The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ

CHAPTER 84

The Christines resume their journey. They tarry a while in the city of Samaria. Jesus speaks in the synagogue. Heals a woman by mental power. He disappears, but later joins his disciples as they journey toward Nazareth.

The Christines turned their faces toward the land of Galilee; but when they reached the city of Samaria, the multitudes pressed hard about them, begging them to tarry in their city for a while.

2 And then they went up to the synagogue, and Jesus opened up the book of Moses, and he read:

3 In thee and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blest.

4 And then he closed the book and said, These words were spoken by the Lord of hosts unto our father Abraham, and Israel has been blessedness to all the world.

5 We are his seed; but not a tithe of the great work that we were called to do has yet been done.

6 The Lord of hosts has set apart the Israelites to teach the unity of God and man; but one can never teach that which he does not demonstrate in life.

7 Our God is Spirit, and in him all wisdom, love and strength abide.

8 In every man these sacred attributes are budding forth, and in due time they will unfold; the demonstration will completed be, and man will comprehend the fact of unity.

9 And you, the ruler of the synagogue, and you, these priests, are honored servants of the Lord of hosts.

10 All men are looking unto you for guidance in the ways of life; example is another name for priest; so what you would that people be, that you must be.

11 A simple godly life may win ten thousand souls to purity and right.

12 And all the people said, Amen.

13 Then Jesus left the synagogue, and at the hour of evening prayer he went up to the sacred grove, and all the people turned their faces toward their holy mount and prayed.

14 And Jesus prayed.

15 And as he sat in silent mood a voice of soul spoke to his soul imploring help.

16 And Jesus saw a woman on a couch in sore distress; for she was sick nigh unto death.

17 She could not speak, but she had heard that Jesus was a man of God, and in her heart she called on him for help.

18 And Jesus helped; he did not speak; but like a flash of light, a mighty virtue from his soul filled full the body of the dying one, and she arose, and joined her kindred while they prayed.

19 Her kindred were astonished and they said to her, How were you healed? And she replied,

20 I do not know; I simply asked the man of God in thought for healing power, and in a moment I was well.

21 The people said, The gods have surely come to earth; for man has not the power to heal by thought.

22 But Jesus said, The greatest power in heaven and earth is thought.

23 God made the universe by thought; he paints the lily and the rose with thought.

24 Why think it strange that I should send a healing thought and change the ethers of disease and death to those of health and life?

25 Lo, you shall see far greater things than this, for by the power of holy thought, my body will be changed from carnal flesh to spirit form; and so will yours.

26 When Jesus had thus said he disappeared, and no one saw him go.

27 His own disciples did not comprehend the change; they knew not where their master went, and they went on their way.

28 But as they walked and talked about the strange event, lo, Jesus came and walked with them to Nazareth of Galilee.

CHAPTER 85

John, the harbinger, censures Herod for his wickedness. Herod sends him to prison in Machaerus. Jesus tells why God permitted the imprisonment of John.

Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Paraca and of Galilee was dissipated, selfish and tyrannical.

2 He drove his wife away from home that he might take as wife Herodias, the wife of one, a near of kin, a woman, like himself, immoral and unjust.

3 The city of Tiberius, upon the shores of Galilee, was Herod’s home.

4 Now John, the harbinger, had left the Salim Springs to teach the people by the sea of Galilee; and he rebuked the wicked ruler and his stolen wife for all their sins.

5 Herodias was enraged because the preacher dared accuse her and her husband of their crimes;

6 And she prevailed on Herod to arrest the harbinger and cast him in a dungeon in the castle of Machaerus that stood beside the Bitter Sea.

7 And Herod did as she required; then she lived in peace in all her sins, for none were bold enough to censure her again.

8 The followers of John were warned to speak not of the trial and imprisonment of John.

9 By order of the court, they were restrained from teaching in the public halls.

10 They could not talk about this better life that Herod called, the Heresy of John.

11 When it was known that John had been imprisoned by the tetrarch court, the friends of Jesus thought it best that he should not remain in Galilee.

12 But Jesus said, I have no need of fear; my time has not yet come; no man can stay me till my work is done.

13 And when they asked why God permitted Herod to imprison John, he said,

14 Behold yon stalk of wheat! When it has brought the grain to perfectness, it is of no more worth; it falls, becoming part of earth again from which it came.

15 John is a stalk of golden wheat; he brought unto maturity the richest grain of all the earth; his work is done.

16 If he had said another word it might have marred the symmetry of what is now a noble life.

17 And when my work is done the rulers will do unto me what they have done to John, and more.

18 All these events are part of God’s own plan. The innocent will suffer while the wicked are in power; but woe to them who cause the suffering of the innocents.

CHAPTER 86

The Christines are in Nazareth. Jesus speaks in the synagogue. He offends the people and they attempt to kill him. He mysteriously disappears, and returns to the synagogue.

The Christines were in Nazareth. It was the Sabbath day, and Jesus went up to the synagogue.

2 The keeper of the books gave one to Jesus and he opened it and read:

3 The Spirit of the Lord has overshadowed me; he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; to set the captives free; to open sightless eyes;

4 To bring relief to those oppressed and bruised, and to proclaim, The year of jubilee has come.

5 When he had read these words he closed the book and said, This scripture is fulfilled before your eyes this day. The year of jubilee has come; the time when Israel shall bless the world.

6 And then he told them many things about the kingdom of the Holy One; about the hidden way of life; about forgiveness of sins.

7 Now, many people knew not who the speaker was: And others said, Is not this Joseph’s son? Does not his mother live on Marmion Way?

8 And one spoke out and said, This is the man who did such mighty works in Cana, in Capernaum and in Jerusalem.

9 And then the people said, Physician heal yourself. Do here among your kindred all the mighty works that you have done in other towns.

10 And Jesus said, No prophet is received with honor by the people of his native land; and prophets are not sent to every one.

11 Elijah was a man of God; he had the power and he closed the gates of heaven, and it did not rain for forty months; and when he spoke the Word, the rain came on, the earth brought forth again.

12 And there were many widows in the land; but this Elijah went to none but Zarephath, and she was blessed.

13 And when Elisha lived, lo, many lepers were in Israel, but none were cleansed save one – the Syrian who had faith.

14 You have no faith; you seek for signs to satisfy your curious whims; but you shall see not till you open up your eyes of faith.

15 And then the people were enraged; they rushed upon him, bound him down with cords, and took him to a precipice not far away, intent to cast him down to death;

16 But when they thought they held him fast, he disappeared; unseen he passed among the angry men, and went his way.

17 The people were confounded and they said, What manner of a man is this?

18 And when they came again to Nazareth, they found him teaching in the synagogue.

19 They troubled him no more for they were sore afraid.

CHAPTER 87

The Christines go to Cana. Jesus heals a nobleman’s child. The Christines go to Capernaum. Jesus provides a spacious home for his mother. He announces his intention to choose twelve apostles.

In Nazareth Jesus taught no more; he went with his disciples up to Cana, where, at a marriage feast, he once turned water into wine.

2 And here he met a man of noble birth whose home was in Capernaum, whose son was sick.

3 The man had faith in Jesus’ power to heal, and when he learned that he had come to Galilee he went in haste to meet him on the way.

4 The man met Jesus at the seventh hour, and he entreated him to hasten to Capernaum to save his son.

5 But Jesus did not go; he stood aside in silence for a time, and then he said, Your faith has proved a healing balm; your son is well.

6 The man believed and went his way toward Capernaum and as he went he met a servant from his home who said,

7 My lord, You need not haste; your son is well.

8 The father asked, When did my son begin to mend?

9 The servant said, On yesterday about the seventh hour the fever left.

10 And then the father knew it was the healing balm that Jesus sent that saved his son.

11 In Cana Jesus tarried not; he went his way with his disciples to Capernaum, where he secured a spacious house where, with his mother, he could live; where his disciples might repair to hear the Word.

12 He called the men who had confessed their faith in him to meet him in his home, which his disciples called, The school of Christ; and when they came he said to them,

13 This gospel of the Christ must be proclaimed in all the world.

14 This Christine vine will be a mighty vine whose branches will comprise the peoples, tribes and tongues of all the earth.

15 I am the vine; twelve men shall be the branches of the stock, and these shall send forth branches everywhere;

16 And from among the people who have followed me, the Holy Breath will call the twelve.

17 Go now and do your work as you have done your work; but listen for the call.

18 Then the disciples went unto their daily tasks, to do their work as they had done, and Jesus went alone into the Hammoth hills to pray.

19 Three days and nights he spent communing with the Silent Brotherhood; then, in the power of Holy Breath he came to call the twelve.

CHAPTER 88

Jesus walks by the sea. Stands in a fishing boat and speaks to the people. Under his direction the fishermen secure a great catch of fish. He selects and calls his twelve apostles.

Beside the sea of Galilee the Christine master walked, and multitudes of people followed him.

2 The fishing boats had just come in, and Peter and his brother waited in their boats; their helpers were ashore repairing broken nets.

3 And Jesus went into a boat and Peter pushed it out a little ways from shore; and Jesus standing in the boat spoke to the multitude. He said,

4 Isaiah, prophet of the Lord of hosts, looked forward and he saw this day; he saw the people standing by the sea, and he exclaimed,

5 The land of Zebulon and Napthali, land beyond the Jordan and toward the sea, the Gentile Galilee,

6 The people were in darkness, knowing not the way; but, lo, they saw the Day Star rise; a light streamed forth; they saw the way of life; they walked therein.

7 And you are blest beyond all people of the earth today, because you first may see the light, and may become the children of the light.

8 Then Jesus said to Peter, Bring your nets aboard, and put out in the deep,

9 And Peter did as Jesus bade him do; but in a faithless way he said, This is a useless trip; there are no fish upon this shore of Galilee today; with Andrew I have toiled all night, and taken naught.

10 But Jesus saw beneath the surface of the sea; he saw a multitude of fish. He said to Peter,

11 Cast out your net upon the right side of the boat.

12 And Peter did as Jesus said, and, lo, the net was filled; it scarce was strong enough to hold the multitude of fish.

13 And Peter called to John and James, who were near by, for help; and when the net was hauled to boat, both boats were well nigh filled with fish.

14 When Peter saw the heavy catch, he was ashamed of what he said; ashamed because he had no faith, and he fell down at Jesus’ feet and said, Lord, I believe!

15 And Jesus said, Behold the catch! from henceforth you shall fish no more for fish;

16 You shall cast forth the Christine net into the sea of human life, upon the right side of the boat; you shall ensnare the multitudes to holiness and blessedness and peace.

17 Now, when they reached the shore the Christine master called to Peter, Andrew, James and John and said,

18 You fishermen of Galilee, the masters have a mighty work for us to do; I go, and you may follow me. And they left all and followed him.

19 And Jesus walked along the shore, and seeing Philip and Nathaniel walking on the beach he said to them,

20 You teachers of Bethsaida, who long have taught the people Greek philosophy, the masters have a higher work for you and me to do; I go and you may follow me; and then they followed him.

21 A little farther on there stood a Roman tribute house, and Jesus saw the officer in charge; his name was Matthew, who once abode in Jericho;

22 The youth who once ran on before the Lord into Jerusalem and said, Behold the Christines come.

23 And Matthew was a man of wealth, and learned in wisdom of the Jews, the Syrians and the Greeks.

24 And Jesus said to him, Hail, Matthew, trusted servant of the Cæsars, hail! the masters call us to the tribute house of souls; I go and you may follow me. And Matthew followed him.

25 Ischariot and his son, whose name was Judas, were employed by Matthew and were at the tribute house.

26 And Jesus said to Judas, Stay your work; the masters call us to a duty in the savings bank of souls; I go and you may follow me. And Judas followed him.

27 And Jesus met a lawyer who had heard about the Christine master and had come from Antioch to study in the school of Christ.

28 This man was Thomas, man of doubt, and yet a Greek philosopher of culture and of power.

29 But Jesus saw in him the lines of faith, and said to him, The masters have a need of men who can interpret law; I go, and you may follow me. And Thomas followed him.

30 And when the evening came and Jesus was at home, behold, there came his kindred, James and Jude, the sons of Alpheus and Miriam.

31 And these were men of faith, and they were carpenters of Nazareth.

32 And Jesus said to them, Behold, for you have toiled with me, and with my father Joseph, building houses for the homes of men. The masters call us now to aid in building homes for souls; homes built without the sound of hammer, ax, or saw;

33 I go, and you may follow me. And James and Jude exclaimed, Lord, we will follow you.

34 And on the morrow Jesus sent a message unto Simon, leader of the Zelotes, a strict exponent of the Jewish law.

35 And in the message Jesus said, The masters call for men to demonstrate the faith of Abraham; I go, and you may follow me. And Simon followed him.

CHAPTER 89

The twelve apostles are at Jesus’ home and are consecrated to their work. Jesus instructs them. He goes to the synagogue on the Sabbath and teaches. He casts an unclean spirit out of one obsessed. He heals Peter’s mother-in-law.

Now, on the day before the Sabbath day, the twelve disciples who had received the call were met with one accord in Jesus’ home.

2 And Jesus said to them, This is the day to consecrate yourselves unto the work of God; so let us pray.

3 Turn from the outer to the inner self; close all the doors of carnal self and wait.

4 The Holy Breath will fill this place, and you will be baptized in Holy Breath.

5 And then they prayed; a light more brilliant than the noonday sun filled all the room, and tongues of flame from every head rose high in air.

6 The atmosphere of Galilee was set astir; a sound like distant thunder rolled above Capernaum, and men heard songs, as though ten thousand angels joined in full accord.

7 And then the twelve disciples heard a voice, a still, small voice, and just one word was said, a word they dared not speak; it was the sacred name of God.

8 And Jesus said to them, By this omnific Word you may control the elements, and all the powers of air.

9 And when within your souls you speak this Word, you have the keys of life and death; of things that are; of things that were; of things that are to be.

10 Behold you are the twelve great branches of the Christine vine; the twelve foundation stones; the twelve apostles of the Christ.

11 As lambs I send you forth among wild beasts; but the omnific Word will be your buckler and your shield.

12 And then again the air was filled with song, and every living creature seemed to say, Praise God! Amen!

13 The next day was the Sabbath day; and Jesus went with his disciples to the synagogue, and there he taught.

14 The people said, He teaches not as do the scribes and Pharisees; but as a man who knows, and has authority to speak.

15 As Jesus spoke, a man obsessed came in; the evil spirits that obsessed the man were of the baser sort; they often threw their victim to the ground, or in the fire.

16 And when the spirits saw the Christine master in the synagogue they knew him, and they said,

17 You son of God, why are you here? would you destroy us by the Word before our time? we would have naught to do with you; let us alone.

18 But Jesus said to them, By the omnific Word I speak; Come out; torment this man no more; go to your place.

19 And then the unclean spirits threw the man upon the floor, and, with a fiendish cry, they went away.

20 And Jesus lifted up the man and said to him, If you will keep your mind full occupied with good, the evil spirits cannot find a place to stay;

21 They only come to empty heads and hearts. Go on your way and sin no more.

22 The people were astonished at the words that Jesus spoke, the work he did. They asked among themselves,

23 Who is this man? From whence comes all this power that even unclean spirits fear, and flee away?

24 The Christine master left the synagogue; with Peter, Andrew, James and John, he went to Peter’s house where one, a near of kin, was sick.

25 And Peter’s wife came in; it was her mother who was sick.

26 And Jesus touched the woman as she lay upon her couch; he spoke the Word; the fever ceased and she arose and ministered to them.

27 The neighbors heard what had occurred, and then they brought their sick, and those obsessed, and Jesus laid his hands on them, and they were healed.

CHAPTER 90

Jesus goes alone to a mountain to pray. His disciples find him. He calls the twelve and they journey through Galilee teaching and healing. At Tiberius Jesus heals a leper. The Christines return to Capernaum. In his own home Jesus heals a palsied man and makes known the philosophy of healing and the forgiveness of sins.

The Christine master disappeared; no one saw him go, and Peter, James and John set forth to search for him; they found him at his trysting-place out on the Hammoth hills.

2 And Peter said, The city of Capernaum is wild; the people crowd the streets and every public place is filled.

3 The men, the women and the children everywhere are asking for the man who heals by will.

4 Your home and our homes are filled with people who are sick; they call for Jesus who is called the Christ. What will we say to them?

5 And Jesus said, A score of other cities call, and we must take the bread of life to them. Go call the other men and let us go.

6 And Jesus and the twelve went to Bethsaida where Philip and Nathaniel dwelt; and there they taught.

7 The multitudes believed on Christ, confessed their sins and were baptized, and came into the kingdom of the Holy One.

8 The Christine master and the twelve went everywhere through all the towns of Galilee, and taught, baptizing all who came in faith, and who confessed their sins.

9 They opened blinded eyes, unstopped deaf ears, drove forth the evil ones from those obsessed, and healed disease of every kind.

10 And they were in Tiberius by the sea, and as they taught a leper came a-near and said, Lord, I believe, and if you will but speak the Word I will be clean.

11 And Jesus said to him, I will; be clean. And soon the leprosy was gone; the man was clean.

12 And Jesus charged the man, Say naught to any one, but go and show yourself unto the priests and offer for your cleansing what the law demands.

13 The man was wild with joy; but then he went not to the priests, but in the marts of trade, and everywhere he told what had been done.

14 And then the sick in throngs pressed hard upon the healer and the twelve, imploring to be healed.

15 And they were so importunate that little could be done, and so the Christines left the crowded thoroughfares, and went to desert places where they taught the multitudes that followed them.

16 Now, after many days the Christines came back to Capernaum. When it was noised around that Jesus was at home, the people came; they filled the house till there was no more room, not even at the door.

17 And there were present scribes and Pharisees and doctors of the law from every part of Galilee, and from Jerusalem, and Jesus opened up for them the way of life.

18 Four men brought one, a palsied man upon a cot, and when they could not pass the door they took the sick man to the roof, and opened up a way, then let him down before the healer’s face.

19 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the palsied man, My son, be of good cheer; your sins are all forgiven.

20 And when the scribes and Pharisees heard what he said, they said, Why does this man speak thus? who can forgive the sins of men but God?

21 And Jesus caught their thought; he knew they questioned thus among themselves; he said to them,

22 Why reason thus among yourselves? What matters it if I should say, Your sins are blotted out; or say, Arise, take up your bed and walk?

23 But just to prove that men may here forgive the sins of men, I say, (and then he spoke unto the palsied man),

24 Arise, take up your bed, and go your way.

25 And in the presence of them all the man arose, took up his bed, and went his way.

26 The people could not comprehend the things they heard and saw. They said among themselves, This is a day we never can forget; we have seen wondrous things today.

27 And when the multitudes had gone the twelve remained, and Jesus said to them,

28 The Jewish festival draws near; next week we will go to Jerusalem, that we may meet our brethren from afar, and open up to them the way that they may see the king.

29 The Christines sought the quiet of their homes, where they remained in prayer for certain days.

SECTION XVI