The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ. Levi
with what you think, and come again at harvest time and see.
11 And when the harvest time came on the busy neighbors came again; they were surprised.
12 The naked stalks had put forth branch and leaf, and heavy clusters of delicious grapes weighed every branch to earth.
13 The gatherers rejoiced as, day by day, they carried the rich fruitage to the press.
14 Behold, the vineyard of the Lord! the earth is spread with human vines.
15 The gorgeous forms and rites of men are branches, and their words are leaves; and these have grown so great that sunlight can no longer reach the heart; there is no fruit.
16 Behold, the pruner comes, and with a two-edged knife he cuts away the branches and the leaves of words,
17 And naught is left but unclothed stalks of human life.
18 The priests and they of pompous show, rebuke the pruner, and would stay him in his work.
19 They see no beauty in the stalks of human life; no promises of fruit.
20 The harvest time will come and they who scorned the pruner will look on again and be amazed, for they will see the human stalks that seemed so lifeless, bending low with precious fruit.
21 And they will hear the harvesters rejoice, because the harvest is so great.
22 The priests were not well pleased with Jesus’ words; but they rebuked him not; they feared the multitude.
CHAPTER 35
Jesus and Vidyapati consider the needs of the incoming age of the world.
The Indian sage and Jesus often met and talked about the needs of nations and of men; about the sacred doctrines, forms and rites best suited to the coming age.
2 One day they sat together in a mountain pass, and Jesus said, The coming age will surely not require priests, and shrines, and sacrifice of life.
3 There is no power in sacrifice of beast, or bird, to help a man to holy life.
4 And Vidyapati said, All forms and rites are symbols of the things that men must do within the temple of the soul.
5 The Holy One requires man to give his life in willing sacrifice for men, and all the so-called offerings on altars and on shrines that have been made since time began, were made to teach man how to give himself to save his brother man; for man can never save himself except he lose his life in saving other men.
6 The perfect age will not require forms and rites and carnal sacrifice. The coming age is not the perfect age, and men will call for object lessons and symbolic rites.
7 And in the great religion you shall introduce to men, some simple rites of washings and remembrances will be required; but cruel sacrifice of animals, and birds the gods require not.
8 And Jesus said, Our God must loathe the tinseled show of priests and priestly things.
9 When men array themselves in showy garbs to indicate that they are servants of the gods, and strut about like gaudy birds to be admired by men, because of piety or any other thing, the Holy One must surely turn away in sheer disgust.
10 All people are alike the servants of our Father-God, are kings and priests.
11 Will not the coming age demand complete destruction of the priestly caste, as well as every other caste and inequality among the sons of men?
12 And Vidyapati said, The coming age is not the age of spirit life and men will pride themselves in wearing priestly robes, and chanting pious chants to advertise themselves as saints.
13 The simple rites that you will introduce will be extolled by those who follow you, until the sacred service of the age will far outshine in gorgeousness the priestly service of the Brahmic age.
14 This is a problem men must solve.
15 The perfect age will come when every man will be a priest and men will not array themselves in special garb to advertise their piety.
SECTION VII
CHAPTER 36
Jesus in Lassa. He meets Meng-ste who aids him in reading the ancient manuscripts. He goes to Ladak. Heals a child. Relates the parable of the king’s son.
In Lassa of Tibet there was a master’s temple, rich in manuscripts of ancient lore.
2 The Indian sage had read these manuscripts, and he revealed to Jesus many of the secret lessons they contained; but Jesus wished to read them for himself.
3 Now, Meng-ste, greatest sage of all the farther East, was in this temple of Tibet.
4 The path across Emodus heights was difficult; but Jesus started on his way, and Vidyapati sent with him a trusted guide.
5 And Vidyapati sent a message to Meng-ste, in which he told about the Hebrew sage, and spoke for him a welcome by the temple priests.
6 Now, after many days, and perils great, the guide and Jesus reached the Lassa temple in Tibet.
7 And Meng-ste opened wide the temple doors, and all the priests and masters gave a welcome to the Hebrew sage.
8 And Jesus had access to all the sacred manuscripts, and, with the help of Meng-ste, read them all.
9 And Meng-ste often talked with Jesus of the coming age, and of the sacred service best adapted to the people of the age.
10 In Lassa Jesus did not teach. When he had finished all his studies in the temple schools he journeyed toward the West. In many villages he tarried for a time and taught.
11 At last he reached the pass, and in the Ladak city, Leh, he was received with favor by the monks, the merchants, and the men of low estate.
12 And in the monastery he abode, and taught; and then he sought the common people in the marts of trade; and there he taught.
13 Not far away a woman lived, whose infant son was sick nigh unto death. The doctors had declared, There is no hope; the child must die.
14 The woman heard that Jesus was a teacher sent from God, and she believed that he had power to heal her son.
15 And so she clasped the dying infant in her arms and ran with haste and asked to see the man of God.
16 When Jesus saw her faith he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,
17 My Father-God, let power divine o’ershadow me, and let the Holy Breath fill full this child that it may live.
18 And in the presence of the multitude he laid his hand upon the child and said,
19 Good woman you are blest; your faith has saved your son. And then the child was well.
20 The people were astonished and they said, This surely is the Holy One made flesh, for man alone cannot rebuke a fever thus and save a child from death.
21 Then many of the people brought their sick, and Jesus spoke the Word, and they were healed.
22 Among the Ladaks Jesus tarried many days; he taught them how to heal; how sins are blotted out, and how to make on earth a heaven of joy.
23 The people loved him for his words and works, and when he must depart they grieved as children grieve when mother goes away.
24 And on the morning when he started on his way the multitudes were there to press his hand.
25 To them he spoke a parable; he said, A certain king so loved the people of his land that he sent forth his only son with precious gifts for all.
26 The son went everywhere and scattered forth the gifts with lavish hand.
27 But there were priests who ministered at shrines of foreign gods, who were not pleased because the king did not through them bestow the gifts.
28 And so they sought to cause the people all to hate the son. They said, These gifts are not of any worth; they are but counterfeits.
29 And so the people