Adapted from the Urantia Book original paper here.
The Week of Intensive Training
The next week was devoted to bringing the new apostles up-to-speed with the original six. They worked in pairs, with the older apostles each teaching the one he had selected. In the evenings, they met in Zebedee’s garden where Jesus would instruct them all together. It was during this week of intense training that Jesus established the weekly routine for the remainder of his mission, which included taking off every Wednesday so the apostles could relax and have some fun. On this day Jesus would usually go off by himself, telling his apostles, “My children, go for a day of play. Rest yourselves from the hard labors of the kingdom and enjoy your former lives or find something new to do.” Even though Jesus himself didn’t need to rest one-day-a-week, he knew that his apostles, like all humans, did. Jesus was the teacher—the Master; his associates were his pupils—disciples.
During this time with the apostles, Jesus spoke a lot about the difference between preaching his actual teachings, and teaching the people about him, Jesus, the man-God. Jesus would tell them that the primary focus of their message had to be his gospel of the kingdom of heaven, not stories about him or about his teachings. He emphasized that they were to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and to show the people his revelation of God the Father, and not to get sidetracked into creating legends about him or building up a cult having to do with beliefs and teachings about his beliefs and teachings. But the apostles not only didn’t understand exactly what Jesus was saying, none of them dared to ask why he was telling them this.
In these first lessons for his apostles, Jesus didn’t worry too much about most of their mistakes except when it came to clarifying ideas about God the Father. In these cases, he was direct and absolutely clear: his reason for still being on the planet after he’d been baptized by John was for one purpose only: to show us, humanity, higher truths about God and the path of faith and love we need to follow to find him. Always, he told his apostles,
“Go seek for the sinners; find the downhearted and comfort the anxious.”
Jesus knew his apostles were confused, and he knew that he had unlimited power to do whatever he wanted to make sure his message got to the people. But Jesus was okay with letting his apostles work things out despite all of their human failings. While Jesus’s mission had huge and dramatic possibilities, he insisted on doing his Father’s business in the quietest and most undramatic way possible. He was intent on not using his powers to win us over. For the next several months they all kept a low profile as they worked with the people around the Sea of Galilee.
Another Disappointment
Jesus planned for the apostles to work quietly in the area for about five months gaining some on-the-job-training for the mission ahead. He hadn’t yet told the apostles this when one morning, just as he was going to tell them, Simon Peter, James Zebedee, and Judas Iscariot came up and asked to speak to him. After the three took Jesus aside, Peter said,
“Master, we come at the behest of our associates to inquire whether the time is not now ripe to enter into the kingdom. And will you proclaim the kingdom at Capernaum, or are we to move on to Jerusalem? And when shall we learn, each of us, the positions we are to occupy with you in the establishment of the kingdom—”
About that time, Jesus held up his hand and stopped Peter from asking any more questions. Looking over at the rest of the apostles standing close by, he waved them over. When everyone had gathered around, Jesus said:
“My little children, how long will I bear with you! Haven’t I made it plain to you that my kingdom isn’t of this world? I’ve told you many times that I haven’t come to sit on David’s throne, and now you’re asking me which place each of you will occupy in the Father’s kingdom? Can’t you see that I’ve called you as ambassadors of a spiritual kingdom? Don’t you understand that soon, very soon, you’ll represent me in the world and proclaim the kingdom of God, even as I now represent my Father who is in heaven? Can it be that I’ve chosen and instructed you as messengers of the kingdom, and yet you don’t comprehend the nature and significance of this coming kingdom of divine pre-eminence in the hearts of men? My friends, hear me once more. Get out of your minds this idea that my kingdom is a rule of power or a reign of glory. Indeed, all power in heaven and on Earth will soon be mine, but it’s not the Father’s will that we use this divine ability to glorify ourselves here and now. In another age you will indeed sit with me in power and glory, but it’s best for us right now to submit to the Father’s will and to go forth humbly obedient to his will on Earth.”
And again, Jesus stunned his apostles more or less sent them into shock. So, he paired them up and sent them off two-by-two to pray, telling them to all come back and meet with him at noon. This they did, each seeking in his own way to find God, and each trying to cheer-up and strengthen his partner.
At noon, when they had all gathered back around Jesus, he was serious and earnest as he reminded them of many events in their recent past. The coming of John, the baptism in the Jordan, the marriage feast at Cana, the recent choosing of the original six, not letting his own brothers in the flesh become apostles, and his warning that God’s enemies would try and take them from him. After Jesus spoke, all of the apostles got up and under Peter’s leadership they declared their undying devotion to Jesus and pledged their loyalty to the kingdom, or as Thomas put it, “To this coming kingdom, no matter what it is and even if I don’t fully understand it.” The apostles all believed in Jesus, even though they couldn’t understand a lot of what he was trying to teach them.
Next, Jesus asked how much money they had between themselves, and if they had all made plans to take care of their families while they were out preaching. As it turned out, they only had enough money for the next two weeks. Jesus said it wasn’t his Father’s will that they start out broke, so he told them they’d stay there on the coast for a couple of weeks fishing or taking whatever other work they could find. In the meantime, he told Andrew to take charge of organizing the twelve and their finances so they had what they needed for both their present personal work, and for later when they would be out by themselves preaching to and teaching the people. This cheered-up everyone. It was the first straight forward statement by Jesus that they were really going to get to go out and be more open and aggressive in talking to the people.
The apostles spent the rest of the day getting themselves organized and their nets ready to go fishing in the morning. Over the next several years, many of the boats they would use had been built by Jesus himself when he was working in Zebedee’s shop. For the next five months, right up to end of this year, A.D.26, the schedule was for the apostles to fish for two weeks to support themselves, and then to go out and work with the people for two weeks, or as Jesus put it, they were to “go forth to become fishers of men.” The apostles fished in three boats with Jesus going out with a different group each night. These were fun and exciting times for our crew. Jesus was not only a good fisherman; he was a cheerful and inspiring friend. The more they all worked with Jesus, the more they all loved him. One day, Matthew even said, “The more you understand some people, the less you admire them, but with this guy, the less I understand him, the more I love him.”
First Work of the Twelve
Judas Iscariot was chosen to be the treasurer for the twelve. After money for everyone’s family had been set aside, he divided the remainder into six equal portions. It was near the middle of August, and Andrew assigned everyone the areas they were going to work in around the Sea of Galilee. They went out in pairs doing this personal work with the people. For the first two weeks Jesus went out with Andrew and Peter, for the second two weeks he went with James and John, and on and on in the order that they had all come into the group. This way Jesus was able to spend some time with all of them before they began their later public work.
The Jews taught that sins were forgiven through so called good works. Jesus taught that sins are forgiven simply through having faith in God: that there is no need for sacrifice or for someone to pay a fine for their sins. God the Father in heaven loves all his children with the same eternal love. Faith, and the rebirth of the person’s mind that comes with it, is the only admission needed or allowed into the kingdom of heaven. Where John had taught them “repentance—to flee from the wrath to come,” Jesus taught them, “Faith is the open door for entering into the present, perfect, and eternal love of God.”
Jesus told the twelve that they were not to discuss three things. First, John the Baptist, his work, or his imprisonment. Second, the spiritual voice that was heard when he was baptized in the Jordan River. Regarding that event, Jesus told them that only the people who were actually there and heard the voice were allowed to speak about it. Jesus went on and cautioned his apostles to only teach people what they had heard directly from Jesus, nothing else. And third, he forbids them from telling anyone about the water turning into wine at the wedding in Cana.
The people themselves were pretty amazed with Jesus and his apostles. The rabbis had always told them that common folk with no formal education couldn’t be so devoted to God or live such righteous lives. Yet, here right in front of them were the twelve apostles, all happily ignorant of what the rabbis knew, but at the same time, each one completely devoted to God and righteous in his life and work.
Jesus didn’t speak like a prophet, one who comes to declare the word of God: he spoke with the actual authority to speak the word of God. Instead of looking for God in miracles, Jesus taught people to find him through the real and personal spirit of love and saving grace that was then and there in their minds. Jesus showed deep respect and sympathy for everyone he met, regardless of their age, gender, or status in life. He gave no one preference. When it came to women, his manner shocked the apostles but Jesus made it very clear to them that women were to be accorded equal rights with men in the kingdom. He always made the individual person the absolute focus of his efforts. He would interrupt a meeting to cheer up a passing woman carrying too much on her body and soul, or to play with a little kid that might happen to interrupt the group. Jesus was more than just a master and teacher – he was also a friend, a neighbor, and an understanding confidant. While Jesus taught the people with parables and short stories, he educated the apostles through the question and answer sessions he held with them.
Five Months of Testing
As the five months wore on, the monotony tended to stress all twelve of the apostles. They were human, and tended to have doubts and grumble and get depressed at times like everyone else does. But they made it through the time, and they all remained true and loyal to Jesus and their vows. It was this time of actually being in contact with Jesus, experiencing his devotion to them and then the subsequent love they gained for him, that held them through this period and all of the way through the darkest hours of his trial and crucifixion, except, in the end, for Judas Iscariot. In this five months Jesus became each one’s best friend. It wasn’t logic, reason, or his teachings that held the apostles together through the darkest hours of his death, but rather it was their tremendous loyalty and friendship for Jesus the man that that helped them survive then and after his resurrection.
This period of them all laying low around the Sea of Galilee was also really hard on Jesus’ family. By the time he and the apostles were ready to start their work in public, his entire family (except Ruth) had practically given up on him. They only tried to contact Jesus a few times after this, and it was always to try and get him to come home. They were close to thinking he was crazy: his own flesh and blood family couldn’t understand him or his teachings.
Organization of the Twelve
By the end of these five months, the apostles had organized themselves in the following way:
1. Andrew, the first chosen apostle, was designated chairman and director general of the twelve.
2. Peter, James, and John were appointed Jesus’ personal companions. They were to take care of him day and night, get him whatever he needed, and be with him when he’d go out to pray at night and have those mysterious talks with our Father in heaven.
3. Philip was made steward of the group. It was his duty to keep everyone fed and to see that visitors, an even large groups of listeners at times, had something to eat.
4. Nathaniel took care of the twelve’s families. He received regular reports about what they needed, and then got the money from Judas, the treasurer, and sent it each week to those in need.
5. Matthew was in charge of the budget and keeping money in the treasury. If there wasn’t enough money or donations weren’t coming in, Matthew had the power to order the twelve back to their nets to go fishing for a while. But he never had to do this; he always had enough money to handle their needs.
6. Thomas managed the itinerary. He took care of arranging places to stay and teach and preach. He made sure the travel schedule went smoothly.
7. James and Judas, the twin sons of Alpheus, were assigned to take care of all of the people that showed up. It was their job to deputize helpers to keep order among the crowds during the preaching.
8. Simon Zelotes was in charge of fun and recreation. He managed the Wednesday program and also tried to find something for them to do a couple of hours each day.
9. Judas Iscariot was appointed treasurer. He held the money, paid all expenses, and kept the books. He made weekly budget estimates for Matthew, and also gave weekly reports to Andrew.
On Sunday, January 12, A.D. 27, Jesus called the twelve together and formally ordained them as his apostles – ambassadors of the kingdom and preachers of its good news. Then he had them pack up their gear, and get ready to head to Jerusalem and Judea on their first public preaching tour.
Okay, folks, that’s it for Son of Man: Urantia, Chapter 17, part 2, “Training the Kingdom’s Messengers.”
Next week is Chapter 18, part 1, The Twelve Apostles.
Have a fantastic week out there, everybody.
Bob