The Gospel of St. Mark

Aquarian Gospel

Chapter Six

Chapter 121

IT was a gala day in Nazareth. The people there had met with one accord to celebrate some great event.
2) And Jesus and the foreign masters and the twelve, and Mary, mother of the Lord, and Miriam were there.
3) And when the people were assembled in the great hall of the town, the graceful singer, Miriam, stood and sang a song of praise.
4) But few of all the multitude knew who the singer was; but instantly she won all hearts.
5) For many days she sang the songs of Israel, and then she went her way.

2: And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

6) The Sabbath came and Jesus went into the synagogue. He took the book of Psalms and read:
7) Blest is the man who puts his trust in God, respecting not the proud nor such as turn aside to lies.
8) O lord, my God, the works that thou hast done for us are wonderful; and many are thy thoughts for us; we cannot count them all,
9) Thou dost not call for sacrifice, nor offerings of blood; burnt offerings and offerings for sin thou dost not want;
10) And lo, I come to do thy will, O God, thy law is in my heart,
11) And I have preached the word of righteousness and peace unto the thronging multitudes; I have declared the counsel of my God in full.
12) I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and grace.
13) I have not kept thy loving kindness and thy truth away from men; I have declared them to the multitudes.
14) O Lord, make wide my lips that I may tell thy praise; I do not bring the sacrifice of blood, nor yet burnt offerings for sin.
15) The sacrifices I would bring to thee, O God, are purity in life, a contrite heart, a spirit full of faith and love, and these thou wilt receive.
16) And when he had thus read, he gave the book back to the keeper of the books, and then he said,
17) Upon these ends of earth these messages of God have come.
18) Our people have exalted sacrificial rites and have neglected mercy, justice and the rights of men.
19) You Pharisees, you priests, you scribes, your God is surfeited with blood; God does not heed your prayers; you stand before your burning victims; but you stand in vain.
20) Turn you unto the testimonies of the law; reform and turn to God, and you shall live.
21) Let not your altars be accursed again with smoke of innocence.
22) Bring unto God as sacrifice a broken and a contrite heart.
23) Lift from your fellow men the burdens that you have imposed.
24) And if you hearken not, and if you turn not from your evil ways, lo, God will smite this nation with a curse.
25) And when he had thus said he stood aside, and all the people were astonished, and they said,
26) Where did this man get all his knowledge and his power? From whence did all this wisdom come?

3: Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

27) Is not this Mary's son, whose home is out on Marmion Way?
28) Are not his brothers, Jude and James and Simon, known among our honored men? Are not his sisters with us here?
29) But they were all offended by the words he spoke.

4: But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

30) And Jesus said,
A prophet has no honor in his native land; he is not well received among his kin; his foes are in his home.

5: And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

6: And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

32) But as he passed from thence two blind men followed him and cried,  Thou son of David, hear! Have mercy, Lord, and open up our eyes that we may see.
33) And Jesus said, Do you believe that I can open up your eyes and make you see?
34) They said, Yea, Lord, we know that if you speak the Word then we can see.
35) And Jesus touched their eyes and spoke the Word; he said, According to your faith so will it be.
36) And they were blest; they opened up their eyes and saw.
37) And Jesus said, Tell not this thing to any one.
38) But they went forth and told the news through all the land.
39) As Jesus walked along the way a man who was obsessed, and who was dumb, was brought to him.
40) And Jesus spoke the Word; the unclean spirit came out of the man; his tongue was loosed; he spoke; he said, Praise God.
41) The people were amazed; They said, This is a mighty deed; we never saw that done before.
42) The Pharisees were also much amazed; but they cried out and said,
43) You men of Israel, take heed; this Jesus is a tool of Beelzebub; he heals the sick and casts the spirits out in Satan's name.
44) But Jesus answered not; he went his way.
45) And with the foreign masters and the twelve he went up to the town where he once turned the water into wine, and tarried certain days.

(Chapter 121 continued at Mark 7:32)

Chapter 122

THE Christines prayed in silence seven days; then Jesus called the twelve aside and said,
2) Behold, the multitudes have thronged about us everywhere; the people are bewildered; they wander here and there like sheep without a fold.
3) They need a shepherd's care; they want a loving hand to lead them to the light.
4) The grain is ripe; the harvest is abundant, but the harvesters are few.
5) The time is also ripe, and you must go alone through all the villages and towns of Galilee and teach and heal.
6) And then he breathed upon the twelve and said,
Receive the Holy Breath.
7) And then he gave them each the Word of power, and said, By this Omnific Word you shall cast spirits out, shall heal the sick and bring the dead to life again.
8) And you shall go not in the way of the Assyrians, nor Greek; you shall not go into Samaria; go only to your brethren of the scattered tribes.
9) And as you go proclaim, The kingdom of Christ has come.
10) You have abundantly received, and freely you shall give.
11) But you must go in faith; provide yourselves no crutch to lean upon.
12) Give all your gold and silver to the poor; take not two coats, nor extra shoes; just take your wands.
13) You are God's husbandmen and he will never suffer you to want.
14) In every place you go search out the men of faith; with them abide until you go from hence.
15) You go for me; you act for me. They who receive and welcome you, receive and welcome me;
16) And they who shut their doors against your face, refuse to welcome me.
17) If you are not received in kindness in a town, bear not away an evil thought; do not resist.
18) An evil thought of any kind will do you harm; will dissipate your power.
19) When you are not received with favor, go your way, for there are multitudes of men who want the light.
20) Behold, I send you forth as sheep among a pack of wolves; and you must be as wise as serpents and as harmless as the doves.
21) In all your language be discreet, for Pharisees and scribes will seek a cause for your arrest in what you say.
22) And they will surely find a way by charges false to bring you into court.
23) And judges will declare that you are guilty of some crime, and sentence you to scourgings and to prison cells.
24) But when you come to stand before the judge, be not afraid; be not disturbed about the way to act, the words to speak.
25) The Holy Breath will guide you in that hour, and give the words that you shall speak.
26) Of this be full assured; It is not you who speaks; it is the Holy Breath that gives the words and moves the lips.
27) The gospel that you preach will not bring peace, but it will stir the multitudes to wrath.
28) The carnal man abhors the truth, and he would give his life to crush the tender plant before the harvest time.
29) And this will bring confusion in the homes that were the homes of stagnant peace.
30) And brother will give brother up to death; the father will stand by and see men execute his child; and in the courts the child will testify against the sire, and gladly see its mother put to death.
31) And men will hate you just because you speak the name of Christ.
32) Thrice blessed is the man who shall be faithful in this coming day of wrath!
33) Go now; when you are persecuted in a place, go seek another place.
34) And when you meet a foe too great for you, behold, the son of man is at your door, and he can speak, and all the hosts of heaven will stand in your defense.
35) But do not hold your present life in great esteem.
36) The time will come when men will take my life; you need not hope to be immune, for they will slay you in the name of God.
37) Men call me Beelzebub and they will call you imps.
38) Be not afraid of what men say and do; they have no power over soul; they may abuse and may destroy the body of the flesh; but that is all.
39) They do not know the God who holds the issues of the soul within his hands, who can destroy the soul.
40) The Christ is king today, and men must recognize his power.
41) He who loves not the Christ, which is the love of God, before all else, can never gain the prize of spirit consciousness.
42) And they who love their parents or their children more than they love the Christ can never wear the name of Christ.
43) And he who loves his life more than he loves the Christ cannot please God.
44) And he who clings to life shall lose his life, while he who gives his life for Christ will save his life.
 

7: And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

45) When Jesus had thus said he sent the twelve away by twos, and bade them meet him in Capernaum.

12) Give all your gold and silver to the poor; take not two coats, nor extra shoes; just take your wands.
13) You are God's husbandmen and he will never suffer you to want.

10: And he said unto them, In what place so ever you enter into an house, there abide till you depart from that place.

11: And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

15) You go for me; you act for me. They who receive and welcome you, receive and welcome me;
16) And they who shut their doors against your face, refuse to welcome me.
17) If you are not received in kindness in a town, bear not away an evil thought; do not resist.
18) An evil thought of any kind will do you harm; will dissipate your power.
19) When you are not received with favor, go your way, for there are multitudes of men who want the light.

46 And they went out through all the towns of Galilee and taught and healed in spirit and in power.

13: And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

14: And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.

15: Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.

16: But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.

17: For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.

18: For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.

19: Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:

20: For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

Chapter 117

21: And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;

A ROYAL feast was held in honor of the birthday of the tetrarch in fortified Machaerus, east of the Bitter Sea.
2) The tetrarch, Herod, and his wife, Herodias, together with Salome were there; and all the men and women of the royal court were there.
3) And when the feast was done, lo, all the guests and courtiers were drunk with wine; they danced and leaped about like children in their play.

22: And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.

4) Salome, daughter of Herodias, came in and danced before the king. The beauty of her form, her grace and winning ways entranced the silly Herod, then half drunk with wine.
5) He called the maiden to his side and said, Salome, you have won my heart, and you may ask and I will give you anything you wish.

23: And he swore unto her, Whatsoever thou shall ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.

24: And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

6) The maiden ran in childish glee and told her mother what the ruler said.
7) Her mother said, Go back and say, Give me the head of John, the harbinger.

25: And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.

26: And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.

27: And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,

9) And Herod called his trusty executioner and said to him,
Go to the tower and tell the keeper that by my authority you come to execute the prisoner known as John.

28: And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.

10) The man went forth and in a little while returned and on a platter bore the lifeless head of John, and Herod offered it unto the maiden in the presence of the guests.
11) The maiden stood aloof; her innocence was outraged when she saw the bloody gift, and she would touch it not.
12) Her mother, steeped and hardened well in crime, came up and took the head and held it up before the guests and said,
13) This is the fate of every man who dares to scorn, or criticize, the acts of him who reigns.
14) The drunken rabble gazed upon the gruesome sight with fiendish joy.

15) The head was taken back unto the tower. The body had been given unto holy men who had been friends of John; they placed it in a burial case and carried it away.
16) They bore it to the Jordan, which they crossed just at the ford where John first preached the word;
17) And through the passes of the Judean hills they carried it.
18) They reached the sacred grounds near Hebron, where the bodies of the parents of the harbinger lay in their tombs;
19) And there they buried it; and then they went their way.

20) Now, when the news reached Galilee that John was dead the people met to sing the sonnets of the dead.
21) And Jesus and the foreign masters and the twelve took ship to cross the sea of Galilee.
22) A scribe, a faithful friend of John, stood by the sea; he called to Jesus and he said,
Rabboni, let me follow where you go.
23) And Jesus said,
You seek a safe retreat from evil men. There is no safety for your life with me;
24) For evil men will take my life as they have taken John's.
25) The foxes of the earth have safe retreats; the birds have nests secure among the hidden rocks, but I have not a place where I may lay my head and rest secure.
26) Then an apostle said,
Lord, suffer me to tarry here a while, that I may take my father, who is dead, and lay him in the tomb.
27) But Jesus said,
The dead can care for those who die; the living wait for those who live; come, follow me.
28) The evening came; three boats put out to sea and Jesus rested in the foremost boat; he slept.
29) A storm came on; the boats were tossed about like toys upon the sea.
30) The waters swept the decks; the hardy boatmen were afraid lest all be lost.
31) And Thomas found the master fast asleep; he called, and Jesus woke.
32) And Thomas said,
Behold the storm! have you no care for us? The boats are going down.
33) And Jesus stood; he raised his hand; he talked unto the spirits of the winds and waves as men would talk with men.
34) And, lo, the winds blew not; the waves came tremblingly and kissed his feet; the sea was calm.
35) And then he said,
You men of faith, where is your faith? for you can speak and winds and waves will hear and will obey.
36) And the disciples were amazed. They said,
Who is this man that even winds and waves obey his voice?

Chapter 124

30: And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

THE twelve apostles now had reached the stage of spirit consciousness, and Jesus could reveal to them the deeper meanings of his mission to the world.
2) Next week the great feast of the Jews would be observed, and Matthew said,
Shall we not gird ourselves and go unto Jerusalem?

31: And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

3) But Jesus said,
We will not go up to the feast; the time is short and I have many things to say to you; come you apart into a desert place and rest a while.

4) And then they took their boats and crossed the sea, and came into a desert place near Julius Bethsaida.

33: And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.

34: And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

6) And Jesus had compassion on the anxious throng, and he stood forth and taught them all the day, because they sought a light and were like sheep without a fold.

35: And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:

7) And as the night came on the twelve were doubting what the multitudes would do, and Thomas said,
8) Lord, we are in a desert place; the multitudes have naught to eat and they are faint from lack of food; what shall we do?

37: He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?

9) And Jesus said, Go to and feed the multitudes.
10) And Judas said, Shall we go down and buy two hundred pennies' worth of bread for them to eat?

38: He said to them, How many loaves do you have? go and see. And when they knew, they said, Five, and two fishes.

11) And Jesus said, Go look into our larder and see how many loaves we have.
12) And Andrew said, We have no bread, but we have found a lad who has five barley loaves and two small fish; but this would not be food enough for one in ten.

13) But Jesus said, Command these people all to sit upon the grass in companies of twelve; and they all sat down in companies of twelve.

41: And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.

14) Then Jesus took the loaves and fish, and looking up to heaven he spoke the sacred Word.
15) And then he broke the bread and gave it to the twelve; he also gave the fish unto the twelve, and said,
Go to and feed the multitudes.

16) And all the people ate and were refreshed.
17) There were about five thousand men, a company of little ones, and women not a few.

18) And when the people all were filled the master said,
19) Let not a crumb be lost; Go to and gather up the pieces of the bread and fish for others that may want.
20) They gathered up the fragments and they filled twelve baskets full.
21) The people were bewildered by this wondrous act of power; they said, And now we know that Jesus is the prophet that our prophets said would come;
and then they said, All hail the king!

44: And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

45: And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.

22) When Jesus heard them say, All hail the king! he called the twelve and bade them take their boats and go before him to the other side;

46: And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

48: And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

24) The twelve were on the sea and hoped to reach Capernaum in just a little time, when all at once a fearful storm arose, and they were at the mercy of the waves.
25) And in the fourth watch of the night the wind became a whirling wind, and they were filled with fear.

49: But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

26) And in the blinding storm they saw a form move on the waves; it seemed to be a man, one spoke out and said, It is a ghost, a sign of evil things.

50: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and said to them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

28) And then the wind blew not so hard, and Peter, standing in the midst, exclaimed:
29) My Lord! my Lord! If this be truly you, bid me to come to you upon the waves.
30) The form reached forth his hand and said,
Come on.
31) And Peter stepped upon the waves and they were solid as a rock; he walked upon the waves.
32) He walked until he thought within himself,
What if the waves should break beneath my feet?
33) And then the waves did break beneath his feet, and he began to sink, and in the fearfulness of soul he cried,
O save me, Lord, or I am lost!
34) And Jesus took him by the hand and said,
O you of little faith! why did you doubt?
And Jesus led the way unto the boat.

53: And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.

Chapter 125

54: And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,

55: And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.

56: And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole

THE news soon spread through all the valley of Gennersaret that Jesus and the twelve had come, and many people came to see.
2) They brought their sick and laid them at the master's feet, and all the day he taught and healed.
3) The multitudes upon the other side who had been fed the day before and other multitudes, went down to see the Lord; but when they found him not they sought him in Capernaum.