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P.1762 – §1 When Jesus and the twelve
arrived at Magadan Park, they found awaiting them a group of almost one
hundred evangelists and disciples, including the women’s corps, and they
were ready immediately to begin the teaching and preaching tour of the
cities of the Decapolis.
P.1762 – §2 On this Thursday morning, August 18,
the Master called his followers together and directed that each of the
apostles should associate himself with one of the twelve evangelists,
and that with others of the evangelists they should go out in twelve groups
to labor in the cities and villages of the Decapolis. The women’s corps
and others of the disciples he directed to remain with him. Jesus allotted
four weeks to this tour, instructing his followers to return to Magadan
not later than Friday, September 16. He promised to visit them often during
this time. In the course of this month these twelve groups labored in
Gerasa, Gamala, Hippos, Zaphon, Gadara, Abila, Edrei, Philadelphia, Heshbon,
Dium, Scythopolis, and many other cities. Throughout this tour no miracles
of healing or other extraordinary events occurred.
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1. THE SERMON ON FORGIVENESS – P.1762
P.1762 – §3 One evening at Hippos, in answer to a
disciple’s question, Jesus taught the lesson on forgiveness. Said the
Master:
P.1762 – §4 "If a kindhearted man has a hundred
sheep and one of them goes astray, does he not immediately leave the ninety
and nine and go out in search of the one that has gone astray? And if
he is a good shepherd, will he not keep up his quest for the lost sheep
until he finds it? And then, when the shepherd has found his lost sheep,
he lays it over his shoulder and, going home rejoicing, calls to his friends
and neighbors, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
I declare that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety and nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Even
so, it is not the will of my Father in heaven that one of these little
ones should go astray, much less that they should perish. In your religion
God may receive repentant sinners; in the gospel of the kingdom the Father
goes forth to find them even before they have seriously thought of repentance.
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P.1762 – §5 "The Father in heaven loves his
children, and therefore should you learn to love one another; the Father
in heaven forgives you your sins; therefore should you learn to forgive
one another. If your brother sins against you, go to him and with tact
and patience show him his fault. And do all this between you and him alone.
If he will listen to you, then have you won your brother. But if your
brother will not hear you, if he persists in the error of his way, go
again to him, taking with you one or two mutual friends that you may thus
have two or even
P.1763 – §0 three witnesses to confirm your testimony
and establish the fact that you have dealt justly and mercifully with
your offending brother. Now if he refuses to hear your brethren, you may
tell the whole story to the congregation, and then, if he refuses to hear
the brotherhood, let them take such action as they deem wise; let such
an unruly member become an outcast from the kingdom. While you cannot
pretend to sit in judgment on the souls of your fellows, and while you
may not forgive sins or otherwise presume to usurp the prerogatives of
the supervisors of the heavenly hosts, at the same time, it has been committed
to your hands that you should maintain temporal order in the kingdom on
earth. While you may not meddle with the divine decrees concerning eternal
life, you shall determine the issues of conduct as they concern the temporal
welfare of the brotherhood on earth. And so, in all these matters connected
with the discipline of the brotherhood, whatsoever you shall decree on
earth shall be recognized in heaven. Although you cannot determine the
eternal fate of the individual, you may legislate regarding the conduct
of the group, for, where two or three of you agree concerning any of these
things and ask of me, it shall be done for you if your petition is not
inconsistent with the will of my Father in heaven. And all this is ever
true, for, where two or three believers are gathered together, there am
I in the midst of them."
P.1763 – §1 Simon Peter was the apostle in charge
of the workers at Hippos, and when he heard Jesus thus speak, he asked:
"Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?
Until seven times?" And Jesus answered Peter: "Not only seven
times but even to seventy times and seven. Therefore may the kingdom of
heaven be likened to a certain king who ordered a financial reckoning
with his stewards. And when they had begun to conduct this examination
of accounts, one of his chief retainers was brought before him confessing
that he owed his king ten thousand talents. Now this officer of the king’s
court pleaded that hard times had come upon him, and that he did not have
wherewith to pay this obligation. And so the king commanded that his property
be confiscated, and that his children be sold to pay his debt. When this
chief steward heard this stern decree, he fell down on his face before
the king and implored him to have mercy and grant him more time, saying,
`Lord, have a little more patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And
when the king looked upon this negligent servant and his family, he was
moved with compassion. He ordered that he should be released, and that
the loan should be wholly forgiven.
P.1763 – §2 "And this chief steward, having
thus received mercy and forgiveness at the hands of the king, went about
his business, and finding one of his subordinate stewards who owed him
a mere hundred denarii, he laid hold upon him and, taking him by the throat,
said, `Pay me all you owe.’ And then did this fellow steward fall down
before the chief steward and, beseeching him, said: `Only have patience
with me, and I will presently be able to pay you.’ But the chief steward
would not show mercy to his fellow steward but rather had him cast in
prison until he should pay his debt. When his fellow servants saw what
had happened, they were so distressed that they went and told their lord
and master, the king. When the king heard of the doings of his chief steward,
he called this ungrateful and unforgiving man before him and said: `You
are a wicked and unworthy steward. When you sought for compassion, I freely
forgave you your entire debt. Why did you not also show mercy to your
fellow steward, even as I showed mercy to you?’ And the king was so very
angry that he delivered his
P.1764 – §0 ungrateful chief steward to the jailers
that they might hold him until he had paid all that was due. And even
so shall my heavenly Father show the more abundant mercy to those who
freely show mercy to their fellows. How can you come to God asking consideration
for your shortcomings when you are wont to chastise your brethren for
being guilty of these same human frailties? I say to all of you: Freely
you have received the good things of the kingdom; therefore freely give
to your fellows on earth."
P.1764 – §1 Thus did Jesus teach the dangers and
illustrate the unfairness of sitting in personal judgment upon one’s fellows.
Discipline must be maintained, justice must be administered, but in all
these matters the wisdom of the brotherhood should prevail. Jesus invested
legislative and judicial authority in the group, not in the individual.
Even this investment of authority in the group must not be exercised as
personal authority. There is always danger that the verdict of an individual
may be warped by prejudice or distorted by passion. Group judgment is
more likely to remove the dangers and eliminate the unfairness of personal
bias. Jesus sought always to minimize the elements of unfairness, retaliation,
and vengeance.
P.1764 – §2 [The use of the term seventy-seven as
an illustration of mercy and forbearance was derived from the Scriptures
referring to Lamech’s exultation because of the metal weapons of his son
Tubal-Cain, who, comparing these superior instruments with those of his
enemies, exclaimed: "If Cain, with no weapon in his hand, was avenged
seven times, I shall now be avenged seventy-seven."]
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2. THE STRANGE PREACHER – P.1764
P.1764 – §3 Jesus went over to Gamala to visit John
and those who worked with him at that place. That evening, after the session
of questions and answers, John said to Jesus: "Master, yesterday
I went over to Ashtaroth to see a man who was teaching in your name and
even claiming to be able to cast out devils. Now this fellow had never
been with us, neither does he follow after us; therefore I forbade him
to do such things." Then said Jesus: "Forbid him not. Do you
not perceive that this gospel of the kingdom shall presently be proclaimed
in all the world? How can you expect that all who will believe the gospel
shall be subject to your direction? Rejoice that already our teaching
has begun to manifest itself beyond the bounds of our personal influence.
Do you not see, John, that those who profess to do great works in my name
must eventually support our cause? They certainly will not be quick to
speak evil of me. My son, in matters of this sort it would be better for
you to reckon that he who is not against us is for us. In the generations
to come many who are not wholly worthy will do many strange things in
my name, but I will not forbid them. I tell you that, even when a cup
of cold water is given to a thirsty soul, the Father’s messengers shall
ever make record of such a service of love."
P.1764 – §4 This instruction greatly perplexed John.
Had he not heard the Master say, "He who is not with me is against
me"? And he did not perceive that in this case Jesus was referring
to man’s personal relation to the spiritual teachings of the kingdom,
while in the other case reference was made to the outward and far-flung
social relations of believers regarding the questions of administrative
control and the jurisdiction of one group of believers over the work of
other groups which would eventually compose the forthcoming world-wide
brotherhood.
P.1765 – §1 But John oftentimes recounted this experience
in connection with his subsequent labors in behalf of the kingdom. Nevertheless,
many times did the apostles take offense at those who made bold to teach
in the Master’s name. To them it always seemed inappropriate that those
who had never sat at Jesus’ feet should dare to teach in his name.
P.1765 – §2 This man whom John forbade to teach and
work in Jesus’ name did not heed the apostle’s injunction. He went right
on with his efforts and raised up a considerable company of believers
at Kanata before going on into Mesopotamia. This man, Aden, had been led
to believe in Jesus through the testimony of the demented man whom Jesus
healed near Kheresa, and who so confidently believed that the supposed
evil spirits which the Master cast out of him entered the herd of swine
and rushed them headlong over the cliff to their destruction.
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3. INSTRUCTION FOR TEACHERS AND BELIEVERS – P.1765
P.1765 – §3 At Edrei, where Thomas and his associates
labored, Jesus spent a day and a night and, in the course of the evening’s
discussion, gave expression to the principles which should guide those
who preach truth, and which should activate all who teach the gospel of
the kingdom. Summarized and restated in modern phraseology, Jesus taught:
P.1765 – §4 Always respect the personality of man.
Never should a righteous cause be promoted by force; spiritual victories
can be won only by spiritual power. This injunction against the employment
of material influences refers to psychic force as well as to physical
force. Overpowering arguments and mental superiority are not to be employed
to coerce men and women into the kingdom. Man’s mind is not to be crushed
by the mere weight of logic or overawed by shrewd eloquence. While emotion
as a factor in human decisions cannot be wholly eliminated, it should
not be directly appealed to in the teachings of those who would advance
the cause of the kingdom. Make your appeals directly to the divine spirit
that dwells within the minds of men. Do not appeal to fear, pity, or mere
sentiment. In appealing to men, be fair; exercise self-control and exhibit
due restraint; show proper respect for the personalities of your pupils.
Remember that I have said: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock,
and if any man will open, I will come in."
P.1765 – §5 In bringing men into the kingdom, do
not lessen or destroy their self-respect. While overmuch self-respect
may destroy proper humility and end in pride, conceit, and arrogance,
the loss of self-respect often ends in paralysis of the will. It is the
purpose of this gospel to restore self-respect to those who have lost
it and to restrain it in those who have it. Make not the mistake of only
condemning the wrongs in the lives of your pupils; remember also to accord
generous recognition for the most praiseworthy things in their lives.
Forget not that I will stop at nothing to restore self-respect to those
who have lost it, and who really desire to regain it.
P.1765 – §6 Take care that you do not wound the self-respect
of timid and fearful souls. Do not indulge in sarcasm at the expense of
my simple-minded brethren. Be not cynical with my fear-ridden children.
Idleness is destructive of self-respect; therefore, admonish your brethren
ever to keep busy at their chosen tasks, and put forth every effort to
secure work for those who find themselves without employment.
P.1766 – §1 Never be guilty of such unworthy tactics
as endeavoring to frighten men and women into the kingdom. A loving father
does not frighten his children into yielding obedience to his just requirements.
P.1766 – §2 Sometime the children of the kingdom
will realize that strong feelings of emotion are not equivalent to the
leadings of the divine spirit. To be strongly and strangely impressed
to do something or to go to a certain place, does not necessarily mean
that such impulses are the leadings of the indwelling spirit.
P.1766 – §3 Forewarn all believers regarding the
fringe of conflict which must be traversed by all who pass from the life
as it is lived in the flesh to the higher life as it is lived in the spirit.
To those who live quite wholly within either realm, there is little conflict
or confusion, but all are doomed to experience more or less uncertainty
during the times of transition between the two levels of living. In entering
the kingdom, you cannot escape its responsibilities or avoid its obligations,
but remember: The gospel yoke is easy and the burden of truth is light.
P.1766 – §4 The world is filled with hungry souls
who famish in the very presence of the bread of life; men die searching
for the very God who lives within them. Men seek for the treasures of
the kingdom with yearning hearts and weary feet when they are all within
the immediate grasp of living faith. Faith is to religion what sails are
to a ship; it is an addition of power, not an added burden of life. There
is but one struggle for those who enter the kingdom, and that is to fight
the good fight of faith. The believer has only one battle, and that is
against doubt–unbelief.
P.1766 – §5 In preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
you are simply teaching friendship with God. And this fellowship will
appeal alike to men and women in that both will find that which most truly
satisfies their characteristic longings and ideals. Tell my children that
I am not only tender of their feelings and patient with their frailties,
but that I am also ruthless with sin and intolerant of iniquity. I am
indeed meek and humble in the presence of my Father, but I am equally
and relentlessly inexorable where there is deliberate evildoing and sinful
rebellion against the will of my Father in heaven.
P.1766 – §6 You shall not portray your teacher as
a man of sorrows. Future generations shall know also the radiance of our
joy, the buoyance of our good will, and the inspiration of our good humor.
We proclaim a message of good news which is infectious in its transforming
power. Our religion is throbbing with new life and new meanings. Those
who accept this teaching are filled with joy and in their hearts are constrained
to rejoice evermore. Increasing happiness is always the experience of
all who are certain about God.
P.1766 – §7 Teach all believers to avoid leaning
upon the insecure props of false sympathy. You cannot develop strong characters
out of the indulgence of self-pity; honestly endeavor to avoid the deceptive
influence of mere fellowship in misery. Extend sympathy to the brave and
courageous while you withhold overmuch pity from those cowardly souls
who only halfheartedly stand up before the trials of living. Offer not
consolation to those who lie down before their troubles without a struggle.
Sympathize not with your fellows merely that they may sympathize with
you in return.
P.1766 – §8 When my children once become self-conscious
of the assurance of the divine presence, such a faith will expand the
mind, ennoble the soul, reinforce the personality, augment the happiness,
deepen the spirit perception, and enhance the power to love and be loved.
P.1767 – §1 Teach all believers that those who enter
the kingdom are not thereby rendered immune to the accidents of time or
to the ordinary catastrophes of nature. Believing the gospel will not
prevent getting into trouble, but it will insure that you shall be unafraid
when trouble does overtake you. If you dare to believe in me and wholeheartedly
proceed to follow after me, you shall most certainly by so doing enter
upon the sure pathway to trouble. I do not promise to deliver you from
the waters of adversity, but I do promise to go with you through all of
them.
P.1767 – §2 And much more did Jesus teach this group
of believers before they made ready for the night’s sleep. And they who
heard these sayings treasured them in their hearts and did often recite
them for the edification of the apostles and disciples who were not present
when they were spoken.
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4. THE TALK WITH NATHANIEL – P.1767
P.1767 – §3 And then went Jesus over to Abila, where
Nathaniel and his associates labored. Nathaniel was much bothered by some
of Jesus’ pronouncements which seemed to detract from the authority of
the recognized Hebrew scriptures. Accordingly, on this night, after the
usual period of questions and answers, Nathaniel took Jesus away from
the others and asked: "Master, could you trust me to know the truth
about the Scriptures? I observe that you teach us only a portion of the
sacred writings–the best as I view it–and I infer that you reject the
teachings of the rabbis to the effect that the words of the law are the
very words of God, having been with God in heaven even before the times
of Abraham and Moses. What is the truth about the Scriptures?" When
Jesus heard the question of his bewildered apostle, he answered:
P.1767 – §4 "Nathaniel, you have rightly judged;
I do not regard the Scriptures as do the rabbis. I will talk with you
about this matter on condition that you do not relate these things to
your brethren, who are not all prepared to receive this teaching. The
words of the law of Moses and the teachings of the Scriptures were not
in existence before Abraham. Only in recent times have the Scriptures
been gathered together as we now have them. While they contain the best
of the higher thoughts and longings of the Jewish people, they also contain
much that is far from being representative of the character and teachings
of the Father in heaven; wherefore must I choose from among the better
teachings those truths which are to be gleaned for the gospel of the kingdom.
P.1767 – §5 "These writings are the work of
men, some of them holy men, others not so holy. The teachings of these
books represent the views and extent of enlightenment of the times in
which they had their origin. As a revelation of truth, the last are more
dependable than the first. The Scriptures are faulty and altogether human
in origin, but mistake not, they do constitute the best collection of
religious wisdom and spiritual truth to be found in all the world at this
time.
P.1767 – §6 "Many of these books were not written
by the persons whose names they bear, but that in no way detracts from
the value of the truths which they contain. If the story of Jonah should
not be a fact, even if Jonah had never lived, still would the profound
truth of this narrative, the love of God for Nineveh and the so-called
heathen, be none the less precious in the eyes of all those who love their
P.1768 – §0 fellow men. The Scriptures are sacred
because they present the thoughts and acts of men who were searching for
God, and who in these writings left on record their highest concepts of
righteousness, truth, and holiness. The Scriptures contain much that is
true, very much, but in the light of your present teaching, you know that
these writings also contain much that is misrepresentative of the Father
in heaven, the loving God I have come to reveal to all the worlds.
P.1768 – §1 "Nathaniel, never permit yourself
for one moment to believe the Scripture records which tell you that the
God of love directed your forefathers to go forth in battle to slay all
their enemies–men, women, and children. Such records are the words of
men, not very holy men, and they are not the word of God. The Scriptures
always have, and always will, reflect the intellectual, moral, and spiritual
status of those who create them. Have you not noted that the concepts
of Yahweh grow in beauty and glory as the prophets make their records
from Samuel to Isaiah? And you should remember that the Scriptures are
intended for religious instruction and spiritual guidance. They are not
the works of either historians or philosophers.
P.1768 – §2 "The thing most deplorable is not
merely this erroneous idea of the absolute perfection of the Scripture
record and the infallibility of its teachings, but rather the confusing
misinterpretation of these sacred writings by the tradition-enslaved scribes
and Pharisees at Jerusalem. And now will they employ both the doctrine
of the inspiration of the Scriptures and their misinterpretations thereof
in their determined effort to withstand these newer teachings of the gospel
of the kingdom. Nathaniel, never forget, the Father does not limit the
revelation of truth to any one generation or to any one people. Many earnest
seekers after the truth have been, and will continue to be, confused and
disheartened by these doctrines of the perfection of the Scriptures.
P.1768 – §3 "The authority of truth is the very
spirit that indwells its living manifestations, and not the dead words
of the less illuminated and supposedly inspired men of another generation.
And even if these holy men of old lived inspired and spirit-filled lives,
that does not mean that their words were similarly spiritually inspired.
Today we make no record of the teachings of this gospel of the kingdom
lest, when I have gone, you speedily become divided up into sundry groups
of truth contenders as a result of the diversity of your interpretation
of my teachings. For this generation it is best that we live these truths
while we shun the making of records.
P.1768 – §4 "Mark you well my words, Nathaniel,
nothing which human nature has touched can be regarded as infallible.
Through the mind of man divine truth may indeed shine forth, but always
of relative purity and partial divinity. The creature may crave infallibility,
but only the Creators possess it.
P.1768 – §5 "But the greatest error of the teaching
about the Scriptures is the doctrine of their being sealed books of mystery
and wisdom which only the wise minds of the nation dare to interpret.
The revelations of divine truth are not sealed except by human ignorance,
bigotry, and narrow-minded intolerance. The light of the Scriptures is
only dimmed by prejudice and darkened by superstition. A false fear of
sacredness has prevented religion from being safeguarded by common sense.
The fear of the authority of the sacred writings of the past effectively
prevents the honest souls of today from accepting the new light of the
gospel, the light which these very God-knowing men of another generation
so intensely longed to see.
P.1769 – §1 "But the saddest feature of all
is the fact that some of the teachers of the sanctity of this traditionalism
know this very truth. They more or less fully understand these limitations
of Scripture, but they are moral cowards, intellectually dishonest. They
know the truth regarding the sacred writings, but they prefer to withhold
such disturbing facts from the people. And thus do they pervert and distort
the Scriptures, making them the guide to slavish details of the daily
life and an authority in things nonspiritual instead of appealing to the
sacred writings as the repository of the moral wisdom, religious inspiration,
and the spiritual teaching of the God-knowing men of other generations."
P.1769 – §2 Nathaniel was enlightened, and shocked,
by the Master’s pronouncement. He long pondered this talk in the depths
of his soul, but he told no man concerning this conference until after
Jesus’ ascension; and even then he feared to impart the full story of
the Master’s instruction.
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5. THE POSITIVE NATURE OF JESUS’ RELIGION – P.1769
P.1769 – §3 At Philadelphia, where James was working,
Jesus taught the disciples about the positive nature of the gospel of
the kingdom. When, in the course of his remarks, he intimated that some
parts of the Scripture were more truth-containing than others and admonished
his hearers to feed their souls upon the best of the spiritual food, James
interrupted the Master, asking: "Would you be good enough, Master,
to suggest to us how we may choose the better passages from the Scriptures
for our personal edification?" And Jesus replied: "Yes, James,
when you read the Scriptures look for those eternally true and divinely
beautiful teachings, such as:
P.1769 – §4 "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord.
P.1769 – §5 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall
not want.
P.1769 – §6 "You should love your neighbor as
yourself.
P.1769 – §7 "For I, the Lord your God, will
hold your right hand, saying, fear not; I will help you.
P.1769 – §8 "Neither shall the nations learn
war any more."
P.1769 – §9 And this is illustrative of the way Jesus,
day by day, appropriated the cream of the Hebrew scriptures for the instruction
of his followers and for inclusion in the teachings of the new gospel
of the kingdom. Other religions had suggested the thought of the nearness
of God to man, but Jesus made the care of God for man like the solicitude
of a loving father for the welfare of his dependent children and then
made this teaching the cornerstone of his religion. And thus did the doctrine
of the fatherhood of God make imperative the practice of the brotherhood
of man. The worship of God and the service of man became the sum and substance
of his religion. Jesus took the best of the Jewish religion and translated
it to a worthy setting in the new teachings of the gospel of the kingdom.
P.1769 – §10 Jesus put the spirit of positive action
into the passive doctrines of the Jewish religion. In the place of negative
compliance with ceremonial requirements, Jesus enjoined the positive doing
of that which his new religion required of those who accepted it. Jesus’
religion consisted not merely in believing, but in actually doing, those
things which the gospel required. He did not teach that the essence
P.1770 – §0 of his religion consisted in social service,
but rather that social service was one of the certain effects of the possession
of the spirit of true religion.
P.1770 – §1 Jesus did not hesitate to appropriate
the better half of a Scripture while he repudiated the lesser portion.
His great exhortation, "Love your neighbor as yourself," he
took from the Scripture which reads: "You shall not take vengeance
against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor
as yourself." Jesus appropriated the positive portion of this Scripture
while rejecting the negative part. He even opposed negative or purely
passive nonresistance. Said he: "When an enemy smites you on one
cheek, do not stand there dumb and passive but in positive attitude turn
the other; that is, do the best thing possible actively to lead your brother
in error away from the evil paths into the better ways of righteous living."
Jesus required his followers to react positively and aggressively to every
life situation. The turning of the other cheek, or whatever act that may
typify, demands initiative, necessitates vigorous, active, and courageous
expression of the believer’s personality.
P.1770 – §2 Jesus did not advocate the practice of
negative submission to the indignities of those who might purposely seek
to impose upon the practitioners of nonresistance to evil, but rather
that his followers should be wise and alert in the quick and positive
reaction of good to evil to the end that they might effectively overcome
evil with good. Forget not, the truly good is invariably more powerful
than the most malignant evil. The Master taught a positive standard of
righteousness: "Whosoever wishes to be my disciple, let him disregard
himself and take up the full measure of his responsibilities daily to
follow me." And he so lived himself in that "he went about doing
good." And this aspect of the gospel was well illustrated by many
parables which he later spoke to his followers. He never exhorted his
followers patiently to bear their obligations but rather with energy and
enthusiasm to live up to the full measure of their human responsibilities
and divine privileges in the kingdom of God.
P.1770 – §3 When Jesus instructed his apostles that
they should, when one unjustly took away the coat, offer the other garment,
he referred not so much to a literal second coat as to the idea of doing
something positive to save the wrongdoer in the place of the olden advice
to retaliate–"an eye for an eye" and so on. Jesus abhorred
the idea either of retaliation or of becoming just a passive sufferer
or victim of injustice. On this occasion he taught them the three ways
of contending with, and resisting, evil:
P.1770 – §4 1. To return evil for evil–the positive
but unrighteous method.
P.1770 – §5 2. To suffer evil without complaint and
without resistance–the purely negative method.
P.1770 – §6 3. To return good for evil, to assert
the will so as to become master of the situation, to overcome evil with
good–the positive and righteous method.
P.1770 – §7 One of the apostles once asked: "Master,
what should I do if a stranger forced me to carry his pack for a mile?"
Jesus answered: "Do not sit down and sigh for relief while you berate
the stranger under your breath. Righteousness comes not from such passive
attitudes. If you can think of nothing more effectively positive to do,
you can at least carry the pack a second mile. That will of a certainty
challenge the unrighteous and ungodly stranger."
P.1770 – §8 The Jews had heard of a God who would
forgive repentant sinners and try to forget their misdeeds, but not until
Jesus came, did men hear about a God who went in search of lost sheep,
who took the initiative in looking for sinners, and
P.1771 – §0 who rejoiced when he found them willing
to return to the Father’s house. This positive note in religion Jesus
extended even to his prayers. And he converted the negative golden rule
into a positive admonition of human fairness.
P.1771 – §1 In all his teaching Jesus unfailingly
avoided distracting details. He shunned flowery language and avoided the
mere poetic imagery of a play upon words. He habitually put large meanings
into small expressions. For purposes of illustration Jesus reversed the
current meanings of many terms, such as salt, leaven, fishing, and little
children. He most effectively employed the antithesis, comparing the minute
to the infinite and so on. His pictures were striking, such as, "The
blind leading the blind." But the greatest strength to be found in
his illustrative teaching was its naturalness. Jesus brought the philosophy
of religion from heaven down to earth. He portrayed the elemental needs
of the soul with a new insight and a new bestowal of affection.
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6. THE RETURN TO MAGADAN – P.1771
P.1771 – §2 The mission of four weeks in the Decapolis
was moderately successful. Hundreds of souls were received into the kingdom,
and the apostles and evangelists had a valuable experience in carrying
on their work without the inspiration of the immediate personal presence
of Jesus.
P.1771 – §3 On Friday, September 16, the entire corps
of workers assembled by prearrangement at Magadan Park. On the Sabbath
day a council of more than one hundred believers was held at which the
future plans for extending the work of the kingdom were fully considered.
The messengers of David were present and made reports concerning the welfare
of the believers throughout Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and adjoining districts.
P.1771 – §4 Few of Jesus’ followers at this time
fully appreciated the great value of the services of the messenger corps.
Not only did the messengers keep the believers throughout Palestine in
touch with each other and with Jesus and the apostles, but during these
dark days they also served as collectors of funds, not only for the sustenance
of Jesus and his associates, but also for the support of the families
of the twelve apostles and the twelve evangelists.
P.1771 – §5 About this time Abner moved his base
of operations from Hebron to Bethlehem, and this latter place was also
the headquarters in Judea for David’s messengers. David maintained an
overnight relay messenger service between Jerusalem and Bethsaida. These
runners left Jerusalem each evening, relaying at Sychar and Scythopolis,
arriving in Bethsaida by breakfast time the next morning.
P.1771 – §6 Jesus and his associates now prepared
to take a week’s rest before they made ready to start upon the last epoch
of their labors in behalf of the kingdom. This was their last rest, for
the Perean mission developed into a campaign of preaching and teaching
which extended right on down to the time of their arrival at Jerusalem
and of the enactment of the closing episodes of Jesus’ earth career.
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