The multitudes would hear what Jesus had to say, and so they built a platform in the temple court, and Jesus stood upon the place and taught. He spoke in parables; he said,
A man possessed a vast estate; he planted out a vineyard, placed a hedge about it, built a tower, installed the press for making wine. He placed his vineyard in the hands of husbandmen and then he journeyed to a distant land. Now, in the vintage time the man sent forth a servant to receive and bring to him his portion of the fruitage of the vines. The husbandmen came forth and beat the man; laid forty lashes on his back and cast him out beyond the vineyard gate. And then the owner sent another man to bring to him his own. The husbandmen laid hold of him and sorely wounded him and cast him from the vineyard, leaving him half dead beside the way.) The owner sent another man to bring to him his own. The husbandmen seized hold of him and with a javelin they pierced his heart; then buried him beyond the hedge. The owner was aggrieved. He thought within himself, What shall I do? and then he said, This will I do. My only son is here, and I will send him to the husbandmen, They surely will respect my son and send me what is mine. He sent his son; the husbandmen took counsel with themselves; they said, This is the only heir to all this wealth, and if we take his life the vast inheritance is ours. They took his life and cast him out beyond the vineyard hedge. The day will come; the owner will return to reckon with the husbandmen, and he will seize them every one, and cast them into scorching fires where they shall stay until they pay the debts they owe. And he will place his vineyard in the care of honest men. (Aquarian Gospel 154:1-13)
There is not much to say about this parable because it is the same as that in the regular Gospels. It is portraying of how Israel persecuted and even killed the messengers of God through the centuries, and how they are now about to murder the greatest of all, one who had attained the status of a son of God. But the consequences will be terrible and tremendous suffering will come upon those who committed the crime and those who did not approve yet did not oppose it. Tremendous karma will be created and tremendous will be reaping of it. Furthermore, others will be entrusted with the spiritual wealth that was rejected by those to whom it was originally offered.
Certainly when we see the great sufferings that came to the generation of those involved in the death of Jesus we see this parable is no exaggeration. However it must be pointed out that few things are more outrageous than the false assertion that the Jewish nation through the centuries has been responsible for the death of Jesus. This is an excuse for inexcusable deprivations and persecutions aimed at them. It is one of the most shameful aspects of Western civilization.
Then turning to the priests and scribes he said, Did not your prophets say, The stone the builders cast away became the capstone of the arch? You men who pose as men of God, as husbandmen, lo, you have stoned and killed the messengers of God, his prophets and his seers, and now you seek to slay his son.
I tell you men, the kingdom shall be snatched away from you, and shall be given unto people who are not a people now, and to a nation that is not a nation now. And men whose speech you cannot understand, will stand between the living and the dead, and show the way to life.
The chief priests and the Pharisees were deeply moved with anger when they heard this parable and would have seized the Lord and done him harm, but they were sore afraid; they feared the multitude. (Aquarian Gospel 154:14-19)
I tell you men, the kingdom shall be snatched away from you, and shall be given unto people who are not a people now, and to a nation that is not a nation now. And men whose speech you cannot understand, will stand between the living and the dead, and show the way to life. The first part is well known, prophesying that those who would come to believe in the revelation of Jesus would be a new nation that would inherit the blessings which Israel enjoyed in the past. The interesting part is the second which speaks of those who “will stand between the living and the dead, and show the way to life.” This implies that true Christians are in touch with all the living, whether embodied or disembodied, and can show the way to life in union with God. Those who do not fit this description are not Christians.
And Jesus spoke another parable; he said, The kingdom is a-like a certain king who made a feast in honor of the marriage of his son. He sent his servants forth to call the people who had been invited to the feast. The servants called; but then the people would not come. And then the king sent other messengers abroad to say, Behold, my tables now are spread; my oxen and my fatlings are prepared. The choicest viands and the richest wines are on my boards; come to the marriage feast. The people laughed and treated with disdain his call, and went their way; one to his farm, another to his merchandise; and others seized the servants of the king; abused them shamefully; and some of them they killed. And then the king sent forth his soldiery who slew the murderers and burned their towns.
And then the king sent other servants forth; to them he said, Go to the corners of the streets, the partings of the ways, and to the marts of trade and say, Whoever will may come up to the marriage feast. The servants went their way and called; and lo, the banquet hall was filled with guests. (Aquarian Gospel 154:20-30)
This is a continuation of the same theme and contains no new or noteworthy elements.
But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man who had not on a wedding robe; he called to him and said, Friend, why are you here without a wedding robe? Would you dishonor thus my son? The man was dumb; he answered not. And then the king said to his guards, Take you this man and bind him hand and foot and cast him out into the darkness of the night. The many have been called, but none are chosen to be guests who have not clad themselves in wedding robes. (Aquarian Gospel 154:31-35)
It was the custom at the time of Jesus that wealthy people would send magnificent clothing to those they invited to a special feast. Instead of little cards with their names on them, their clothing was proof that they were truly invited. In this parable a man managed to get into the feast, but had no garment. The term “wedding robe” is used here in the sense that those who are destined to be “wed” to God will possess a special “robe.” The initiate of a valid spiritual system is given the power to develop an entirely new level of being, known to the yogis as a “sadhana body.” The Taoists are very insistent on this and refer to the “divine embryo” which evolves into the vehicle through which divine consciousness is perceived and united with. Sri Ramakrishna spoke of this body, saying that it is through the sadhana body, produced by spiritual practice, that aspirants actually come to see and know God. The wedding robe and the sadhana body are the same thing.
Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis