Now, many Jews from Galilee, Judea and Samaria were in Jerusalem and at the feast. The porch of Solomon was filled with scribes and Pharisees and doctors of the law, and Jesus walked with them.
A scribe approaching Jesus said, Rabboni, why do you keep the people waiting in suspense? If you are the Messiah that the prophets said would come, will you not tell us now?
And Jesus said, Lo, I have told you many times, but you believed me not. No man can do the work that I have done and bring to men the truth as I have brought the truth who did not come from God. What I have done and said are witnesses for me. God calls, and they whose ears have been attuned to hear the heavenly voice have heard the call and have believed in me; because God testifies for me. You cannot hear the voice of God, because your ears are closed. You cannot comprehend the works of God, because your hearts are full of self. And you are busybodies, mischief-makers, hypocrites. You take these men whom God has given me into your haunts and try to poison them with sophistries and lies, and think that you will snatch them from the fold of God. I tell you, men, these men are tried and you can snatch not one of them away. My Father who has given them to me is greater than you all, and he and I are one. (Aquarian Gospel 147:1-11)
God calls, and they whose ears have been attuned to hear the heavenly voice have heard the call and have believed in me; because God testifies for me. It would be very easy to just say: “God has called and they have answered,” as if it was all a matter of God calling. But that would leave out half the matter. God calls and people hear only because their “ears have been attuned to hear the heavenly voice.” And who attunes their ears? They do! Through self-discipline and spiritual practice they purified, refined and opened their spiritual faculties. And they would not have done so if they had not understood that one day the call would come, and if they had not wanted to hear and respond to the divine voice. So it was their choice. They believed in Jesus because they were on the same wavelength and could intuit the divine will working through Jesus, and hoping that the same will would work in and through them.
You cannot hear the voice of God, because your ears are closed. You cannot comprehend the works of God, because your hearts are full of self. Those whose ears are not consciously and intentionally attuned to God cannot hear the voice of God. And the way to attune ourselves is to practice meditation on God, upon his very being and consciousness that is embodied in the sacred Pranava: Om. Those whose attention is fixed on themselves and the pursuits of their desires are completely unaware of the ways and works of God. But those who practice yoga draw near to God, touch him, find their eyes of spirit opened and find themselves awakened in God.
And you are busybodies, mischief-makers, hypocrites. You take these men whom God has given me into your haunts and try to poison them with sophistries and lies, and think that you will snatch them from the fold of God. I tell you, men, these men are tried and you can snatch not one of them away. My Father who has given them to me is greater than you all, and he and I are one. It is essential for us to understand that when Jesus or a truly holy person speaks so straightforwardly to someone they are not condemning them or trying to make them feel guilty or ashamed. They are just telling them the plain truth because they hope such people will understand and be healed. And they are also wanting the people witnessing their words to understand how things really are.
Jesus is speaking to those that do their best to undermine and reverse any drawing near to God or any awakening that may have begun to stir in the consciousness of others. All my life I have seen religious people ganging up on those whom God has been drawing to himself, and therefore drawing them out of the orbit of the limited religion in which they have been trapped. Friends to themselves and enemies of God, these “spiritual authorities” are shameless in their bullying and cajoling. Having many times been the object of such “straightening out” I know well what “having sense” talked to me is like.
But Jesus is right. They cannot put such people back in the prison of their little, silly theology. Evolution itself has put them beyond further hoodwinking. God calls them and they awake, hear and follow.
I do want to tell you of just one such incident which illustrates this. Years ago I knew a very pure-hearted novice in a monastery. He was not at all intellectual, actually being simple to the point of seeming mentally deficient. But his devotion to God was to the point of genius. Once I saw two highly educated priests trying to convert him to their utterly specious ideas. One of them spoke his sophistry and when he paused the novice said: “You are right!” And proceed to repeat back what he thought the priest had said, but which was actually a brilliant and total demolishing of the priest’s supposed reasoning. The priest sat there as though hit in the stomach. Then the other took over and the same thing happened! This went on for about half an hour. One time the novice returned to past remarks and said: “What your said a little bit ago was really good…,” and proceeded to again wipe out their deceit. Finally they gave up and left. The novice, all smiles and innocence, got up and said to me: “I am so glad they came today. I learned a lot,” And went up to his attic room to pray to God whom, though he realized it not, he could triumphantly call “my goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth people under me” (Psalms 144:2).
This is not the only incident in which I have heard divine wisdom from the lips of very simple and even backward people whose hearts were pure in response to those who would deceive them.
And then the Jews took stones to throw at him and cried, Now we have heard enough; away with him; let him be stoned.
But Joseph, member of the great Sanhedrin of the Jews, was in the porch and he came forth and said, You men of Israel, do nothing rash; throw down those stones; your reason is a better guide than passion in such times as these. You do not know your accusations to be true, and if this man should prove himself to be the Christ, and you should take his life, the wrath of God would rest upon you evermore. (Aquarian Gospel 147:12-15)
This is Joseph of Arimathaea who intervenes. We can see the character of the minds and hearts of the enemies of Jesus. Killing an innocent man or even a Messiah does not phase them, but the idea that “the wrath of God would rest upon you evermore” gets their attention. It is a trait of the lowest level of religionists that reward and punishment form the basis of their religious motivations. It is not God or others who matter, but their own pious skins.
And Jesus said to them, Lo, I have healed your sick, have caused your blind to see, your deaf to hear, your lame to walk, and cast out unclean spirits from your friends; For which of these great works would you desire to take my life?
The Jews replied, We would not stone you for your works of grace, but for your vile, blasphemous words. You are but man and still you say that you are God.
And Jesus said, A prophet of your own said to the sons of men, Lo, you are gods! Now, hark, you men, if he could say that to the men who simply heard the word of God, why should you think that I blaspheme the name of God because I say, I am a son of God? If you believe not what I say you must have faith in what I do, and you should see the Father in these works, and know that I dwell in the Father-God, and that the Father dwells in me. (Aquarian Gospel 147:16-21)
This pretty well sews it up! Not that it will convince the kind of people who believe that anyone different from them is wrong or evil.
And then again the Jews took stones and would have stoned him in the temple court; but he withdrew himself from sight and left the porch and court and went his way; and with the twelve he went to Jericho, and after certain days they crossed the Jordan and in Bethabara abode for many days. (Aquarian Gospel 147:22, 23)
This is an example of how we should react to such people. Ignore them and go on about our lives.
Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis