot yield and they would burst.
11 Behold the kingdom of the Christ! it is as old as God himself, and yet it is as new as morning sun; it only can contain the truth of God.
12 And as he spoke a ruler of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came in and bowed at Jesus’ feet and said,
13 My master, hear my prayer! My child is very sick, I fear that she will die; but this I know that if you will but come and speak the Word my child will live.
14 (She was an only child, a girl twelve years of age.)
15 And Jesus tarried not; he went out with the man, and many people followed them.
16 And as they went a woman who had been plagued with hemorrhage for many years, had been a subject of experiment of doctors near and far, and all had said, She cannot live, rose from her bed and rushed out in the way as Jesus passed.
17 She said within herself, If I can touch his garment, then I know I will be well.
18 She touched him, and at once the bleeding ceased and she was well.
19 And Jesus felt that healing power had gone from him, and speaking to the multitude, he said,
20 Who was it touched my coat?
21 And Peter said, No one can tell; the multitudes are pressing you; a score of people may have touched your coat.
22 But Jesus said, Some one in faith, with healing thought, did touch my coat, for healing virtues have gone forth from me.
23 And when the woman knew that what she did was known, she came and knelt at Jesus’ feet and told it all.
24 And Jesus said, Your faith has made you whole, go on your way in peace.
25 Now, as he spoke, a servant from the home of Jairus came and said, My master, Jairus, trouble not the Lord to come; your child is dead.
26 But Jesus said, Jairus, man of faith, do not permit your faith to waver in this trying hour.
27 What is it that the servant said? The child is dead? Lo, what is death?
28 It is the passing of the soul out of the house of flesh.
29 Man is the master of the soul and of its house. When man has risen up from doubt and fear, lo, he can cleanse the empty house and bring the tenant back again.
30 Then taking with him Peter, James and John, Jairus and the mother of the child, he went into the chamber of the dead.
31 And when the doors were closed against the multitude, he spoke a word that souls can understand, and then he took the maiden by the hand and said,
32 Talitha cumi, child, arise! The maiden’s soul returned and she arose and asked for food.
33 And all the people of the city were amazed, and many would have worshipped Jesus as a God,
34 But, like a phantom of the night, he disappeared and went his way.
CHAPTER 121
The Christines are in Nazareth. Miriam sings a Christine song of praise. Jesus teaches in the synagogue. He heals a dumb man who is obsessed. The people do not believe in him. The Pharisees call him a tool of Beelzebul. The Christines go to Cana.
It was a gala day in Nazareth. The people there had met with one accord to celebrate some great event.
2 And Jesus and the foreign masters and the twelve, and Mary, mother of the Lord, and Miriam were there.
3 And when the people were assembled in the great hall of the town, the graceful singer, Miriam, stood forth and sung a song of praise.
4 But few of all the multitude knew who the singer was; but instantly she won all hearts.
5 For many days she sung the songs of Israel, and then she went her way.
6 The Sabbath came and Jesus went into the synagogue. He took the book of Psalms and read:
7 Blest is the man who puts his trust in God, respecting not the proud nor such as turn aside to lies.
8 O Lord, my God, the works that thou hast done for us are wonderful; and many are thy thoughts for us; we cannot count them all,
9 Thou dost not call for sacrifice, nor offerings of blood; burnt offerings and offerings for sin thou dost not want;
10 And lo, I come to do thy will, O God; thy law is in my heart,
11 And I have preached the word of righteousness and peace unto the thronging multitudes; I have declared the counsel of my God in full.
12 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and grace.
13 I have not kept thy loving-kindness and thy truth away from men; I have declared them to the multitudes.
14 O Lord, make wide my lips that I may tell thy praise; I do not bring the sacrifice of blood, nor yet burnt offerings for sin.
15 The sacrifices I would bring to thee, O God, are purity in life, a contrite heart, a spirit full of faith and love; and these thou wilt receive.
16 And when he had thus read, he gave the book back to the keeper of the books, and then he said,
17 Upon these ends of earth these messages of God have come.
18 Our people have exalted sacrificial rites and have neglected mercy, justice and the rights of men.
19 You Pharisees, you priests, you scribes, your God is surfeited with blood; God does not heed your prayers; you stand before your burning victims; but you stand in vain.
20 Turn you unto the testimonies of the law; reform and turn to God, and you shall live.
21 Let not your altars be accursed again with smoke of innocence.
22 Bring unto God as sacrifice a broken and a contrite heart.
23 Lift from your fellow men the burdens that you have imposed.
24 And if you hearken not, and if you turn not from your evil ways, lo, God will smite this nation with a curse.
25 And when he had thus said he stood aside, and all the people were astonished, and they said,
26 Where did this man get all his knowledge and his power? From whence did all this wisdom come?
27 Is not this Mary’s son, whose home is out on Marmion Way?
28 Are not his brothers, Jude and James and Simon, known among our honored men? Are not his sisters with us here?
29 But they were all offended by the words he spoke.
30 And Jesus said, A prophet has no honor in his native land; he is not well received among his kin; his foes are in his home.
31 And Jesus wrought not many mighty works in Nazareth, because the people had no faith in him. He did not tarry long.
32 But as he passed from thence two blind men followed him and cried, Thou son of David, hear! Have mercy, Lord, and open up our eyes that we may see.
33 And Jesus said, Do you believe that I can open up your eyes and make you see?
34 They said, Yea, Lord, we know that if you speak the Word then we can see.
35 And Jesus touched their eyes and spoke the Word; he said, According to your faith so will it be.
36 And they were blest; they opened up their eyes and saw.
37 And Jesus said, Tell not this thing to any one.
38 But they went forth and told the news through all the land.
39 As Jesus walked along the way a man who was obsessed, and who was dumb, was brought to him.
40 And Jesus spoke the Word; the unclean spirit came out of the man; his tongue was loosed; he spoke; he said, Praise God.
41 The people were amazed; They said, This is a mighty deed; we never saw that done before.
42 The Pharisees were also much amazed; but they cried out and said,
43 You men of Israel, take heed; this Jesus is a tool of Beelzebul; he heals the sick and casts the spirits out in Satan’s name.
44 But Jesus answered not; he went his way.
45 And with the foreign masters and the twelve he went up to the town where he once turned the water into wine and tarried certain days.