- Now there is at Jerusalem, by the sheep market, a pool, named in Hebrew, Bethesda, where there were five porches. In these porches lay a great many disabled people who were blind, infirm, or lame, hoping for people to take pity on them. There was one man among them who had been lame for thirty-eight years. Jesus noticed him in particular, and knew that he had been afflicted for many years. He asked him, Do you want to be made whole? The man answered him, Sir, I would be grateful for any help. Jesus replied to him, Arise, take up your bedding and go forward. And as soon as Jesus spoke, the man was made whole, and picked up his bedding, and walked. But this happened on the Jewish Sabbath day. The Jews were therefore judgmental and confronted the man who was cured, accusing him, saying, It is the Sabbath day, it is not lawful for you to carry your bedding. He answered them, The man who restored me, said to me, Pick up your bedding and walk. Then the angry Jews said, Who told you, Pick up your bedding and walk? But the healed man was unable to identify who healed him because Jesus had walked away and mingled with the festival crowd. Shortly afterwards Jesus met him again in the temple, and said to him, Remember, you have been healed, but take care to follow God, do not be ungrateful or you will offend God. Those who were following and watching Jesus (for the Jews were on the watch for him when he entered Jerusalem) were told by the man that Jesus was his healer.
- Then these Jews were even more angry at Jesus, and conspired to kill him because he had violated their traditions about the Sabbath and they feared he did every thing to undermine their authority. But Jesus corrected them saying, My Father works on every day including the Sabbath, and I follow his example. This convinced the Jews to be even more determined to kill Jesus, because he had both violated their traditions about the Sabbath, and claimed God was his Father, which would make him equal with God.
- Then Jesus affirmed to them, In the name of Father Ahman I tell you, The Son does nothing of himself, but I am following the path that my Father walks. Every thing the Father has done, I am likewise to do. My Father loves His Son, and has revealed to me every thing he has done, and I have a work to do for me to finish the path of my Father. You may not believe me, but before the end you will be in awe of what I am sent to do. The Father has attained to the resurrection, and I am sent to do likewise. In this creation the Father has made me the Source and judge of the resurrection. You will be required to honor the Son, even as you honor the Father. Anyone who disrespects the Son also disrespects the Father who sent me.
- In the name of Father Ahman I testify to you, He who hearkens to my testimony, and trusts him who sent me, there is no end to his potential progression. His progress will not cease, for I demonstrate the pathway of Eternal lives.
- In the name of Father Ahman I testify to you, The time has arrived when even the spirits in Sheol will hear the voice of the Son of God. Those who hearken to my testimony shall also progress upward on the pathway. The Father has the power of endless life within himself, and he has empowered the Son to attain this identical state through progression on his pathway. I hold authority to judge mankind because I am Son Ahman. Do not doubt this, for the time is fast approaching when the dead will also be taught by my voice. The dead will rise from the grave: first the faithful in the resurrection of the just, and then the faithless in the resurrection of the unjust. Every soul will be judged by Son Ahman. Whatever the Father tells me, I accept and teach, and my teachings are all just and true. I take nothing on myself apart from the Father’s instruction. I do not pursue my own agenda, but the Father’s agenda, for I act under his authority.
- Therefore I am a witness of the truth, and my witness is true. I am not a lone witness because my Father testifies to those who will listen. My works testify also. But you do not listen to my Father and you condemn my works. Therefore you reject the truth. You asked John, and he was also my witness of the truth. He did not receive his testimony from only a man, but directly from God, and you admit he is a prophet. Therefore you should accept his testimony.
- I am telling you these things to save you. John was a brilliant light sent from above, and you were willing to hear and acknowledge him for a short while. But there is even a greater reason than John’s words to believe what I teach: As I complete the journey to finish the Father’s path, those final steps will plainly testify of me.
- I testify of the truth. The Father testifies to those who will hear him. John testified of me. And the works I am performing testify. But you do not hearken to my message, nor hear the Father, nor accept John’s message, and you ignore the evidence shown by my works. Therefore, you are deliberately blind and choose not to know my Father, because you have no faith in his truth and refuse to walk in his pathway.
- You should carefully review again the scriptures, for you suppose they can save your soul, but they were written to testify of me. Although I can save your soul, you refuse salvation because you are opposed to me. I am not looking for vain popularity, but offer salvation for your souls. I understand what is in your hearts, and because you do not love God you do not love truth.
- I have come to you because the Father sent me, and I glorify his name, but you reject that. If someone not sent by the Father comes to glorify himself by displaying his own wisdom, you respect him. How can you ever gain light and truth when you use one another as the final authority on truth, and ignore the light sent by the Most High God? I will not need to condemn you before the Father because Moses will do that. If you really believed Moses you would understand he prophesied and testified of me. Since you have perverted what Moses wrote, how can you hope to believe me?
- After these events, Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which was renamed the Sea of Tiberias. And a large group followed him because they saw his miracles healing the injured and diseased. Jesus climbed up a mountain and there he taught his companions. And the feast was approaching. When Jesus noticed the throng approaching them, he asked Philip, Where can we buy bread to feed these approaching people? He asked Philip the question, but already planned what he was going to do. Philip answered him, Two hundred days’ wages would not buy enough bread to even give each of them a little. Another companion, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, There is a boy with us who has five barley loaves and two dried salted fish, which is obviously not enough to feed this crowd. Jesus said, Have the people sit down on the plentiful grass. About five thousand were seated. Jesus stood and looked up to Heaven, holding up the barley loaves. While blessing the loaves, he thanked his Father. Then he distributed food to his companions, and then passed through the multitude and gave to each of them their fill of barley bread and salted fish. When the multitude were filled, Jesus asked his disciples, Gather every thing that remains uneaten so nothing is wasted. When it had all been gathered, the remainder filled twelve baskets, many times what had started with, five barley loaves and two fish. Then some of the multitude fed by this miracle testified, This is surely fulfillment of the sign of the Messiah, God’s King and Priest, who will restore Israel as a nation!
- When Jesus overheard that they wanted to force him to be their king, he walked away, going back up the mountain alone. That evening when some of the throng were leaving, his companions departed in a boat across the sea toward Capernaum. It was after dark and Jesus was not with them in the boat. At the time the sea became turbulent because of a strong wind. So when they had rowed about four miles, they saw Jesus walking upon the sea and approaching their boat; they were afraid. But he said, I am that I am, do not be frightened. They recognized this was another promised sign to identify the Messiah, and understood the meaning of his greeting, and then they were at their destiny.
- The next day, when the throng left behind on the other side of the sea discussed leaving, they realized there was no other boat than the one his companions had used. They knew that Jesus had not been with them on the boat. They saw his companions leave without him. But he was now gone away also. And so, when other boats arrived from Tiberias near to where they were fed barley bread after the Messiah had blessed it, they took the available boats and went to Capernaum to try to locate Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked, Teacher, from what source did you come? Jesus replied, In the name of Father Ahman I tell you, You follow after me, not because you intend to obey what I teach, nor because you witnessed miracles and believe, but you are slaves to your bellies and want to be fed more barley bread. Do not be preoccupied with food for your bellies, but for food from God, that is, light and truth, leading to endless progression upward. I am Son Ahman and can give you sustaining light and truth, for God the Father has declared I am His Son.
- Then they asked him, What do we need to do to enter God’s pathway of endless progress? Jesus answered and said, The pathway is before you in me, I teach and display what the Father wants you to witness and believe. They said in response, What sign will you give to us to confirm this pathway, so we can trust your message? What will you give to us? Our fathers were fed with manna in the desert for forty years. As the scripture states, He gave them bread from Heaven to eat. Feed us likewise.
- Then Jesus said to them, In the name of Father Ahman I tell you the truth, Moses was not the one who gave bread, it was my Father who did that. But now my Father is offering true life-giving bread from Heaven, which is light and truth. For the Bread of God is sent from the Heavenly Council to give light and truth to the world. They responded, Master, feed us with this bread forever.
- Jesus said bluntly to them, I am the bread that gives life; he that follows the path with me will never hunger for light; and any who believe on me shall never thirst for truth. Unfortunately, as I have already told you, even though you have seen me, you do not believe me. But my Father has provided some who will heed my words, and those who follow me I will safely keep. I am descended from above as a Messenger sent to follow Father Ahman’s plan. Father’s plan is that by completing my ascent I will have the power to rescue creation, losing nothing. Moreover, those who are here on this journey with me will be added upon for evermore if they have faith in me. They will rise up to likewise generate endless lives, worlds without end.
- The Jews loudly objected to his claim of calling himself, I am, and equating himself with God, and because he claimed to be the bread which came down from Heaven. And they challenged his teaching, asking the people, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he claim to descend from Heaven?
- Jesus responded to them, Do not dispute my teaching between yourselves. No man can come unto me except he follows the path of my Father, who has sent me as His messenger of salvation. And this is what my Father expects of you, that you heed his Son. For the Father testifies he sent me, and anyone who accepts the Father’s testimony, and has the faith in him to heed his testimony, I will raise upward in the resurrection of the just. For it is written in the prophets, And these shall all be taught by God. Every person who has hearkened and has learned the will of the Father, accepts me as his messenger. None of you have seen the Father unless you first descended from God’s presence, as I have come; and all who have seen the Father can testify of him. In the name of Father Ahman I declare to you, He that has faith on me has endless lives, worlds without end. I am that bread of life. This is the bread that descended from Heaven, that a man may eat of me and his life never end. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and they perished. But I am the living bread sent from Heaven to rescue you. If any man takes into themselves this bread, he will gain light and truth and the power for endless life. The staff of life I provide is to sacrifice my flesh, which I will surrender to rescue the world.
- The Jews argued among themselves, demanding, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them, In the name of Father Ahman I say unto you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you will never have endless life in you. Those who eat my flesh, and drink my blood, will obtain endless life. I will raise him up in the resurrection of the just at the last day. Just as the Father provided this life for me, I will provide it for you if you have faith in me. For my flesh will fill you with light, and my blood will quench you with truth. If you receive these, I will fill you with light and truth and we will be brothers, sons of God. My sacrifice is the bread I descended from Heaven to provide, not like the manna eaten by your deceased ancestors who rejected greater light and truth in their day. The light and truth I offer leads to endless lives, worlds without end.
- The foregoing is what he taught in the Capernaum synagogue.
Chapter 5