PAPER 141: Section 3.
The Sojourn At Amathus
P1589:2, 141:3.1 The Master and his apostles remained near Amathus for almost three weeks. The apostles continued to preach twice daily to the multitude, and Jesus preached each Sabbath afternoon. It became impossible to continue the Wednesday playtime; so Andrew arranged that two apostles should rest each day of the six days in the week, while all were on duty during the Sabbath services.
P1589:3, 141:3.2 Peter, James, and John did most of the public preaching. Philip, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Simon did much of the personal work and conducted classes for special groups of inquirers; the twins continued their general police supervision, while Andrew, Matthew, and Judas developed into a general managerial committee of three, although each of these three also did considerable religious work.
P1589:4, 141:3.3 Andrew was much occupied with the task of adjusting the constantly recurring misunderstandings and disagreements between the disciples of John and the newer disciples of Jesus. Serious situations would arise every few days, but Andrew, with the assistance of his apostolic associates, managed to induce the contending parties to come to some sort of agreement, at least temporarily. Jesus refused to participate in any of these conferences; neither would he give any advice about the proper adjustment of these difficulties. He never once offered a suggestion as to how the apostles should solve these perplexing problems. When Andrew came to Jesus with these questions, he would always say: "It is not wise for the host to participate in the family troubles of his guests; a wise parent never takes sides in the petty quarrels of his own children."
P1589:5, 141:3.4
The Master displayed great wisdom and manifested perfect fairness in all of
his dealings with his apostles and with all of his disciples. Jesus was truly
a master of men; he exercised great influence over his fellow men because
of the combined charm and force of his personality. There was a subtle commanding
influence in his rugged, nomadic, and homeless life. There was intellectual
attractiveness and spiritual drawing power in his authoritative manner of
teaching, in his lucid logic, his strength of reasoning, his sagacious insight,
his
alertness of mind, his matchless poise, and his sublime tolerance. He
was simple, manly, honest, and fearless. With all of this physical and intellectual
influence manifest in the Master's presence, there were also all those spiritual
charms of being which have become associated with his personality -- patience,
tenderness, meekness, gentleness, and humility.
P1589:6, 141:3.5
Jesus of Nazareth was indeed a strong and forceful personality; he was an
intellectual power and a spiritual stronghold. His personality not only appealed
to the spiritually minded women among his followers, but also to the educated
and intellectual Nicodemus and to the hardy Roman soldier, the captain stationed
on guard at the cross, who, when he had finished watching the Master die,
said, "Truly, this was a Son of God." And
red-blooded, rugged Galilean fishermen
called him Master.
P1590:1, 141:3.6
The pictures of Jesus have been most unfortunate. These paintings of the Christ
have exerted a deleterious influence on youth; the temple merchants would
hardly have fled before Jesus if he had been such a man as your artists usually
have depicted. His was a dignified manhood; he was good, but natural. Jesus
did not pose as a mild, sweet, gentle, and kindly mystic. His teaching was
thrillingly dynamic. He not only meant well, but he went about actually
doing good.
P1590:2, 141:3.7
The Master never said, "Come to me all you who are indolent and all who are
dreamers." But he did many times say, "Come to me all you who labor,
and I will give you rest -- spiritual strength." The Master's yoke is, indeed,
easy, but even so, he never imposes it; every individual must take this yoke
of his own free will.
P1590:3, 141:3.8
Jesus portrayed conquest by sacrifice, the sacrifice of pride and selfishness.
By showing mercy, he meant to portray spiritual deliverance from all grudges,
grievances, anger, and the lust for selfish power and revenge. And when he
said, "Resist not evil," he later explained that he did not mean to condone
sin or to counsel fraternity with iniquity. He intended the more to teach
forgiveness, to "resist not evil treatment of one's personality, evil injury
to one's feelings of personal dignity."