Adapted from the Urantia Book original paper here
Back in Capernaum
The wedding was going to last a full week, but early the next morning Jesus and his six new apostles left without saying good-bye to anyone. Instead, they headed back to Capernaum, going straight to Zebedee’s house in Bethsaida. The wedding guests were upset that Jesus left so suddenly, and Jude, his brother, went looking for him. As the seven walked to Zebedee’s house, Jesus started to teach his apostles about the coming kingdom. In this talk he specifically told them to never mention the turning of water to wine, and in the future when they were out on their own teaching, to stay away from the cities of Sepphoris and Tiberias.
After they got to Zebedee’s home and had dinner, Jesus gave one his most important talks to the six apostles. They were, of course, supper excited to have been chosen the Messiah’s helpers in his mission. But also, these six men were all devote Jews and their ideas of the coming messiah were, as such, set in Jewish lore. When Jesus tried to clarify their ideas of who is was, what his mission on Earth was, and how it all very well may end-up the six were stunned, speechless, and crushed beyond expression.
Jesus could tell that his apostles didn’t understand what he was telling them, so he ended the talk and let them go get some rest. Right before Jesus ended this meeting with the apostles, his brother Jude, who’d been looking for them all day, showed up at Zebedee’s house. While the other six went to bed for the night, Jesus and Jude took a long walk and talked things over. Then, before he left for the evening, Jude spoke his heart and said,
My father-brother, I’ve never understood you. I’m not sure whether you are what my mother has taught us and I don’t fully understand the coming kingdom, but I do know you are a mighty man of God. I heard the voice at the Jordan, and I believe in you no matter who you are.
After Jude left, Jesus went and grabbed his blankets and sat on the lake shore thinking until the sun came up. As the night wore on, Jesus came to realize that there was no way he could change the Jew’s minds about the coming Messiah. He decided the only way for him to begin his mission was as the one who met their desires and fulfilled John’s predictions of him. While he wasn’t a messiah taking the form of David, he was meeting the more spiritual aspects of the olden prophecies, so from then on Jesus never wholly denied that he was the Messiah. As for how to untangle all of the fine points, he decided to leave that up to the outworking of his Father’s will.
At breakfast the next morning the apostles were pretty downcast. Jesus told them that it was his Father’s will that they hang-out there in Capernaum for a while. He went on to explain that since John was preparing the way for the kingdom, it was best for all of them to wait until John was done with his mission before they started theirs. In the mean-time, Jesus told the apostles to go back to their nets and get to fishing, while he was heading to the boatshop to work with Zebedee. Before leaving, Jesus said he’d see them tomorrow, Saturday or the sabath, at the synagoug where he was going to speak, and that afterwards they’d all get together for a meeting.
The Events of a Sabbath Day
Jesus’ first public appearance after his baptism by John in the Jordan was held in the Capernaum synagogue on Saturday, March 2, A.D. 26. Jesus gave seats of honor to his six apostles and to his two brothers, James and Jude. Mary was also present, seated in the women’s section of the synagogue. Between what happened in the river when he was baptized, and the new story about him turning the water to wine at the wedding in Cana, the synagogue was overflowing with people who had come to hear Jesus speak. Everyone was excited, and they all expected to see him do do more miracles to prove that he was their Messiah so they would follow him. This, though, wasn’t going to happen.
When all was ready, Jesus stood up and the ruler of the synagogue gave him the scripture roll from which to read. Choosing the Prophet Isaiah, Jesus read,
Thus says the Lord: ‘The heaven is my throne, and the Earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you built for me? And where is the place of my dwelling? All these things have my hands made,’ says the Lord. ‘But to this man will I look, even to him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word.’ Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble and fear: ‘Your brethren hated you and cast you out for my name’s sake.’ But let the Lord be glorified. He shall appear to you in joy, and all others shall be ashamed. A voice from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice from the Lord says: ‘Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.’ Who has heard such a thing? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or can a nation be born at once? But thus says the Lord: ‘Behold I will extend peace like a river, and the glory of even the gentiles shall be like a flowing stream. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you. And you shall be comforted even in Jerusalem. And when you see these things, your heart shall rejoice.
When Jesus finished reading he gave the scripture roll back to the ruler of the synagogue. Before sitting down, he told the people to be patient and they would see the glory of God; wait with me and learn to do the will of my Father who is in heaven.
The people left and went home, not understanding what Jesus had said. But later that afternoon, Jesus took his apostles and his two brothers James and Jude out in the boat where they anchored off shore, and he explained more about the coming kingdom and clarified some things for them. Jesus told his apostles that until the kingdom comes they were all to go back about their regular jobs. He was going to work with Zebedee in the boatshop. They were also going to spend three hours each night studying and getting themselves ready for the work to come. Ending his talk, Jesus told them,
We will all remain here until the Father has me call you. Each of you must now return to your work just as if nothing has happened. Tell no one about me and remember that my kingdom is not going to come with noise and glamor, but rather it has to come through the great change that my Father will make in your hearts and in the hearts of those who will join you in the councils of the kingdom. You are now my friends; I trust you and I love you; you are soon to become my personal associates. Be patient, be gentle. Be ever obedient to the Father’s will. Make yourselves ready for the call of the kingdom. While you will experience great joy in the service of my Father, you should also be prepared for trouble, for I warn you that it will be only through much tribulation that many will enter the kingdom. But those who have found the kingdom, their joy will be full, and they will be called the blessed of all the earth. But do not entertain false hope; the world will stumble at my words. Even you, my friends, do not fully understand what I am unfolding to your confused minds. Make no mistake; we go forth to labor for a generation of sign seekers. They will demand wonder-working as the proof that I am sent by my Father, and they will be slow to recognize that in the revelation of my Father’s love, are the credentials of my mission.
When they got back to the shore, Jesus stood by the water’s edge and prayed,
My Father, I thank you for these little ones who, in spite of their doubts, even now believe. And for their sakes have I set myself apart to do your will. And now may they learn to be one, even as we are one.
Four Months of Training
This period of waiting on the coming kingdom lasted four long months—March, April, May, and June. During this time, Jesus held over one hundred long and earnest – though cheerful and joyous – sessions with his six apostles and his brother James. Jude wasn’t able to attend many of these classes. James, Jesus’ brother, kept his faith in Jesus. Mary, though, was distraught with the months of delay and inaction. Her faith, so strong after the event of the water turning to wine in Cana, now sank to new lows. All she could repeat was, “I cannot understand him. I cannot figure out what it all means.”
During these four months the six apostles and his brother James went about their work during the day, and listened to Jesus at night. They were learning to live with and getting to know Jesus, the God-man incarnate in mortal flesh. They called him Rabbi, and with Jesus’ matchless grace they found it easy to be friends with God, even though the lack of any miracles happening the entire time tested all of their faith. Simon Peter, Andrew’s brother, was the hardest hit by this period of waiting, and though out the entire time he tried to persuade Jesus to start his mission sooner in Galille, even while John was still preaching in Judea. But all Jesus would ever tell Peter was to be patient and to keep studying, warning him that they could never be too prepared for when the Father called. Andrew, who was super-impressed with how natural, considerate, and friendly Jesus was with ordinary men, would help out with calming down his brother at times.
During this time of waiting and preparing for the future, Jesus only spoke twice at the synagogue. He made sure no more miracles happened, and over time the excitement about his baptism and the wine at Cana died down among the people. But even though he and the apostles were laying low in Bethsaida and trying to stay off the radar, so to speak, Herod Antipas still heard about all of these strange events and he sent spies to find out what was happening. Because Jesus had kept everything low-keyed, Herod didn’t get too concerned with Jesus at this point, and decided to leave him alone as he concentrated on the trouble John was stirring up out on the Jordan.
One of Jesus’s goals when he was teaching the group during the evenings was shaping their attitude toward the various religious and political organizations then in Palestine. Jesus taught them that they were seeking to win over people from all of these groups, while emphasizing that they were not part of any of them.
The scribes and rabbis, taken together, were called the Pharisees although they referred to themselves as the “associates.” These were the liberal group of the Jews and they had adopted many teachings not necessarily in the Hebrew scriptures, like the belief in the resurrection of the dead, which was a doctrine that wasn’t mentioned until later by the prophit Daniel. The Sadducees were comprised of both the priesthood and some of the wealthier Jews, and they weren’t really concerned with the details of enforcing the law. In reality, the Pharisees and Sadducees were more religious parties than sects, or religious variations, of Judiasm.
The Essenes, on the other hand, were a true religious sect, or variation on traditional Judiasm. This group started back during the Maccabean revolt, and their requirements for membership were harder than those of the Pharisees. The Essenes had adopted many Persian beliefs and practices, they all lived as a brotherhood in monasteries, they didn’t marry, and they didn’t own anything with everyone sharing whatever they had. They specialized, if you would, in the teachings about angels.
The Zealots were fanatical Jewish patriots. Regardless of how, they considered anything to be justified in the fight against the Roman rule. The Herodians were a political party that also wanted freedom from direct Roman rule, but through the restoration of the Herodian dynasty. And right in the middle of all of these groups were the Samaritans. Although these people had views similar to all of the others, the Jews were not supposed to have any dealings with them.
Each of these groups believed in some form of a coming Messiah to free the people from the Romans, but Jesus made it clear to his apostles that they shouldn’t join in any of these beliefs or practices. Later, when Jesus had the apostles go out and preach to the people, he emphasized that their job was to teach them that the kingdom of heaven in the hearts of men was a spiritual experience brought about with love, compassion, and sympathy. Jesus didn’t over teach his students or give them truths too far beyond their ability to understand, which would have just confused them more. Years later, the apostles remembered these four months with Jesus as the most precious and profitable of all of their times with him.
Sermon on the Kingdom
It was Tuesday, June 18, A.D. 26. Jesus was at his workbench in the boatshop when Peter came in and told him that John had been arrested. For the second time Jesus laid down his tools, took off his apron, and said,
The Father’s hour has come. Let us make ready to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom.
Peter rushed off to tell all of the other apostles. By midafternoon he had them all rounded-up and they waited in a grove as Peter went to find Jesus. But Jesus had gone off to another grove to pray, and they didn’t find him until he returned to Zebedee’s house later that night to eat. The next day, Jesus asked his brother James to go to the synagogue and request that he be allowed to speak at the service that coming Saturday, to which the ruler of the synagogue happily agreed.
That Saturday, June 22, Jesus preached the first all-out sermon of his career on the kingdom of God. He began by reading the scriptures,
You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy people. Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; he will save us. Yahweh is my king and my God. He is a great king over all the earth. Loving-kindness is upon Israel in this kingdom. Blessed be the glory of the Lord for he is our King.
Then, putting the scripture aside, Jesus spoke freely, saying,
I have come to proclaim the establishment of the Father’s kingdom. And this kingdom will include the worshiping souls of Jew and gentile, rich and poor, free and bond, because my Father is no respecter of persons; his love and his mercy are over all.
The Father in heaven sends his spirit to reside in the minds of men, and when I have finished my work on Earth, likewise will the Spirit of Truth be poured out on all flesh. And the spirit of my Father and the Spirit of Truth will establish you in the coming kingdom of spiritual understanding and divine righteousness.
My kingdom is not of this world. The Son of Man will not lead forth armies in battle for the establishment of a throne of power or a kingdom of worldly glory. When my kingdom has come, you will know the Son of Man as the Prince of Peace, the revelation of the everlasting Father.
While the children of Earth fight for the establishment and enlargement of the kingdoms of this world, my disciples will enter the kingdom of heaven by their moral decisions and by their spiritual victories. And when they do, they’ll find joy, righteousness, and eternal life.
Those who enter the kingdom by striving for a noble character like that of my Father will soon possess all else that is needed. But I say to you in all sincerity: Unless you seek to enter the kingdom with the faith and trust of a little child, you will in not gain admission.
Don’t be deceived by people who come saying that here is the kingdom or there is the kingdom, because my Father’s kingdom isn’t filled with things visible and material. The Father’s kingdom is with you right now, because where the spirit of God teaches and leads the soul of man, there in reality, is the kingdom of heaven. And this kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
John baptized you in token of repentance and for the remission of your sins, but when you enter the heavenly kingdom, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
In my Father’s kingdom there will be neither Jew nor gentile, but rather only people who seek perfection through service, because I declare that he who would be great in my Father’s kingdom must first become a server of all. If you are willing to serve your fellow men, you will sit down with me in my kingdom like I will soon sit down with my Father in his kingdom.
This new kingdom is like a seed growing in good soil. It doesn’t reach fruit quickly. There’s an period of time between the establishment of the kingdom in the soul of a man, and when the kingdom ripens into the full fruit of everlasting righteousness and eternal salvation.
And this kingdom isn’t a reign of power and plenty. The kingdom of heaven is not a matter of meat and drink, but rather a life of progressive righteousness and increasing joy in perfecting our service to my Father who is in heaven. For the Father said of his children of the world, ‘It is my will that they should eventually be perfect, even as I am perfect.
I have come to preach the glad tidings of the kingdom. I haven’t come to add to the heavy burdens of the people who want to enter this kingdom. I proclaim the new and better way, and those who can enter the coming kingdom will enjoy the divine rest. And no matter what price you pay to enter the kingdom of heaven, you’ll receive many times more joy and spiritual progress in this world and in the age to come eternal life.
Entrance into the Father’s kingdom doesn’t wait on marching armies, on overturned kingdoms of this world, or on breaking free of captive yokes. The kingdom of heaven is already at hand, and all who enter it will find abundant liberty and joyous salvation.
This kingdom is an everlasting dominion. Those who enter the kingdom will ascend to my Father and they will attain the right hand of his glory in Paradise. And all who enter the kingdom of heaven will become the sons of God, and in the age to come they’ll ascend to the Father. And I haven’t come to call the would-be righteous, but rather sinners and all who hunger and thirst for the righteousness of divine perfection.
John came preaching repentance to prepare you for the kingdom; now I come proclaiming that faith, the gift of God, is the price to enter the kingdom of heaven. If you believe that my Father loves you with an infinite love, then you are already in the kingdom of God.
When Jesus was done, he sat down. Everyone was pretty astonished at what they’d heard, but while the apostles marveled at Jesus words, the people weren’t ready for them. About a third of the people believed Jesus even if they couldn’t understand him, a third were already starting to reject this idea of a spiritual and not material kingdom, and the rest of the folk just thought he might be a bit, well, wacko.
Okay, folks, that’s it for Son of Man: Urantia, Chapter 16, part 2, “hanging out in Galilee.”
Next week’s episode is Chapter 17, “Training the Kingdom’s Messengers.”
Have a fantastic week out there.
Bob