Urantia Book 18. The life of Jesus of Nazareth, Joshua ben Joseph, Christ Michael, Sovereign God of the Universe of Nebadon. When Jesus was in Rome, he was approached many times to help with businesses, religious teaching or social reform. He was happy to serve these people while injecting some thought of spiritual uplift. Jesus talked with a Roman senator on politics and statesmanship; and such an impression was made on this senator that he spent the rest of his life trying to change government policy from supporting people to having people support the government. Jesus talked one evening to a slaveholder about man as a son of God, and the next day this man, Claudius, gave 117 slaves their freedom. He had dinner with a Greek physician and told him that his patients had minds and souls as well as bodies; this led the doctor to a more far-reaching ministry to his patients. The only place Jesus refused to go was the public baths because of the promiscuity in these places. He also may have known about germs.************** There was one incident in Rome that came close to a public appearance. “Jesus met a poor man who had been falsely accused, and went with him before the magistrate. Having obtained special permission to appear on the man’s behalf, Jesus made a superb defense as follows:”Justice makes a nation great, and the greater the nation, the more solicitous it will be to see that injustice shall not befall even its most humble citizen. Woe upon any nation when only those who possess money and influence can secure ready justice before its courts. It is the sacred duty of a magistrate to acquit the innocent as well as to punish the guilty. Upon the impartiality, fairness and integrity of its courts the endurance of a nation depends. Civil government is founded on justice, even as true religion is founded on mercy…The judge re-opened the case, and when the evidence had been sifted, he discharged the prisoner”(132.4.8).* A rich man introduced by Angamon asked Jesus what he should do with his great wealth. Jesus, not taking him seriously, told him to leave it to his descendants. But the man was serious, so Jesus told him to analyze his wealth and find the sources of the wealth. And what are they? 1. Inherited 2. Discovered-oil 3.Trade 4. Unfair wealth 5.Interest on investments 6. Genius wealth from inventions 7. Accidental wealth 8. Stolen wealth 9.Trust funds 10. Earned wealth. Then, said Jesus, divide your wealth into these 10 divisions and when in doubt about the equity and justice of these divisions, favor those who are in need, favor those who suffer the misfortune of undeserved hardships. Claudius wanted Jesus to be more specific, so this is what Jesus told him: 1. If any of your inherited wealth was obtained illegally, give it to the needy. 2. Discovered wealth is usually developed with partners. 3. Trade should always be honest. 4. There is no place for slavery in the life of a god-loving mortal. 5. Capital lent must be legitimate wealth. 6. The inventor and the company he works for deserve a portion of the wealth from the invention. 7. Accidental wealth must be shared by the God-loving mortal. 8. If wealth is procured by fraud, it must be returned immediately. 9. Only take from a trust what is allowed. 10. Your wages are rightfully your own. When the man said goodnight, he promised to begin the administration of his wealth according to Jesus’ advice.* During their stay in Rome, Jesus and Ganid encountered a lost child and devoted their time to finding his home. Jesus said to Ganid, “You know, Ganid, most human beings are like the lost child. They spend much of their time crying in fear and suffering in sorrow when, in very truth, they are but a short distance from safety and security, even as this child was only a little way from home…Did we not supremely enjoy this ministry of restoring the child to his mother? So do those who lead men to God experience the extreme satisfaction of human service”(132.6.1).* The trio made 5 trips away from Rome to points of interest in the surrounding territory. They met a man casually that Jesus did not converse with, and this puzzled Ganid. Jesus explained that the man was not ripe for the harvest of salvation; he must be allowed more time for the trials and difficulties of life to prepare him for the reception of wisdom and higher learning. And you cannot reveal God to those who do not seek for him; you cannot lead unwilling souls into the joys of salvation. In Switzerland Jesus had a day-long talk with both father and son about Buddhism. Gonod asked Jesus a direct question about the Buddha. (Ganid had asked questions and received evasive answers.) But Jesus gave Gonod a direct reply: “Your Buddha was much better than your Buddhism. Buddha was a great man, but early he lost sight of his spiritual Father, the Father in heaven. His experience was tragic. He tried to live and teach as a messenger of God, but without God. His ship ran aground very close to the harbor of salvation. His followers must abandon his philosophy and seize upon his spirit, and then they can enter the harbor.********* As they neared Terentum the three saw a big bully of a boy beating up a small boy. Jesus quickly intervened and held the bully while the small boy disappeared. That was the end of it, but Ganid wasn’t satisfied. He said Jesus should have punished the bully. Jesus told him justice doesn’t work that way. The government metes out justice. He also said he would defend himself if attacked, no matter the consequences to the attacker. This made more sense to Ganid.

Urantia Book 17. The life of Jesus of Nazareth, Joshua ben Joseph, Christ Michael, Sovereign God of the Universe of Nebadon. When the three reached Rome, Gonod carried greetings for Emperor Tiberius from the princes of India. Tiberius was in a good mood so he chatted pleasantly with them. Later the Emperor remarked to his aide, referring to Jesus,” If I had that fellow’s kingly bearing and gracious manner, I would be a real emperor, eh?” (130.0.1). Due to chronic clinical depression, I was a nihilist during college, but I married a Catholic seminary student. I found myself attracted to his theology books and eventually found my way to Christ. We were both liberals, so there were no arguments between us about religion. So I agree with Tiberius that Jesus is attractive and powerful. Now back to our trio. Gonod had much business to transact in Rome, and Ganid had reached the age where he had to learn his father’s business, so Jesus had whole days to himself. He became thoroughly acquainted with this city of 1 million people. He would often go to the Forum, the center of political, legal and business life. He often went up to the Capitoleum and thought about the ignorance in which these people lived as he admired the temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. He also frequented Palatine Hill, the location of the emperor’s residence, the temple of Apollo and the Greek and Latin libraries. The Roman Empire at that time occupied all of southern Europe, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Northwest Africa, including every country of the Eastern Hemisphere. Jesus’ desire to study this mix of people was the chief reason he accepted Gonod’s invitation. One of the most valuable experiences of Jesus’ 6 months in Rome was his contact with and influence on the religious leaders the city. He sought out the leaders of the Cynics, the Stoics and the Mithraic mystery cult. Jesus saw his disciples coming to Rome to preach the Gospel, and thus prepared the leaders of Rome to accept these disciples and their message. So, Jesus spent time with 5 of the leading Stoics, 11 of the Cynics, and 16 of the mystery-cult leaders in intimate association. He seldom met with more than one person to converse with. Never once did he attack their errors or the flaws in their teachings. In each case he would select the truth in what they taught; he would embellish this truth until it crowded out the flaw. These Jesus-taught men and women were thus prepared for the recognition of additional and similar truths in the teachings of the early Christian missionaries. From the teaching of these religious leaders, only 2 did not bear fruit. The others became pivotal individuals in the establishment of Christianity in Rome, and some aided in turning the chief Mithraic temple into the first Christian church of Rome. There were 3 factors of paramount value in setting the stage for the rapid spread of Christianity: “1. The choosing and holding of Simon Peter as an apostle. 2. The talk in Jerusalem with Steven, whose death led to the winning of Saul of Tarsus. 3. The preliminary preparation of these 30 Romans for the subsequent leadership of the new religion in Rome and throughout the Empire”(132.0.5). (Note: These are the writers’ opinions. I believe good roads and trade enabled the spread. Also, when people worship the emperor or a marble statue, there is going to be a sense of disillusionment, and the timing of Christianity was just right in that regard. Jesus spent all night with a Stoic named Angamon, who subsequently became a close friend of Paul. Here is a summary of Jesus’ teaching: “The standard of true values must be looked for in the spiritual world and on divine levels of eternal reality. To an ascending mortal all lower and material standards must be recognized as transient, partial and inferior. The scientist, as such, is limited to the discovery of the relatedness of facts”(132.1.2). Jesus went on to say that if materialism in a society dominates moral insight and spiritual attainment, it will menace civilization. Civilization will collapse if there is no return to spiritual values. The scientist and idealist will always be in conflict unless they have a common standard of high moral and spiritual levels. Both scientists and religionists must recognize that they are on trial before the bar of human need. They must stop fighting long enough to justify their continued survival by enhanced devotion to the service of human progress (UB). ***** Mardus, the leader of the Cynics in Rome, became a friend to the “scribe of Damascus.” He wanted Jesus’ views on good and evil. Jesus’ views are surprising: “My brother, good and evil are merely words symbolizing relative levels of human comprehension of the observable universe. If you are ethically lazy and socially indifferent, you can take as your standard of good the current social usages. If you are spiritually indolent and morally unprogressive, you may take as your standard of good the religious practices and traditions of your contemporaries. But the soul who survives time and emerges into eternity must make a living and personal choice between good and evil as they are determined by the true values of the spiritual standards established by the divine spirit which the Father in heaven has sent to dwell within the heart of man. This indwelling spirit is the standard of personality survival. Goodness, like truth, is always relative and unfailingly evil-contrasted. An experience is good when it heightens the appreciation of beauty, augments the moral will, enhances the discernment of truth, enlarges the capacity to love and serves one’s fellows, exalts the spiritual ideals, and unifies the supreme human motives of time with the eternal plans of the indwelling Adjuster, all of which lead directly to an increased desire to do the Father’s will, thereby fostering the divine passion to find God and to be more like him”(132.2.1-4). Jesus said that evil per se is not necessary; its only necessary to give man a choice between good and evil. Evil only becomes a reality when a mortal mind makes evil its choice. Jesus also conversed with Nabon, a Greek Jew and leader in the Mithraic mystery-cult. Nabon tried to convert Jesus, and the shoe was on the other foot, but Jesus wasn’t buying. Here’s what he said: “Truth cannot be defined with words, only by living. Truth is always more than knowledge. Knowledge pertains to things observed, but truth transcends such purely material levels in that it consorts with wisdom and embraces such imponderables as human experience, even spiritual and living realities. Knowledge originates in science; wisdom in true philosophy; truth, in the religious experience of spiritual living. Knowledge deals with facts; wisdom with relationships; truth, with reality values” (132.3.1-2). The joint creation of the material mind and the indwelling spirit is revealed truth and the supreme delight of the human soul. But everything depends on faith, because man’s thoughts, wisdom, ethics and ideals will not rise higher than his faith. I wouldn’t want to put that to the test!

Urantia Book 16. The life of Jesus of Nazareth, Joshua ben Joseph, Christ Michael, and Sovereign God of the Universe of Nebadon. On their way to Italy, the three stopped at Malta. There Jesus had a conversation with a young man named Claudius, who was depressed and suicidal. After his talk with Jesus, he was determined to face life like a man and start life over again. Later, he joined Peter in Rome, proclaiming the Gospel, and never connecting Jesus with the man who helped him with his depression. During the tour, Jesus told people to call him the “scribe of Damascus.” At Syracuse they spent a full week. The only notable event there was the rehabilitation of Ezra, the keeper of the tavern. Ezra was a backslidden Jew, but he was charmed by Jesus’ approach and asked him for help in returning to the faith of Israel. Ezra said, “I want to be a true son of Abraham, but I cannot find God.” Jesus replied, “If you truly want to find God, that desire is in itself evidence that you have already found him. Your trouble is not that you cannot find God, for the Father has already found you; your trouble is simply that you do not know God. Have you not read in the Prophet Jeremiah, ‘You shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart’? And again, does not this same prophet say; ‘And I will give you a heart to know me, that I am the Lord, and you shall belong to my people, and I will be your God’?…And Ezra found God, and to the satisfaction of his soul. Later, Ezra and a Greek proselyte built the first Christian church in Syracuse” (130.8.2). At Messina Jesus spoke kind words to a boy, and he later became a Christian. At Naples Gonod had much business to transact so Jesus and Ganid went sight-seeing. They saw a lot of poverty, and Ganid was becoming adept at recognizing poverty. On the way to Rome Jesus gave alms to a beggar, but he did not give his usual comforting words of encouragement. This puzzled Ganid. Jesus explained to Ganid, “Why waste words on one who cannot perceive the meaning of what you say? The Spirit of the Father cannot reach and save one who has no capacity for sonship” (130.8.4). What Jesus meant was that the man was not of normal intelligence, that he lacked the ability to respond to spirit leading (UB). Is Jesus being politically incorrect? No, he’s just being realistic. I don’t approve of Bush’s “No child left behind” because it is unrealistic. I had special education students in a regular English class. When they wrote essays, the essays were incomprehensible, and they didn’t understand how to make them better–I couldn’t get them to understand. And they were the nicest students, but their expectations were elevated unfairly by being in regular classes. Their tests were modified so that they ended up with better scores than the regular students. And that’s enough from me.************** While Ganid was in Alexandria, he used translators to help him gather information about all the known religions. He finished the project in Rome. They are as follows: CYNICISM preserved the teachings of Melchizedek. “God is supreme; he is the Most High of heaven and earth. God is the perfected circle of eternity…God knows all…our secrets…God is a peace giver and a faithful protector of all who fear and trust him…we derive wisdom from the contemplation of the Most High…we have no friend like the Most High…God never forgets sincerity. He will guide the honest of heart into the truth, for God is Truth…Poor men and rich men are brothers, God is their Father. The evil you would not have done to you, do not to others…All the worlds and universes worship the Most High…The wise man hungers for the divine embrace” (131.1.1-9). JUDAISM: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and all things therein…The power of the Lord is great and his understanding infinite…The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him and his righteousness even to our children’s children…The heavens declare Gods righteousness and the people have seen his glory…(this is a repeat of the Hebrew scriptures and their eternal truths). BUDDHISM: Ganid was shocked that this religion was so great yet had no God. I’ve read that Buddhism is not a religion. It’s a way of thinking, of training the mind. But some of the earlier strains of Buddhism picked up Melchizedek’s teaching. Ganid chose this passage for his collection: “I have found the approach to the Immortal easy of access. I pray for faith to sustain me on the long journey…I know that faith from beyond will not fail me…By faith let us lay hold upon true righteousness and genuine manliness…sin is despicable…Evil is the path of false doctrines…Those who avoid evil by seeing things as they are gain joy by thus embracing the truth…Those who are sure of salvation are forever free from lust, envy, hatred and the delusions of wealth….Injustice done to your fellows shall come back upon you. The creature cannot escape the destiny of his deeds. He is the greatest of warriors who overcomes and subdues himself…The unselfish go to heaven, where they rejoice in the bliss of infinite liberality and continue to increase in noble generosity” (131.3.1-7). HINDUISM: Melchizedek’s teachings of the One God became embedded in the doctrines of this religion. “He is the great God, in every way Supreme. He is the creator and controller of the universe of universes. God is one God; he is alone and by himself; he is the only one. And this one God is our Maker and the last destiny of our soul…We worship him…God is the sure refuge of every good man when in need; the Immortal One cares for all mankind…The Lord even counts the ceaseless winking of every mortal’s eyes; and we worship this divine Being as our inseparable companion…Make prayer your inmost friend and worship your soul’s Support. ‘If you will but worship me in love,’ says the Eternal, ‘I will give you the wisdom to attain me, for my worship is common to all creatures’… God is our lover, our father, our brother and friend. And we long to know this God in our inner being. Man’s friends of the flesh cannot survive death; virtue alone walks by man’s side as he journeys ever onward toward the gladsome and sunlit fields of Paradise” (131.4.1-8). ZOROASTRIANISM was another religion studied by Ganid, but, aside from Judaism, no religion of that day contained more of Melchizedek’s teachings; there’s no need to repeat it here. This is also true of Jainism, so we will skip that and go to the Shinto religion of Japan. The passage Ganid chose is unusual because it is in the 1st person and it must be Jesus speaking. He says,”Since the olden people did not know my name, I manifested myself by being born into the world as a visible existence and endured such abasement even that man should not forget my name…I am the ruler of all creatures on land and in the four seas. Although I am great and supreme, still I have regard for the prayer of the poorest man”(131.7.2). This is a very odd passage to be found in a religious doctrine. The missionaries of Melchizedek were spreading the doctrine of the One God, not the Christian doctrine, and, although they went as far east as was possible, they lived in a time period centuries before Jesus or even David and the prophets. TAOISM: This religion won first place among the competing monotheistic religions in China. Ganid recorded the following: “How pure and tranquil is the Supreme One, and yet how powerful and mighty, how deep and unfathomable. This God of heaven is the honored ancestor of all things. If you know the Eternal, you are enlightened and wise. If you know not the Eternal, then does ignorance manifest itself as evil, and thus do the passions of sin arise. He is indeed the world’s mother, and all creation moves around him. A wise man universalizes his heart. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Those who aspire to greatness must learn to humble themselves…If you love people, they will draw near you–you will have no difficulty in winning them. You cannot find the Supreme, neither can you go to a place where he is not”(131.8.1-5). According to the UB, Confucianism is “the least God-recognizing of the world’s great religions.” But its practitioners responded to the missionarys’ doctrine about the One God. Ganid recorded the following, which had been incorporated into the doctrines of Confucianism:”What heaven appoints is without error. Truth is real and divine…Heaven has appointed subordinates to assist in the instruction and uplifting of inferior creatures…This Great God has conferred a moral sense even on many inferior people…We do well when we call the Great Heaven our Father and Mother. If we are thus servants of our divine ancestors, then may we in confidence pray to Heaven. God is with us; therefore we have no fear in our hearts…When you find yourself in the wrong, do not hesitate to confess your error and be quick to make amends. To attain the perfection of Heaven is the goal of man. What you do not like done to yourself, do not do to others” (131.9.1-4).* Ganid added another religion which he called OUR RELIGION. This was a summary of Jesus’ teachings to Ganid. I’m sure we don’t know everything Jesus taught Ganid, but we know Jesus’ teachings, so I will give a brief summary: “The Lord our God is one Lord, and you should love Him with all your mind and heart, while you do your best to love all His children as you love yourself…God dwells in every human soul through His Spirit…We cannot search out God by knowledge, but we can know Him in our hearts by personal experience. When men begin to feel after God, that is evidence that God has found them. Practice the worship of God by doing the will of God on earth. Thank God everyday for His unspeakable gifts” (131.10.1-6).****************************** It sounds like Melchizedek and his missionaries taught some items that I learned in the Urantia Book. For example, he didn’t teach them about the Universal Father, the First Person of the Trinity and ultimate creator of all things. Rather he taught them about the Most High, the 3 rulers of the Constellation Norlatiadek. He thought that would make it simpler for people (he didn’t tell them there were 3). Also there are many references to the Supreme. This is the Supreme Being, an experiencial God who grows by experiencing all of life. There are many Gods, the Gods of the Trinity being best known. But Jesus is not a God of the Trinity. He was born as a Creator Son, whose purpose is to rule a local universe. The Trinity consists of the Universal Father, the Eternal Son and the Infinite Spirit. Our Holy Spirit is a daughter of the Infinite Spirit and she is the partner in creation of the Creator Son, God of Nebadon, Christ Michael. She is also called the Mother Spirit because she gives life to the inert DNA put on planets by the Life Carriers. Also there was mention of more than one universe. There are 7 superuniverses, each with thousands of local universes. I hope this isn’t too wild. The Urantia Book is available on Amazon for $10.

.4

Before I continue with the life of Jesus, I would like to pause for an update on the Deep State v. The Alliance. This comes from EraOflight.com and it’s the history of Q or Q Anon. After the re-election of Barack Obama in 2012, 10 patriotic men formed a Circle. They were worried about losing America to foreign regimes through fascist forces. They formed a secret alliance, loyal to the flag and constitution. They decided to pick the next president. He must be motivated to put America first, outspoken, making things happen with his fervor and persistence. Trump was chosen, but he was only told that he had the support of a secret and powerful group. They told him the goals of the plan to make America great again: drain the swamp, border security, deregulation, breaking from globalization, America first, ending the Fed, bring back gold backed money, abolition of TTP and WTO trade agreements and withdrawal of Paris climate accord. Trump was told nothing else and he even had to spend his own money on his campaign. But he accepted it because the man told him he could do it his way–he wouldn’t be answering to anybody. The middleman who brings messages to Trump has no contact with Q. The structure of Q is thus: The first 10 people is called The Circle; They chose 10 more and these are The Inner Circle–these have jobs in the White House; The next level is called the Outer Circle–these have jobs in the agencies, like the CIA; All these circles have 10 members; The last circle is called The Final Circle–these are judges put in strategic positions. All the people in these circles are 100% loyal to President Trump.

Urantia Book 15. The life of Jesus of Nazareth, Joshua ben Joseph, Christ Michael, Sovereign God of the Universe of Nebadon. When the boat was ready, the three enjoyed a passage to Alexandria. There were 2 magnificent harbors there, which made the city’s location a crossroad linking Africa, Asia and Europe. Again the UB says that Africa and Asia would have been more fertile ground for Jesus’ message than Europe. Having stepped off the boat, they found themselves standing on a highway 100 feet in width and 5 miles long. While Gonod did business, Jesus and Ganid visited the famous library. This library contained almost a million manuscripts. Some were from India, China and Japan. It held the largest collection of Indian literature in the world. They discussed over and over the religions of the world. Jesus always told Ganid that Yahweh is the God developed from the revelations of Melchizedek and the covenant of Abraham. The Jews occupied the land where Melchizedek taught, and they developed a clearer recognition of the Lord God of Israel as the Universal Father in heaven than any other religion (UB). Jesus and Ganid also spent time in the museum; it was not a collection of rare objects, but a university of fine arts, science and literature. Alexandria was the intellectual center of the Roman world. Professors gave daily lectures. Jesus translated the lectures for Ganid. This city held the largest Jewish synagogue in the world; the seat of government was the Sanhedrin, composed of 70 ruling elders. Philo, the famous religious philosopher in Alexandria, was trying to reconcile Greek philosophy with Jewish theology. That’s like trying to reconcile quantum mechanics with relativity–it probably can’t be done. On the evening before they left Alexandria, Jesus and Ganid had a long visit with a government professor who lectures on the teachings of Plato. Jesus injected no opinions of his own. After the visit ended, Jesus had a heart to heart talk with Ganid about Plato’s doctrines. Jesus tried to lay a more trustworthy foundation for Ganid’s thinking. One point he made was that: “Always must the desire to do the Father’s will be supreme in the soul and dominant over the mind of an ascending son of God.” The remainder of his discourse was complicated, but angels summarize what Jesus says, and the meaning gets lost. Also they have to translate it into English. Sorry. So much for that. Ganid had a question on evil the next morning. Jesus replied that evil is a relativity concept. He also said that “all static, dead concepts are potentially evil. The finite shadow of relative and living truth is continually moving. Static concepts invariably retard science, politics, society and religion. Static concepts… are deficient in wisdom and devoid of truth. But do not the concept of relativity so to mislead you that you fail to recognize the co-ordination of the universe under the guidance of the cosmic mind and its stabilized control by the energy and spirit of the Supreme” (130.4.15).************ In Crete Jesus had his first long talk with Gonod, since they were there just to relax. Gonod was impressed with Jesus’ religion, and never knew there was such a religion in Jerusalem. One day Ganid asked Jesus why he wasn’t a teacher. He replied that everything must await the coming of its time. No amount of impatience would help Ganid to grow up. Jesus said, I am now on the way to Rome, and that is sufficient for today. My tomorrow is wholly in the hands of my Father in heaven (UB). That night an unusual incident took place. As they were walking along, they saw a drunken man beating a girl. Jesus immediately intervened, holding the girl and keeping the man at arms length. The man tried to punch at Jesus, but Jesus’ powerful right arm held the man back. Jesus had a difficult time explaining to Ganid why he didn’t take down the drunken child beater. Later, when they were up in the mountains, Jesus had a long talk with a young man who had anxiety and depression. Jesus approached him twice, and the 2nd time caught the man’s attention. The man asked Jesus how he could recover from a miserable childhood. Jesus gave him a pep-talk, starting with: “My friend, arise! Stand up like a man!…Look, you have a strong body and powerful muscles–your physical equipment is better than the average. Of course, it is just about useless while you sit out here on the mountainside and grieve over your misfortunes, real and fancied…Your strong body has an intelligent mind to direct it. Set your mind at work to solve your problems; teach your intellect to work for you; refuse longer to be dominated by fear like an unthinking animal” (130.6.3).* I can identify with the young man’s anxiety and depression. Pep talks always made me angry, but then I never had a pep talk from Jesus. When I was a child being abused, I saw Jesus and he had a very sympathetic look on his face. And now he never lectures me about anything. Most people don’t understand depression and they make matters worse when they try to help. Clinical major depression is a medical condition–it’s a chronic illness. So much for that. This man was reborn through Jesus’ ministrations. Jesus said to him:”You have been born again–born of the spirit–and henceforth will your whole life become one of victorious accomplishment. Trouble will invigorate you; disappointment will spur you on; difficulties will challenge you; and obstacles will stimulate you” (130.6.4). Subsequently, this man became the leader of the Christians in Crete and was very close to Titus.* On the trip to Carthage, they stopped at Cyrene. Jesus and Ganid gave first aid to a boy named Rufus, who had been injured by the breakdown of an overloaded cart. They carried him home to his father, Simon, who never dreamed he would be ordered to carry Jesus’ cross by a Roman soldier. It was a small world back then, too.***************** On the way to Carthage Ganid wanted to know Jesus’ secret for attracting friends. Jesus told him to be interested in people and do things for them. Look for opportunities to do something that you are sure they want done. Also, he quoted an old Jewish proverb–“A man who would have friends must show himself friendly.” At Carthage Jesus had a long talk with a Mithraic priest about immortality, time and eternity. The priest had many questions for Jesus. Jesus said: “Time is the stream of flowing temporal events perceived by creature consciousness. Time is a name given to the succession-arrangement whereby events are recognized and segregated. (Isn’t it unfortunate that none of this was in the Bible?) The universe of space is a time-related phenomenon as it is viewed from any interior position outside the fixed abode of Paradise. The motion of time is only revealed in relation to something which does not move in space as a time phenomenon…human personality is the only physically related reality which can transcend the material sequence of temporal events” (130.7.4). I would like to add that the intellect is just as important to God as the spirit. The Infinite Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, works in the area of mind. When we die, if we survive, we enter upon a long educational process which prepares us for worshiping the Universal Father. After we worship the Father, we serve somewhere in the superuniverse of origin. If you were a physicist in mortal life, you might want to teach or research. There is still much to learn. Jesus was a great philosopher–why didn’t this come out in his preaching?

Urantia Book 14. The life of Jesus of Nazareth, Joshua ben Joseph, Christ Michael, Sovereign God of the Universe of Nebadon. When Jesus was 28 (AD 22), he left Capernaum for Jerusalem. He had accrued a great deal of money, and it was invested, so his family was well cared for. Jesus spent a couple of months listening to the discussions in the Temple; he spent Sabbath days at Bethany. Salome sent with him a letter of introduction to her relative Annas, the former high priest, who spent much time with Jesus. Annas took Jesus to the many academies of the religious teachers. Passover arrived with all the Zebedees, and they all celebrated at Annas’ house. At the end of Passover, Jesus met a wealthy businessman from India and his 17 year old son. This man was traveling around the Empire and needed an interpreter. He wanted to hire Jesus, but he did not want to go far from his family. The merchant offered to give Jesus his years’ wages in advance, so Jesus accepted.********************* Jesus spent his 29th year touring the Mediterranean world. He made many contacts, which was his purpose for going. He never told anybody but Zebedee where he was going, not even his disciples and especially not his mother. His family thought he had gone to Alexandria, and he said nothing to change this story. What was the motivation of the Michael bestowal? What was the purpose of his sojourn on Planet Earth? “He was consistently careful not to build up an over-attractive and attention-consuming personal career. He wanted to make no unusual or overpowering appeal to his fellow men. He was dedicated to the work of revealing the heavenly Father to his fellow mortals and at the same time was consecrated to the sublime task of living his mortal earth life all the while subject to the will of the same Paradise Father” (129.3.5). Also living this life on Urantia, he was living it for the whole universe. By the end of his tour with the merchant and his son, he had thoroughly learned the subject of man and how man lives on earth. To know humans and how they lived was the real purpose of his trip. He met and loved all sorts of humans–high and low, rich and poor, black and white, educated and uneducated, moral and immoral. Jesus progressed in knowing the mortal mind–he had graduated. And also at the end of the tour, Jesus knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was the Son of God–a Creator Son of the Universal Father. His Thought Adjuster was bringing to Jesus’ conscious mind the time when he was a child being trained in Paradise long before he created his universe. The TA also gave him the memory of the farewell conference with Immanuel when he was baptized by John in the Jordan River.* But he still hadn’t achieved full control of his mind. Jesus was on the cusp of the fusing of the “material mind of man and the mind-endowment of the spirit–the phenomenon of the making of these two minds one, the experience which the Son of Man attained in completion and finality, as an incarnated mortal of the realm, on the day of his baptism in the Jordan” (129.4.2). We may not aspire to live the life of Jesus, but we can live our own lives by the same means he lived his. Jesus is not a technical and detailed example for us to follow, but he is everlastingly the inspiration and guide.*********** The tour of the Roman world with Gonod and Ganid took all of Jesus’ 29th year. They left Jerusalem on April 26, AD 22. Jesus traveled with them until they parted at Charax on the Persian Gulf on December 12, AD 23. They traveled first to Alexandria and Rome, putting in at ports along the way. They went to Mesopotamia, visiting Ur. They traveled back to Damascus, where Jesus translated a book from Greek into an Indian language with the help of an Indian scholar. Jesus tutored Ganid every morning, and in the afternoons they were free for sightseeing. Jesus also acted as translator for Gonod’s business dealings. On his own time he sought out people for conversations which would give him more insight into humanity. He also acquainted himself with the higher material and intellectual civilization where-ever they happened to be. He learned much about India and China from Gonod and Ganid, who had been to China three times. They invited Jesus to come back to India, but he declined, citing family.* At Joppa Jesus met an interpreter named Gadiah, and they quickly became friends. “This young Philistine was a truth seeker, Jesus was a truth giver; he WAS the truth for that generation on Urantia. When a great truth seeker and a great truth giver meet, the result is a great and liberating enlightenment born of the experience of new truth” (130.1.1). Gadiah and Jesus took a walk one night, and Gadiah asked Jesus if he thought Jonah was really in the belly of a whale. Jesus gave him a truly brilliant discourse on the symbolism of the event. Jesus recognized that Gadiah had learned from the text “the folly of trying to run away from duty; Jesus therefore said nothing that would suddenly destroy the foundation of Gadiah’s present motivation for practical living” (130.1.2). On their last visit Gadiah asked: “How can God, if he is infinitely good, permit us to suffer the sorrows of evil; after all, who creates evil?” Jesus replied that God’s goodness is so great and real that it cannot contain evil. There is no place in him for negativity. Evil is the immaturity of those who are resistant to goodness and disloyal to truth. Evil is the disturbing influence of ignorance. It is the darkness following rejection of light. When consciously embraced, it becomes sin. (UB) Gadiah was fully satisfied with Jesus’ answers–I am, too, they are so sophisticated for their time. I wish these explanations were in the Bible.* They were held up in Caesarea for a few days because a new paddle had to be made for the boat they were traveling on. Jesus offered to put his wood-working skills to the job. While they were waiting they went to the theater and saw a Greek play. Ganid was very impressed with the temple of Augustus. They also paid a formal visit to the palace of the Roman governor. Jesus met a Taoist from Mongolia and, because he could speak Greek, Jesus was able to tell him about the gospel of the heavenly Father and the kingdom of heaven. When he arrived back in Mongolia, he told everybody what Jesus had said. As a result his eldest son became a Taoist priest, preaching the one God. This priest influenced so many people that his own son and grandson became priests of the One God. The UB says that India and China were thirsty for the Gospel, and it’s sad that there was no Peter or Paul to go there and preach the Gospel. One day as they were working on the paddle, an employee heard Jesus mumbling and asked him what he was saying. Jesus indicated that the Father in heaven was interested in the welfare of his children on earth. Anaxand answered,” If the Gods are interested in me, then why do they not remove the cruel and unjust foreman of this workshop?” Jesus replied that the boy could lead his foreman to a better way by not letting him control all their interactions. The boy could use kindness. He should stop letting his foreman’s evil influence him. Return good when given evil.(UB) Jesus’ words impressed the boy, and he repeated them that night to the foreman, whereupon both of them came to Jesus for advice about their souls. Later on when Phillip was preaching in their town, they both became Christians.*********** As Jesus and Ganid were playing with a very intelligent shepherd dog, Ganid wanted to know if the dog had a soul or a will. Jesus said it had a mind, and can know its master, but not God; therefore has no spiritual experience. The dog may have a will by nature and training, but it’s not like the human will. Dogs can’t decide on personal survival; only humans can do that because they have will (UB). As a result of this conversation Ganid no longer believed in the transmigration of the souls of men into the bodies of animals. Those recording Jesus’ every word heard him sum up by saying: “Will is that manifestation of the human mind which enables the subjective consciousness to express itself objectively and to experience the phenomenon of aspiring to be Godlike” (130.2.10).

Urantia Book 12. The life of Jesus of Nazareth, Joshua ben Joseph, Christ Michael, Sovereign God of the Universe of Nebadon. During Jesus’ 26th year (AD 20), he became aware that “he possessed a wide range of potential power, but it was not to be employed by his personality as the Son of Man, at least not until his hour should come” (128.7.1). The UB says it was literally true–that “in him were hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” There were thousands of angels looking in on Jesus’ progress, delighting in his every word and act. Things were running smooth at home, except for Jude. He lived at home, but wouldn’t pay his share of the family expenses. He would embarrass Jesus with his sudden patriotic outbursts and his dangerous exploits. James and Joseph wanted to kick him out of the house, but Jesus wouldn’t consent. When they complained about Jude, Jesus would just say “Be patient.” Jesus hoped that Jude would imitate his older brothers if they were compassionate to him. But Jude didn’t change for a long time. Jesus was himself preparing the family for the day when he could be consistently out of the picture. In addition to revealing his Father to Humankind, he had another goal: “He had to untangle the complicated affairs of this planet as they were related to the Lucifer rebellion” (128.7.6). This year Jesus, having leisure time, trained James in the caravan repair shop. He also trained Joseph in managing the household. Mary sensed that Jesus was planning to leave; she had given up on the idea that he was the Messiah; she didn’t understand him at all, and this caused her much grief. Jesus would take each family member for long walks up the hill and around the countryside. He took Jude to an uncle to do harvesting, but Jude ran away. Simon found him working with a fisherman and brought him back home. Jude and Jesus reached an agreement, and Jude worked as a fisherman until and after he was married. He sent money home and was no trouble after he started work as a fisherman. This marked the time when all Jesus’ brothers were established in their life work, and Jesus could leave without abandoning them or his mother. In November a double wedding took place: James and Esta and Jacob and Miriam. Mary was happy for the newlyweds, but sad about Jesus. She knew he was leaving, but he wouldn’t talk about it. She desperately wanted him to communicate with her, especially about his plans; “he was profoundly silent about the future.” James’ contributions to the family were cut in half; he now had the upkeep of his own nice house given to the bridal pair by Esta’s father. Jesus now formally installed Joseph as head of household. Jude was sending his wages home each month. Martha took Miriam’s place in the home, and things were running smoothly by the end of the year. The day after the double wedding, Jesus had a secret conference with James. He told James that he was planning to leave home. He gave full title to the repair shop to James, abdicated as head of house, and established James as head and protector of his father’s house. They signed a secret pact that James would be responsible for the family, and Jesus would be released from all further obligations. Jesus did, however, promise to send money home to use as James saw fit.* Jesus did not easily separate from his family. He loved all of them and was concerned for their welfare. He would do anything for the comfort and happiness of his widowed mother. He had been preparing the family for his departure for 4 years, so they were not shocked to see him leave. When he was 27 (AD 21), Jesus departed on a rainy Sunday morning without fuss, only telling his family that he was going to Tiberius and other cities around the Sea of Galilee. He drifted to Capernaum, where he stopped to visit his father’s friend, Zebedee. Zebedee’s sons were fishermen, and Zebedee himself was a boatbuilder. Jesus was an expert in designing and building; at working with wood. Zebedee had been planning to build better boats and laid his plans before Jesus. He invited Jesus to help him build these boats, and Jesus readily consented. Jesus worked with Zebedee for a year, but in that time “he created a new style of boat and established entirely new methods of boatbuilding…(they) began to build boats of a very superior type, craft which were far more safe for sailing the lake than were the older types…Jesus became well-known to the Galilean fisherfolk as the designer of the new boats” (129.1.3). Zebedee’s wife, Salome, loved Jesus as she loved her sons James, John and David, and they learned that Jesus was also a great fisherman. Jesus lived with the Zebedees, but each month sent home money to James. He returned home in October to attend Martha’s wedding. Two years later he would come home again to attend the double wedding of Simon and Jude.As Jesus was building boats, he was observing people and how they lived on earth. He would frequently visit the Capernaum caravan station. There was a Roman military post nearby of which the commanding officer was a gentile believer in Yahweh. His family was wealthy, so he built a beautiful synagogue in Capernaum and presented it to the Jews shortly before Jesus arrived in the city. Jesus conducted the services in this synagogue about half of the time he spent with the Zebedees. When it came time for Jesus to pay taxes, he registered himself as “skilled craftsman of Capernaum.” From then on he was known as a resident of Capernaum. There were many new books in the synagogue, and Jesus studied these books at least 5 evenings a week. The Zebedees worshiped Jesus, and Jesus had a question and answer session for them after dinner every night. He gave instruction at the level they could understand. He discussed his ideas about politics, sociology, science, philosophy, but never presumed to speak with “authoritative finality,” except when discussing religion–the relation of man to God. Young people were drawn to Jesus, I think, because he was non-threatening and interested in what they had to say. He loved people; he was interested in people. And the UB says he didn’t give unsolicited advice.************** Once a week Jesus held a meeting for all of Zebedee’s employees. This is the time he started being called “Master.” They all loved him. This year Jesus made higher levels of contact with his Thought Adjuster. This was the last year he would have a permanent home. But before his teaching career could begin, he had “a few years of extensive travel and highly diversified personal activity” before him.