When Jesus, Peter, James and John were come unto the city’s gates a multitude of people thronged the way. The nine apostles who went not with Jesus to the mount, had tried to heal an epileptic child who was obsessed, and they had failed; the people waited for the coming of the Lord. When Jesus came the father of the child knelt down before him and implored his help. He said, My master, I beseech that you will look in pity on my son, my only child; he is an epileptic child and suffers grievously. Sometimes he falls into the fire and is burned; again he falls into the water and is like to drown; and many times a day he falls, he grinds his teeth, the foam pours from his mouth. I took my child to your disciples, and they failed to give relief. And as he spoke a servant brought the child before the Lord (the child spoke not, for he was dumb), and instantly he fell upon the ground, he foamed, he writhed in agony. (Aquarian Gospel 130:1-7)
Three points are to be noted here. First, that someone can be obsessed by spirits from birth. Second, that being mute may be a sign of obsession. Third, that coming into the presence of a holy person may agitate the obsessing entity and cause it to produce come kind of fit or manifestation of its presence.
And Jesus said, How long has he been troubled thus? The father said, From infancy; and we have sought in many lands for help, but found it not; but I believe that you can speak the Word and heal my son. And Jesus said, Faith is the power of God. All things are possible for him who in his heart believes. The father cried, in tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. And Jesus spoke the Word of power; the epileptic child lay in a swoon; he did not breathe, and all the people said, The child is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand and said: Arise; and he arose and spoke. The people were amazed, and many said, This surely is a man of God, for no such power was ever given to man. (Aquarian Gospel 130:8-14)
I believe that you can speak the Word and heal my son. Many people in Israel had the conviction that Jesus had somehow found the Secret Name of God in the Temple where it had been hidden by Hiram Abiff, the architect. Actually the Word he knew was the Pranava, Om, that had become known to him in India.
And Jesus said, Faith is the power of God. All things are possible for him who in his heart believes. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” Faith, real supernatural faith, not mere intellectual belief, is the direct action of God upon the individual. It is an opening; an awakening. So a person who follows through on their faith is linking himself with God so the limitless power of the divine can flow through or into him and accomplish whatever he desires. Certainly, Jesus was the source of the healing power, but through the man’s faith it became possible for it to work effectively.
The father cried, in tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. This often happens: faith is not perfect or complete, but God’s mercy fills up that which is lacking and brings about the desired effect. It is interesting that in the ordination rites of the Eastern Orthodox Church the actual formula of ordination always begins: “The grace divine, which always healeth that which is infirm, and completeth that which is wanting….”
And Jesus spoke the Word of power; the epileptic child lay in a swoon; he did not breathe, and all the people said, The child is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand and said: Arise; and he arose and spoke. Does this mean that anyone who knows the holy syllable Om can heal and work miracles? Only if it has become active in him through prolonged practice in which Om has been continuously repeated both in and outside meditation. A mantra contains infinite power, but it must be made awakened and living through diligent practice. However, a beginner may be shown the power of Om right away. Here are two examples, the first a bit strange. One time the toilet in my apartment went on the blink and would not quit flushing. So I put my hands on either side of it and intoned Om over and over. It quit and never gave any trouble as long as I lived there. Another time a friend of mine struck her foot violently and was in terrible pain. I bent down and touched the foot, intoning Om. Immediately the pain stopped. She was quite amazed, but not as much as I was. On the other hand, I knew two yogis who tried to recharge their car battery by holding their hands out toward it and chanting Om. It did not work. Om embodies divine intelligence and knows what to do and what not to do.
Then Jesus and the twelve went to the house, and after they had taken food and been refreshed, the nine disciples said, Lord, why could we not heal this child? We spoke the Word; but even that was powerless. And Jesus said, Your great success in all your former work has made you careless, and you forgot to recognize the power of God. Without the spirit of the Word, the Word is like an idle tale; and you forgot to pray. There is no faith without the prayer of faith. Faith is the wings of prayer; but wings alone fly not. By prayer and faith you can bring down the mountain peaks, and cast them in the sea; the little hills will skip about like lambs at your command. This failure may be well for you. The great lessons that are learned in life come through the failures that are made. (Aquarian Gospel 130:15-21)
Often those who know ritual or yogic practices that are effective forget that God is the power behind all things, and come to regard the ritual and practices as mere energy devices that are effective completely within themselves, that the heart and mind need not be engaged in their application, only a mechanical performance. And especially they forget to open their hearts to God in prayer, as though they by themselves could obtain what they desire. Humility and a sense of total dependence on God are necessary. Our entire life must be a reaching out toward God, and that includes our spiritual practices. Everything must first be an offering to God, a dependence on the divine will.
As the disciples sat in thoughtful meditation Jesus said, Let these words sink into your hearts: The time has nearly come when you must bear your load alone; that is, without my presence in the flesh. For I will fall into the hands of wicked men, and they will slay me on a mount beyond Bezetha wall. And men will lay my body in a tomb where, by the sacred Word, it will be guarded and preserved three days; then I will rise again. The twelve were sad; they did not understand, and yet they feared to ask him to reveal the meaning of his word. Next day the Christine master and the twelve began their journey of return, and soon were in Capernaum. (Aquarian Gospel 130:22-27)
For some reason the East is quite capable of thinking and living in two different directions without it being either contradictory or inconsistent, whereas the West is usually not. Here we see a classical example. Jesus has told the disciples to be aware of their total dependence, and now tells them that they must learn to manage on their own. Both are true and necessary. Here we see the action of the Divine Word in relation to Jesus’ resurrection. Of course without experience the disciples do not fully comprehend all that he says, but that will come in time, especially after the awakening and empowerment of Pentecost.
Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis