Jesus
Goes To Greece
The Greek philosophy was full of pungent
truth, and Jesus longed to study with the masters in the schools of Greece. And
so He left His home in Nazareth and crossed the Carmel hills, and at the port
took ship, and soon was in the Grecian capital. Now, the Athenians had heard of
Him as teacher and philosopher, and they were glad to have Him come to them
that they might hear His words of truth.
Among the masters of the Greeks was one, Apollo, who was called, Defender of
the Oracle, and recognized in many lands as Grecian sage. Apollo opened up for
Jesus all the doors of Grecian lore, and in the Areopagus
He heard the wisest masters speak. But Jesus brought to them a wisdom greater
far than theirs; and so He taught.
Once in the Amphitheatre He stood, and
when Apollo bade Him speak He said, “Athenian masters, hear! In ages
long ago, men, wise in nature's laws, sought out and found the place on which
your city stands. Full well you know that there are parts of earth where its
great beating heart throws heavenward etheric waves that meet the ethers from
above: Where spirit-light and understanding, like the stars of night, shine forth.
Of all the parts of earth, there is no place more sensitized, more truly
spirit-blest, than that where Athens stands. Yea, all of Greece is blest. No
other land has been the homeland of such mighty men of thought as grace your
scrolls of fame.
“A host of sturdy giants of
philosophy, of poetry, of science, and of art, were born upon the soil of
Greece, and rocked to manhood in your cradle of pure thought.
I come not here to speak of science, of philosophy, or art; of these you are
the world's best masters now. But all your high accomplishments are but
stepping stones to worlds beyond the realm of sense; are but illusive shadows
flitting on the walls of time. But I would tell you of a life beyond, within; a
real life that cannot pass away. In Science and Philosophy, there is no power
strong enough to fit a soul to recognize itself, or to commune with God.
“I would not stay the flow of your
great streams of thought; but I would turn them to the channels of the soul.
Unaided by the Spirit-breath, the work of intellection tends to solve the
problems of the things we see, and nothing more. The senses were ordained to
bring into the mind mere pictures of the things that pass away; they do not
deal with real things; they do not comprehend eternal law.
But man has something in his soul, a
something that will tear the veil apart that he may see the world of real things.
We call this something, spirit consciousness; it sleeps in every soul, and
cannot be awakened till the Holy Breath becomes a welcome guest. This Holy
Breath knocks at the door of every soul, but cannot enter in until the will of
man throws wide the door.
There is no power in intellect to turn
the key; philosophy and science both have toiled to get a glimpse behind the
veil; but they have failed. The secret spring that throws ajar the door of soul
is touched by nothing else than purity in life, by prayer and holy thought.
“Return, O mystic stream of Grecian thought, and mingle your clear waters with
the flood of Spirit-life; and then the spirit consciousness will sleep no more,
and man will know, and God will bless.”
When Jesus had thus said he stepped aside. The Grecian masters were astonished
at the wisdom of his words; they answered not.
Recognition
And Confirmation Of Jesus Christ By Grecian Oracle
For many days the Grecian masters
listened to the clear incisive words that Jesus spoke, and while they could not
fully comprehend the things He said, they were delighted and accepted His philosophy.
One day, as Jesus and Apollo walked beside the sea, a Delphic courier came in
haste and said, “Apollo, master, come; the Oracle would speak to you.” Apollo
said to Jesus, “Sir, if you would see the Delphic Oracle, and hear it speak,
you may accompany me.” And Jesus did accompany him.
The masters went in haste; and when they came to Delphi, great excitement reigned.
And when Apollo stood before the Oracle it spoke and said: “Apollo, sage of Greece, the bell
strikes twelve; the midnight of the ages now has come. Within the womb of
nature, ages are conceived; they gestate and are born in glory with the rising
sun, and when the agic sun goes down the age
disintegrates and dies. The Delphic age has been an age of glory and renown;
the Gods have spoken to the sons of men through oracles of wood, and gold, and
precious stone. The Delphic sun has set; the Oracle will go into decline; the
time is near when men will hear its voice no more.
“The gods will speak to man by man. The living Oracle (Jesus Christ) now
stands within these sacred groves; the Logos from on high has come. From
henceforth will decrease my wisdom and my power; from henceforth will increase
the wisdom and the power of Him, Immanuel. Let all the masters stay; let every
creature hear and honour Him, Immanuel.” And then the
Oracle spoke not again for forty days, and priests and people were amazed.
The priests and people came from near
and far to hear the Living Oracle speak forth the wisdom of the gods. And Jesus
and the Grecian sage returned, and in Apollo's home the Living Oracle spoke
forth for forty days. One day, Apollo said to Jesus as they sat alone, “This
sacred Delphic Oracle has spoken many a helpful word for Greece. Pray tell me
what it is that speaks. Is it an angel, man, or living god?”
And Jesus said, “It is not angel, man, nor god that speaks. It is the matchless
wisdom of the master minds of Greece, united in a master mind. This giant mind
has taken to itself the substances of soul, and thinks, and hears, and speaks.
It will remain a living soul while master minds feed it with thought, with
wisdom, with faith and hope. But when the master minds of Greece shall perish
from the land, this giant master mind will cease to be, and then the Delphic
Oracle will speak no more.”
Sometime
Ago
the Gods have
spoken to the sons of men through oracles of wood, and gold, and precious stone
The above statement refers to the time
when the Hosts of Angels and Saints of Heaven were speaking to humanity through
objects, just as a child first learns how to count with his fingers and toes. By
the time of the first coming of Jesus Christ, humanity supposed to have stopped
using objects in relating with God, but supposed to have known how to directly relate
with God as their Father, just as a child relates directly with his father without
doing so through objects. Even all the pagans who still worship in idolatry
should not be doing so by now, because many revelations and scriptures are available
to teach and guide them in the true worship of God.
Jesus
Saves Many From Storm, Cautions Idolaters
It
was a holy day and Jesus walked upon the Athens beach. A storm was on and ships
were being tossed about like toys upon the bosom of the sea. The sailors and
the fishermen were going down to watery graves; the shores were strewn with
bodies of the dead. And Jesus halted not, but with a mighty power He rescued
many a helpless one, oft bringing back to life the seeming dead.
Now, on these shores were altars sacred to the gods supposed to rule the seas.
And men and women, heedless of the cries of drowning men were crowding all
about these altars calling on their gods for help. At length, the storm was
done, and all the sea was calm, and men could think again; and Jesus said, “You worshippers of wooden gods, how
has the fury of this storm been lessened by your frantic prayers?
Where is the strength of these poor, weather-beaten gods with painted swords
and crowns?
“A god that could abide in such a little house could hardly hold a frantic fly,
and who could hope that he could hold at bay the lords of winds and waves?
The mighty powers of worlds unseen do not give forth their help till men have
done their best; they only help when men can do no more. And you have agonized
and prayed around these shrines, and let men sink to death who might have been,
by your assistance, saved.
“The God that saves dwells in your souls, and manifests by making use of
your own feet, legs, arms, and hands. Strength never comes through idleness;
nor through a waiting for another one to bear your loads, or do the work that
you are called to do. But when you do your best to bear your loads, and do your
work, you offer unto God a sacrifice well-pleasing in His sight. And then, the
Holy One breathes deep upon your glowing sacrificial coals, and makes them
blaze aloft to fill your souls with light, strength and helpfulness. The most
efficient prayer that men can offer to God is helpfulness to those in need of
help; for what you do for other men, the Holy One will do for you.. And thus God helps.”
His work in Greece was done, and Jesus must go on His way to Egypt in the South.
Apollo, with the highest masters of the land and many people from the varied
walks of life, stood on the shore to see the Hebrew sage depart; and Jesus
said, “The son of man has been in many lands; has stood in temples of a
multitude of foreign gods; has preached the gospel of good will and peace on
earth to many people, tribes and tongues; has been received with favour in a multitude of homes; but Greece is, of them all,
the royal host. “The breadth of Grecian thought; the depth of her
philosophy; the height of her unselfish aspirations have well fitted her to be
the champion of the cause of human liberty and right. The fates of war have
subjugated (conquered, dominated) Greece, because she trusted in the strength
of flesh, bone and intellect, forgetful of the spirit-life that binds a nation
to its source of power.
“But Greece will not forever sit within the darkness of the shadow land
as vassal of a foreign king. Lift up your heads, you men of Greece; the time
will come when Greece will breathe the ethers of the Holy Spirit, and be a
mainspring of the spirit power of earth. But God must be your shield, your
buckler, and your tower of strength.”
And then He said, “Farewell”. Apollo raised his hand in silent benediction, and
the people wept. Upon the Cretan vessel, Mars, the Hebrew sage sailed from the
Grecian port.
Wisdom
The true worship of God is good, but humanity
should do their duties at the various points of need and according to
necessity.