As Jesus spoke, the Pharisees came up to question him; they thought to criminate him by what he said. A strict Herodian spoke and said, My Lord, you are a man of truth; you show the way to God, and you do not regard the personality of men; tell us, what do you think; should we, who are the seed of Abraham, pay tribute unto Caesar? or should we not? And Jesus knew his wickedness of heart and said, Why do you come to tempt me thus? Show me the tribute money that you speak about. The man brought forth a piece of coin on which an image was engraved. And Jesus said, Whose image and whose name is on this coin? The man replied, ’Tis Caesar’s image and his name. And Jesus said, Give unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s own; but give to God the things of God. And they who heard him said, He answers well. (Aquarian Gospel 155:1-9)
There is nothing to comment on here since it is like the usual Gospel texts.
And then a Sadducee, who thinks there is no resurrection of the dead, came up and said, Rabboni, Moses wrote that if a married man shall die, and have no child, his widow shall become his brother’s wife. Now, there were seven brothers and the eldest had a wife; he died and had no child; a brother took his widow for his wife, and then he died; and every brother had this woman for his wife; in course of time the woman died; now which will have this woman for a wife in the resurrection day?
And Jesus said, Here in this plane of life men marry just to gratify their selfish selfs, or to perpetuate the race; but in the world to come, and in the resurrection day, men do not take upon themselves the marriage vows. But, like the angels and the other sons of God, they form not unions for the pleasure of the self, nor to perpetuate the race. Death does not mean the end of life. The grave is not the goal of men, no more than is the earth the goal of seeds. Life is the consequence of death. The seed may seem to die, but from its grave the tree arises into life. So man may seem to die, but he lives on, and from the grave he springs up into life. If you could comprehend the word that Moses spoke about the burning bush that burned and still was not consumed, then you would know that death cannot destroy the life. And Moses said that God is God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel. God is not God of dead men’s bones, but the living man. I tell you, men, man goes down to the grave, but he will rise again and manifest the life; for every life is hid with Christ in God, and man shall live while God shall live. The Pharisees and scribes who heard the Lord, exclaimed, He speaks the truth; and they were glad to have the Sadducees discomfited. (Aquarian Gospel 155:10-24)
Here in this plane of life men marry just to gratify their selfish selfs, or to perpetuate the race; but in the world to come, and in the resurrection day, men do not take upon themselves the marriage vows. But, like the angels and the other sons of God, they form not unions for the pleasure of the self, nor to perpetuate the race. In the higher worlds “society” is no longer needed for development, so naturally marriage, family, nationality, etc. are left behind in this plane. There is an absolute obsession with the idea that families will be reunited “over there” and suchlike, but that is not accurate. Certainly, those who have been closely associated in earthly life may return and again meet those with whom they had previous connection, but many aspects of earthly life dissolve at death. We have to pass on and grow beyond the circumstances of previous lives. Otherwise there would be no progress at all. In higher worlds God becomes the focus of life and no longer does the little wandering ego hold center stage. This is the purpose of evolution.
Death does not mean the end of life. The grave is not the goal of men, no more than is the earth the goal of seeds. Life is the consequence of death. The seed may seem to die, but from its grave the tree arises into life. So man may seem to die, but he lives on, and from the grave he springs up into life. The most perfect exposition of this truth is found in the Bhagavad Gita:
“The truly wise mourn neither for the living nor for the dead. There was never a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor any of these kings. Nor is there any future in which we shall cease to be. Just as the dweller in this body passes through childhood, youth and old age, so at death he merely passes into another kind of body. The wise are not deceived by that. Bodies are said to die, but That which possesses the body is eternal. It cannot be limited, or destroyed. Know this Atman [spirit] unborn, undying, never ceasing, never beginning, deathless, birthless, how can It die the death of the body? Worn-out garments are shed by the body: worn-out bodies are shed by the dweller within the body. New bodies are donned by the dweller, like garments. But if you should suppose this Atman to be subject to constant birth and death, even then you ought not to be sorry. Death is certain for the born. Rebirth is certain for the dead. You should not grieve for what is unavoidable. Before birth, beings are not manifest to our human senses. In the interim between birth and death, they are manifest. At death they return to the unmanifest again. What is there in all this to grieve over? There are some who have actually looked upon the Atman, and understood It, in all Its wonder. Others can only speak of It as wonderful beyond their understanding. Others know of Its wonder by hearsay. And there are others who are told about It and do not understand a word. He Who dwells within all living bodies remains for ever indestructible. Therefore, you should never mourn for any one” (Bhagavad Gita 2:11-13, 18, 20, 22, 26-30).
If you could comprehend the word that Moses spoke about the burning bush that burned and still was not consumed, then you would know that death cannot destroy the life. This is a very unique interpretation, but it is certainly on target and not to be disregarded.
And Moses said that God is God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel. God is not God of dead men’s bones, but the living man. When I was seven or eight I was deeply affected by hearing a sermon on the radio on the fact that there are no dead because the immortal spirit cannot die. Some are embodied and some are disembodied, but all are alive.
I tell you, men, man goes down to the grave, but he will rise again and manifest the life; for every life is hid with Christ in God, and man shall live while God shall live. Two truths are presented here: reincarnation and the fact that we all live with the life of God because we are a part of God. We can no more die than God can die, “whose shadow is immortality” as the Yajur Veda says (4.1.8; 7.5.17).
And then an honest scribe came forth and said to Jesus, Lord, you speak as one whom God has sent, and may I ask, Which is the greatest and the first of the Commandments of the Law? And Jesus said, The first is Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your strength; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. These are the greatest of the ten, and on them hang the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. The scribe replied, My soul gives witness that you speak the truth, for love fulfils the law, and far transcends burnt offerings and sacrifice. And Jesus said to him, Lo, you have solved a mystery; you are within the kingdom and the kingdom is in you. (Aquarian Gospel 155:25-31)
The final sentence is extremely important. Jesus does not say the man is near the kingdom, which would imply that Jesus can put him into the kingdom if he will become a convert to his Messiahship. Not at all. Jesus says that he is already in the kingdom and the kingdom lives in him. He need not “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ” to enter the kingdom. He is there already with Jesus.
To his disciples Jesus spoke, and all the people heard; he said, Beware you of the scribes and Pharisees who pride themselves in wearing long and richly decorated robes, and love to be saluted in the market place, and seek the highest seats at feasts, and take the hard-earned wages of the poor to satisfy their carnal selves, and pray in public, long and loud. These are the wolves who clothe themselves to look like sheep. (Aquarian Gospel 155:32-34)
This is a description that can be applied to most who make a business of religion.
And then he said to all, The scribes and Pharisees are placed by law in Moses’ seat, and by the law they may interpret law; so what they bid you do, that do; but do not imitate their deeds. They say the things that Moses taught; they do the things of Beelzebub. They talk of mercy, yet they bind on human shoulders burdens grievous to bear. They talk of helpfulness, and yet they put not forth the slightest helpful efforts for their brother man. They make a show of doing things, and yet they do not anything but show their gaudy robes, and broad phylacteries, and smile when people call them honored masters of the law. They strut about and show their pride when people call them father, so and so. (Aquarian Gospel 155:35-41)
Reading this I am reminded of a very old man I once saw at a church meeting. He spoke of his spiritual history and of how coming into contact with a particular church had helped him greatly. He concluded: “I got what they preached, not what they had.” Jesus advises us to do the same
Hear, now, you men, Call no man father here. The God of heaven and earth, and he alone, is Father of the race of men. Christ is the hierarch, the high, exalted master of the sons of men. If you would be exalted, sit down at the master’s feet and serve. He is the greatest man who serves the best. (Aquarian Gospel 155:42-44)
There is no substitute for God, though religion tries mightily to promote many. Some make a god of the Bible, some of their church organization, some of a spiritual figure, some of a theological view and some of themselves. But God alone is the Father of our souls. We came from him and we shall return to him. The intermediary between God and man is Christ, the Only-begotten of the Father, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Jesus was great in the kingdom because he was the best servant of Christ; so much so that he was a perfect reflection of Christ, a Christ himself, as are all perfected sons of God.
Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis