​The Alexandria Synthesis: Jesus, Ganid, and the Birth of 'Our Religion'

​In the annals of spiritual history, few moments are as intellectually profound as the weeks spent by young Jesus (Joshua) and his Indian companion, Ganid, within the hallowed halls of the Great Library of Alexandria. 

This period, meticulously detailed in the Urantia Book, represents a monumental effort to distill the quintessence of human spirituality into a unified, living philosophy.

​During their stay in Egypt, the young Indian scholar Ganid, under the tutelage of Jesus, undertook a rigorous systematic study of the world's major religions. Their goal was not mere academic comparison but a spiritual "extraction"—the identification of the highest human concepts of Deity within every existing belief system.

​From the ancient Vedic hymns of India to the ethics of Confucius and the mysteries of the Mediterranean, they filtered out the superstitions of the past to uncover the "Golden Thread" of truth running through human history.

​The culmination of this research was the creation of a document known as "Our Religion." It was a masterpiece of spiritual synthesis. Jesus did not seek to create a new sect; rather, he guided Ganid to recognize that all sincere seekers are part of the same cosmic family.

​The core tenets of this synthesis include:

​The Supreme Sovereignty of God: The recognition of one Universal Father who is the source and center of all things and beings.

​The Unity of Human Experience: A realization that while cultural expressions of faith vary, the spiritual thirst for the Divine is a universal constant.

​The Ethics of Mercy: Borrowing from the best of the world's traditions, they emphasized that true religion is manifested through service and the "fruit of the spirit" rather than ritualistic adherence.

​Personal Communion: The transition from a religion of authority to a religion of personal experience, where the individual soul maintains a direct relationship with the Indwelling Spirit of God in human minds.

​What makes the Alexandria episode so relevant today is its trans-national and trans-religious nature. By collaborating with an Indian seeker like Ganid, Jesus demonstrated that truth is not a geographical or ethnic monopoly. 

"Our Religion" was a visionary framework—a preview of a future era where mankind might move past sectarian dogmas to embrace a shared spiritual destiny.

​For the modern reader, this narrative serves as a powerful reminder: the highest concept of God is not found in isolation, but in the brave integration of all the light that has ever been revealed to humanity.

​The Urantia Book provides a poignant and somewhat bittersweet conclusion to the story of Ganid and the "Our Religion" project after the Mediterranean tour concluded.

​Upon returning to India, Ganid’s life took a direction deeply influenced by his years with Jesus. He eventually became a prominent teacher and a man of great influence. However, it is important to note that he never saw Jesus again in the flesh after they parted ways in the West.

​The papers reveal that Ganid spent the rest of his life attempting to live out the high ideals they had documented in Alexandria. He became a significant spiritual force in his homeland, translating the "Our Religion" concepts into the local cultural context to help his fellow countrymen find a more personal and fatherly concept of God.

​The fate of the physical collection of teachings is a detail that highlights the "quiet" nature of Jesus’s early life:

​The Original Intent: The 60-odd translations and the "Our Religion" summary were originally intended to be a gift for Ganid’s father, Gonod, to help him understand the universal nature of God.

​A "Lost" Legacy: While Ganid remained a devoted follower of these truths, the Urantia Book notes that this specific manuscript did not become a global scripture or a permanent historical document. Instead, it served its primary purpose as the personal spiritual foundation for Ganid and those he directly influenced.

​The Purpose of the Experience: The Urantia Book suggests that the primary value of the project was not the creation of a new holy book, but the intellectual and spiritual development of Ganid himself. It was a demonstration of how a human mind, guided by a divine teacher, can synthesize truth from diverse sources.

​Though "Our Religion" did not survive as a formal organization or a named creed in India, the essence of the teachings—the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man—lived on through Ganid’s character. He is described as a "tower of spiritual strength" who remained faithful to the "Son of Man" (whom he knew as Joshua) for the rest of his days.

​In many ways, Ganid became the first "Urantian" missionary to India, carrying not a set of dogmas, but a living realization of the spirit of truth that he had discovered in the libraries of Alexandria and the company of his friend.

The anonymity of Jesus during his journey with Ganid—often referred to as the "Rome tour"—is one of the most intriguing aspects of his "hidden years." According to the Urantia Book, this was a deliberate choice rooted in both his divine mission and his respect for human free will.

​Why did Jesus remain "Joshua the Tutor" rather than revealing his identity as the Son of God?

​Jesus was committed to experiencing the full breadth of human life as a mortal among mortals. Had he revealed his divine nature or performed miracles, he would have ceased to be a peer to those he met. By remaining anonymous, he could engage in authentic human friendship. He wanted to know men as they truly were, without the distortion of awe or worship.

​His public mission in Palestine was destined for a specific time and place. A premature "revelation" in world centers like Rome, Alexandria, or Athens would have created a political or religious movement that he was not yet ready to lead. He sought to influence the world through quiet personal ministry—one soul at a time—rather than through mass demonstrations of power.

​Jesus never wanted to "coerce" belief. If he had appeared in his full glory, people would have followed him out of fear or overwhelming evidence. By remaining a simple tutor, he ensured that those who were drawn to his teachings—like Ganid—did so because their souls recognized the truth of his words, not because they were dazzled by his divinity.

​If it had become known that Gonod and Ganid were traveling with a "divine being," their lives would have been upended. They would have been hounded by seekers, skeptics, and the Roman authorities. His anonymity allowed the family to complete their journey and allowed Ganid to receive a "normal" education, enriched but not overwhelmed by his teacher’s presence.

​The Urantia Book informs us that this period proved that the highest spiritual truths can be communicated through simple living and conversation. It wasn't the title he held, but the life he lived, that transformed Ganid.

​When they finally parted, Ganid didn't just lose a teacher; he lost a friend whom he suspected was "more than human," yet it was that very humanity that made the "Our Religion" concept so practical for his life in India.

​And my dear reader! It has been an overwhelming, wonderful and life changing experience for me to get the opportunity to find the Urantia Book, read and study it in the right perspective.

How Boy Jesus Stopped Pursuing His Artistic Pastime: An Episode From the Childhood Days of Jesus!

As per the modern calender that we follow today, Jesus Christ was 9 years old in the year 3 AD. He used to attend the school attached to the Synagogue of the Jews as per the prevailing practice of that time.

By this time Jesus' family had shifted from Alexandria in Egypt and moved back to Galilee, a place in his Jewish homeland. School facilities were better in Alexandria. But by moving to Galilee, Jesus had got a better opportunity to mingle with a larger group of people from all walks of life.

School in his new environment went on and he was still a favored pupil. The school allowed one week's holiday each month at liberty, and he continued to divide his time about equally between trips to neighboring cities with his father. He also got opportunities to spent time on his uncle’s farm south of Nazareth, and to go for fishing excursions out from Magdala.

The most serious trouble as yet to come up at school occurred in late winter when Jesus dared to challenge the chazan ( Khazen or Hassen, the person who manages the synagogue services) regarding the teaching that all images, pictures, and drawings were idolatrous in nature. 

Jesus delighted in drawing landscapes as well as in modeling a great variety of objects in potter’s clay. Unfortunately, everything of that sort was strictly forbidden by Jewish law. But up to this time he had managed to disarm his parents’ objection to such an extent that they had permitted him to continue in these activities.

But trouble was again stirred up at school when one of the more backward pupils discovered Jesus drawing a charcoal picture of the teacher on the floor of the schoolroom. 

There it was, plain as day, and many of the elders had viewed it before the committee (of the synagogue school) went to call on Joseph (earthily  father of Jesus) to demand that something be done to suppress the lawlessness of his eldest son. 

And though this was not the first time complaints had come to Joseph and Mary (earthily mother of Jesus) about the doings of their versatile and aggressive child, this was the most serious of all the accusations which had thus far been lodged against him. 

Boy Jesus listened to the indictment of his artistic efforts for some time, being seated on a large stone just outside the back door. 

He resented their blaming his father for his alleged misdeeds; so in he marched, fearlessly confronting his accusers. 

The elders were thrown into confusion. Some were inclined to view the episode humorously, while one or two seemed to think the boy was sacrilegious (disrespectful of the religious rules)  if not blasphemous (disrespectful to God). 

Joseph was unmindful, Mary indignant (angered), but Jesus insisted on being heard. 

He had his say, courageously defended his viewpoint, and with consummate self-control announced that he would abide by the decision of his father in this as in all other matters controversial. 

And the committee of elders departed in silence.

Mary endeavored to influence Joseph to permit Jesus to model in clay at home, provided he promised not to carry on any of these questionable activities at school, but Joseph felt impelled to rule that the rabbinical interpretation of the second commandment should prevail. 

And so Jesus no more drew or modeled the likeness of anything from that day as long as he lived in his father’s house. 

But he was unconvinced of the wrong of what he had done, and to give up such a favorite pastime constituted one of the great trials of his young life.

[Quoted from Paper-124 of  the Urantia Book with minor adaptations]

Jesus Cleansing the Jerusalem Temple: More Details to Learn and Meditate!

 Many of you might have heard or read the incident as given in a few passages in the gospels of the New Testament Bible that describe briefly about the public act of Jesus Christ in which he used some kind of physical force against the money changers and traders inside the Jerusalem temple. 

Is there a need to cleanse your temples now?

Many bible scholars and Christian theologians keep discussing this and giving us their views, versions and scholarly findings about this incident which is now well known as the act of cleansing of the temple.

As the gospel authors wrote about these from what they had learnt in later years, there could naturally be some mismatch here and there about the true nature of the incident, though the intentions of the biblical authors cannot be disputed.

But fortunately, now we have the detailed chronology of events written down for us by a more authoritative group of authors. When I read from this new book, I get the feeling of moving back in history to the times of when this incident really happened. 

According to this new book (my favorite book of life guidance) this incident happened on the Monday, the 3rd April, AD 30. 

For those of you who might be a little inclined to know more, I am reproducing* the relevant passages from this book with a little bit adaptation to render it somewhat simplified:

Early on this Monday morning, Jesus and the apostles assembled at the home of Simon in Bethany, and after a brief conference they started their journey to Jerusalem. The twelve were strangely silent as they journeyed on toward the Jerusalem temple; they had not recovered from the experience of the preceding Sunday when Jesus surprised them by riding the donkey on the streets. They were expectant, fearful, and profoundly affected by a certain feeling of detachment growing out of the Master’s (Jesus’) sudden change of tactics, coupled with his instruction that they were to engage in no public teaching throughout this Passover week.

It was about nine o’clock on this beautiful morning when these men arrived at the temple. They went at once to the large court where Jesus so often taught, and after greeting the believers who were awaiting him, Jesus mounted one of the teaching platforms and began to address the gathering crowd. The apostles withdrew for a short distance and awaited developments.

A huge commercial traffic had grown up in association with the services and ceremonies of the temple worship.

There was the business of providing suitable animals for the various sacrifices. Though it was permissible for a worshiper to provide his own sacrifice, the Jewish religious customs required that this animal must be free from all defects.

This was to be certified by and interpreted by official inspectors of the temple.

Many times worshippers had experienced the humiliation of having their supposedly perfect animal rejected by the temple examiners. It therefore became the more general practice to purchase sacrificial animals at the temple, and although there were several stations on near-by Olivet where they could be bought, it had become the accepted practice to buy these animals directly from the temple’s own animal shelters.

Gradually there had grown up this custom of selling all kinds of sacrificial animals in the temple courts. An extensive business, in which enormous profits were made, had thus been brought into existence. Part of these gains was reserved for the temple treasury, but the larger part went indirectly into the hands of the ruling high-priestly families.

This sale of animals in the temple prospered because, when the worshiper purchased such an animal, although the price might be somewhat high, no more fees had to be paid, and he could be sure about the intended sacrifice not getting rejected on the ground of possessing any blemishes. At one time or another, systems of exorbitant overcharge were practiced upon the common people, especially during the great national feasts. At one time the greedy priests went so far as to demand the equivalent of the value of a week’s labor for a pair of doves which should have been sold to the poor for a few pennies. The kin of the high priests had already begun to establish their bazaars in the temple precincts, those very merchandise marts which persisted to the time of their final overthrow by a mob three years before the destruction of the Jerusalem temple some years later.

But trading in sacrificial animals and sundry merchandise was not the only way in which the courts of the temple were corrupted.

At this time there was fostered an extensive system of banking and commercial exchange which was carried on right within the temple precincts.

And this all came about in the following manner: The Jews coined their own silver money, and it had become the practice to require the temple dues of one-half shekel and all other temple fees to be paid with this Jewish coin.

This regulation necessitated that money-changers be licensed to exchange the many sorts of currency in circulation throughout Palestine and other provinces of the Roman Empire for this orthodox shekel of Jewish coining.

The temple head tax, payable by all except women, slaves, and minors, was one-half shekel, a coin about the size of a ten-cent piece (that existed in the US in the early 1920s) but twice as thick. By the times of Jesus the priests had also been exempted from the payment of temple dues. Accordingly, from the 15^th to the 25^th of the month preceding the Passover, accredited money-changers erected their booths in the principal cities of Palestine for the purpose of providing the Jewish people with proper money to meet the temple dues after they had reached Jerusalem.

After this ten-day period these money-changers moved on to Jerusalem and proceeded to set up their exchange tables in the courts of the temple. They were permitted to charge the equivalent of from three to four cents commission for the exchange of a coin valued at about ten cents, and in case a coin of larger value was offered for exchange, they were allowed to collect double. Likewise did these temple bankers profit from the exchange of all money intended for the purchase of sacrificial animals and for the payment of vows and the making of offerings.

These temple money-changers not only conducted a regular banking business for profit in the exchange of more than twenty sorts of money which the visiting pilgrims would periodically bring to Jerusalem, but they also engaged in all other kinds of transactions pertaining to the banking business. Both the temple treasury and the temple rulers profited tremendously from these commercial activities. It was not uncommon for the temple treasury to hold upwards of ten million dollars while the common people languished in poverty and continued to pay these unjust levies.

In the midst of this noisy aggregation of money-changers, merchandisers, and cattle sellers, Jesus, on this Monday morning, attempted to teach the gospel of the heavenly kingdom. He was not alone in resenting this profanation of the temple; the common people, especially the Jewish visitors from foreign provinces, also heartily resented this profiteering desecration of their national house of worship.

As Jesus was about to begin his address, two things happened to arrest his attention. At the money table of a near-by exchanger a violent and heated argument had arisen over the alleged overcharging of a Jew from Alexandria.  At the same moment the air was filled by the bellowing of some one hundred bullocks that were being driven from one section of the animal pens to another.

To the amazement of his apostles, standing near at hand, who refrained from participation in what so soon followed, Jesus stepped down from the teaching platform and, going over to the lad who was driving the cattle through the court, took from him his whip of cords and swiftly drove the animals from the temple. But that was not all; he strode majestically before the wondering gaze of the thousands assembled in the temple court to the farthest cattle pen and proceeded to open the gates of every stall and to drive out the imprisoned animals.

By this time the assembled pilgrims were electrified, and with uproarious shouting they moved toward the bazaars and began to overturn the tables of the money-changers. In less than five minutes all commerce had been swept from the temple. By the time the near-by Roman guards had appeared on the scene, all was quiet, and the crowds had become orderly.

Jesus, returning to the speaker’s stand, spoke to the multitude: “You have this day witnessed that which is written in the Scriptures: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of robbers.’

But before he could utter other words, the great assembly broke out in hosannas of praise, and presently a throng of youths stepped out from the crowd to sing grateful hymns of appreciation that the profane and profiteering merchandisers had been ejected from the sacred temple. By this time certain of the priests had arrived on the scene, and one of them said to Jesus, “Do you not hear what the children of the Levites say?” And the Master replied, “Have not you ever read, ‘Out of the mouths of babies had praise been perfected’?” 

And all the rest of that day while Jesus taught, guards set by the people stood watch at every archway, and they would not permit anyone to carry even an empty vessel across the temple courts.

When the chief priests and the scribes heard about these happenings, they were dumfounded.

All the more they feared the Master, and all the more they determined to destroy him. But they were perplexed. They did not know how to accomplish his death, for they greatly feared the people, who were now so outspoken in their approval of his overthrow of the profane profiteers.

And all this day, a day of quiet and peace in the temple courts, the people heard Jesus’ teaching and literally hung on his words.

This cleansing of the temple discloses the Master’s attitude toward commercializing the practices of religion as well as his disapproval of all forms of unfairness and profiteering at the expense of the poor and the unlearned.

This episode also demonstrates that Jesus did not look with approval upon the refusal to employ force to protect the majority of any given human group against the unfair and enslaving practices of unjust minorities who may be able to entrench themselves behind political, financial, or religious power.

Shrewd, wicked, and designing men are not to be permitted to organize themselves for the exploitation and oppression of those simple kind of good, peace loving people.

My dear reader, did this narrative give you any impetus for learning more? 

[* From Paper-173 of the Urantia Book]

Teachings of Jesus about Angels!

As they journeyed up the hills from Jericho to Bethany, Nathaniel walked most of the way by the side of Jesus, and their discussion of children in relation to the kingdom of heaven led indirectly to the consideration of the ministry of angels. Nathaniel finally asked the Master (Jesus) this question: 

“Seeing that the high priest is a Sadducee, and since the Sadducees do not believe in angels, what shall we teach the people regarding the heavenly ministers?” 

Then, among other things, Jesus said:

“The angelic hosts are a separate order of created beings; they are entirely different from the material order of mortal creatures, and they function as a distinct group of universe intelligences. 

"Angels are not of that group of creatures called ‘the Sons of God’ in the Scriptures; neither are they the glorified spirits of mortal men who have gone on to progress through the mansions on high. Angels are a direct creation, and they do not reproduce themselves. 

"The angelic hosts have only a spiritual kinship with the human race. As man progresses in the journey to the Father in Paradise (Universal Father God), he does traverse a state of being at one time analogous to the state of the angels, but mortal man never becomes an angel.

“The angels never die, as man does. 

"The angels are immortal unless, by chance, they become involved in sin as did some of them with the deceptions of Lucifer. 

"The angels are the spirit servants in heaven, and they are neither all-wise nor all-powerful. But all of the loyal angels are truly pure and holy.

“And do you not remember that I said to you once before that, if you had your spiritual eyes anointed, you would then see the heavens opened and behold the angels of God ascending and descending? 

"It is by the ministry of the angels that one world may be kept in touch with other worlds, for have I not repeatedly told you that I have other sheep not of this fold? 

"And these angels are not the spies of the spirit world who watch upon you and then go forth to tell the Father the thoughts of your heart and to report on the deeds of the flesh. 

"The Father (God) has no need of such service inasmuch as his own spirit lives within you. 

"But these angelic spirits do function to keep one part of the heavenly creation informed concerning the doings of other and remote parts of the universe. 

"And many of the angels, while functioning in the government of the Father and the universes of the Sons, are assigned to the service of the human races. 

"When I taught you that many of these seraphim (an order of angels) are ministering spirits, I spoke not in figurative language nor in poetic strains. 

"And all this is true, regardless of your difficulty in comprehending such matters.

 “Many of these angels are engaged in the work of saving men, for have I not told you of the seraphic joy when one soul elects to forsake sin and begin the search for God? 

"I did even tell you of the joy in the presence of the angels of heaven over one sinner who repents, thereby indicating the existence of other and higher orders of celestial beings who are likewise concerned in the spiritual welfare and with the divine progress of mortal man.

“Also are these angels very much concerned with the means whereby man’s spirit is released from the tabernacles of the flesh and his soul escorted to the mansions in heaven. 

"Angels are the sure and heavenly guides of the soul of man during that uncharted and indefinite period of time which intervenes between the death of the flesh and the new life in the spirit abodes.”

And he would have spoken further with Nathaniel regarding the ministry of angels, but he was interrupted by the approach of Martha, who had been informed that the Master was drawing near to Bethany by friends who had observed him ascending the hills to the east. And she now hastened to greet him. [Quoted from Paper-167 of the Urantia Book]

My dear human son/daughter of God!

If reading the above ignited your inner thirst for knowing more about the loving God of the Universe, you should consider reading the book from which the above passage is taken. You can do so by looking for it on the right panel of this page.

Share this with those of whom you consider ripe to receive knowledge beyond their daily chores of routine living! 

Teachings of Jesus about Marriage and Divorce!

The following is a passage from the gospel according to St.Matthew as given in the New Testament Bible [ NT Bible, Matthew 19:3-12]

One day the Pharisees ( with an intention to irritate him) asked Jesus this question: 

“Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”

He answered, “Haven’t you read in your (scriptures) that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female? And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh—no longer two bodies but one. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”

They shot back in rebuttal, “If that’s so, why did Moses (in the scriptures) give instructions for divorce papers and divorce procedures?”

Jesus said, “Moses provided for divorce as a concession to your hardheartedness, but it is not part of God’s original plan. I’m holding you to the original plan, and holding you liable for adultery if you divorce your faithful wife and then marry someone else. I make an exception in cases where the spouse has committed adultery.”

Jesus’ disciples objected, “If those are the terms of marriage, we’re stuck. Why get married?”

But Jesus said, “Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn’t for everyone. Some, from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked—or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you’re capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it.”

Now let us see the explanation related to this incident as told to the 20th century people of earth by the invisible, superhuman authors of my supreme book of life guidance: (The Urantia Book Paper 167) 

That night, in Jericho, the unfriendly Pharisees (members of the ancient Jewish Sect who followed strict religious traditions and laws) sought to entrap the Master (Jesus) by inducing him to discuss marriage and divorce, as did their fellows one time in Galilee, but Jesus artfully avoided their efforts to bring him into conflict with their laws concerning divorce. 

As the publican (keeper of the Jewish place of worship) and the Pharisee illustrated good and bad religion, their divorce practices served to contrast the better marriage laws of the Jewish code with the disgraceful laxity of the Pharisaic interpretations of these Mosaic (rules stipulated in the Jewish Bible believed as written by Moses) divorce statutes. 

The Pharisee judged himself by the lowest standard; the publican squared himself by the highest ideal. Devotion, to the Pharisee, was a means of inducing self-righteous inactivity and the assurance of false spiritual security; devotion, to the publican, was a means of stirring up his soul to the realization of the need for repentance, confession, and the acceptance, by faith, of merciful forgiveness. The Pharisee sought justice; the publican sought mercy. 

The law of the universe is: Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find.

Though Jesus refused to be drawn into a controversy with the Pharisees concerning divorce, he did proclaim a positive teaching of the highest ideals regarding marriage. 

He exalted marriage as the most ideal and highest of all human relationships. 

Likewise, he intimated strong disapproval of the lax and unfair divorce practices of the Jerusalem Jews, who at that time permitted a man to divorce his wife for the most trifling of reasons, such as being a poor cook, a faulty housekeeper, or for no better reason than that he had become enamored of a better-looking woman.

The Pharisees had even gone so far as to teach that divorce of this easy variety was a special dispensation granted to the Jewish people, particularly the Pharisees. And so, while Jesus refused to make pronouncements dealing with marriage and divorce, he did most bitterly denounce these shameful floutings of the marriage relationship and pointed out their injustice to women and children.

He never sanctioned any divorce practice which gave man any advantage over woman; the Master countenanced only those teachings which accorded women equality with men.

Although Jesus did not offer new mandates governing marriage and divorce, he did urge the Jews to live up to their own laws and higher teachings. 

He constantly appealed to the written Scriptures in his effort to improve their practices along these social lines. While thus upholding the high and ideal concepts of marriage, Jesus skillfully avoided clashing with his questioners about the social practices represented by either their written laws or their much-cherished divorce privileges.

It was very difficult for the apostles (disciples of Jesus) to understand the Master’s reluctance to make positive pronouncements relative to scientific, social, economic, and political problems. 

They did not fully realize that his earth mission was exclusively concerned with revelations of spiritual and religious truths.

After Jesus had talked about marriage and divorce, later on that evening his apostles privately asked many additional questions, and his answers to these inquiries relieved their minds of many misconceptions. 

At the conclusion of this conference Jesus said: 

“Marriage is honorable and is to be desired by all men. The fact that the Son of Man (Jesus often preferred to address himself like this) pursues his earth mission alone is in no way a reflection on the desirability of marriage. 

"That I should so work is the Father’s (God's) will, but this same Father has directed the creation of male and female, and it is the divine will that men and women should find their highest service and consequent joy in the establishment of homes for the reception and training of children, in the creation of whom these parents become co-partners with the Makers of heaven and earth. 

"And for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall become as one.”

And in this way Jesus relieved the minds of the apostles of many worries about marriage and cleared up many misunderstandings regarding divorce; at the same time he did much to exalt their ideals of social union and to augment their respect for women and children and for the home.

I earnestly hope that you ( who read it patiently with the spiritual curiosity that compelled you from within) could get some valuable insight.

Share it with those of whom who might be receptive to the true teachings of Jesus. 

Salient Details of Jesus' First Journey to Jerusalem from Nazareth As a Boy of Twelve Years!

One of the greatest memorable events in the childhood of Jesus was his journey from his Nazareth village to Jerusalem together with his parents, Joseph and Mary. He had just completed his school education in the Synagogue school at Nazareth. He was 12 years and eight months when he traveled to Jerusalem for celebrating the Passover festival of the Jewish people.

Map of the Land of the Jewish Peoples 

during the times of Jesus. Courtsey CCEL.Org (Click to enlarge)

The Passover feast of this year fell on Saturday, April 9, A.D. 7. A considerable company of 103 people made ready to depart from Nazareth early Monday morning, April 4, for Jerusalem. 

They journeyed south toward Samaria, but on reaching Jezreel, they turned east, going around Mount Gilboa into the Jordan valley in order to avoid passing through Samaria. Joseph and his family would have enjoyed going down through Samaria by way of Jacob’s Well and Bethel, but since the Jews disliked to deal with the Samaritans, they decided to go with their neighbors by way of the Jordan valley.

The much-dreaded Archelaus (the king of Jews who wanted to destroy babe Jesus) had been deposed, and Jesus' parents now had little to fear in taking Jesus to Jerusalem. Twelve years had passed since the first Herod had sought to destroy the babe of Bethlehem, and no one would now think of associating that affair with this much unknown boy of Nazareth.

Before reaching the Jezreel junction, and as they journeyed on, very soon, on the left, they passed the ancient village of Shunem, and Jesus heard again (from his fellow travelers) about the most beautiful maiden of all Israel who once lived there and also about the wonderful works Elisha performed there. In passing by Jezreel, Jesus’ parents recounted the doings of Ahab and Jezebel and the exploits of Jehu. In passing around Mount Gilboa, they talked much about Saul, who took his life on the slopes of this mountain, King David, and the associations of this historic spot. It was an opportunity for young Jesus to learn much about the past history of his peoples while they walked through those places.

On their second day’s journey they passed by where the Jabbok, from the east, flows into the Jordan, and looking east up this river valley, they recounted the days of Gideon, when the Midianites poured into this region to overrun the land. Toward the end of the second day’s journey they camped near the base of the highest mountain overlooking the Jordan valley, Mount Sartaba, whose summit was occupied by the Alexandrian fortress where Herod had imprisoned one of his wives and buried his two strangled sons.

The third day they passed by two villages which had been recently built by Herod and noted their superior architecture and their beautiful palm gardens. By nightfall they reached Jericho, where they remained until the next morning. That evening Joseph, Mary, and Jesus walked a mile and a half to the site of the ancient Jericho, where Joshua, for whom Jesus was named, had performed his renowned exploits, according to Jewish tradition.

By the fourth and last day’s journey the road was a continuous procession of pilgrims. They now began to climb the hills leading up to Jerusalem. As they neared the top, they could look across the Jordan to the mountains beyond and south over the sluggish waters of the Dead Sea. About halfway up to Jerusalem, Jesus gained his first view of the Mount of Olives (the region to be so much a part of his subsequent life), and Joseph pointed out to him that the Holy City lay just beyond this ridge, and the lad’s heart beat fast with joyous anticipation.

On the eastern slopes of Olivet they paused for rest in the borders of a little village called Bethany. The hospitable villagers poured forth to minister to the pilgrims, and it happened that Joseph and his family had stopped near the house of one Simon, who had three children about the same age as Jesus— Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. They invited the Nazareth family in for refreshment, and a lifelong friendship sprang up between the two families. Many times afterward, in his eventful life, Jesus stopped in this home.

They moved on, soon standing on the brink of Olivet, and Jesus saw for the first time (in his memory) the Holy City, the pretentious palaces, and the inspiring temple of his heavenly Father (God). At no time in his life did Jesus ever experience such a purely human thrill as that which at this time so completely enthralled him as he stood there on this April afternoon on the Mount of Olives, enjoying in his first view of Jerusalem. And in the later years, on this same spot he stood and wept over the city which was about to reject another prophet, the last and the greatest of her heavenly teachers!

Soon Jesus' family reached Jerusalem and they moved in to a house of one of the relatives of Mary.

While all Jerusalem was astir in preparation for the Passover, Joseph found time to take his son around to visit the academy where it had been arranged for him to resume his education two years later, as soon as he reached the required age of fifteen. Joseph was truly puzzled when he observed how little interest Jesus evinced in all these carefully laid plans.

Jesus was profoundly impressed by the temple and all the associated services and other activities. For the first time since he was four years old, he was too much preoccupied with his own meditations to ask many questions. 

He did, however, ask his father several embarrassing questions (as he had on previous occasions) as to why the heavenly Father required the slaughter of so many innocent and helpless animals. 

And his earthly father well knew from the expression on the lad’s face that his answers and attempts at explanation were unsatisfactory to his deep-thinking and keen-reasoning son.

On the day before the Passover Sabbath, flood tides of spiritual illumination swept through the mortal mind of Jesus and filled his human heart to overflowing with affectionate pity for the spiritually blind and morally ignorant multitudes assembled for the celebration of the ancient Passover commemoration. 

This was one of the most extraordinary days that the Son of God spent in the flesh of an ordinary human being; and during the night, for the first time in his earth career, there appeared to him an assigned messenger from his heavenly headquarters who reminded him: 

“The hour has come. It is time that you began to be about your Heavenly Father’s business.”

And so, even before the heavy responsibilities of the Nazareth family descended upon his youthful shoulders, there now arrived the celestial messenger to remind this lad, not quite thirteen years of age, that the hour had come to begin the resumption of the responsibilities of a universe. 

He was the Divine Creator of a large material universe which consisted of millions of planetary worlds similar or much advanced than earth. And the creator was experiencing the lowly human life as part of his own decision in accordance with the mandate of his heavenly Father. Once he experienced that life he was going to be elevated to the position of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe that he had created and would be nurturing henceforth.

And what happened in Jerusalem on that day was the first act of a long succession of events which finally culminated in the completion of the Son of God's bestowal on earth and in a way replacing of “the (care-taker) government of a universe on his human-divine shoulders.”

From now on, the most powerful divine care taker government of his universe would wait for their Creator's  approvals proceed from the human-divine personality who moved on earth as a seemingly ordinary human boy who hardly displayed any of his divine powers to his fellow human beings!

As time passed, the mystery of the incarnation became, to all of us (celestial beings), more and more unfathomable. 

We could hardly comprehend that this lad of Nazareth was the creator of a vast universe occupied by trillions of intelligent life of various orders and types both mortals and immortals. 

Neither do we nowadays understand how the spirit of this same Creator Son and the spirit of his Divine Heavenly Father are associated with the souls of mankind. 

With the passing of time, we could see that his human mind was increasingly discerning that, while he lived his life in the flesh, in spirit on his shoulders rested the responsibility of a universe.

From this time on, Jesus became increasingly self conscious of his dual nature - his divine-human nature. 

From now on, he had to take the responsibilities of his earthly family as a human and also take the responsibilities of a vast universe as its divine Creator. The human Jesus was increasingly getting aware of his divine status. 

Whatever he wished would become a reality, but this beloved Son of God was not one who would use his power and authority the way humans or even some of his subordinate celestial beings of imperfect mind status would have wished to use with such powers!

From the Mount of Olives and from the outside, on closer inspection, the temple had been all and more than Jesus had expected; but when he once entered its sacred portals, the great disillusionment began.

But the first great shock of the day came when his mother took leave of them on her way to the women’s gallery. It had never occurred to Jesus that his mother was not to accompany him to the consecration ceremonies, and he was thoroughly indignant that she was made to suffer from such unjust discrimination. While he strongly resented this, aside from a few remarks of protest to his father, he said nothing. But he thought, and thought deeply, as his questions to the scribes and teachers a week later disclosed.

Though many of the temple rituals very touchingly impressed his sense of the beautiful and the symbolic, he was always disappointed by the explanation of the real meanings of these ceremonies which his parents would offer in answer to his many searching inquiries. Jesus simply would not accept explanations of worship and religious devotion which involved belief in the wrath of God or the anger of the Almighty.

In further discussion of these questions, after the conclusion of the temple visit, when his father became mildly insistent that he acknowledge acceptance of the orthodox Jewish beliefs, Jesus turned suddenly upon his parents and, looking appealingly into the eyes of his father, said:

“My father, it cannot be true—the Father in heaven cannot so regard his erring children on earth. The heavenly Father cannot love his children less than you love me. And I well know, no matter what unwise thing I might do, you would never pour out wrath upon me nor vent anger against me. If you, my earthly father, possess such human reflections of the Divine, how much more must the heavenly Father be filled with goodness and overflowing with mercy. I refuse to believe that my Father in heaven loves me less than my father on earth.”

When Joseph and Mary heard these words of their first-born son, they held their peace. 

And never again did they seek to change his mind about the love of God and the mercifulness of the Father in heaven.

Early next day Jesus was up and on his way to the temple. On the brow of Olivet he paused and wept over the sight his eyes beheld—a spiritually impoverished people, tradition bound and living under the surveillance of the Roman legions. 

Early forenoon found him in the temple with his mind made up to take part in the discussions. Meanwhile, Joseph and Mary also had arisen with the early dawn with the intention of retracing their steps to Jerusalem. First, they hastened to the house of their relatives, where they had lodged as a family during the Passover week, but inquiry elicited the fact that no one had seen Jesus. After searching all day and finding no trace of him, they returned to their relatives for the night.

At the second conference Jesus had made bold to ask questions, and in a very amazing way he participated in the temple discussions but always in a manner consistent with his youth. 

Sometimes his pointed questions were somewhat embarrassing to the learned teachers of the Jewish law, but he evinced such a spirit of candid fairness, coupled with an evident hunger for knowledge, that the majority of the temple teachers were disposed to treat him with every consideration. 

But when he presumed to question the justice of putting to death a drunken gentile who had wandered outside the court of the gentiles and unwittingly entered the forbidden and reputedly sacred precincts of the temple, one of the more intolerant teachers grew impatient with the lad’s implied criticisms and, glowering down upon him, asked how old he was. 

Jesus replied, “thirteen years lacking a trifle more than four months.” 

“Then,” rejoined the now irate teacher, “why are you here, since you are not of age as a son of the law?” 

And when Jesus explained that he had received consecration during the Passover, and that he was a finished student of the Nazareth schools, the teachers with one accord derisively replied, 

“We might have known; he is from Nazareth.” 

But the leader insisted that Jesus was not to be blamed if the rulers of the synagogue at Nazareth had graduated him, technically, when he was twelve instead of thirteen; and notwithstanding that several of his detractors got up and left, it was ruled that the lad might continue undisturbed as a pupil of the temple discussions.

Jesus’ third day with the scribes and teachers in the temple witnessed the gathering of many spectators who, having heard of this youth from Galilee, came to enjoy the experience of seeing a lad confuse the wise men of the law. 

Simon also came down from Bethany to see what the boy was up to. Throughout this day Joseph and Mary continued their anxious search for Jesus, even going several times into the temple but never thinking to scrutinize the several discussion groups, although they once came almost within hearing distance of his fascinating voice.

Before the day had ended, the entire attention of the chief discussion group of the temple had become focused upon the questions being asked by Jesus.

Among his many questions were:

1. What really exists in the holy of holies, behind the veil?

2. Why should mothers in Israel be segregated from the male temple worshipers?

3. If God is a father who loves his children, why all this slaughter of animals to gain divine favor—has the teaching of Moses been misunderstood?

4. Since the temple is dedicated to the worship of the Father in heaven, is it consistent to permit the presence of those who engage in secular barter and trade?

5. Is the expected Messiah to become a temporal prince to sit on the throne of David, or is he to function as the light of life in the establishment of a spiritual kingdom?

And all the day through, those who listened marveled at these questions, and none was more astonished than Simon. 

For more than four hours this Nazareth youth plied these Jewish teachers with thought-provoking and heart-searching questions. He made few comments on the remarks of his elders. He conveyed his teaching by the questions he would ask. By the deft and subtle phrasing of a question he would at one and the same time challenge their teaching and suggest his own. 

In the manner of his asking a question there was an appealing combination of sagacity and humor which endeared him even to those who more or less resented his youthfulness. He was always eminently fair and considerate in the asking of these penetrating questions.

As a youth, and later on as a man, he seemed to be utterly free from all egoistic desire to win an argument merely to experience logical triumph over his fellows, being interested supremely in just one thing: to proclaim everlasting truth and thus effect a fuller revelation of the eternal God.

After the evening meal at Bethany he again declined to join the merry circle but instead went to the garden, where he lingered long into the night, vainly endeavoring to think out some definite plan of approach to the problem of his lifework and to decide how best he might labor to reveal to his spiritually blinded countrymen a more beautiful concept of the heavenly Father and so set them free from their terrible bondage to law, ritual, ceremonial, and musty tradition.

[Reproduced in part from the celestial revelation given to humans of 20th century and later: Paper-124 and 125 of the Urantia Book. It would be a wonderful experience to all those desirous and curious of knowing more about the life and teachings of Jesus and much more regarding God, humans and the purpose of life! Click the flower on the right panel to know more!]