Urantia Book 48. The life of Jesus of Nazareth, Joshua ben Joseph, Christ Michael, Sovereign God of Nebadon. One evening Simon Zelotes asked Jesus this question: “Why are some people so much more happy and contented than others?” Jesus replied: “Simon, some persons are naturally more happy than others. Much depends on the willingness of people to be led and directed by the Father’s spirit which lives within him/her. Have you not read in the Scriptures the words of the wise man, ‘the spirit of a human is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts’ or ‘a good person will be satisfied from within.’?” Jesus continued: “Much of human sorrow is born of the disappointment of ambitions and the wounding of pride. Although humans owe a duty to themselves to make the best of their lives on earth, having thus exerted sincerely themselves, they should cheerfully accept their lot and exercise ingenuity in making the most of that which has fallen into their hands. Seek not, then, for false peace and transient joy, but rather for the assurance of faith and the sureties of divine sonship, which yield composure, contentment and supreme joy in the spirit.” Jesus did not look on Urantia as a ‘vale of tears.’ He rather thought of it as the birth sphere of the eternal and immortal spirits of Paradise ascension (149.5.1-5).*********** During the evening at Gamala Philip said to Jesus: “Master, why is it that the scriptures instruct us to ‘fear the Lord’, while you would have us look to the Father in heaven without fear. How are we to harmonize these teachings?” Jesus replied to Philip, saying: “My children, I am not surprised that you ask such questions. In the beginning it was only through fear that humans could learn reverence, but I have come to reveal the Father’s love so that you will be attracted to the worship of the Eternal as a child’s affectionate recognition and reciprocation of the Father’s profound and perfect love. I would deliver you from the bondage of driving yourselves through slavish fear to the irksome service of a jealous and wrathful King-God. I would instruct you in the Father-child relationship so that you may be joyfully led into that sublime and supernal worship of a loving, just and merciful Father-God.”…”The goodness of God leads to repentance; the beneficence of God leads to service; the mercy of God leads to salvation; while the love of God leads to intelligent and free-hearted worship.”…”I have come into the world to put love in the place of fear, joy in the place of sorrow, confidence in the place of dread, loving service and appreciative worship in the place of slavish bondage and meaningless ceremonies. But it is still true of those who sit in darkness that ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’.”…”You have been taught that you should ‘fear God and keep his commandments, for that is the whole duty of man’. But I have come to give you a new, higher commandment. I would teach you to love God and learn to do his will, for that is the highest privilege of the liberated children of God.”…”Cease, then, to fear God as a king or serve him as a master; learn to reverence him as the Creator; love him as a merciful defender; and ultimately worship him as the loving and all-wise Father of your more mature spiritual realization and appreciation.” And “My Father disdains pride, loathes hypocrisy and abhors iniquity. And it was to emphasize the value of sincerity and perfect trust in the loving support and faithful guidance of the heavenly Father that I have so often referred to the little child as illustrative of the attitude of mind and the response of spirit which are so essential to the entrance of mortals into the spirit realities of the kingdom of heaven” (149.6.1-11).********************* On December 30 everyone convened at Capernaum and were granted a two-week vacation to visit their families. Only 75 evangelists survived the tour, but they were ready to go the next round. Only Jesus, Peter, James and John stayed at The Zebedee house (149.7.1-3).*************** On January 16, AD 29, Abner and John’s apostles arrived for a conference with Jesus’ apostles. John’s apostles anointed the sick with various oils, and they wanted to establish this as a uniform practice for both groups. The apostles of Jesus, however, refused to bind themselves by such a regulation. On January 18 the 24 apostles were joined by the 75 evangelists in preparation for the third tour of Galilee, which would continue for a period of seven weeks. The 75 were sent out in groups of 5, the apostles going out in twos to baptize as needed. And then Jesus astounded the apostles. He called 10 women to teach the gospel and minister to the sick. During the 2-week vacation he had sent messengers to 10 devout women from the big camp and tent infirmary. These women had listened to the instruction given to the evangelists without an inkling they would ever be called. The 10 women were: Susanna, daughter of the former chazan of the Nazareth synagogue; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the steward of Herod Antipas; Elizabeth, the daughter of a wealthy Jew of Tiberius and Sepphoris; Martha, the elder sister of Andrew and Peter; Rachel, the sister-in-law of Jude, Jesus’ brother in the flesh; Nasanta, the daughter of Elmon, the Syrian physician; Milcha, a cousin of the Apostle Thomas; Ruth, the eldest daughter of Matthew Levi; Celta, the daughter of a Roman centurion and Agaman, a widow of Damascus. Jesus authorized these women to organize themselves and directed Jude to provide funds for them. Jesus formally emancipated all women for all time. No more was man to look upon women as his spiritual inferior. The apostles were speechless when Jesus commissioned these women to preach and minister to the sick and poor in spirit. And they even had to travel together! Indeed, the whole country was stirred up by these proceedings. Jesus’ enemies were gleeful. But women everywhere stood staunchly behind their sisters and voiced approval of the decision (150.1.1-3).**************** The group’s next stop was at Magdala. The women displayed their unique value to the cause because they could approach women more freely than men could. Andrew had imposed strict rules on the apostles about doing personal work with women. The women were able to enter a brothel, where they found Mary Magdalene. She had a soul ripe for God and she followed the women and became one of the best workers for the gospel. She was baptized by Peter the next day. A woman named Rebecca was converted four weeks later. The women stayed with Jesus to the end, while the men fled in fear (150.2.1-3).