Jesus–a competitor?
“Now, John the harbinger, was at the Salim Springs where water was abundant, and washed the bodies of the people who confessed their sins. A Jewish lawyer went to John and said, Has not this man from Galilee, he whom you washed and called the Christ, become your foe? They say that he is at the Jordan ford; that he is building up a church, or something else, and that he washes people just as you have done” (Aquarian Gospel 79:1-3).
“Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled” (Titus 1:15). In the same way, those that view religion as a business are always concerned about competitors. For this reason the scribe warns Saint John that Jesus is setting himself up in the same business. Like such people he is hoping to provoke anger and hostility in the saint, which is impossible, for Saint John himself said of himself in relation to Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Actually, John the Evangelist had been a disciple of Saint John, but he had sent him to become a disciple of Jesus (John 1:35-37)–something a worldling could never understand.
John and Jesus
“And John replied, This Jesus is indeed the Christ whose way I came to pave. He is not foe of mine. The bridegroom hath the bride; his friends are near, and when they hear his voice they all rejoice. The kingdom of the Holy One is bride, and Christ the groom; and I, the harbinger, am full of joy because they prosper so abundantly. I have performed the work that I was sent to do; the work of Jesus just begins” (Aquarian Gospel 79:4-7).
This Jesus is indeed the Christ whose way I came to pave. He is not foe of mine. There is no taint of ego in the Baptist; he knows his purpose, which is a great one indeed, for he is to prepare the way for the revelation of Jesus to Israel. For time beyond calculation, every year a crop of new Messiahs arose, usually at the Passover time in Jerusalem. Messiah-watchers never lacked for entertainment. But the prophets had said that before the Messiah came he would be preceded by the reincarnation of Elijah, and many did realize that John was Elijah returned–and therefore the authentic herald of the Messiah.
Elijah had one disciple: Elisha, the future Jesus: “And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
“And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
“And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
“And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
“And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
“He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him” (II Kings 2:1-15).
Because of his master’s promise, the disciple attained twice that which his teacher had attained. In the King James translation we read that John said regarding Jesus: “This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not” (John 1:30, 31). But this not at all what the Greek text says. Rather it should read: “After me there comes a man who has become superior to me. And I did not recognize him because at first [protos] he was mine [mou]”–my disciple and less than me.
Jesus was certainly not an opponent or competitor of John, for they were cousins and had grown up together until Jesus left for India and John remained in the desert. Also they had been educated together by their mothers who had been trained for that by the Essene teachers in Egypt. Further, John was the Master of the Essenes, and all of Jesus’ family were Essenes, including most of his disciples who were also his cousins. Jesus was the very purpose of John’s incarnation, and not long after announcing Jesus to Israel John was executed. Once he had fulfilled the purpose of his birth he left this world. So Jesus was the beginning and end of his life.
The bridegroom hath the bride; his friends are near, and when they hear his voice they all rejoice. The kingdom of the Holy One is bride, and Christ the groom; and I, the harbinger, am full of joy because they prosper so abundantly. I have performed the work that I was sent to do; the work of Jesus just begins. John can now say to God as Jesus will later: “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.…And now come I to thee” (John 17:4, 13).
Christ
“Then turning to the multitudes he said, Christ is the king of righteousness; Christ is the love of God; yea, he is God; one of the holy persons of the Triune God. Christ lives in every heart of purity” (Aquarian Gospel 79:8, 9).
Although it is proper to speak of Jesus (the) Christ, as already said more than once, the Master Jesus is a Christ, not the Christ. This distinction must always be kept in mind.
Christ is “the Son of God,” “the Only-begotten of the Father,” one of the divine Persons or Aspects of the Trinity. Christ is the creator of all and the ruler of all (Pantocrator), the Lord of Righteousness and Love. In Indian philosophy he is called Ishwara–the Lord. He is the link between the transcendent Father (Parabrahman) and the Holy Spirit (Mahashakti) Who is the Divine Light manifesting as all creation. Only the pure in heart can comprehend the Christ, for He lives in them. That is why Jesus the Christ said: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8)–the Christ.
Jesus
“Now, Jesus who is preaching at the Jordan ford, has been subjected to the hardest tests of human life, and he has conquered all the appetites and passions of the carnal man, and by the highest court of heaven, has been declared a man of such superior purity and holiness that he can demonstrate the presence of the Christ on earth. Lo, love divine, which is the Christ, abides in him, and he is pattern for the race. And every man can see in him what every man will be when he has conquered all the passions of the selfish self. In water I have washed the bodies of the people who have turned from sin, symbolic of the cleansing of the soul; but Jesus bathes for ever in the living waters of the Holy Breath. And Jesus comes to bring the savior of the world to men; Love is the savior of the world. And all who put their trust in Christ, and follow Jesus as a pattern and a guide, have everlasting life. But they who do not trust the Christ, and will not purify their hearts so that the Christ can dwell within, can never enter life” (Aquarian Gospel 79:10-18).
Buddha said that those who claimed he taught what he did not teach and denied that he taught what he did teach were not his friends but his enemies. It is the same with Jesus, and can also be extended to include claiming a status for him which he does not have and denying his real status and nature. Consequently it is no true praise to claim that Jesus is God the Creator of all, nor is it right to deny his true glory: that he has struggled up the ladder of evolution, conquering all obstacles and entered fully into his eternal, divine nature as a son of God, having attained such a total union with the Infinite Consciousness that he participates in the omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence of God–that he is a god in the truest sense, as are we all potentially. So Saint John is explaining the truth about Jesus.
Jesus who is preaching at the Jordan ford, has been subjected to the hardest tests of human life, and he has conquered all the appetites and passions of the carnal man, and by the highest court of heaven, has been declared a man of such superior purity and holiness that he can demonstrate the presence of the Christ on earth. Having perfected himself, Jesus was witnessed to by God at his baptism and transfiguration when God spoke to those present, saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; 17:5).
Lo, love divine, which is the Christ, abides in him, and he is pattern for the race. And every man can see in him what every man will be when he has conquered all the passions of the selfish self. Jesus shows us how we, too, must live and strive for perfection, and is living demonstration of what each one of us will be when we have complete the Path to Christhood and ourselves been revealed as perfect sons of God.
In water I have washed the bodies of the people who have turned from sin, symbolic of the cleansing of the soul; but Jesus bathes for ever in the living waters of the Holy Breath. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God” (John 1:12). Through the spiritual means Jesus has given it is possible to be constantly renewed in spirit, “bathed” in the evolving Light of the Holy Spirit. In this way we literally live in God as part of God.
And Jesus comes to bring the savior of the world to men; Love is the savior of the world. And all who put their trust in Christ, and follow Jesus as a pattern and a guide, have everlasting life. Those who live the Christ life–not those who make a fetish of Jesus and think he will “save” them in exchange for their flattery and obsession–will enter into life eternal.
But they who do not trust the Christ, and will not purify their hearts so that the Christ can dwell within, can never enter life. So it is not a matter of Jesus, it is a matter of Christ. All Jesus can do is point us to Christ and be our example and helper, but we must make the journey ourselves. Jesus is the messenger, and Christ is the Message.
Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis: John Speaks Further About Jesus