ALIVE: Chapter 136, The University of Jesus the Christ

To have been on that grassy mount, to have eaten the mystical bread and fish, to have heard Jesus teach lessons that formed the souls of His followers for centuries after centuries through wars, and earthquakes, through years of brilliant inventions, through the Dark Ages and the Renaissance and yet nothing that happened since that day could benefit mankind more than these teachings. They say that nothing lasts, but these lessons lasted and will last. Pilgrims came for healing, for curiosity, to see a miracle and they left as gardens of rich soil that Jesus tilled and into which He planted potent seeds. Seeds of fruit to heal humanity through the ages.

There was still more to say, Jesus spoke faster to beat the falling sun that He and His Father created. Jesus is the Light of the world, begotten of the Father before all ages. The first light of that timeless day extinguished the darkness and filled the void until the fourth day when the sun and moon replaced it to perform their essential functions in the newly created heaven for the newly created earth. Tomorrow, at high noon look at the sun, thank God for it, but wonder how much greater was the first light and how this natural star betrayed that Light by supplanting it, by leading humanity to think the untruth that the sun is the only source of light. The fourth day, Wednesday, is twice the day of a great betrayal. 

In a clear, strong, authoritative voice Jesus bellowed for all to hear, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” Hitler promised relief which explains why so many people followed him, served him, and gladly hailed him. Yet, he produced more death and suffering than earthquake or tsunami. 

And now for the purpose of it all. Destiny. Only Jesus held within His soul the clear vision of eternal life and what that will be like and why it was so important to prepare the people to go through this murky dangerous world in such a way that honed by battle with faith they will emerge victorious and enter the new universe, the new earth where we will look up in awe to see a new heaven. This is the point of it all. 

He was doing His Father’s work. This unique God-Man was illuminating the path to the Kingdom of God. He was forming children of God, born not by blood, nor by flesh, nor of the will of man but of God, but formed they needed to be. Everything in the new world is so perfect, so right, that there will be no corruption of perfection as on this planet which is perfectly formed and yet corrupted by evil, hubris, enmity, and deception by the work of demonic forces that find ready souls. Here on this grassy mount Jesus first gave voice to words as powerful and as practical as the sun is to earth. 

The crowd, to the person, was mesmerized by His teachings. And then came the hammer. Self deception. 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’ 

Seth thought about the many times he was wrong and had to self-correct.  He wondered how it was possible to be sure he was doing the will of God, and not of himself. Perhaps Jesus will explain. 

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!” 

 To emphasize what He said, a long silence ensued. The words, “..and great was its fall” echoed in the minds of the people, and visions of what such a fall would look like accompanied the echo. A house destroyed by a tsunami and winds. My house. My home, where  I sleep and eat, the place that shelters me from the world, my refuge, my comfort. What a frightful event! What a catastrophe! Why did that happen again? …Not acting on the words we just heard. Seth was shaken to the core. It wasn’t good enough to hear as he had been doing. This Man was not singing a lovely melody or reciting a ethnically poem, He was projecting a spotlight on a narrow path on the side of a steep and rocky mountain,and insisting, not suggesting, but insisting that his audience start hiking it. 

After a prolonged and frightful silence, it became evident that Jesus chose to end His teaching with the warning. He was finished. The crowd was astounded at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Seth thought to himself, ‘I only hope I can remember it all.’

Jesus broke His silence by announcing, “I am finished. Now return to your villages, towns and homes. Tell your friends and families what you learned here, and what you saw (meaning the multiplication of the loaves and fish.) By all means DO what I have told you. ACT so that your neighbors see the change in you. Live righteous lives. Pray with faith unshakeable. 

Eli stood up and announced boldly pointing to Jesus, “Surely this is the prophet who is come into the world, the Messiah.” He looked around and noticed some people who heard him. They smiled and nodded in agreement, their faces beaming. They looked at Jesus and echoed, “the Messiah.”

Jesus turned around and walked over to a nearby ledge and sat down while the crowd was dispersing. His disciples knew to gather round Him to create a barrier for Him from the crowd that would have trampled Him. He was clearly drained as if rivers of living water had poured out of Him. He was satisfied. Jesus knew that giving sight to a blind man, or purifying a leper mainly helped that one person. Yes others who believe that happened would be impressed and believe in Him, but the teaching! The teachings of this very day will heal millions through the ages. And all whose lives are righted like a flipped canoe and live in the light, and contribute to a peaceful loving world because of His teachings, these millions will all have first hand experience of psychological healing. To each and every one who heeds these teachings Jesus gives life and life abundant. 

Of the five thousand people most departed albeit reluctantly, leaving the powerful scene to descend the mount of their transformation. They had come sick and needy and left in an aura of peace, wisdom and enthusiasm. 

The remnant of the crowd, seeing the miracle of the loaves and fishes, the healings, and hearing the profound teachings intended to come and make Him king by force. Knowing their intent, shielded by the disciples, Jesus discreetly slipped away in the midst of the hubbub, and escaped into the hills by Himself. 

The people who remained after the others left, those who wanted to keep Jesus by force and make Him king, looked around wondering how He disappeared. They asked each other where He went, but no one saw Him leave. 

Eventually two women saw some of His disciples departing and they followed them back down the the mount, and others saw the women following and then the rest of the crowd followed them expecting that Jesus would turn up to rejoin His men. Feeling disappointed and bereft because they wanted to cling to the Person, whereas Jesus wanted them to cling to the teachings. Jesus knew that his personhood could do no more good for these people if they didn’t do what He told them. And yet they still were desperate to find Him so they followed the disciples down to the lake. 

Andrew said, “Listen, Jesus will probably meet us in Capernaum, but if we walk there this crowd will follow us all the way, so Peter let’s take our boat and go by sea. They can’t follow us then.”

Peter replied, “Good idea. Let’s go.” And the disciples walked closely together with the crowd following at their heels. 

Jonah and three other men ran and caught up with Thomas when they recognized him as a disciple and tapped him on the shoulder. “Where is He? Where did the Master go, we want Him. We need Him to lead us.”

Thomas answered, “We know as much as you do. Go back to your homes and live as He told you! Go!” 

The disciples managed to reach the boat. As it was evening, the boat was docked for the night and available. With Peter at the helm they pushed off. The crowd, having no boats could not follow which was a great relief to the disciples. 

His disciples, knowing too that Jesus would turn up rowed toward Capernaum, which was not very far. 

By now it was dark, and the shore could not be seen.  A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water and they were terrified. But He said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” So Peter called to Him to come into his boat and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. 

The next day the rest of people who had descended the mount and gone to the fishing village where they first saw Jesus realized that the boat, the one Jesus had used before to escape them and from which He had been planning to lead them up the mount, that boat was gone. Levi asked Eli who he recognized from the mount if he saw Jesus get into the boat that was there. Eli explained, “We were fervently trying to find him and so yesterday evening we followed his disciples to the shore, but He wasn’t with them. We saw only his men push on in their boat without him. We think He went to Capernaum so we plan to walk there this morning. 

Then three boats from Tiberius arrived at the dock to pick up supplies and food. Levi and Eli asked the captain of one boat where they were going and when He replied Capernaum, and several people behind him heard that, they asked if they could go with them, willing to pay for their transport. Several people boarded the three boats, and after the captains were ready, the three boats from Tiberius and about thirty of the people from the mount headed for Capernaum by sea. Of the rest, some walked and the others heeded what Jesus asked of them and went back to their own towns and villages full of awe and wisdom.