The British Study Edition of the Urantia Papers

^163:4.2 1. The gospel of the kingdom must be proclaimed to all the world, to gentile as well as to Jew.

^163:4.3 2. While ministering to the sick, refrain from teaching the expectation of miracles.

^163:4.4 3. Proclaim a spiritual brotherhood of the sons of God, not an outward kingdom of worldly power and material glory.

^163:4.5 4. Avoid loss of time through overmuch social visiting and other trivialities which might detract from wholehearted devotion to preaching the gospel.

^163:4.6 5. If the first house to be selected for a headquarters proves to be a worthy home, abide there throughout the sojourn in that city.

^163:4.7 6. Make clear to all faithful believers that the time for an open break with the religious leaders of the Jews at Jerusalem has now come.

^163:4.8 7. Teach that man’s whole duty is summed up in this one commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your mind and soul and your neighbour as yourself. (This they were to teach as man’s whole duty in place of the 613 rules of living expounded by the Pharisees.)

^163:4.9 ¶ When Jesus had talked thus to the 70 in the presence of all the apostles and disciples, Simon Peter took them off by themselves and preached to them their ordination sermon, which was an elaboration of the Master’s charge given at the time he laid his hands upon them and set them apart as messengers of the kingdom. Peter exhorted the 70 to cherish in their experience the following virtues:

^163:4.10 1. Consecrated devotion. To pray always for more labourers to be sent forth into the gospel harvest. He explained that, when one so prays, he will the more likely say, “Here am I; send me.” He admonished them to neglect not their daily worship.

^163:4.11 2. True courage. He warned them that they would encounter hostility and be certain to meet with persecution. Peter told them their mission was no undertaking for cowards and advised those who were afraid to step out before they started. But none withdrew.

^163:4.12 3. Faith and trust. They must go forth on this short mission wholly unprovided for; they must trust the Father for food and shelter and all other things needful.

^163:4.13 4. Zeal and initiative. They must be possessed with zeal and intelligent enthusiasm; they must attend strictly to their Master’s business. Oriental salutation was a lengthy and elaborate ceremony; therefore had they been instructed to “salute no man by the way,” which was a common method of exhorting one to go about his business without the waste of time. It had nothing to do with the matter of friendly greeting.

^163:4.14 5. Kindness and courtesy. The Master had instructed them to avoid unnecessary waste of time in social ceremonies, but he enjoined courtesy toward all with whom they should come in contact. They were to show every kindness to those who might entertain them in their homes. They were strictly warned against leaving a modest home to be entertained in a more comfortable or influential one.

^163:4.15 6. Ministry to the sick. The 70 were charged by Peter to search out the sick in mind and body and to do everything in their power to bring about the alleviation or cure of their maladies.

^163:4.16 ¶ And when they had been thus charged and instructed, they started out, two and two, on their mission in Galilee, Samaria, and Judea.

^163:4.17 Although the Jews had a peculiar regard for the number 70, sometimes considering the nations of heathendom as being 70 in number, and although these 70 messengers were to go with the gospel to all peoples, still as far as we can discern, it was only coincidental that this group happened to number just 70. Certain it was that Jesus would have accepted no less than half a dozen others, but they were unwilling to pay the price of forsaking wealth and families.

5. MOVING THE CAMP TO PELLA

^163:5.1 Jesus and the 12 now prepared to establish their last headquarters in Perea, near Pella, where the Master was baptized in the Jordan. The last ten days of November were spent in council at Magadan, and on Tuesday, December 6, the entire company of almost 300 started out at daybreak with all their effects to lodge that night near Pella by the river. This was the same site, by the spring, that John the Baptist had occupied with his camp several years before.

^163:5.2 After the breaking up of the Magadan Camp, David Zebedee returned to Bethsaida and began immediately to curtail the messenger service. The kingdom was taking on a new phase. Daily, pilgrims arrived from all parts of Palestine and even from remote regions of the Roman Empire. Believers occasionally came from Mesopotamia and from the lands east of the Tigris. Accordingly, on Sunday, December 18, David, with the help of his messenger corps, loaded on to the pack animals the camp equipage, then stored in his father’s house, with which he had formerly conducted the camp of Bethsaida by the lake. Bidding farewell to Bethsaida for the time being, he proceeded down the lake shore and along the Jordan to a point about 2.4 km north of the apostolic camp; and in less than a week he was prepared to offer hospitality to almost 1500 pilgrim visitors. The apostolic camp could accommodate about 500. This was the rainy season in Palestine, and these accommodations were required to take care of the ever-increasing number of inquirers, mostly earnest, who came into Perea to see Jesus and to hear his teaching.

^163:5.3 David did all this on his own initiative, though he had taken counsel with Philip and Matthew at Magadan. He employed the larger part of his former messenger corps as his helpers in conducting this camp; he now used less than 20 men on regular messenger duty. Near the end of December and before the return of the 70, almost 800 visitors were gathered about the Master, and they found lodging in David’s camp.

6. THE RETURN OF THE SEVENTY

^163:6.1 On Friday, December 30, while Jesus was away in the near-by hills with Peter, James, and John, the 70 messengers were arriving by couples, accompanied by numerous believers, at the Pella headquarters. All 70 were assembled at the teaching site about 17:00 when Jesus returned to the camp. The evening meal was delayed for more than an hour while these enthusiasts for the gospel of the kingdom related their experiences. David’s messengers had brought much of this news to the apostles during previous weeks, but it was truly inspiring to hear these newly ordained teachers of the gospel personally tell how their message had been received by hungry Jews and gentiles. At last Jesus was able to see men going out to spread the good news without his personal presence. The Master now knew that he could leave this world without seriously hindering the progress of the kingdom.

^163:6.2 When the 70 related how “even the devils were subject” to them, they referred to the wonderful cures they had wrought in the cases of victims of nervous disorders. Nevertheless, there had been a few cases of real spirit possession relieved by these ministers, and referring to these, Jesus said: “It is not strange that these disobedient minor spirits should be subject to you, seeing that I beheld Satan falling as lightning from heaven. But rejoice not so much over this, for I declare to you that, as soon as I return to my Father, we will send forth our spirits into the very minds of men so that no more can these few lost spirits enter the minds of unfortunate mortals. I rejoice with you that you have power with men, but be not lifted up because of this experience but the rather rejoice that your names are written on the rolls of heaven, and that you are thus to go forward in an endless career of spiritual conquest.”

^163:6.3 And it was at this time, just before partaking of the evening meal, that Jesus experienced one of those rare moments of emotional ecstasy which his followers had occasionally witnessed. He said: “I thank you, my Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that, while this wonderful gospel was hidden from the wise and self-righteous, the spirit has revealed these spiritual glories to these children of the kingdom. Yes, my Father, it