CHAPTER 157
The Christines upon Mount Olives. Jesus prophecies the destruction of Jerusalem, and of terrible disasters that will mark the conclusion of the age. He exhorts his disciples to faithfulness.
Then Jesus with the twelve went forth and sat upon Mount Olives, just beyond the city’s gate.
2 And his disciples said, Behold the wondrous city of Jerusalem! its homes are all so beautiful! its temples and its shrines are clothed in such magnificence!
3 And Jesus said, The city is the glory of my people, Israel, but, lo, the time will come when every stone will be cast down, and it will be a hiss and byword for the nations of the earth.
4 And the disciples asked, When will this desolation come?
5 And Jesus said, This round of human life will not be full until the armies of the conqueror will thunder at her gates, and they will enter in, and blood will flow like water through the streets.
6 And all the precious furnishings of temple, court and palaces will be destroyed, or carried off to deck the palaces and courts of kings.
7 Behold, these days are not at hand. Before they come, lo, you shall be maltreated by the scribes and Pharisees, the high priests and the doctors of the law.
8 Without a cause you will be haled into the courts; you will be stoned; you will be beaten in the synagogues; will stand condemned before the rulers of this world, and governors and kings will sentence you to death.
9 But you will falter not, and you will testify for truth and righteousness.
10 And in these hours be anxious not about your speech; you need not think of what to say;
11 For, lo, the Holy Breath will overshadow you and give you words to say.
12 But then the carnage will go on, and men will think that they are pleasing God by killing you, and nations far and near will hate you for the sake of Christ.
13 And men will stir up evil thoughts among your kin, and they will hate you and will give you up to die.
14 And brothers will be false to brothers; fathers will stand forth and testify against their own, and children will drive parents to the funeral pile.
15 When you shall hear the Roman eagle screaming in the air, and see his legions streaming o’er the plain, then know the desolation of Jerusalem is near.
16 Then let the wise wait not, but flee. Let him who is upon his house wait not to enter in the house to gather up his wealth, but let him flee.
17 And he who labors in the field must not return, but leave his all to save his life.
18 And woe to mothers with their little children in that day; none shall escape the sword.
19 The tribulation of these days cannot be told in words, for such has never been since God created man upon the earth.
20 The conqueror will carry many of the sons of Abraham away as captives into foreign lands, and they who know not Israel’s God will tread the highways of Jerusalem until the anti-Jewish times have been fulfilled.
21 But when the people have been punished for their crimes, the tribulation days will end; but lo, the time will come when all the world will rise, like gladiators in a ring, and fight just for the sake of shedding blood.
22 And men will reason not; they will not see, nor care to see a cause for carnage, desolation, thefts; for they will war with friend or foe.
23 The very air will seem surcharged with smoke of death; and pestilence will follow close upon the sword.
24 And signs that men have never seen will then appear in heaven and earth; in sun, and moon, and stars.
25 The seas will roar, and sounds will come from heaven that men can never comprehend, and these will bring distress of nations with perplexity.
26 Hearts of the strongest men will faint in fear, in expectation of the coming of more frightful things upon the earth.
27 But while the conflicts rage on land and sea, the Prince of Peace will stand above the clouds of heaven and say again:
28 Peace, peace on earth; good will to men; and every man will throw away his sword, and nations will learn war no more.
29 And then the man who bears the pitcher will walk forth across an arc of heaven; the sign and signet of the son of man will stand forth in the eastern sky.
30 The wise will then lift up their heads and know that the redemption of the earth is near.
31 Before these days shall come, behold, false Christs and poor deluded prophets will arise in many lands.
32 And they will show forth signs, and do a multitude of mighty works; and they will lead astray the many who are not wise; and many of the wise will be deceived.
33 And now I tell you once again, When men shall say, The Christ is in the wilderness, go you not forth.
34 And if they say, The Christ is in the secret place, believe it not; for when he comes the world will know that he has come.
35 For as the morning light comes from the east and shines unto the west; so shall be the coming of the age and son of man.
36 The wicked of the earth will weep when they shall see the son of man come down upon the clouds of heaven, in power.
37 Take heed you, O take heed, for you know not the hour nor the day when comes the son of man.
38 Let not your hearts be overcharged with sensuous things, nor with the cares of life, lest that day come and find you unprepared.
39 Keep watch at every season of the year; and pray that you may meet the Lord with joy and not with grief.
40 Before these days shall come our Father-God will send his messengers abroad, yea, to the corners of the earth, and they will say,
41 Prepare you, O prepare; the Prince of Peace shall come, and now is coming on the clouds of heaven.
42 When Jesus had thus said, he went with his disciples back to Bethany.
CHAPTER 158
Jesus and the twelve at prayer in Olivet. Jesus reveals to his disciples the deeper meanings of secret doctrines. He tells them what to teach the people. Relates a number of parables. They return to Bethany.
The morning of the Wednesday of the week was come, and Jesus with the twelve went out to Olivet to pray; and they were lost in prayer for seven hours.
2 Then Jesus called the twelve close to his side and said, This day the curtain parts and we will step beyond the veil into the secret courts of God.
3 And Jesus opened up to them the meaning of the hidden way, and of the Holy Breath, and of the light that cannot fail.
4 He told them all about the Book of Life, the Rolls of Graphael, the Book of God’s Remembrance where all the thoughts and words of men are written down.
5 He did not speak aloud to them; he told the secrets of the masters in an undertone, and when he spoke the name of God there was a silence in the courts of heaven for half an hour, for angels spoke with bated breath.
6 And Jesus said, These things may not be spoken out aloud; they never may be written down; they are the messages of Silenceland; they are the Breathings of the inner heart of God.
7 And then the master taught the twelve the lessons they should teach to other men. He sometimes taught in parables; he said,
8 You call to mind the words of yesterday about the coming of the son of man. Now, you shall teach to other men what I have spoken and am speaking unto you;
9 Teach them to pray and not to faint; to be prepared at every moment of the day, for when they least expect him, then the Lord will come.
10 A man went to a distant land and left his house and all his wealth in care of servants; five to guard his house and five to guard his barns and herds.
11 The servants waited long for his return, but he came not, and they grew careless in their work; some spent their time in revelings and drunkenness, and some slept at their posts.
12 And night by night the robbers came and carried off the wealth from house and barn, and drove away the choicest of the herds.
13 And when they knew that much of all the wealth that they were left to guard had been purloined, they said,
14 We cannot be to blame; if we had known the day and hour when our lord would come again we would have guarded well his wealth, and suffered not the thieves to carry it away; he surely is at fault because he told us not.
15 But after many days the lord returned, and when he knew that thieves had robbed him of his wealth, he called his servants and he said to them,
16 Because you have neglected what was given you to do, have spent your time in revelings and sleep, behold you all are debtors unto me.
17 What I have lost by your neglect, you owe to me. And then he gave them heavy tasks to do, and bound them to their posts with chains, where they remained till they had paid for all the goods their lord had lost through their neglect.
18 Another man locked up his wealth and went to sleep, and in the night time robbers came, unlocked his doors, and when they saw no guard, they entered in and carried off his wealth.
19 And when the man awoke and found his doors ajar and all his treasures gone, he said, If I had known the hour when the thieves would come I would have been on guard.
20 Beware, my friends, beware! and be prepared at every hour, and if your Lord shall come at midnight or at dawn, it matters not, for he will find you ready to receive.
21 And then, behold, a marriage was announced, and virgins, ten of them, were set apart to meet the bridegroom when he came.
22 The virgins clothed themselves in proper garbs, and took their lamps and sat in waiting for the watch to say, Behold, the bridegroom comes!
23 Now, five were wise; they filled their lamps with oil; and five were foolish, for they carried empty lamps.
24 The groom came not at the expected time; the virgins were a-weary with their watch and slept.
25 At midnight came the cry, Behold, the bridegroom comes!
26 The virgins rose; the wise ones quickly trimmed their lamps and went forth ready to receive the groom.
27 The foolish virgins said, We have no oil, our lamps burn not.
28 They sought to borrow from the wise, who said, We have no oil to spare; Go to the merchantmen and buy and fill your lamps and then come forth to meet the groom.
29 But while they went to purchase oil, the bridegroom came; the virgins who were ready with their lamps all trimmed went with him to the marriage feast.
30 And when the foolish virgins came the door was shut, and though they knocked and called aloud, the door was opened not.
31 The master of the feast exclaimed, I know you not! and in disgrace the virgins went their way.
32 Again I say to you, and you shall say to them who follow you,
33 Be ready every moment of the day and night, because when you expect him not, the Lord will come.
34 Behold, when he will come with all his messengers of light, the Book of Life, and that of Records, shall be opened up – the books in which the thoughts and words and deeds are written down.
35 And every one can read the records he has written for himself, and he will know his doom before the judge shall speak, and this will be the sifting time.
36 According to their records men will find their own.
37 The judge is Righteousness, the king of all the earth, and he will separate the multitudes as shepherds separate the sheep and goats.
38 The sheep will find their places on the right, the goats upon the left, and every man will know his place.
39 And then the judge will say, to those upon the right, You blessed of the Father-God, come unto your inheritance, which was prepared for you from times of old.
40 You have been servants of the race; and I was hungry and you gave me bread; was thirsty and you gave me drink; was naked and you gave me clothes;
41 Was sick, you ministered to me; and was in prison and you came to me with words of cheer; I was a stranger and in your homes I found a home.
42 Then will the righteous say, When did we see you hungry, thirsty, sick, imprisoned or a stranger at our gates and ministered to you?
43 And then the judge will say, You served the sons of men, and whatsoever you have done for these, that you have done for me.
44 The judge will say to those upon the left, Depart from me; you have not served the sons of men.
45 I was hungry and you gave me naught to eat; was thirsty and you gave me naught to drink; I was a stranger and you drove me from your door; I was imprisoned and was sick, you did not minister to me.
46 Then these will say, When did we thus neglect to care for you? When did we see you hungry, thirsty, sick, a stranger or in prison and did not minister to you?
47 And then the judge will say, Your life was full of self; you served the self and not your fellow man, and when you slighted one of these, you slighted and neglected me.
48 Then will the righteous have the kingdom and the power, and they who are unrighteous shall go forth to pay their debts, to suffer all that men have suffered at their hands.
49 They who have ears to hear and hearts to understand will comprehend these parables.
50 When he had finished all these parables he said, You know that in two days the great passover feast will come, and lo, the son of man will be betrayed into the hands of wicked men.
51 And he will give his life upon the cross, and men will know that he, the son of man, is son of God.
52 Then Jesus and the twelve returned to Bethany.
SECTION XVIII
TZADDI
The Arrest and Betrayal of Jesus
CHAPTER 159
The Christines attend a feast in Simon’s house. Mary anoints the master with a costly balm, and Judas and others rebuked her for profligacy. Jesus defends her. The rulers of the Jews employ Ananias to arrest Jesus. Ananias bribes Judas to aid him.
Bar-Simon, who was once a leper and was cleansed by Jesus by the sacred Word, abode in Bethany.
2 In honor of the Christine Lord he gave a feast, and Lazarus was among the guests, and Ruth and Martha served.
3 And as the guests reclined about the table, Mary took a cruse of rich perfume and poured it out on Jesus’ head and feet.
4 And then she knelt and with her hair she wiped his feet; the odor of the rich perfume filled all the room.
5 Now, Judas, always looking at the selfish side of life, exclaimed, For shame! why did you waste that costly perfume thus?
6 We might have sold it for three hundred pence, and had the money to supply our wants and feed the poor.
7 (Now, Judas was the treasurer, and carried all the money of the Christine band.)
8 And others said, Why, Mary, what a profligate you are! you should not throw such wealth away.
9 But Jesus said, You men, be still; let her alone; you know not what you say.
10 The poor are with you constantly; at any time you can administer to them; but I will not be with you long.
11 And Mary knows the sadness of the coming days; she has anointed me beforehand for my burial.
12 The gospel of the Christ will everywhere be preached, and he who tells the story of the Christ will tell about this day; and what was done by Mary at this hour will be a sweet memorial to her wherever men abide.
13 And when the feast was over Jesus went with Lazarus to his home.
14 Now, in Jerusalem the priests and Pharisees were busy with their plans to seize the Lord and take his life.
15 The high priest called in counsel all the wisest men and said, This deed must be accomplished in a secret way.
16 He must be taken when the multitudes are not a-near, else we may cause a war; the common people may stand forth in his defense and thus pollute this sacred place with human blood.
17 And what we do, that we must do before the great day of the feast.
18 And Ananias said, I have a plan that will succeed. The twelve with Jesus every day go forth alone to pray;
19 And we will find their trysting place; then we can seize the man and bring him here without the knowledge of the multitudes.
20 I know one of the twelve, a man who worships wealth, and for a sum I think that he will lead the way to where the man is wont to pray.
21 And then Caiaphas said, If you will lead the way and bribe the man of whom you speak, to aid in seizing Jesus in a secret place, then we will give to you a hundred silver pieces for your hire.
22 And Ananias said, ’Tis well.
23 And then he went to Bethany and found the twelve at Simon’s house, and calling Judas to the side he said,
24 If you would care to make a sum of money for yourself hear me:
25 The high priest and the other rulers in Jerusalem would like to talk with Jesus when alone, that they may know about his claims;
26 And if he proves himself to be the Christ, lo, they will stand in his defense.
27 Now, if you will but lead the way to where your master is tomorrow night that they may send a priest to talk with him alone, there is a sum of silver, thirty pieces, that the priests will give to you.
28 And Judas reasoned with himself; he said, It surely may be well to give the Lord a chance to tell the priests about his claims when he is all alone.
29 And if the priests would do him harm he has the power to disappear and go his way as he has done before; and thirty pieces is a goodly sum.
30 And so he said to Ananias, I will lead the way, and by a kiss make known which person is the Lord.
CHAPTER 160
Jesus and the twelve eat the passover alone in Nicodemus’ house. Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. Judas leaves the table and goes forth to betray the Lord. Jesus teaches the eleven. He institutes the Lord’s supper.
On Thursday morning Jesus called to him the twelve disciples, and he said to them, This is God’s remembrance day, and we will eat the pascal supper all alone.
2 And then he said to Peter, James and John, Go now into Jerusalem and there prepare the pasch.
3 And the disciples said, Where would you have us go to find the place where we may have the feast prepared?
4 And Jesus said, Go by the fountain gate and you will see a man who has a pitcher in his hand. Speak unto him and say: This is the first day of unleavened bread;
5 The Lord would have you set apart your banquet hall where he may eat his last passover with the twelve.
6 Fear not to speak; the man whom you will see is Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, and yet a man of God.
7 And the disciples went and found the man as Jesus said, and Nicodemus hastened to his home; the banquet hall, an upper room, was set apart, the supper was prepared.
8 Now, in the afternoon the Lord and his disciples went up to Jerusalem and found the feast in readiness.
9 And when the hour had come to eat the feast, the twelve began to strive among themselves, each anxious to secure the honored seats.
10 And Jesus said, My friends, would you contend for self just as the shadows of this night of gloom comes on?
11 There is no honored seat at heaven’s feast except for him who humbly takes the lowest seat.
12 And then the Lord arose and took a basin full of water and a towel, and bowing down, he washed the feet of all the twelve and dried them with the towel.
13 He breathed upon them and he said, And may these feet walk in the ways of righteousness forevermore.
14 He came to Peter and was about to wash his feet, and Peter said, Lord, would you wash my feet?
15 And Jesus said, You do not comprehend the meaning of the thing I do, but you will comprehend.
16 And Peter said, My master, no, you shall not stoop to wash my feet.
17 And Jesus said, My friend, if I wash not your feet you have no part with me.
18 And Peter said, Then, O my Lord, wash both my feet, my hands, my head.
19 And Jesus said to him, He who has taken first his bath is clean, and has no need to wash, except his feet.
20 The feet are truly symbols of the understanding of the man, and he who would be clean must, in the living stream of life, wash well his understanding every day.
21 Then Jesus sat with his disciples at the table of the feast and said, Behold the lesson of the hour:
22 You call me master; such I am. If, then, your Lord and master kneel and wash your feet, should you not wash each other’s feet and thus show forth your willingness to serve?
23 You know these things, and if you do them, blessed thrice are you.
24 And then he said, This is an hour when I can truly praise the name of God, for I have greatly wished to eat with you this feast before I pass the veil;
25 For I will eat it not again until anew I eat it with you in the kingdom of our Father-God.
26 And then they sung the Hebrew song of praise that Jews were wont to sing before the feast.
27 And then they ate the pasch and as they ate, the master said, Behold, for one of you will turn away this night and will betray me into wicked hands.
28 And the disciples were amazed at what he said; they looked into each other’s face in wonderment; they all exclaimed, Lord, is it I?
29 And Peter said to John, who sat beside the Lord, To whom does he refer?
30 And John put forth his hand and touched the master’s hand and said, Which one of us is so depraved as to betray his Lord?
31 And Judas said, Lord, is it I?
32 And Jesus said, He is the one who now has put his hand with mine into the dish. They looked, and Judas’ hand was with the hand of Jesus in the dish.
33 And Jesus said, The prophets cannot fail; the son of man must be betrayed, but woe to him who shall betray his Lord.
34 And from the table Judas rose at once; his hour had come.
35 And Jesus said to him, Do quickly what you are to do. And Judas went his way.
36 And when the pasch was done the Lord with the eleven sat a while in silent thought.
37 Then Jesus took a loaf of bread that had been broken not and said, This loaf is symbol of my body, and the bread is symbol of the bread of life;
38 And as I break this loaf, so shall my flesh be broken as a pattern for the sons of men; for men must freely give their bodies up in willing sacrifice for other men.
39 And as you eat this bread, so shall you eat the bread of life, and never die. And then he gave to each a piece of bread to eat.
40 And then he took a cup of wine and said, Blood is the life; this is the life-blood of the grape; it is the symbol of the life of him who gives his life for men.
41 And as you drink this wine, if you shall drink in faith, you drink the life of Christ.
42 And then he supped and passed the cup, and the disciples supped; and Jesus said, This is the feast of life, the great passover of the son of man, the Supper of the Lord, and you shall often eat the bread and drink the wine.
43 From henceforth shall this bread be called Remembrance bread; this wine shall be Remembrance wine; and when you eat this bread and drink this wine remember me.