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of Jesus leaks through to give us an idea of the nature of this profound person. Unfortunately, Christian theology has sometimes been more of a hindrance than a help in understanding Jesus. The Urantia Book and other sources characterize traditional Christianity more as a religion about Jesus rather than the religion of Jesus. I believe that Jesus came not to be revered, but to help us find God for ourselves by listening to his teachings and living our lives in the same spirit he lived his life.
Jesus and Women
From reading the Bible, but especially The Urantia Book, I perceive that Jesus was light years ahead of the people of his culture in his attitude towards women. There have been numerous speculations about Jesus and women such as: he might have been gay, maybe he had a wife that he kept hidden, or maybe he had an affair with Mary Magdelene. Or perhaps he was a priest in an obscure celibate Jewish cult. All idle speculation. The Catholic Church claims that Jesus and all of his Apostles were male; so therefore, priests should be male. On the other hand, The Urantia Book says that Jesus ordained a corps of women disciples to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of other women. After all, Jewish men could hardly do this sort of work; men and women were very restricted in their contacts with each other. This corps is mentioned in the New Testament, but only once. You aren't surprised at that, are you?
There is an incident mentioned in the Bible that sheds some light on Jesus' attitude toward women. As I understand it, a Jewish man wasn't supposed to talk to a woman in public, even his wife. Consider the incident of the woman at the well. We are told that she was there drawing water from Jacob's well in Samaria. Jesus was there without his apostles. He asked the woman for a drink of water. She mistook his friendliness for a pass at her, but Jesus quickly set her straight and led her into a spiritual discussion. Now consider the reaction of the Apostles. They came upon their Master not only talking to a woman, but a Samaritan woman at that. They must have been astounded! But then, perhaps the Apostles were frequently astounded at the things Jesus said and did.
We know that women played a significant part in the early church; perhaps this was due to the lingering influence of Jesus. But unfortunately, cultures evolve slowly. The male hierarchy eventually organized the church like their armies and governments thus excluding women. There is no doubt in my mind that if Christians had been true to the spirit of Jesus' life and teachings, women would have played a more prominent part in the later church. And there is another group who could profit if our culture had a less distorted picture of the human Jesus.
Jesus as Hero
It is sad that the heroes of many young people are rock stars and TV characters. It is unfortunate that the majesty of the glorified and risen Christ has obscured the heroism of the human Jesus in Christian teachings, and that much of his life has been unknown to us. If young people could only hear the story of the young Jesus, bravely sustaining his family after the untimely death of his father, wouldn't they admire such courage, and wouldn't they be willing to follow such an admirable leader? The authors of the Jesus papers of The Urantia Book tell us, "If the Christian church would only dare to espouse the Master's program, thousands of apparently indifferent youths would rush forward to enlist in such a spiritual undertaking..." (2085) How excellent it will be when religious teachers someday use stories from The Urantia Book to inspire young people to live their lives in the spirit Jesus exemplified in his life.
Whatever we think about Jesus, most of us would agree that no individual has had a greater impact on the history of our planet than this spiritual teacher from Galilee. Through the means of the Christian church, his teachings have penetrated every corner of our planet. Where receptive minds and hearts are found, Jesus' ethical and moral teachings leaven the home life, the laws and institutions of government, and even the conduct of business. And as the expanded and clarified story of the life and teachings of Jesus in The Urantia Book slowly penetrate the world's cultures, we can anticipate still greater advances in all human endeavors. Even after 2000 years, his words still encourage us to spiritual growth and will do so throughout the ages to come. Jesus said, "...my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35, UB 1736)
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