Paper 191
1. Resurrection Sunday was a terrible day in the lives of
the apostles; ...All day long John upheld the idea that Jesus had risen from
the dead. He recounted no less than five different times when the Master had
affirmed he would rise again and at least three times when he alluded to the
third day. John's attitude had considerable influence on them, especially on
his brother James and on Nathaniel. John would have influenced them more if he
had not been the youngest member of the group.
2. Peter alternated
between faith and doubt throughout the whole day, until a little after eight
o'clock, when he ventured out into the courtyard. Peter thought to remove
himself from among the apostles so that he might not prevent Jesus' coming to
them because of his denial of the Master.
James Zebedee at first advocated that
they all go to the tomb... It was Nathaniel who prevented them from going out
in public in response to James's urging, and he did this by reminding them of
Jesus' warning against unduly jeopardizing their lives at this time
.Andrew did much listening this day ... But as the day wore
on, he became increasingly inclined
toward believing that Jesus had fulfilled his promise to rise again.
Simon Zelotes was too much crushed to participate in the
discussions. Most of the time he
reclined on a couch in a corner of the room with his face to the wall...
Philip did much talking throughout the afternoon of this day... Philip was
particularly desirous of knowing, provided Jesus had really risen from the
grave, whether his body would bear the physical marks of the crucifixion.
Matthew was highly confused; he listened to the discussions of his fellows but spent moat of the time turning over in his mind the problem of their future finances... The Alpheus twins took little part in these serious discussions ... One of them expressed the attitude of both when he said, in reply to a question asked by Philip: "We do not understand about the resurrection, but our mother says she talked with the Master, and we believe her."
Thomas was in the midst of one of his typical spells of
despairing depression. He slept a portion of the day and walked over the hills
the rest of the time.
3. The Master put off
the first morontia appearance to the apostles for a number of reasons. First,
he wanted them to have time, after they heard of his resurrection, to think
well over what he had told them about his death and resurrection when he was
still with them in the flesh. The Master wanted Peter to wrestle through with
some of his peculiar difficulties before he manifested himself to them all. In
the second place, he desired that Thomas should be with them at the time of his
first appearance.
4. It was near half
past eight o'clock this Sunday evening when Jesus appeared to Simon Peter in
the garden of the Mark home... When Peter thought of the loving look of the
Master as he passed by on Annas's porch, and as he turned over in his mind that
wonderful message brought him early that morning by the women who came from the
empty tomb, "Go tell my apostles—and Peter"—as he contemplated these
tokens of mercy, his faith began to surmount his doubts, and he stood still,
clenching his fists, while he spoke aloud: "I believe he has risen from
the dead; I will go and tell my brethren." And as he said this, there
suddenly appeared in
front
of him the form of a man, who spoke to him in familiar tones, saying: 'Peter,
the enemy desired to have you, but I would not give you up. I knew it was not
from the heart that you disowned me; therefore I forgave you even before you
asked; but now must you cease to think about yourself and the troubles of the
hour while you prepare to carry the good news of the gospel to those who sit in
darkness. No longer should you be concerned with what you may obtain from the
kingdom but rather be exercised about what you can give to those who live in
dire spiritual poverty. Gird yourself, Simon, for the battle of a new day, the
struggle with spiritual darkness and the evil doubtings of the natural minds of
men."
5. Peter and the
morontia Jesus walked through the garden and talked of things past, present,
and future for almost five minutes. Then the Master vanished from his gaze,
saying, "Farewell, Peter, until I see you with your brethren." ...he
rushed to the upper chamber and into the presence of his fellow apostles,
exclaiming in breathless excitement: "I have seen the Master; he was in
the garden. I talked with him, and he has forgiven me."
6. Peter's declaration that he had seen Jesus in the garden
made a profound impression upon his fellow apostles, and they were about ready
to surrender their doubts when Andrew got up and warned them not to be too much
influenced by his brother's report. Andrew intimated that Peter had seen things
which were not real before. Although Andrew did not directly allude to the
vision of the night on the Sea of Galilee wherein Peter claimed to have seen
the Master coming to them walking on the water, he said enough to betray to all
present that he had this incident in mind. Simon Peter was very much hurt by
his brother's insinuations and immediately lapsed into crestfallen silence.
The twins felt very sorry for Peter, and they both went over to express their
sympathy and to say that they believed him and to reassert that their own
mother had also seen the Master.
7. Shortly after nine
o'clock that evening ... as the ten apostles were there assembled in the upper
chamber with all the doors bolted for fear of arrest, the Master, in morontia
form, suddenly appeared in the midst of them, saying: "Peace be upon you.
Why are you so frightened when I appear, as though you had seen a spirit? Did I
not tell you about these things when I was present with you in the flesh?...
How long will you doubt my words and refuse to believe my promises? ... Even
now one of you is absent. When you are gathered together once more, and after
all of you know of a certainty that the Son of Man has risen from the grave, go
hence into Galilee. Have faith in God; Have faith in one another; and so shall
you enter into the new service of the kingdom of heaven. I will tarry in
Jerusalem with you until you are ready to go into Galilee. My peace I leave
with you."
8. The next day, Monday, was spent wholly, with the morontia
creatures then present on Urantia. As participants in the Master's morontia‑transition
experience, there had come to Urantia more than one million morontia directors
and associates, together with transition mortals of various orders from the seven
mansion worlds of Satania. The morontia Jesus sojourned with these splendid
intelligences for forty days. He instructed them and learned from their
directors the life of morontia transition as it is traversed by the mortals of
the inhabited worlds of Satania as they pass through the system morontia
spheres.
9. About midnight of
this Monday the Master's morontia form was adjusted for transition to the
second stage of morontia progression. When he next appeared to his mortal
children on earth, it was as a second‑stage morontia being. As the Master
progressed in the morontia career, it became, technically, more and more
difficult for the morontia intelligences and their transforming associates to
visualize the Master to mortal and material eyes.
Jesus made the transit to the third stage
of morontia on Friday, April 14; to the fourth stage on Monday, the 17th; to
the fifth stage on Saturday, the
22nd; to the sixth stage on Thursday, the 27th; to the seventh stage on
Tuesday, May 2; to Jerusalem citizenship on Sunday, the 7th; and he entered the
embrace of the Most Highs of Edentia on Sunday, the 14th.
10. The tenth morontia manifestation of Jesus to mortal
recognition occurred a short time after eight o'clock on Tuesday, April 11, at
Philadelphia, where he showed himself to Abner and Lazarus and some one hundred
and fifty of their associates,
including more than fifty of the
evangelistic corps of the seventy... The meeting in the synagogue was just
being opened by Abner and Lazarus, who were standing together in the pulpit,
when the entire audience of believers saw the form of the Master appear
suddenly. He stepped forward from where he had appeared between Abner and
Lazarus, neither of whom had observed him, and saluting the company, said:
"Peace be upon you. You all know
that we have one Father in heaven, and that there is but one gospel of the
kingdom‑the good news of the gift of eternal life which men receive by
faith... You are to love all men as I have loved you; you are to serve all men
as I have served you. With understanding sympathy and brotherly affection,
fellowship all your brethren who are dedicated to the proclamation of good
news, whether they be Jew or gentile, Greek or Roman, Persian or Ethiopian...
Go then, into all the world proclaiming this gospel of the fatherhood of God
and the brotherhood of men to all nations and races and ever be wise in your
choice of methods for presenting the good news to the different races and
tribes of mankind... Fear not the resistance of evil, for I am with you always,
even to the end of the ages. And my peace I leave with you."
11. The next day, Wednesday, Jesus spent without
interruption in the society of his morontia associates, and during the
midafternoon hours he received visiting morontia delegates from the mansion
worlds of every local system of inhabited spheres throughout the constellation
of Norlatiadek. And they all rejoiced to know their Creator as one of their own
order of universe intelligence.
12. Thomas spent a lonesome week alone with himself in the
hills around about Olivet. During this time he saw only those at Simon's house
and John Mark. It was about nine o'clock on Saturday, April 15, when the two
apostles found him and took him back with them to their rendezvous at the Mark
home. The next day Thomas listened to the telling of the stories of the
Master's various appearances, but he steadfastly refused to believe... Without
intending it, he really enjoyed the attention paid him; he derived unconscious
satisfaction from the efforts of all his fellows to convince and convert him...
They were having their evening meal a little after six o'clock, with Peter
sitting on one side of Thomas and Nathaniel on the other, when the doubting
apostle said: "I will not believe unless I see the Master with my own eyes
and put my finger in the mark of the nails."
13. As they thus sat at supper, and while the doors were
securely shut and barred, the morontia Master suddenly appeared inside the
curvature of the table and, standing directly in front of Thomas, said:
"Peace be upon you. For a full week
have I tarried that I might appear again when you were all present to hear once
more the commission to go into all the world and preach this gospel of the
kingdom... 1 send you forth, not to love the souls of men, but rather to love
men. You are not merely to proclaim the joys of heaven but also to exhibit in
your daily experience these spirit realities of the divine life since you
already have eternal life, as the gift of God, through faith... when you shall
have been baptized with the Spirit of Truth, you will bravely and joyously go
forth to meet the new experiences of proclaiming the good news of eternal life
in the kingdom of God... let your loving service effectually destroy the
prejudice engendered by ignorance. By so drawing close to your fellow men in
understanding sympathy and with unselfish devotion, you will lead them into a
saving knowledge of the Father's love. The Jews have extolled goodness; the
Greeks have exalted beauty; the Hindus preach devotion; the far‑away
ascetics teach reverence; the Romans demand loyalty; but I require of my
disciples life, even a life of loving service for your brothers in the
flesh."
14. When the Master had so spoken, he looked down into the
face of Thomas and said: "And you, Thomas, who said you would not believe
unless you could see me and put your finger in the nail marks of my hands, have
now beheld me and heard my words; and though you see no nail marks on my hands,
since I am raised in the form that you also shall have when you depart from
this world, what will you say to your brethren? ... Your doubts, Thomas, always
most stubbornly assert themselves just as they are about to crumble. Thomas, I
bid you be not faithless but believing—and I know you will believe, even with a
whole heart."
When Thomas heard these words, he fell on
his knees before the morontia Master and exclaimed, "I believe! My Lord
and my Master!" Then said Jesus to Thomas "You have believed, Thomas,
because you have really seen and heard me. Blessed are those in the ages to
come who will believe even though they have not seen with the eye of flesh nor
heard with the mortal ear."
And then, as the Master's form moved over
near the head of the table, he addressed them all, saying: "And now go all
of you to Galilee, where I will presently appear to you." After he said
this, he vanished from their sight.
15. While the eleven apostles were on the way to Galilee,
drawing near their journey's end, on Tuesday evening, April 18, at about half
past eight o'clock, Jesus appeared to Rodan and some eighty other believers, in
Alexandria... Jesus appeared before these Greeks and Jews at the conclusion of
the report of David's messenger regarding the crucifixion... Nathan ended his
touching recital with these words: "But David, who sends us this word,
reports that the Master, in foretelling his death, declared that he would rise
again. Even as Nathan spoke, the morontia Master appeared their in full view of
all. And when Nathan sat down, Jesus said:
"Peace be upon you. That which my
Father sent me into the world to establish belongs not to a race, a nation, nor
to a special group of teachers or preachers. This gospel of the kingdom belongs
to both Jew and gentile, to rich and poor, to free and bond, to male and
female, even to the little children. And you are all to proclaim this gospel of
love and truth by the lives which you live in the flesh. You shall love one
another with a new and startling affection, even as I have loved you. You will
serve mankind with a new and amazing devotion, even as I have served you... As
the Father sent me into this world, even so now send I you. You are all called
to carry the good news to those who sit in darkness. This gospel of the kingdom
belongs to all who believe it; it shall not be committed to the custody of mere
priests. Soon will the Spirit of Truth come upon you, and he shall lead you
into all truth. Go you, therefore, into all the world preaching this gospel,
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the ages."
When the Master had so spoken, he
vanished from their sight... Imagine the surprise of David's herald of the
resurrection, who arrived the second day after this, when they replied to his
announcement, saying we know, for we have seen him. He appeared to us day
before yesterday."
U.B. 191: 2037‑2044
Discussion Questions
1. What do you imagine was some of Peter's "peculiar
difficulties?"
2. Do you think it was the triumph of Peter's faith over
doubt that caused Jesus to appear to him?
3. What does the extended concern that Jesus had for Peter
suggest about his mercy toward those who fail to live up to their better
intentions?
4. How does information about Jesus' progression through the
morontia experience help us in our mortal experience?
5. What does it mean that we are "not to love the souls
of men, but rather to love men?"
6. Why do our doubts most stubbornly assert themselves just
as they are about to crumble?
7. Why do you think the story in the gospel of John has
Thomas putting his finger in Jesus' hands and side?