38. The Environment Of The Apostles

They were not out-of-the-ordinary men. They were not exceptionally clever or spiritual men. In no way were they different than other people of that time. They had their jobs. They were all representatives of their generation; and of that time. They did not show greater interest in a spiritual teaching than their contemporaries. Even though they had finished school according to your understanding, and they could read and write very well, they could render their thoughts in a clever fashion and bravely communicate with their own environment, but apart from their studies at the synagogue school, none of them had received a special education about God provided by the rabbinical academies. They were aware of God as much as their environment provided such awareness. Therefore, the teachings I had brought were difficult for them to receive unaltered, so that after assimilating them, they would remain unchanged and would not break the rituals and dogmas imposed on them by the environment. Such a step requires an exceptionally deep faith in the Father and devotion to Him. One takes such a step after having felt a tremendous love of the Father within one’s own self. And fairly often, this love of the Father being felt within, ignites such a great fire within man, that he begins to burn with a desire to carry this very fire to others. However, this fire, set by the love of God, if carried unwisely, can blind and scare others; those who have not yet felt that love, who have not yet experienced it, and therefore do not know that love. And what is not yet known and understood by man, always causes fear and anxiety. Therefore, man is inclined to cling to that which is already known and understood rather than to step away from what seems to him to be close and clear, for that which is unknown and obscure.

When the fire of the Father’s love is lit in one‘s heart, powerfully driving one forward, and when there is no deep understanding and experience as to what this fire of the Father’s love desires to convey by its burning within this person’s soul, within the heart, this person, burning with the love fire, is apt to distort many things, and to tell many things not the way they are in reality, just to make others listen, and also catch this fire from within. But the environment that this fire of the Father’s love is being taken to, is even less ready to immediately receive my good news – The Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man – even as it had not been immediately received by my apostles either. And I had to teach them constantly for more than three years. I had to explain to them all the time that all are equally awaited in the heavenly kingdom; not only the Jews but also the gentiles; all, without any exception.

Thus, when the ambience is neither ready nor open to such an idea, and a burning fire within is urging to move on and act from without, it is very easy to get tempted to replace the true tidings by a simpler message that would not be rejected by the environment.

But a surrogate shall never be as the original. It is especially important in spiritual matters where an idea and teachings are not instantaneously verified by the eyes and hands. One’s inner vision, the vision of one’s soul, is necessary for this purpose. And it is achieved only because of one’s sincere, persistent, and resolute efforts.

Since my apostles have failed to comprehend my good tidings in full, so that they would have preached that news to the whole world even as I have preached it to them, the time has come that I myself must address you once again; address you in order to straighten out that distortion of my teachings, so that eventually, you would be able to experience the reality of my teachings, and judging by your living, by your acts in everyday situations, even those who do not yet know this teaching would discern that you are walking on the path of my teaching.