The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ

CHAPTER 161

Jesus teaches the eleven. Tells them that they will all be estranged from him, and that Peter will deny him thrice before the morning. He speaks final words of encouragement. Promises the Comforter.

Now, after Judas had gone forth to meet the emissaries of the priests and to betray his Lord,

2 The master said, The hour has come, the son of man will now be glorified.

3 My little children, I am with you yet a little while; soon you will seek me and will find me not, for where I go you cannot come.

4 I give to you a new command: As I love you and give my life for you, so shall you love the world, and give your life to save the world.

5 Love one another as you love yourselves, and then the world will know that you are sons of God, disciples of the son of man whom God has glorified.

6 And Peter said, Lord, where you go there I will go, for I would lay my life down for my Lord.

7 And Jesus said, Boast not of bravery, my friend; you are not strong enough tonight to follow me.

8 Now, Peter, hear! you will deny me thrice before the cock shall crow tomorrow morn.

9 And then he looked upon the eleven and said, You all will be estranged from me this night.

10 The prophet said, Lo, he will smite the shepherd of the sheep; the sheep will flee and hide away.

11 But after I am risen from the dead, lo, you will come again, and I will go before you into Galilee.

12 And Peter said, My Lord, though every other man forsake you I will not.

13 And Jesus said, O Simon Peter, lo, your zeal is greater than your fortitude! Behold, for Satan cometh up to sift you as a pan of wheat, but I have prayed that in your faith you shall not fail; that after trial you may stand a tower of strength.

14 And the disciples all exclaimed, There is no power on earth that can estrange, or cause us to deny our Lord.

15 And Jesus said, Let not your hearts be sad; you all believe in God; believe in me.

16 Behold, for there are many mansions in my Fatherland. If there were not I would have told you so.

17 I go unto my Fatherland, and will prepare a place for you that where I am there you may be. But now you do not know the way unto my Fatherland.

18 And Thomas said, We do not know where you intend to go; how could we know the way?

19 And Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, the life; I manifest the Christ of God. No man can reach my Fatherland except he comes with me through Christ.

20 If you had known and comprehended me, then you would know my Father-God.

21 And Philip said, Show us the Father and we will be satisfied.

22 And Jesus said, Have I been with you all these years and still you know me not?

23 He who has seen the son has seen the Father, for in the son the Father has revealed himself.

24 Lo, I have told you many times that what I speak and what I do are not the words and works of man;

25 They are the words and works of God, who lives in me and I in him.

26 Hear me, you faithful men: He who believes in me and in my Father-God shall say and do what I have said and done.

27 Yea, more, he shall do greater works than I have ever done, because I go to him whose works we do, and then I can reach forth my hand in helpfulness.

28 And in my name, through Christ, you may petition God and he will grant you your request.

29 Do you believe what I have said? Yes, you believe, and if you love the Christ and follow me then you will keep my words.

30 I am the vine; you are the branches of the vine; my Father is the husbandman,

31 The branches that are worthless, bearing naught but leaves, the husbandman will cut away and cast into the fire to be burned.

32 And he will prune the branches that bear fruit that they may yield abundantly.

33 The branch cannot bear fruit if separated from the vine; and you cannot bear fruit when separate from me.

34 Abide in me, and do the works that God, through me, has taught you how to do, and you will bear much fruit, and God will honor you as he has honored me.

35 And now I go my way, but I will pray my Father-God and he will send another Comforter to you, who will abide with you.

36 Behold, this Comforter of God, the Holy Breath, is one with God, but she is one the world cannot receive because it sees her not; it knows her not.

37 But you know her, and will know her, because she will abide within your soul.

38 I will not leave you desolate, but in the Christ, which is the love of God made manifest to men, I will be with you all the way.

CHAPTER 162

Jesus reveals more fully the mission of the Holy Breath. Tells his disciples plainly that he is about to die, and they are sad. He prays for them and all the world of believers. They leave the banquet hall.

Now, John was deeply grieved because the master said, I go away, and where I go you cannot come.

2 He wept and said, Lord, I would go with you through every trial and to death.

3 And Jesus said, And you shall follow me through trials and through death; but now you cannot go where I will go; but you shall come.

4 And Jesus spoke again unto the eleven and said, Grieve not because I go away, for it is best that I should go away. If I go not the Comforter will not come to you.

5 These things I speak while with you in the flesh, but when the Holy Breath shall come in power, lo, she will teach you more and more, and bring to your remembrance all the words that I have said to you.

6 There are a multitude of things yet to be said; things that this age cannot receive, because it cannot comprehend.

7 But, lo, I say, Before the great day of the Lord shall come, the Holy Breath will make all mysteries known —

8 The mysteries of the soul, of life, of death, of immortality; the oneness of a man with every other man and with his God.

9 Then will the world be led to truth, and man will be the truth.

10 When she has come, the Comforter, she will convince the world of sin, and of the truth of what I speak, and of the rightness of the judgment of the just; and then the prince of carnal life will be cast out.

11 And when the Comforter shall come I need not intercede for you; for you will stand approved, and God will know you then as he knows me.

12 The hour has come when you will weep; the wicked will rejoice, because I go away; but I will come again, and all your sorrows shall be turned to joy;

13 Yea, verily, you will rejoice as one who welcomes back a brother from the dead.

14 And the disciples said, Our Lord, speak not in proverbs any more; speak plainly unto us; we know that you are wise and know all things.

15 What is the meaning of your words, I go away, but I will come again?

16 And Jesus said, The hour is come when you will all be scattered forth, and every man will be afraid;

17 Will flee to save his life and leave me all alone; yet I will not be all alone; my Father-God is with me all the way.

18 And wicked men will take me to the judgment seat of wicked men, and in the presence of the multitudes I will give up my life, a pattern for the sons of men.

19 But I will rise again and come to you.

20 These things I speak that you may be established in the faith when they shall come to pass.

21 And you shall bear the buffetings of men, and follow in the thorny path I tread.

22 Be not dismayed; be of good cheer. Lo, I have overcome the world, and you shall overcome the world.

23 Then Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, My Father-God, the hour has come;

24 The son of man must now be lifted from the earth, and may he falter not, that all the world may know the power of sacrifice;

25 For as I give my life for men, lo, men must give their lives for other men.

26 I came to do thy will, O God, and in the sacred name, the Christ is glorified, that men may see the Christ as life, as light, as love, as truth,

27 And through the Christ become themselves the life, the light, the love, the truth.

28 I praise thy name because of these whom thou hast given me, for they have honored thee and they will honor thee;

29 And none of them are lost, and none are gone away, except the blinded son of carnal life, who hath gone forth to sell his Lord.

30 O God, forgive this man, because he knows not what he does.

31 And now, O God, I come to thee, and am no more in mortal life; keep thou these men to whom I have made known thy wisdom and thy love.

32 As they believe in me, and in the words I speak, may all the world believe in them and in the words they speak.

33 As thou hast sent me forth into the world, so I have sent them forth. I pray that thou wouldst honor them as thou hast honored me.

34 I do not pray that thou wouldst take them from the world, but that they may be guarded from the evil of the world, and not be subject to temptations that are too great for them to bear.

35 They once were of the world, but now are of the world no more, as I am of the world no more.

36 Thy word is truth, O God, and by thy word let them be sanctified.

37 I do not pray for these alone, O God; I also pray for all who will believe on me, and will accept the Christ because of what they do and say, that they may all be one.

38 As I am one with thee, and thou art one with me, may they be one with us,

39 That all the world may know that thou hast sent me forth to do thy will, and that thou lovest them as thou hast ever loved me.

40 When Jesus had thus said, they sung the Jewish song of praise, and then arose and went their way.

CHAPTER 163

Jesus visits Pilate, who urges him to flee from the country to save his life. Jesus refuses to do so. He meets his disciples in Massalian’s orchard. The scene in Gethsemane. The Jewish mob led by Judas appears.

As Jesus and the eleven went out, a Roman guard approached and said, All hail! Is one of you the man from Galilee?

2 And Peter said, We all are men from Galilee; whom do you seek?

3 The guard replied, I seek for Jesus, who is called the Christ.

4 And Jesus answered, Here am I.

5 The guard spoke out and said, I do not come in an official way; I bear to you a message from the governor.

6 Jerusalem is all alive with vengeful Jews who swear that they will take your life, and Pilate would confer with you, and he would have you come to him without delay.

7 And Jesus said to Peter and the rest, Go to the vale, and by the Kidron wait for me, and I will go alone and see the governor.

8 And Jesus went up with the guard, and when he reached the palace, Pilate met him at the gate and said,

9 Young man, I have a word to say that may be well for you. I have observed your works and words three years and more;

10 And I have often stood in your defense when your own countrymen would fain have stoned you as a criminal.

11 But now the priests, the scribes and Pharisees have stirred the common people to a stage of frenzied wantonness and cruelty, and they intend to take your life,

12 Because, they say, that you have sworn to tear their temple down; to change the laws that Moses gave; to exile Pharisee and priest and seat yourself upon a throne.

13 And they aver that you are full in league with Rome.

14 The streets of all Jerusalem are filled this moment with a horde of madmen all intent to shed your blood.

15 There is no safety for you but in flight; wait not until the morning sun. You know the way to reach the border of this cursed land.

16 I have a little band of guards, well horsed and armed, and they will take you out beyond the reach of harm.

17 You must not tarry here, young man, you must arise and go.

18 And Jesus said, A noble prince has Cæsar in his Pilate Pontius, and from the point of carnal man your words are seasoned with the wise man’s salt; but from the point of Christ your words are foolishness.

19 The coward flees when danger comes; but he who comes to seek and save the lost must give his life in willing sacrifice for those he comes to seek and save.

20 Before the pasch has been consumed, lo, all this nation will be cursed by shedding blood of innocence; and even now the murderers are at the door.

21 And Pilate said, It shall not be; the sword of Rome will be unsheathed to save your life.

22 And Jesus said, Nay, Pilate, nay; there are no armies large enough in all the world to save my life.

23 And Jesus bade the governor farewell, and went his way; but Pilate sent a double guard with him lest he should fall into the hands of those who were alert to take his life.

24 But in a moment Jesus disappeared; the guards saw him no more, and in a little while he reached the brook of Kidron where the eleven were.

25 Now, just beyond the brook there was an orchard and a home where one, Massalian, lived, where Jesus oft had been.

26 Massalian was his friend, and he believed that Jesus was the Christ that Jewish prophets long ago had said would come.

27 Now, in the orchard was a sacred knoll; Massalian called the place Gethsemane.

28 The night was dark, but in the orchard it was doubly dark and Jesus bade the eight disciples tarry by the brook,

29 While he, with Peter, James and John went to Gethsemane to pray.

30 They sat beneath an olive tree, and Jesus opened up the mysteries of life to Peter, James and John. He said,

31 The Spirit of eternity is One unmanifest; and this is God the Father, God the Mother, God the Son in One.

32 In life of manifests the One became the Three, and God the Father is the God of might; and God the Mother is omniscient God, and God the Son is love.

33 And God the Father is the power of heaven and earth; and God the Mother is the Holy Breath, the thought of heaven and earth; and God the Son, the only son, is Christ, and Christ is love.

34 I came as man to manifest this love to men,

35 As man I have been subject unto all the trials and temptations of the human race; but I have overcome the flesh, with all its passions and its appetites.

36 What I have done all men can do.

37 And I am now about to demonstrate the power of man to conquer death; for every man is God made flesh.

38 I will lay down my life, and I will take it up again, that you may know the mysteries of life, of death, and of the resurrection of the dead.

39 I lay me down in flesh, but I will rise in spirit form with power to manifest myself so mortal eyes can see.

40 So in a trinity of days I will show forth the all of life, the all of death, the meaning of the resurrection of the dead.

41 And what I do all men can do.

42 And you, my three, who constitute the inner circle of the Church of Christ, will show to men the attributes of all the Gods.

43 And Peter shall make known the Power of God; and James shall show the Thought of God; and John shall demonstrate the Love of God.

44 Be not afraid of men, for you have been sent forth to do the mighty works of God the Father, God the Mother, God the Son.

45 And all the powers of carnal life cannot destroy your life until your work is done.

46 I leave you now, and I will go out in the darkness all alone and talk with God.

47 By sorrow I am overwhelmed. I leave you here to watch with me.

48 Then Jesus went three hundred cubits toward the east, and fell upon his face and prayed; he said,

49 My God! my God! is there a way by which I may escape the horrors of the coming hours? My human flesh shrinks back; my soul is firm; so not my will, but thine, O God, be done.

50 In agony he prayed; the strain upon the human form was great; his veins were burst asunder, and his brow was bathed in blood.

51 And then he went back to the three, and found them all asleep; he said,

52 O Simon, Simon, do you sleep! Could you not watch with me a single hour? Be vigilant, and watch and pray that your temptations be not too great for you to bear.

53 I know the spirit is alert and willing; but the flesh is weak.

54 And then he went again and prayed, O Father, God! if I must drink this bitter cup, give me the strength of body, as I have the strength of soul; for not my will, but thine be done.

55 And when he went again to his disciples; lo, he found them still asleep. He wakened them and said to James,

56 Have you been sleeping while your master has been wrestling with the greatest foe of men? Could you not watch with me a single hour?

57 And then he went again and prayed. O God, I yield to thee; thy will be done.

58 And then again he went back to the three, and still they slept. He said to John,

59 With all the love you have for me, could you not watch with me a single hour?

60 And then he said, It is enough; the hour has come, and my betrayer is at hand; arise and let us go.

61 And when they came again to Kidron, lo, the eight disciples were asleep, and Jesus said, You men, awake; behold, for the betrayer of the son of man is come.

CHAPTER 164

Judas betrays his Lord with a kiss. Jesus is seized by the mob and the disciples flee to save their lives. Jesus is taken unto Jerusalem. Peter and John follow the mob.

The Lord with the eleven were in the orchard of Massalian, and as they talked they saw a band of men with lanterns and with swords and clubs approaching them.

2 And Jesus said, Behold the emissaries of the evil one! and Judas leads the way.

3 And the disciples said, Lord, let us flee to save our lives.

4 But Jesus said, Why should we flee to save our lives when this is the fulfillment of the words of prophets and of seers?

5 And Jesus went alone to meet the men; and as they came he said, Why are you here, you men? whom do you seek?

6 And they replied, We seek the man from Galilee. We seek for Jesus, one who calls himself the Christ.

7 And Jesus answered, Here am I.

8 And then he raised his hands and with a mighty thought he brought the ethers to the state of light; and all the orchard was aglow with light.

9 The frenzied men were driven back and many fled and tarried not until they reached Jerusalem; and others fell upon their faces on the ground.

10 The bravest men, and they with hardest hearts, remained, and when the light had paled, the Lord again inquired, Whom do you seek?

11 And Ananias said, We seek the man from Galilee; we seek for Jesus, he who calls himself the Christ.

12 And Jesus answered him and said, I told you once before; but now I tell you once again that I am he.

13 By Ananias, Judas stood; but in a moment he had gone and coming up behind the Lord he said, My Lord; and then he kissed him as a sign that he was Jesus whom they sought.

14 And Jesus said, Do you, Iscariot, come and thus betray your master with a kiss?

15 This thing must need be done; but woe to him who does betray his Lord.

16 Your carnal greed has seared your conscience and you know not what you do; but in a little time your conscience will assert itself, and in remorse, lo, you will close your span and take your life.

17 Then the eleven came, laid hold of Judas and would have done him harm; but Jesus said,

18 You must not harm this man; you have no right to judge this man; his conscience is his judge, will sentence him and he will execute himself.

19 And then the mob led on by Malchus, servant of Caiaphas, laid hold of Jesus, and was binding him with chains.

20 And Jesus said, Why do you come in dead of night with swords and clubs to take me in this sacred place?

21 Have I not spoken in the public places of Jerusalem? Have I not healed your sick, and opened up your blinded eyes, and made your lame to walk, your deaf to hear? You could have found me any day.

22 And now you try to bind me down with chains; what are these chains but links of reeds? And then he raised his hands; the chains were broken and they fell to earth.

23 And Malchus thought the Lord would flee to save his life, and with a club he fain would smite him in the face.

24 But Peter had a sword, and rushing up he smote the man and wounded him.

25 But Jesus said, Stay, Peter, stay; put up your sword; you are not called to fight with swords and clubs. Whoever wields the sword shall perish by the sword.

26 I do not need protection by the sons of men, for I could call this moment and a legion, yea, twelve legions of the messengers of God, would come and stand in my defense; but then it is not well.

27 And then he said to Malchus, Man, I would not have you harmed. And then he laid his hand upon the wound that Peter made, and it was healed.

28 Then Jesus said, Be not concerned lest I should tear myself away from you and flee to save my life. I have no wish to save my life; do with me as you wish.

29 And then the mob rushed up to seize the eleven to take them back to stand for trial as the aids of Jesus in his crimes.

30 But the disciples, every one of them, deserted Jesus, and they fled to save their lives.

31 Now, John was last to flee; the mob laid hold of him and tore his garments all to shreds; but he escaped in nakedness.

32 Massalian saw the man, and took him to his home and gave him other clothes; and then he followed after them who led the Lord away.

33 And Peter was ashamed because of his weak cowardice, and when he was himself again he joined with John and followed close behind the mob, and came into Jerusalem.

SECTION XIX