The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ

32 If he is guilty of such monstrous crimes, why do they not take him away in chains?

33 And Jesus said, You all know me, and know from whence I came; but you know not the God who sent me here, whose words I speak.

34 The multitudes again stood forth in his defense; they said, If this is not the Christ whom God has promised to reveal to men, will he do greater works when he shall come than does this man?

35 The Pharisees and ruling priests were angered and they sent their officers to take him e’er he went away. The officers were filled with fear; they seized him not.

36 And Jesus said, Lo, I am here but for a little time and then I go my way to him who sent me here to do his will.

37 You seek me now and you can find me now; the time will come when you will seek and will not find, for where I go you cannot come.

38 The people said, Where will he go that men can find him not? Will he go forth to Greece and teach the Greeks? or will he go to Egypt or Assyria to teach?

39 But Jesus answered not; unnoticed by the multitudes he left the temple courts and went his way.

CHAPTER 134

Jesus teaches in the temple. His words enrage the rulers. Nicodemus defends him. He spends the night in prayer on Mount Olives. Next day he again teaches in the temple. An adultress is brought before him for judgment.

Now, on the last day of the feast when multitudes were in the courtways, Jesus said,

2 Whoever is athirst may come to me and drink.

3 He who believes in me and in the Christ whom God has sent, may drink the cup of life, and from his inner parts shall streams of living waters flow.

4 The Holy Breath will overshadow him, and he will breathe the Breath, and speak the words, and live the life.

5 The people were divided in their views concerning him. Some said, This man is prophet of the living God.

6 And others said, He is Messiah whom our prophets said would come.

7 And others said, He cannot be the Christ, for he came down from Galilee; the Christ must come from Bethlehem where David lived.

8 Again the priests and Pharisees sent officers to bring him into court to answer for his life; but when the officers returned and brought him not,

9 The rulers were enraged and said, Why did you not arrest this man and hale him into court?

10 The officers replied, We never heard a man speak like this man speaks.

11 In rage the Pharisees stood forth and said, Have you gone mad? Have you been led astray? Are you disciples of this man?

12 Have any of the rulers, or the Pharisees believed on him? The common people! yes, they may believe; they are accursed; they know not anything.

13 But Nicodemus came before the rulers and he said, Can Jewish judges judge a man and sentence him until they hear his plea? Let Jesus stand before this bar and testify himself.

14 The rulers said, This Jesus is a wily man, and if we suffer him to speak, he will rebuke us face to face, and then the multitudes will laugh and stand in his defense.

15 And then you know, as well as we, that prophets do not come from Galilee.

16 The rulers felt the force of what the officers and Nicodemus said, and they said nothing more.

17 And then the people went their way, each to his home; but Jesus went unto Mount Olives where he spent the night in prayer.

18 But in the morning when the sun had scarcely risen, Jesus came again, and many people came to see him in the temple courts, and he sat down and taught the multitudes.

19 The Pharisees and scribes were still alert to find a cause whereby they might condemn him by the words he spoke.

20 The officers had taken in the very act of crime, a courtesan. As Jesus taught, they brought this woman in and set her in the midst and said,

21 Rabboni, this vile woman has been taken in adultery. The law of Moses says that such as she shall die, be stoned to death; what do you say should be her punishment?

22 And Jesus stooped and made a figure on the ground and in it placed the number of a soul, and then he sat in silent thought.

23 And when the priests demanded that he speak, he said, Let him who has no sin stand forth and be the first to cast a stone at her.

24 And then he closed his eyes, and not a word was said. When he arose and saw the woman all alone he said,

25 Where are the men who brought you here? they who accused?

26 The woman said, They all are gone; no one was here who could condemn.

27 And Jesus said, And I condemn you not; go on your way in peace, and sin no more.

CHAPTER 135

Jesus teaches in the temple. He reveals some of the deeper meanings of the Christine ministry. The rulers are greatly enraged and attempt to stone him, but he disappears.

The feast was done and Jesus, Peter, James and John were sitting in the temple treasury.

2 The nine had gone back to Capernaum.

3 The people thronged the temple courts and Jesus said,

4 I am the lamp; Christ is the oil of life; the Holy Breath the fire. Behold the light! and he who follows me shall not walk in the dark, but he shall have the light of life.

5 A lawyer said, You witness for yourself, your witness is not true.

6 And Jesus said, If I do witness for myself I speak that which is true, for I know whence I came and where I go.

7 And no one else in flesh can testify for me, for none know whence I came, nor where I go.

8 My works bear witness to the truth I speak. As man I could not speak the words I speak; they are the words of Holy Breath; and then my Father testifies for me.

9 The lawyer said, Where does your father live?

10 And Jesus said, You know me not or you would know my Father, and if you knew the Father you would know the son, because the Father and the son are one.

11 I go my way and you shall find me not; for where I go you cannot come, because you do not know the way.

12 You cannot find the way because your hearts are gross, your ears are dull, your eyes are closed.

13 The light of life cannot shine through the murky veil that you have drawn about your hearts.

14 You do not know the Christ and if the Christ be not within the heart there is no light.

15 I come to manifest the Christ to men and you receive me not, and you will dwell in darkness and in the shadow of the grave till you believe the words I speak.

16 But you will vilify the son of man, and lift him up and laugh to see him die.

17 But then a little light will come and you will know that I am what I am.

18 The people did not comprehend the meaning of the words he spoke.

19 And then he spoke unto the people who believed in him and said, If you abide in Christ, and Christ abide in you, and if you keep my words within your heart,

20 You are the way, you are disciples in the way, and you shall know what is the truth, and truth shall make you free.

21 And still the people did not understand; they said, We are the seed of Abraham and are already free; we never were the slaves of any man; why do you say, We shall be free?

22 And Jesus said, Do you not know that every one committing sin is slave of sin? abides in bondage unto sin?

23 If you sin not then you are free; but if you sin in thought, or word, or deed, then you are slaves, and naught but truth can set you free; if you are free through Christ, then you are free indeed.

24 You are the seed of Abraham, and yet you seek to kill me just because I speak the truth of Abraham.

25 You are the children of the flesh of Abraham; but, lo, I say, There is a spiritual Abraham whom you know not.

26 In spirit you are children of your father, and your father is Diabolus; you hang upon his words and do his will.

27 He was a murderer from the first; he cannot tell the truth, and when he tells a lie he speaks his own; he is himself a lie, and he is father of himself.

28 If you were children of my Father-God, then you could hear the words of God; I speak the words of God, but you can hear them not.

29 A Pharisee stood forth and said, This fellow is not one of us; he is a curst Samaritan and is obsessed.

30 But Jesus heeded not the words of Pharisee or scribe; he knew that all the people knew he was a Jew.

31 And then he said, Whoever keeps my words shall never die.

32 A lawyer said, And now we know he is obsessed. Our father Abraham is dead; the prophets all are dead, and yet this fellow says, Whoever keeps my words shall never die.

33 Is this man greater than our father Abraham? Is he above the prophets? and all of them are dead.

34 And Jesus said, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.

35 The lawyer said, You simple man; you are not fifty years of age; have you seen Abraham?

36 And Jesus said, Before the days of Abraham I am.

37 Again the scribes and Pharisees were in a rage; they took up stones to cast at him, but, like a phantom of the night, he disappeared; the people knew not where he went.

CHAPTER 136

Jesus teaches in the temple. Relates the parable of the good Samaritan. Goes to Bethany. Teaches in Lazarus’ home. Rebukes Martha for her anxiety about the things of this life.

And Jesus stood again within the temple courts and taught.

2 A master of the law was sent to question him that he might find a cause to censure and accuse him of a crime.

3 He said, Lord, tell me what to do that I may have eternal life?

4 And Jesus said, You know the law; what does it say?

5 The lawyer answered, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

6 And Jesus said, Lo, you have answered well; this do and you shall live.

7 The lawyer said, My neighbor, who is he?

8 And Jesus said, A man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho, and lo, he met with robbers on the way, who beat him, robbed him of his goods, and left him bleeding by the way.

9 A Pharisee was going down that way; he saw the wounded man; but then he had no time to lose; he passed by on the other side.

10 A Levite came and saw the man; but he was loath to soil his sacerdotal robes, and he passed by.

11 A lawyer on his way to Jericho observed the dying man, and then he said, If I could make a shekel I might help the man; but he has nothing left to give, I have no time for charity; and he passed on.

12 And then a stranger from Samaria came that way; he saw the wounded man; his heart was touched with pity and he stopped, dismounted from his horse,

13 Revived the man, and placed him on his horse and took him to an inn and charged the keeper of the inn to nurse him back to strength.

14 He gave the keeper all the money that he had and said, Your charges may be more than this, but care for this unfortunate, and when I come again I will pay all; and then he went his way.

15 Now, master of the law, which of these four was neighbor unto him who fell among the thieves?

16 The lawyer said, The man who showed him mercy; he who cared for him.

17 And Jesus said, Go on your way and likewise do, and you shall live.

18 Now, Jesus, Peter, James and John went out to Bethany where Lazarus lived.

19 And Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and heard him speak the words of life while Martha served.

20 And Martha called, but Mary would not leave the Lord to help her serve.

21 And Martha said to Jesus, Do you not care that Mary makes me bear the burdens of the serving all the day? I beg that you will bid her help.

22 And Jesus said, You are too anxious, Martha, for your guests; you need not trouble so about the things of life.

23 You grow a-weary by your care for little things and slight the one thing needed most of all.

24 Your sister here has chosen far the better part, a part that none can take away.

CHAPTER 137

Jesus and his disciples go into a retired place to pray. Jesus teaches Lazarus how to pray. The model prayer. The value of importunate prayer. Parable of the importunate housewife.

Now, in the evening Jesus, Peter, James and John, with Lazarus, went out beyond the village gates to pray. And Lazarus said, Teach me to pray.

2 And Jesus said, The prayer I taught the twelve to pray while we were up in Galilee is one acceptable to God; and when you pray just say,

3 Our Father-God who art in heaven; holy is thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven;

4 Give us this day our needed bread;

5 Help us forget the debts that other people owe to us, that all our debts may be discharged;

6 And shield us from the tempter’s snares that are too great for us to bear;

7 And when they come give us the strength to overcome.

8 And Jesus said, The answer to your prayer may not appear in fulness in a little time.

9 Be not discouraged; pray again and then again, for God will hear.

10 And then he spoke a parable; he said, A housewife was alone at night and, lo, some guests arrived, and they were hungry, having had no food for all the day.

11 The housewife had no bread, and so at midnight she went forth and called a friend and said, Loan me three loaves of bread, for guests have come, and I have naught for them to eat.

12 The friend replied, Why do you trouble me at midnight hour? My door is shut; my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise to give you bread; tomorrow you can be supplied.

13 The housewife asked again, and then again, and then because she plead, and would not be refused, the friend arose and gave her bread.

14 Behold, I say to you, Ask firmly and you shall receive; seek trustingly and you shall find; knock earnestly, the door will open up.

15 All things are yours, and when you ask, not as a begging man would ask, but as a child, you shall be satisfied.

16 A son may ask his father for a loaf of bread; the father will not give to him a stone;

17 Or he may ask him for a fish; he will not give a crab; or he may ask him for an egg; the father will not give a pebble from the brook.

18 Behold, if men of flesh know how to give abundantly to children of the flesh, will not your heavenly Father give abundantly to you when you shall pray?

CHAPTER 138

The Christines in Jerusalem. They meet a man blind from birth. Jesus teaches a lesson on the cause of disease and disasters. He heals the blind man.

The Lord with Peter, James and John were in Jerusalem; it was the Sabbath day.

2 And as they walked along the way they saw a man who could not see; he had been blind from birth.

3 And Peter said, Lord, if disease and imperfections all are caused by sin, who was the sinner in this case? the parents or the man himself?

4 And Jesus said, Afflictions all are partial payments on a debt, or debts, that have been made.

5 There is a law of recompense that never fails, and it is summarized in that true rule of life:

6 Whatsoever man shall do to any other man some other man will do to him.

7 In this we find the meaning of the Jewish law, expressed concisely in the words, Tooth for a tooth; life for a life.

8 He who shall injure any one in thought, or word, or deed, is judged a debtor to the law, and some one else shall, likewise, injure him in thought, or word or deed.

9 And he who sheds the blood of any man will come upon the time when his blood shall be shed by man.

10 Affliction is a prison cell in which a man must stay until he pays his debts unless a master sets him free that he may have a better chance to pay his debts.

11 Affliction is a certain sign that one has debts to pay.

12 Behold this man! Once in another life he was a cruel man, and in a cruel way destroyed the eyes of one, a fellow man.

13 The parents of this man once turned their faces on a blind and helpless man, and drove him from their door.

14 Then Peter asked, Do we pay off the debts of other men when by the Word we heal them, drive the unclean spirits out, or rescue them from any form of sore distress?

15 And Jesus said, We cannot pay the debts of any man, but by the Word we may release a man from his afflictions and distress,

16 And make him free, that he may pay the debts he owes, by giving up his life in willing sacrifice for men, or other living things.

17 Behold, we may make free this man that he may better serve the race and pay his debts.

18 Then Jesus called the man and said, Would you be free? would you receive your sight?

19 The man replied, All that I have would I most freely give if I could see.

20 And Jesus took saliva and a bit of clay and made a salve, and put it on the blind man’s eyes.

21 He spoke the Word and then he said, Go to Siloam and wash, and as you wash say, Jahhevahe. This do for seven times and you shall see.

22 The man was led unto Siloam; he washed his eyes and spoke the word, and instantly his eyes were opened and he saw.

23 The people who had seen the man for many years sit by the way and beg, were much surprised to see him see.

24 They said, Is not this man the Job that was born blind, who sat beside the way and begged?

25 He heard them talk among themselves; he said, Yes, I am he.

26 The people asked, How were you healed? who opened up your eyes?

27 He said, A man whom men call Jesus, made a salve of clay and put it on my eyes, and bade me say a word and wash in Siloam seven times; I did as he commanded me, and now I see.

28 A certain scribe was passing, and he saw the man and heard him say that Jesus, by the Word, had opened up his eyes.

29 He therefore took the man up to the synagogue, and told the story to the priests, who asked the man about the miracle.

30 The man replied, I never saw the light until today, for I was blind from birth.

31 This morning as I sat beside Siloam, a man I never knew put on my eyes a salve that people say he made of clay; he bade me say a word and bathe my eyes in water seven times; I did as he commanded and I saw.

32 A lawyer asked the man, Who was it opened up your eyes?

33 The man replied, Some people say, His name is Jesus and that he came from Galilee; but others say, He is the son of God.

34 A Pharisee came up and said, This is the Sabbath day; a man who does a work like this, regarding not the Sabbath day, is not from God.

35 Some of the priests were much amazed and said, A wicked man could never do a miracle like this; he must possess the power of God. And so they strove among themselves.

36 They asked the man, What do you think about this man from Galilee?

37 He said, He is a prophet sent from God.

38 Now, many of the Jews did not believe the man was blind from birth; they said, There is no power to open up the eyes of one born blind.

39 And then they brought the parents of the man before the Pharisees that they might testify.

40 They said, This is our son who was born blind; we do not know how he received his sight; he is of age and he can tell; ask him.

41 They were afraid to say what they believed, that Jesus is the Christ who came to manifest the power of God, lest they offend the priests and be cast from the synagogue.

42 Again the rulers said, This Jesus is a wicked man. The man who had been healed stood forth again and said,

43 This Jesus may be sinner or be saint, I do not know; but this one thing I know; I once was blind, but now I see.

44 And then the scribes and Pharisees reviled the man and said, You are a follower of this man from Galilee. We follow Moses, but this man, we know him not, and know not whence he is.

45 The man replied, It is a marvel that you know not whence he is, and yet he opened up my eyes.

46 You know that nothing but the power of God can do such things.

47 God hears not sinners pray, and you must know that he is not a wicked man who can employ the power of God.

48 The Pharisees replied, You wretch! you were begotten and were born in sin, and now you try to teach the law to us. And then they cast him from the synagogue.

CHAPTER 139

Jesus meets and instructs the man who was blind. Unfolds the mysteries of the kingdom. The sheepfold. Declares himself the shepherd. Goes to the home of Massalian, where he abides certain days.

When Jesus heard what had been done and how the priests had cast the man whom he had healed, out of the synagogue, he found the man and said to him,

2 Do you believe in God and in the son of God?

3 The man replied, I do believe in God; but who is he, the son of God, of whom you speak?

4 And Jesus said, The son of God is he who speaks to you.

5 The man inquired then, Why do you say, The son of God? Is there but one?

6 And Jesus said, All men are sons of God by birth; God is the Father of the race; but all are not the sons of God by faith.

7 He who attains the victory over self is son of God by faith, and he who speaks to you has overcome, and he is called the son of God, because he is the pattern for the sons of men.

8 He who believes and does the will of God is son of God by faith.

9 The man in joy exclaimed, Lord, I believe in God, and in the son of God.

10 And Jesus said, I came to open prison doors, to make the blind to see; but, lo, the Pharisees are blind from birth.

11 And when I put the salve of truth upon their eyes, and bid them go and wash, and speak the sacred Word they will not go; they love the dark.

12 A multitude of people pressed about the Lord, and he stood forth and said,

13 You men of Israel, I say to you, The fold of God is large; its walls are strong, it has a gateway in the east, and he who does not enter by the gate into the fold, but climbs into the fold some other way, is thief and comes to rob.

14 The shepherd of the sheep stands by the gate; he gives the secret sign; he knocks; the watchman opens up the gate.

15 And then the shepherd calls his sheep by name; they hear his voice and follow him; they enter through the gate into the fold.

16 The sheep know not a stranger’s voice; they will not follow him; they flee away.

17 The people did not understand the parable that Jesus spoke; and then he said,

18 Christ is the gateway of the fold; I am the shepherd of the sheep, and he who follows me through Christ shall come into the fold where living waters flow, and where rich pastures are.

19 False prophets come and go; they claim to be the shepherds of the sheep; they claim to know the way, but they know not the word of power; the watchman opens not the gate; the sheep heed not their call.

20 The shepherd of the sheep will give his life to save the sheep.

21 A hireling flees to save his life when wolves infest the fold; and then the tender lambs are snatched away, the sheep are scattered everywhere.

22 I am the shepherd of the sheep; I know the sheep of God; they know my voice, as God knows me and I know him.

23 The Father loves me with a deathless love, because I lay my life down for the sheep.

24 I lay my life down when I will, but I may take it up again; for every son of God by faith has power to lay his mortal flesh aside and take it up again. These words I have received from God.

25 Again the people strove among themselves; they were divided in their views concerning Christ. They could not comprehend the words that Jesus spoke.

26 Some said again, He is obsessed, or he is mad; why listen to his words?

27 And others said, His words are not the words of one obsessed. Can unclean spirits open up the eyes of one born blind?

28 Then Jesus left Jerusalem and with Massalian he tarried certain days.

CHAPTER 140

Jesus and the three disciples return to Capernaum. Jesus receives the report of the seventy. With his disciples he goes through all Galilee encouraging the believers. He heals a woman. Relates the parable of the little seed and the great tree.

The time had come for the return of the three score and ten whom Jesus sent abroad to preach.

2 And Jesus, Peter, James and John began their journey back to Galilee.

3 They went up through Samaria; they passed through many villages and towns, and everywhere the people thronged the ways to see the man the seventy had told about; and Jesus taught and healed the sick.