Now, on the last day of the feast when multitudes were in the courtways, Jesus said, Whoever is athirst may come to me and drink. He who believes in me and in the Christ whom God has sent, may drink the cup of life, and from his inner parts shall streams of living waters flow. The Holy Breath will overshadow him, and he will breathe the Breath, and speak the words, and live the life.
The people were divided in their views concerning him. Some said, This man is prophet of the living God. And others said, He is Messiah whom our prophets said would come. And others said, He cannot be the Christ, for he came down from Galilee; the Christ must come from Bethlehem where David lived. (Aquarian Gospel 134:1-7)
He who believes in me and in the Christ whom God has sent, may drink the cup of life, and from his inner parts shall streams of living waters flow. Since there is a very definite distinction made between Jesus and Christ, we may reasonably infer that those who confuse the two are not really perfect disciples of Jesus or perfect Christians. Their Christology is erroneous and misleading and cannot lead to spiritual benefit. Further, those who do accept this view and act upon it by the empowerment of the Sacraments and the transmuting power of meditation on Om, will themselves become sources of the water of life to others. They, too, will be Christs, which is the original purpose of Christianity as a spiritual system. They will be both awakened and awakeners.
The Holy Breath will overshadow him, and he will breathe the Breath, and speak the words, and live the life. Saint John of Kronstadt spoke many times of the fact that the saints, the “just men made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23), breathe the Holy Spirit, are eternally established in the Holy Spirit and one with her. Therefore they “speak the words and live the life” of the Holy Spirit. They are indeed gods.
He cannot be the Christ, for he came down from Galilee; the Christ must come from Bethlehem where David lived. Here we see how it is possible to cite valid spiritual authority such as the scriptures to prove a false view. Just look at all the “Bible-based” churches around us, including many called “Bible Church.” There is no substitute for spiritual evolution and God-knowledge (Brahmajnana).
Again the priests and Pharisees sent officers to bring him into court to answer for his life; but when the officers returned and brought him not, the rulers were enraged and said, Why did you not arrest this man and hale him into court? The officers replied, We never heard a man speak like this man speaks. In rage the Pharisees stood forth and said, Have you gone mad? Have you been led astray? Are you disciples of this man? Have any of the rulers, or the Pharisees believed on him? The common people! yes, they may believe; they are accursed; they know not anything. But Nicodemus came before the rulers and he said, Can Jewish judges judge a man and sentence him until they hear his plea? Let Jesus stand before this bar and testify himself. The rulers said, This Jesus is a wily man, and if we suffer him to speak, he will rebuke us face to face, and then the multitudes will laugh and stand in his defense. And then you know, as well as we, that prophets do not come from Galilee. The rulers felt the force of what the officers and Nicodemus said, and they said nothing more. (Aquarian Gospel 134:8-16)
The fact that henchmen of the Sanhedrin could recognize there was something rare and even awesome about Jesus, whereas the priests and Pharisees could not, shows that religious belief can blind the mind to spiritual realities. We also see how only ignorant and deluded people think that the proof of a spiritual teaching is in “the right people” accepting it. See how religion traffics in endorsements from renowned people as though the religion is toothpaste, a mere commodity. It is amazing the number of celebrities, scientists, and politicians that are attracted by outrageous cults. That tells us something.
In the final sentence of this section we see that the enemies of Jesus knew in their hearts that what the officers and Nicodemus said to them was true. This we always find, too. The most virulent enemies of holy teachers and teachings in their hearts know they are holy and hate them for it. Their rejection is totally and consciously evil.
And then the people went their way, each to his home; but Jesus went unto Mount Olives where he spent the night in prayer. But in the morning when the sun had scarcely risen, Jesus came again, and many people came to see him in the temple courts, and he sat down and taught the multitudes. The Pharisees and scribes were still alert to find a cause whereby they might condemn him by the words he spoke.
The officers had taken in the very act of crime, a courtesan. As Jesus taught, they brought this woman and set her in the midst and said, Rabboni, this vile woman has been taken in adultery. The law of Moses says that such as she shall die, be stoned to death; what do you say should be her punishment? And Jesus stooped and made a figure on the ground and in it placed the number of a soul, and then he sat in silent thought. And when the priests demanded that he speak, he said, Let him who has no sin stand forth and be the first to cast a stone at her. And then he closed his eyes, and not a word was said. When he arose and saw the woman all alone he said, Where are the men who brought you here? they who accused? The woman said, They all are gone; no one was here who could condemn. And Jesus said, And I condemn you not; go on your way in peace, and sin no more. (Aquarian Gospel 134:17-27)
The Pharisees and scribes were still alert to find a cause whereby they might condemn him by the words he spoke. This is always the way with conscious, intentional enemies of truth: they hate and plot to destroy. They do not misunderstand: they know they are destroying truth–or attempting to. I can cite a particularly telling example. Beyond Calipatria, California, there is an area colloquially called Slab City. In that area there is a mountain known as Salvation Mountain that has been turned into a kind of spiritual sculpture (yes; the whole mountain) by a man we became close friends with. Genuinely devoted to Jesus and pure of heart, he was dearly loved by us. Interestingly, although our understanding of Christianity was vastly different from his, which was simple Fundamentalism, we got along with him perfectly, whereas other Fundamentalists were always picking little, nitty disagreements with him. In fact, we were his only true friends, and he sometimes remarked in surprise about the wonderful harmony we had. On one visit he told us that the enemies of God and Christ continually were thinking up reasons why the mountain should be destroyed. (It was really a big dirt hill and could with effort be leveled.) Naturally they used their favorite deity, The Environment, as a lever, but testing always proved the mountain was not a hazard in any way. Finally a big push was made in the California legislature, which before any investigation voted one hundred seventy-five thousand dollars to dismantle Salvation Mountain–and this despite the fact that many artistic associations and museums in both America and Europe, who considered it a national treasure, had written in the mountain’s defense. (Many art books had been made of photographs of the mountain here and abroad.) Once again the enemies of right were defeated, but the motives were clear: hatred of God and believers.
Jesus stooped and made a figure on the ground and in it placed the number of a soul, and then he sat in silent thought. Just what this figure and the number were is unknown. In Chapter One Hundred Thirty Three it is said that Seven is the number of the human being. Considering there are seven chakras corresponding to the seven levels of the creation, this is a viable speculation. Whichever it may be, Jesus is setting before himself the divine, eternal nature of the person in contrast to the “big sinner” attitude of the woman’s accusers. And he dealt with the matter in this perspective, as must we if we would not do harm. It is not easy to look at any of us and think of the divine image, much less see it, but nevertheless it is the only right viewpoint.
The Bhagavad Gita says: “The Lord lives in the heart of every creature” (Bhagavad Gita 18:61). So when we deal with a human being we are dealing with God himself. He is seated right inside there, experiencing everything that person is experiencing. When we speak to anyone we are also speaking to God, and when we do something to a person we are doing it to God, as well. No wonder Jesus, who was one with the Father, said: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). And to Paul who was persecuting the Christians, Jesus said: “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest” (Acts 9:5).
I condemn you not; go on your way in peace, and sin no more. This incident does not prove that sin is inconsequential and its reality to be denied. Otherwise Jesus would not have told the woman: “Sin no more.” His mercy healed her soul and cured her of the impulse to sin if she strove to fulfill his counsel. It was up to her to make it effective by her response. The same is true of us all through our spiritual life from the beginning to the end.
Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis