Ch. 42, Ordination of the Seventy at Magadan

“Son of Man: Urantia,” 2nd edition

Ordination of the Seventy at Magadan

Abner and about fifty disciples arrived at Magadan a few days after Jesus and the twelve apostles. Already at the camp were the women’s corps, the evangelist corps, and about one hundred and fifty disciples from around Palestine that had already proven themselves in the kingdom’s work. Everyone visited for a few days as they reorganized the camp and then on Friday, November 4^th Jesus and the twelve apostles started holding advanced classes on the kingdom. Each morning Jesus would speak, and then the apostles would teach something they knew well. For example, Peter taught public preaching, Nathaniel the art of teaching, Thomas on how to answer questions, etcetera. Meanwhile, Matthew organized the group’s money.

Ordination of the Seventy

Jesus ordained the seventy in between rain showers on the shore of Galilee on Saturday afternoon, November 19^th. Included in this new group of teachers were ten of John’s former apostles, fifty-one of the earlier evangelists, and eight other disciples who had distinguished themselves in the past. Witnessing the ordination were over four hundred believers, including David and most of his messengers. Abner was installed as the leader of these new teachers.

Before Jesus placed his hands on each person’s head setting them apart as messengers of the gospel, he said “It is a full harvest but we only have a few workers. I ask all of you to pray that the Lord of the harvest will send more workers.’

“I am about to set you apart as messengers of the kingdom; I am about to send you to Jew and gentile like lambs among wolves. As you go your ways, two and two, do not take money or extra cloths because this first mission will be short. Do not spend time in elaborate greetings as you meet people along the way: stick to just doing your work. Whenever you pick a home to stay at, first say ‘Peace be to this household.’ If the people who live there love peace, you will stay there; if not, you will leave. If you do decide to stay there, stay in that same house the whole time that you are in that city and eat and drink whatever is put in front of you. And you do this because the worker has earned his meals. Do not move from house to house if someone offers you a better place to stay. As you go forth announcing peace on Earth and good will among people you must put up with bitter and self-deceived enemies. Be as wise as serpents while as harmless as doves.’

“Preach everywhere you go saying ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand,’ and care for everyone who is sick in either mind or body. Freely you have received the good things of the kingdom: freely give. The people of those villages that welcome you will find a rich welcome in the Father’s kingdom; for the people of those villages that refuse this gospel, you will still declare your message as you leave that unbelieving community telling them as you depart, ‘Even though you reject the truth, still the kingdom of God has come near you.’ He who hears you hears me. He who hears me hears him who sent me. He who rejects your gospel message rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

After Jesus spoke to the seventy he began with Abner, and as they knelt in a circle around him Jesus laid his hands on every man’s head. Early the next morning Abner sent the seventy new messengers of the gospel into all of the cities of Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. These thirty-five pairs preached for six weeks before returning to the new camp near Pella in Perea on Friday, December 30^th.

The Rich Young Man and Others

The three men that Jesus directed to select the seventy new evangelists from all of the candidates were Abner, Andrew, and the man acting as the head of the evangelist corps at the time. In the process they rejected over fifty people. Whenever the three men were not in total agreement about someone they took the person to Jesus for him to decide. Jesus never rejected any of these people, but after talking with Jesus more than a dozen of them decided that they no longer wanted to become gospel messengers.

One of these sincere disciples said “Master, I want to be one of your new apostles but my father is very old and near death. Will I be permitted to return home to bury him?”

Jesus replied “My son, the fox have holes and the birds of heaven have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. You are a faithful disciple and you can still be one while you return home to care for your family. But that is not the case with my gospel messengers. They have given up everything to follow me and to announce the kingdom. If you want to be an ordained teacher you must let others bury the dead while you go forth to tell people the good news.” This man went away utterly disappointed.

Another disciple came to Jesus and again said “I want to become an ordained messenger, but first I want to go home for a short while to comfort my family.”

Jesus said “If you want to be ordained you must be willing to give up everything. Gospel messengers cannot have divided loyalties. Those people worthy of becoming messengers of the kingdom do not turn back once they start.”

Then Andrew brought Jesus a rich young man who was a devout believer and who wanted to be ordained. This young man, Matadormus, was a member of the Jerusalem Sanhedrin. He had heard Jesus teach, and Peter and the other apostles had taught him the gospel. Jesus talked with Matadormus about the requirements to become an ordained messenger, and then he asked him to hold off making a decision until Matadormus had given it more thought. Early the next morning as Jesus was going for a walk, this young man stopped him in the road and said “Master, I want you to tell me what I must do to be assured of eternal life: I have followed all of the commandments since my youth and I want to know what more do I have to do?”

Jesus replied “If you keep all the commandments—if you do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, do not cheat, and you do honor your parents you do well. But salvation, eternal life, is the reward that comes from faith not merely doing good things. Do you believe this gospel of the kingdom?”

Matadormus replied “Yes Master, I do believe everything you and your apostles have taught me.”

Jesus said “Then are you indeed my disciple and a child of the kingdom.”

Matadormus said “But Master, I am not happy to be just your disciple; I want to be one of your new messengers.”

Jesus looked down on the young man with immense love, and said “I will have you as one of my messengers if you are willing to pay the price, if you will supply the one thing that you lack.”

Matadormus replied “Master, I will do anything if I will be allowed to follow you.”

Jesus, bending down and kissing the kneeling Matadormus on the forehead said “If you want to be my messenger go and sell all that you have, and when you have given the proceeds to the poor or to your friends come and follow me and you will have treasure in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matadormus’ face fell. He stood up and went away sad because he had many possessions. This rich young Pharisee had been raised to believe that wealth was the sign of God’s favor. Jesus knew that Matadormus was not free from the love of himself and his riches—he wanted to deliver him from the love of wealth, not necessarily from the wealth. While Jesus’ disciples did not give up everything they possessed, the apostles and the seventy did. Matadormus wanted to be one of those new seventy messengers and that was why Jesus required him to give up all he had.

Almost every person has some one thing that they hold on to as a pet evil, but that entrance into the kingdom of heaven requires as part of the price to enter. If Matadormus had given up his wealth it probably would have been given right back to him to manage as the treasurer for the seventy. He did obey Jesus’ restriction later after the church at Jerusalem was established, but by then it was too late to become one of the new evangelists. Eventually Matadormus became the treasurer for the Jerusalem church where James, Jesus’ brother in the flesh, was leading the congregation.

Hence, as it always has been it will forever be: people must make their own decisions. There is a certain range of freedom of choice that everyone has. The spiritual world will not coerce or twist a person’s arm: people are allowed to go the way they choose. Jesus could see that Matadormus with his riches could not possibly become an ordained member of a group of men who had given up everything they had for the gospel. At the same time, Jesus could see that without his riches Matadormus would have become the ultimate leader of them all. But like with Jesus’ own family, he never became as distinguished in the kingdom as he could have been: he robbed himself of the personal contact with Jesus he could have received by doing as asked then, not later.

Being rich in and of itself has nothing to do with entrance into the kingdom of heaven, but the love for money does. The spiritual loyalties of the kingdom are the opposite of serving earthly desires. People cannot share their highest loyalty to spirit with devotion to material things. Jesus never taught that it was wrong to have money: the only people he required to give up all of their earthly possessions were his twelve apostles and the seventy gospel messengers. Even then he helped them to profit when they sold their possessions, like with the Apostle Matthew. Many times Jesus advised his wealthier disciples like he taught the rich man in Rome, and he thought it was wise to invest extra money as good insurance against future unavoidable problems. When the apostles’ treasury was overflowing Judas put money in the bank for the future when they may not have an income. Judas did this after talking it over with Andrew. Jesus never had anything personally to do with the apostles’ finances except for giving out charity. But there was one economic abuse that Jesus condemned many times, and that was the unfair exploitation of the weak, uneducated, and less fortunate people by their smarter, stronger, and luckier brothers. Jesus said that such inhuman treatment of men, women, and children did not fit with the ideals of the brotherhood of the kingdom of heaven.

The Talk about Wealth

By the time Jesus had finished talking with Matadormus, Peter and a number of the apostles had gathered around them to listen. As the rich young man was leaving Jesus turned around to face his apostles and said “You see how difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God! Spiritual worship cannot be shared with devotion to material things: no one can serve two masters. You have a saying that it is ‘easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the heathen to inherit eternal life.’ I am telling you that it is as easy for that camel to go through the needle’s eye, as it is for these self-satisfied rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Peter and the others were astonished. So much so that Peter said “Who then, Lord can be saved? Will all of the people who are rich be kept out of the kingdom?”

Jesus replied “No, Peter. But all who put their trust in being wealthy will hardly enter into the spiritual life that leads to eternal progress. But even then much that is impossible for people is not beyond the reach of the Father in heaven. We should instead recognize that with God all things are possible.”

Jesus was sad that Matadormus did not stay with them because he greatly loved him. After they had walked down by the lake and sat beside the water, Peter spoke for the twelve (who were all there by this time) and said “We are troubled by your words to the rich young man. Will we require those who would follow you to give up all that they have?”

Jesus replied “No Peter, only those who want to become apostles and who want to live with me as you do and as one family. But the Father requires that the love of his children be pure and undivided. Whatever thing or person comes between you and the love of the kingdom must be surrendered. If one’s wealth does not invade the realm of the soul, it does not matter in the spiritual life of those who enter the kingdom.”

Peter said “But Master we have left everything to follow you, what then will we have?”

Jesus said “It is the truth when I tell you there is no person who has left home, spouse, wealth, friends, parents, or children for my sake who will not receive much more in this world—perhaps with some suffering—and then in the world to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, while the last will often be first. The Father deals with his creatures according to their needs and in obedience to his loving and merciful laws for the welfare of a universe.

The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who had to employ many laborers, and who went out early in the morning looking for men to work in his vineyard. After he found some workers at the market and agreed to pay them a denarius a day, he sent them to his field. Then later about nine o’clock in the morning he saw other men standing around idle in the marketplace, so he also offered them work and to pay them whatever was right. Then at both noon and at three o’clock in the afternoon this landowner did the same thing, he went to the market place and hired more men and they went straight to work. Later at five o’clock he found even more men standing around doing nothing at the market place and he asked ‘Why do you stand around here doing nothing all day?”’

And the men replied ‘Because nobody has hired us.’

The landowner replied ‘You also go to work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’

“When evening came the landowner told his foreman, ‘Call in the workers and pay them their wages. Begin by first paying the last men who were hired, and end by paying those who were hired first.’ When those who were hired about five o’clock were paid they each received a denarius, as did all of the other workers hired throughout the day. When it came time to pay the men who were hired first at the very beginning of the day, these men who had seen how much the others hired later in the day had been paid expected to receive more money than they had agreed on with the landowner. But like the others, they were only paid a denarius each. Feeling like they had been cheated they went to the landowner and said ‘These men who were hired last only worked for one hour and yet you have paid them the same as us who have worked in the scorching sun all day long.”

To this the landowner said ‘My friends, I did you no wrong. Did not each of you agree to work for a denarius a day? Take now what is yours and go your way, because I want to give those men who came to work last as much as I have given you. Is it not legal for me to do what I want with my own money? Or do you resent my generosity because I want to be good and to show mercy?’”

Farewell to the Seventy

The Magadan camp was abuzz with excitement as the seventy prepared to go out on their first mission among the people. Before they left Jesus emphasized the following points. The gospel of the kingdom must be announced to all the world: to both Jew and gentile. When caring for the sick, do not teach them to expect miracles. Announce a spiritual brotherhood of the sons of God, not an outward kingdom of worldly power and material glory. Do not waste your time visiting too much with people, or becoming distracted with little things that take you away from your wholehearted devotion to the gospel. If the first place you select for a headquarters proves to be a worthy home, remain there throughout your stay in that village. Make it clear to all of the faithful believers that the time has come for an open break with the Jewish leaders at Jerusalem. Teach the people that a person’s whole duty is summed up in this one commandment: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your mind and soul, and your neighbor as yourself.’ This overriding commandment of the kingdom of heaven, to love the Lord your God with all your mind and soul and your neighbor as yourself, took the place of the 613 rules for living imposed on the people by the Pharisees.

After Jesus finished speaking, Simon Peter took over and preached the ordination sermon. This was a more detailed explanation of what Jesus had said earlier when he set them apart as kingdom messengers. Peter urged the seventy to focus on the following six virtues.

1. Devotion. They were to always pray for more workers in the kingdom. Peter explained that when people pray for more workers they will more likely say, “Here I am—send me.” He warned them to not neglect their own daily worship.

2. Courage. Peter warned them that they were going to be harassed. He said their mission was no place for cowards, and that those who were afraid should step out now before beginning. But none of them did.

3. Faith. They must perform this short mission with no provisions: they must trust the Father for food and shelter and all of the other things that they need.

4. Zeal and initiative. They must be enthusiastic and keep their focus on their Master’s business. Back in that era when people met each other for the first time of the day, the greeting involved many minute details turning it into a mini ceremony. This is where the saying, “salute no man by the way” originated: all it means is to take care of business without wasting time.

5. Kindness and courtesy. While they were not to waste time on fancy greetings, they were to be courteous to everyone they met. They were to be kind to those who took them into their homes, and they were strictly warned against trading up if someone offered them a nicer place to stay.

6. Ministering to the sick. Peter told the seventy to look for people with mental or physical illness, and to do everything in their power to help them cure their sickness.

Once they had received their final instructions the seventy left in pairs on their mission into Judea, Galilee, and Samaria.

The Jews felt a connection to the number seventy, sometimes thinking that there were seventy heathen nations. But these ideas had nothing to do with Jesus ordaining that number of messengers: it was just a coincidence. There were at least six other men Jesus would have allowed to join the group if they had been willing to pay the price of giving up their families and fortunes.

Moving the Camp to Pella

The last ten days of November were spent in meetings at the Magadan camp. Then on Tuesday, December 6^th they moved everyone to the same spring where John the Baptist had camped at Perea near Pella several years earlier when he baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

The kingdom work was entering a new phase. Every day pilgrims were arriving from all across Palestine and from the remote ends of the Roman Empire; every once in a while people came from as far away as Mesopotamia and the lands east of the Tigris. David Zebedee went back to Bethsaida and immediately reduced the size of his messenger corps. On Sunday, December 18^th he and his crew went to his father’s house where they had stored the gear used earlier to outfit the large camp at Bethsaida. After loading it all on to pack animals, they said their farewells and moved to a spot on the Jordan River about half a mile away from where Jesus and the apostles were camped. In less than a week David was ready to lodge almost fifteen hundred visitors: at Jesus’ camp they could house about five hundred. This was the rainy season in Palestine and they needed to accommodate the masses.

David Zebedee set up the camp on his own initiative, although he had talked it over with Philip and Matthew at Magadan. He used most of his former runners to manage it: less than twenty men remained on regular messenger duty. By the end of December and before the seventy returned to camp, David and his people were caring for almost eight hundred visitors attending Jesus’ lessons.

The Return of the Seventy

On Friday, December 30^th while Jesus was in the nearby hills with Peter, John, and James the seventy returned to the Pella headquarters along with many followers. About five o’clock in the afternoon they were all gathered at the teaching site when Jesus returned. Supper was delayed for almost an hour as everyone recounted their experiences. The messengers had already relayed many of these events to the apostles, but it was inspiring to hear the new messengers personally tell the others how their message had been received by both the Jews and the gentiles. At last Jesus was seeing his message carried to the people without him being present: he now knew he could leave our world without hindering the progress of the kingdom.

When some of the seventy recounted how “even the devils” were subject to them, they were talking about people with mental illness. That said, there were still a few cases where these ministers actually exorcized a rebel spirit. Referring to these events, Jesus said “It is not strange that these minor disobedient spirits are subject to you, seeing that I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven. But do not rejoice too much about this, because I’m telling you that as soon as I return to my Father we will send our spirits into humanity and never again will these few lost entities be able to enter people’s minds. I applaud that you have power with people but do not be lifted up because of this experience. Instead, rejoice that your names are written on heaven’s rolls and that you will now go forward in an endless career of spiritual conquest.”

Just then Jesus entered one of those rare ecstatic moments his followers sometimes saw, and he said “I thank you my Father, Lord of heaven and Earth, that while this wonderful gospel was hidden from the wise and self-righteous the spirit has revealed these glories to these children of the kingdom. Yes, my Father, it must have been pleasing for you to do this, and I rejoice to know that the good news will spread to all the world even after I will have returned to you and the work you have given me to do. I am mightily moved as I realize that you are about to put all authority into my hands; that only you know who I am and that only I and those I have shown you to know you. And when I have finished this revelation to my followers on Earth, I will continue to reveal you to your creatures in heaven.”

After Jesus spoke to his Father he turned to his apostles and ministers and said “Blessed are the eyes that see and the ears that hear these things. Let me say to you that many prophets and many of the illustrious people of past ages have wanted to witness what you see now but it was not granted to them. And many generations of the children of light yet to come will, when they hear of these things, envy you who have heard and seen them.”

Then speaking to all of the disciples, Jesus said “You have heard how many cities have received the good news of the kingdom, and how my teachers have been received by both the Jews and the gentiles. Blessed indeed are those towns that have chosen to believe the gospel of the kingdom. But misery on the light rejecting citizens of Chorazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida-Julias—the cities that did not receive these messengers well. I am telling you that if the mighty works they did in those places had been done in Tyre and Sidon, the people of those so-called heathen cities would have long since repented their sins. It will indeed go much better for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than it will for those other villages.”

To the seventy messengers, Jesus said “I did indeed rejoice with you when you came back excited about so many people in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria accepting the gospel. But why were you so surprised? Did you not expect that your message would carry power when you delivered it? Did you head out on this mission with so little faith in the gospel that you come back surprised that it was effective? I do not want to quench your excitement, but I am sternly warning you against the subtleties of spiritual pride. If you could understand how Lucifer, the iniquitous one, fell you would sincerely avoid all forms of spiritual pride.’

“You have entered into this notable work teaching people that they are sons of God. I have shown you the way: go out to do your duty and do not get weary doing well. To you and to all who will follow in your steps down through the ages let me say, I always stand near and my invitation is and forever will be ‘Come to me all of you who labor and are under heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn about me, for I am true and loyal and you will find spiritual rest for your souls.’”

When the seventy put Jesus’ words to the test they found them to be true; since that day countless thousands have also tested and proven the guarantee of these same promises.

Preparation for the Last Mission

Jesus and his followers were about to begin their last mission, the three month tour of all Perea that ended only when Jesus entered Jerusalem for his final days on Earth. It was no longer necessary for Jesus to leave the camp to teach: the people now came to him in increasing numbers each week. Throughout this period they kept the headquarters at the Pella camp, and at least ten of the apostles always remained with Jesus.

The women’s corps also prepared to go out in pairs to work with the seventy in the larger Perean cities. The original group of twelve women had recently trained a larger corps of fifty women how to visit homes and in the art of ministering to the sick. Perpetua, Simon Peter’s wife, became a member of this new division of the women’s corps and under Abner she was entrusted to lead them. Philip and Matthew’s wives and John and James’ mother were also members of this new women’s corps. After the Pentecost Perpetua stayed with her illustrious husband going with him on all of his missionary tours, and on the day that Peter was crucified in Rome she was fed to the wild beasts in the arena.

The kingdom work was now entering its final phase under Jesus’ personal leadership. This present period was one of spiritual depth in contrast to the miracle-minded and wonder-seeking crowds that followed Jesus during his former popularity in Galilee. Still, many of his followers failed to grasp the truth of the spiritual brotherhood of humanity founded on the universal fatherhood of God.