The Gospels and the Christs/St Mark and the Acts of the Apostles

[Page 32]CHAPTER THREE St. Mark and The Acts of The Apostles

If we are to benefit from a study of the Gospels, we must clearly appreciate that Jesus was a Messenger from God—one of those unique creatures of whom we have spoken. We should remember, too, that the people to whom He spoke already had a religion and that they followed a former Messenger and revered an already established Holy Book.

In His ministry, Jesus was endeavouring to prove His claim that He was the Messiah—the One whom the people patiently awaited. He succeeded in convincing a limited number of people, and they became the means for spreading His teachings farther afield.

Now let us look closely at St. Mark’s Gospel and the Acts of The Apostles. Mark’s was the first Gospel, the original record of Jesus’ ministry. It gives us a sharply etched picture of what took placewhat jesus said, what He did and what was done to Him. In the Acts of The Apostles, we have a thrilling story of how His followers went about conveying the Message to others. In these two writings we discover a startling similarity between the Life and work of Jesus and that of Bahá’u’lláh; and between the first Christians and the first Bahá’ís

endeavouring to broadcast the new Teachings.

‘ Just as in Jesus’ day, it was inevitable the clergy and government authorities would challenge His claim to Messiahship; so, too, in _ Bahá’u’lláh’s day the clergy and government challenged His claim to be the Returned spirit spoken of by Jesus. Even as in Jesus’ day, His opponents attempted to justify their stand by reference to their Holy Book— the Old Testament— so did the authorities of Bahá’u’lláh’s day rest their case on their understanding of both the Old and the New Testament and the Koran.

But what is of utmost importance, and what we should never forget, is that both Jesus and Bahá’u’lláh used the self-same Scriptures as Their spring from which flowed the truth of Their claims! Because of this, it would appear that Scripture, as such, is correct, while Man’s interpretation of it can seriously err. It is this fact of human fallibility which the whole of mankind needs to recognise, if it is ever to have

32

[Page 33]peace and unity on this planet. We must be prepared to admit the possibility that we have, in many instances, for centuries past, laboured under a misconception as to the actual meanings conveyed by different Scriptures. This applies to all religions! That we could have been wrong in our interpretations of Scripture will need gracefully to be conceded. And, too, we are learning that the proof of each Manifestation lies in the words spoken by the Manifestations Who have preceded Him. That could be a disturbing challenge to us!

The veracity of spiritual truth which mankind finds difficult to accept, is the fact of Progressive Revelation of God’s Will toward man. For those willing to see, this has been demonstrated to mankind through a long succession of Prophets, or Founders of Religion. Each Prophet has come as a distinct Creature; and also, as the embodiment of the Holy Spirit which has inhabited each former Prophet. To use a modern merchandising term: Different packaging, but from the same supplier. Yet, while this is a truth so fundamental that humanity’s wellbeing hinges on it, organised religion as we know it, refuses to embrace such a truth. Strangely enough, before one is able to have a true appreciation of the reality of progressive revelation, one needs to become thoroughly familiar with one’s own Holy Book.

Before we can accurately assess the claims made by Bahá’u’lláh and arrive at a correct conclusion, we need to examine His teachings from the point of view that they are a natural sequel to New Testament Scripture. This requires bold thinking on our part—a willingness to question what we formerly accepted without a second thought.

Let me give you one or two illustrations to explain this point, because until we can accept the concept of God progressively revealing His Will to mankind through thevmedium of a succession of Manifestations, we will never understand the claims made by Bahá’u’lláh. Note what St. Mark says, chapter 12: 1-17 (I quote from the New English Bible.) “He (Jesus) went on to speak to them in parables: ‘A 'man planted a vineyard and put a wall around it, hewed out a winepress, and built a watch-tower; then he let it out to vinegrowers and went abroad. When the vintage season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce. But they took him, thrashed him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant, whom they beat about the head and treated outrageously. So he sent another, and that one they killed; and many more besides, of whom they beat some, and killed others. He had nOW only one left to‘send, his own dear son. In the end he sent him. ‘They will respect

33

[Page 34]my son!’ he said. But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come let us kill him, and the property will be ours’. So they seized him and killed him, and flung his body out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and put the tenants to death and give the vineyard to others.

“Can it be that you have never read this text: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the main cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes?’

“Then they began to look for a way to arrest Him, for they saw that the parable was aimed at them . . .”

Could one ask for anything clearer than that? HereJesus likens the world to a vineyard. God has leased that vineyard to mankind. But from time to time He sends a Messenger to see what is going on, and to require of those working the vineyard, the share which belongs to Him, the Owner of the vineyard. In their waywardness, the people kill the Messengers. Finally, in desperation, the Owner sends His only Son. Him, too, they kill. So, what is God to do? Give away the whole of His creation and have nothing? No. He says: ‘I will go Myself and clear them out and appoint others in their stead.’ That is what God has done in the past; it is what He is doing now. Bahá’ís believe He has personalised Himself again, this time in the person of Bahá’u’lláh fulfilling the role of Father, and choosing another people to work His vineyard and to fulfill His purpose.

For all that, God is abundantly just: He does not ask for all and give nothing in return. Look how Jesus explains it in verses 13—17, of chapter 12 . . .” A number of Pharisees and men of Herod’s party were sent to trap Him with a question. They came and said: ‘Master, you are an honest man, we know, and truckle to no man, whoever he may be; you teach in all honesty the way of life that God requires. Are we or are we not permitted to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor? Shall we pay or not?’ He saw how crafty their question was, and said: ‘Why are you trying to catch me out? Fetch me a silver piece, and let me look at it.’ They brought one, and He said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose inscription,’ ‘Caesar’s’ they replied. Then said Jesus: Pay Caesar what is due to Caesar, and pay God what is due to God! And they heard Him with astonishment.”

A second illustration is to be found in Mark 8:27-30 and 9:2-13. This is what it says: “Jesus and His disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way He asked His disciples, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ They answered: ‘Some say John the Baptist, others

34

[Page 35]Elijah, others one of the prophets.’ ‘And you,’ He asked, ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter replied: ‘You are the Messiah . . . 1

“Six days later Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they‘ were alone; and in their presence he was transfigured; his clothes became dazzling white, with a whiteness no bleacher on earth could equal. They saw Elijah appear, and Moses with him, and there they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter spoke: ‘Rabbi,’ he said, ‘how good it is that we are here! Shall we make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah? (For he did not know what to say: they were so terrified.) Then a Cloud appeared, casting its shadow over them, and out of the cloud came a voice: ‘This is my son, ‘my Beloved: listen to him.’ And now suddently; when they looked around, there was nobody to be seen but Jesus alone with themselves.

“On their way down the mountain, he enjoined them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They seized upon those words, and discussed among themselves what this ‘rising from the dead’ could mean. And they put a question to him: ‘Why do our teachers say that Elijah must be the first to come?’ He replied: ‘Yes, Elijah does come first to set everything right. Yet how is it that the scriptures say of the Son of Man that he is to endure great sufferings and be treated with contempt? However, I tell you, Elijah has already come and they have worked their will upon him, as the scriptures say of him’.”

Is not that clear enough! Of course John the Baptist was Elijah; certainly Jesus was John the Baptist, for the Holy Spirit is One, God is One, all creatures live, move and have their being in the One Divine Source. Each of those persons was a ray from God’s ineffable glory. On the mount, Jesus revealed to His three disciples (because they were advanced enough to understand) exactly what progressive revelation meant. And He made it so abundantly clear to them that the dear, emotional Peter exclaimed: “This is too wonderful! We must record this great truth, so that everyone can know of it. We will put up three buildings to commemorate the day when we learned the significance of progressive revelation!”

Ah, no! That was not the Christ’s way. Man must search out the truth for himself, lest, under. stress, he be found weak. Jesus forbade them to speak of what they had seen until after His ascension and, even then, men would have to discover the truth for themselves. God has given men the use of the vineyard; they should not expect Him

35

[Page 36]to also work it for them! Each of us, individually, not only has the right, but also an obligation, to work out his own salvation from his own conclusions.

In these illustrations we see two ways by which Jesus taught progressive revelation, each case setting forth a logical sequence of events. However, He also argues His right to the role of Messiah. More, that He was Messiah! He did this by drawing attention to their own scriptural teachings. Have you not noticed how often He would ask: “What did Moses lay down for you?” Or: “What did Abraham say?” Or again: “What is written in the Scriptures?” In this way Jesus forced them back to a second look at their own teachings, encouraging them to break the fetters of orthodox belief, and to do some individual thinking. He called on them to be reasonable and logical in their thinking and in their interpretations.

We see a good illustration of this in Mark 11:27-33. Heed these words of Jesus; note the kindly humour in His challenge to His adversary . . .” And as He (Jesus) was walking in the temple court the Chief priests, lawyers, and elders came to Him and said, ‘By what authority are you acting like this? Who gave you authority to act in this way?”Jesus said to them ‘I will ask you one question; and if you give me an answer, I will tell you by what authority I act. The baptism of John: Was it from God or from man? Answer me.! This set them arguing among themselves: ‘What shall we say? If we say, from God, He will say, then why did you not believe Him? Shall we say from men? ‘but they were afraid of the people, for all held that John was in fact a prophet. So they answered Jesus. ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them. ‘Then neither will I tell you by what authority I act.’ ”

Here is another excellent example, taken from Mark 12:18-37. I quote again from the New English Bible . . . “Next Sadducees came to him. (It is they who say that there is no resurrection.) Their question was this: ‘Master, Moses laid it down for us that if there are brothers, and one dies leaving a wife but no child, then the next should marry the widow and carry on his brothers family. Now there were seven brothers. The first had a wife and died without issue. Then the second married her, and he too died without issue. So did the third. Eventually the seven of them died, all without issue. Finally, the woman died. At the resurrection, when they come back to life, whose wife will she be, since all seven had married her?’ Jesus said to them, ‘You are

36

[Page 37]mistaken, and surely this is the reason: you do not know either the Scriptures or the power of God. When they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; they are like angels in hcziwn.‘

“ ’Now about the resurrection of the dead, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the story of the burning bush, how God spoke to him and said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God ofjacob?’ God is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are greatly mistaken.’ Then one of the lawyers, who had noted how well he answered, came forward and asked him, ‘Which commandment is first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, Hear O Israel: the Lord your God is the only Lord; love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.’ The lawyer said to him, ‘Well said, Master. You are right in answering that God is One and beside Him there is no other. And to love Him with all your heart, all your understanding, and all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself— that is far more than any burnt offerings of sacrifices.’ Whenjesus saw how sensibly he answered, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the Kingdom of God.’

“After that nobody ventured to put any more questions to him; and Jesus went on to say, as he taught in the temple. How can the teachers of the law maintain that the Messiah is the Son of David? David himself said, when inspired by the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’ David himself calls him‘Lord’: how can he also be David’s son?”

Notice how wellJesus knew the Scriptures! It is a pity we do not know them as well; we’d be a far richer race ifwe did. And ifall races revered Scripture in the same manner, mankind would be clothed with the Robe of Universal Love, Justice, Equity and Harmony.

All through His ministry Jesus strove to teach men that God was spirit; that they were capable of drawing on that Spirit, thus attaining wonderful power. And that he, Himself, was drawing on the same Spirit and demonstrating to them that the Spirit does work. And, also, He was trying to make them understand that it was not Abraham, Moses or even Himself that mattered. What mattered was they they should clearly understand it was through each one of them individually that God wished to reveal His Will and His Purpose. That was‘ the important thing! . . . It was because He knew this that He was able

37

[Page 38]to speak with such absolute authority, and ‘the people were astonished at His authority, for He taught them like an authority, not like the Scrfloes?*

In numberless waysjesus answered His accusers by first reminding them of what was recorded in their own Scriptures. And, secondly, by pointing them to the truth underlying the words in that Scripture. Here is a case in point: You will find it in Mark 2:23-28; 3: 1-6. “One Sabbath he was going through a cornfield; and his disciples as they went, began to pluck ears of corn. The Pharisees said to Him, ‘Lord, why are they doing what is forbidden on the Sabbath?’ He answered, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his men were hungry and had nothing to eat? He went into the House of God, at the time of Abiatha the High Priest, and ate the consecrated loaves, though no one but a Priest is allowed to eat them, and even gave them to hnsrnenf

“He also said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for the sake of man and not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of Man is sovereign even overthe Sabbafl13

On another occasion when he went to synagogue, there was a man in the congregation who had a withered arm; and they were watching to see whetherjesus would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they could bring a charge against him. He said to the man with the withered arm, Come and stand out here! Then he turned to them: ‘Is it permitted to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ They had nothing to say: and, looking around at them with anger and sorrow at their obstinate stupidity, he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your arm.’ He stretched it out and the arm was restored. But the pharisees, on leaving the synogogue, began plotting against him with the partisans of Herod to see how they could make away with him.”

You can see, in this account, that for the first time in their lives, these people were learning that religion must be a living reality; that Jesus was proving His prophethood and His authority from their own Scriptures. And He was showing them the actual meaning enshrined in the words of the Scriptures which they professed to believe in, but which they did not rightly understand.

One of the fundamental needs of society today, is that each human being should thoroughly understand the spiritual truth back of the words of his Holy Book be he Jew, Christian, Hindu, Muslim or of

• Mark 1:22

38

[Page 39]any other of the great Religions. This is fundamentally so, because all of our greatScriptures have been rewritten many times; the original is lost to most of us, so that we must think our own way through what is left to us, rather than blindly follow on in the beliefs which have been propounded by ecclesiastical authorities over the centuries. This is a point of view stressed by Bahá’u’lláh. He has written: “The Bearers of the trust of God are made manifest unto the peoples of the earth as the Exponents of a New Cause and the Revealers of a New Message. Inasmuch as the birds of the Celestial Throne are all sent down from the Heaven of the Will of God, and as They all arise to proclaim His irresistible Faith, They are, therefore, regarded as one soul and the same person.”

Again He says: “In thy esteemed letter thou has enquired which of the Prophets of God should be regarded as superior to others. Know thou assuredly that the essence of all the Prophets of God is one and the same. Their unity is absolute. God, the Creator, saith: There is no distinction whatsoever among the Bearers of My Message. They all have but one purpose; their secret is the same secret. To prefer one in honour to another, to exalt certain ones above the rest, is in no wise permitted. Every Prophet hath regarded His Message as » fundamentally the same as the Revelation of every other Prophet gone before him.”6

However, Bahá’u’lláh goes even further than this. He actually gives an example of what He means when he speaks on the theme of progressive revelation. He writes: “Consider the former generations; Witness how every time the Day Star of Divine Bounty hath shed the light of His Revelation upon the world the people of His Day have arisen against Him, and repudiated His truth. They who were regarded as the leaders of men have invariably striven to hinder their followers from turning unto Him, Who is the Ocean of God’s limitless bounty. Behold how the people, as a result of the verdict pronounced by the Divines if His age, have cast Abraham, the friend of God, into fire; how Moses, he who held converse with the Almighty, was denounced as a liar and slanderer. Reflect how Jesus, the Spirit of God, was, notwithstanding His extreme meekness and perfect tender-heartedness, treated by His enemies. So fierce was the opposition which He, the Essence of Being and Lord of the visible and invisible, had to face, that He had nowhere to lay His head. He'wandered continually from place to place, deprived of a permanent abode. Ponder that which befell Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, may the life of all else be a

39

[Page 40]sacrifice unto Him. How severe the afflicitions which the leaders of the Jewish people and Of the idol-worshippers caused to rain upon Him, Who is the sovereign Lord of all, in consequence of His proclamation of the unity of the truth of His Message! By the righteousness of My Cause! My Pen groaneth, and all created things weep with a great weeping, as a result of the woes He suffered at the hands of them that have broken the Covenant of God, violated His Testament, rejected His proofs, and disputed His signs. Thus we recount unto thee the tale of that which happened in days past, that haply thou mayest comprehend.”7 And, too, Bahá’u’lláh reminds us of how difficult it is to apprehend the truth of God’s inscrutable Will and Purpose as ' portrayed in progressive revelation. He tells us: “So perfect and comprehensive is His Creation that no mind nor heart, however keen or pure, can ever grasp the nature of the most insignificant of His creatures; much less fathom the mystery of Him Who is the Day Star of Truth, Who is the invisible and unknowable Essence . . . Ten thousand Prophets, each a Moses, are thunderstruck upon the Sinai of their search at His forbidding voice, ‘Thou shalt never behold Me! ‘. . . From time immemorial He hath been veiled in the .ineffable sanctity of His Exalted Self . . . Every attempt to attain to an understanding of His inaccessible Reality hath ended in complete bewilderment . . . How bewildering to me, insignificant as I am, is the attempt to fathom the secret depths of Thy Knowledge! How futile my efforts to visualise the magnitude of power inherent in Thy handiwork— the revelation of Thy creative power! How can mine eye, which hath no faculty to perceive itself, claim to have discerned Thine Essence, and how can mine heart, already.powerless to apprehend the significance of its own potentialities, pretend to have comprehended Thy Nature? How can I claim to have known Thee, when the entire creation is bewildered by Thy mystery, and how can I confess not to have known Thee, When, 10, the whole universe proclaimeth Thy presence and testifieth to Thy truth? The portals of Thy grace have, throughout eternity, been open and the means of access unto Thy Presence made available, unto all created things.”8

In religion, as in Nature, the unity and oneness of God are as evident for one who, having eyes with which to see, does see! Jesus announced Himself, and then proceeded to use the Old Testament to prove His claim. Bahá’u’lláh does the same. Again we read in His writings these words: “0 Jews! If ye be intent on crucifying once again Jesus, the Spirit of God, put me to death, for He hath once more, in my person,

40

[Page 41]been made manifest unto you. Deal with me as you wish.9

There you have Bahá’u’lláh’s claim. Now let us look at His words of proof . . .” When the channel of the human soul is cleansed of all wordly and impeding attachments, it will unfailingly perceive the breath of the Beloved across immeasurable distances, and will, led by it’s perfume, attain and enter the City of Certitude. Therein he will discern the wonders of His Ancient Widsom . . . They that valiantly labour in quest of God, will, when once they have renounced all else but him, be so attached and wedded unto that City, that a moment’s separation from it would to them be unthinkable . . . That City is none other than the Word of God revealed in every age and dispensation. In the days of Moses it was the Pentateuch; in the days of Jesus, the Gospel; in the days of Muhammed, the Messenger of God, the Quran.”10

Nevertheless, men are blinded by a conceit in their own knowledge. For centuries it has been the custom of the Church to preach its own interpretation of Scripture, always with a view to reserving for its members the best seats at the right hand of God. It would have been better for mankind if they had preached submission of man’s will to God’s Will. Bahá’u’lláh points this out again in His writings . . . “Shake off, 0 heedless ones, the slumber of negligence, that ye may behold the radiance which His glory hath spread through the world: How foolish are those who murmur against the premature birth of His light. O ye who are inwardly blind! Whether too late or too soon, the evidences of His effulgent glory are now actually manifest. It behooveth you to ascertain whether or not such a light hath appeared. It is neither within your power nor mine to set the time at which it should be made manifest. God’s inscrutable Wisdom hath fixed its hour beforehand. Be content, O people, with that which God hath desired for you and predestined unto you . . . O my illwishers! The Day Star of eternal Guidance beareth me witness; had it been in my power, I would have, under no circumstances, consented to distinguish myself amongst men, for the Name I bear utterly disdaineth to associate with this generation whose tongues are sullied and whose hearts are false. And whenever I chose to hold my peace and be still, 10, the voice of the Holy Ghost, standing at my right hand, aroused me, and the Supreme Spirit appeared before my face, and Gabriel overshadowed me, and the Spirit of Glory stirred within my bosom, bidding me arise and break my silence. If your hearing be purged and your ears attentive, ye will assuredly perceive that every limb of my body, nay all the atoms of

41

[Page 42]my being, proclaim and bear witness to this call:’ God, beside whom is none other God, and He, Whose beauty is now manifest, is the reflection of His Glory unto all that is in heaven and on earth.’ ”‘1

Here we have Bahá’u’lláh’s final, desperate, challenging assertion. He, as well as Jesus, attacked the hypocrisy and the self-opinion of the people and their leaders. They each substantiated Their claims by reference to the very Scriptures in which Their hearers professed to believe.

I have been quoting Bahá’u’lláh quite fully because I believe He is the Divine Messenger for this day. I believe, too, that it will be to our advantage for us to know more of what took place in the early days of Christianity; to know something of what the early believers experienced. Having such knowledge should give us a more confident approach to the problems of today.

In ‘The Acts of The Apostles’ we have the written record of the early days of Christianity, and the story of what the first believers did to spread the teachings. It is in Acts that, among other things, we see how the early Christians vigorously defended Jesus by reference to existing Scriptures. And the foundation of the faith of those first followers is well illustrated by the incident Mark records in Chapter 11:12-14; 20-24. Again I quote from the New English Bible. “On the day following, after they had left Bethany, he felt hungry, and noticing in the distance a fig-tree inleaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. But when he came there he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. He said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again!’ And his disciples were listening . . . Early next morning as they passed by, they saw the fig-tree had withered from the roots up; and Peter, recalling what had happened, said to him, ‘Rabbi, look, the fig-tree which you cursed has withered.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. I tell you this: if any one says to this mountain, ‘Be ye lifted from your place and hurled into the sea,’ and has no inward doubts, but believes that what he says is happening, it will be done for him. I tell you, what ever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.”

That sums up the whole mechanics of faith and prayer . . . “-and has no inward doubts!” If one believes, if one is absolutely convinced that a certain thing is of God, and that it will materialise, then it will come to pass. Have no doubt about that! So let us turn to The Acts of The Apostles and see how they acted in those very early days of our Christian religion.

42

[Page 43]To begin with, let us hear Peter speaking. Acts 2:22-36. “Men of Israel, listen to me: I speak ofjesus of Nazareth, a man singled out by God and made known to you through miracles, portents, and signs which God worked among you through him, as you well know. When he had been given up to you, by the deliberate will and plan of God, you used heathen men to crucify and kill him. But God raised him to life again, setting him free from the pangs of death, because it could not be that death should keep him in its grip. For David says of Him: ‘I foresaw that the presence of the Lord would be with me always, for he is at my right hand so that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad and my tongue spoke myjoy; moreover, my flesh shall dwell in hope, for Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let Thy loyal servant suffer corruption. Thou hast shown me the ways ol‘life, Thou wilt fill me with gladness by Thy presence.’

“Let me tell you plainly, my friends, that the Patriarch David died, and was buried, and his tomb is here to this very day. It is clear, therefore, that he spoke as a Prophet who knew that God had sworn to him that one ofhis own direct discendents should sit on his throne; and when he said he was not abandoned to Hades, and his flesh never suffered corruption, he spoke with foreknowledge of the resurrection of the Messiah. The Jesus we speak of has been raised by God, as we can all bear witness. Exalted thus with God’s right hand, he received the Holy Spirit from the Father, as was promised, and all that you now see and hear flows from him. For it was not David who went up to heaven; his own words are: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your foot-stool.’ Let all Israel then accept as certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

That was the basis of early Christian teaching—proof by reference to .the Scriptures.

You and I may not be the equals of St. Peter, but we are entitled to speak as we believe. And if we are going to express our beliefs, then I suggest we should make quite certain that we do understand what we claim to believe. All too often our so-called beliefs amount to little more than tacit acceptance of what we’ve been told. In actuality, most of us have never read widely on the subject of what we profess to believe; nor have we, for that matter, shown any desire to do so. But today things are different. Every man on the planet is becoming increasingly aware of the absolute need for unity, as a pre—requisite for peace among the nations. Each one of us must, for the sake of

43

[Page 44]humanity, take stock of his old shibboleths; we must examine more carefully many of the tenets of our faith and, what is even more important, we must be progressive enough to enquire deeply into the teachings of other faiths, looking diligently for the truths enshrined in them. In these days, each man’s faith can be determined by no one but himself, and his faith must be of his own choosing as distinct from inherited religious tradition.

That requires courage. You may not be stoned, as were the early Christians, but you may have to bear what is, for some of us, even worse—ridicule! Bahá’u’lláh’s letters to the Kings and Rulers of His day were treated with contempt and ridicule—with one exception! Queen Victoria, of England, did acknowledge His letter with dignity. At times I have wondered if this story of St. Peter’s preaching, and its sequel may have been at the back of the mind of the Queen.

Peter and his followers had been preaching to the people, right at the entrance of the Temple, and they were caught and flung into prison to await trial next day. However, an angel appeared to them and opened the door and bade them to go the Temple again and tell all the people about this Christian way of life. The High Priest heard of what was taking place and had them arrested again and brought before the Council. Here is the record of the incident; you will find it in Acts 5:27-39.

“So they brought them and stood them before the Council; and the High Priest began his examination. ‘We expressly ordered you,’ he began, ‘to desist from teaching in that name; and what has happened? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are trying to make us responsible for that man’s death.’ Peter replied for himself and The Apostles: ‘We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you have done to death by hanging him on a gibbet. He it is whom God has exalted with his own right hand as leader and saviour, to grant Israel repentence and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to all this, and so is the Holy Spirit given by God to those who are obedient to him.’

“This touched them on the raw, and they wanted to put them to death. But a member of the Council rose to his feet, a Pharisee called Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law held in high regard by all the people. He moved that the men be put outside for awhile. Then he said: ‘Men of Israel, be cautious in deciding what to do with these men. Some time ago Theudas came forward, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. But he was killed

44

[Page 45]and his whole following was broken up and disappeared. After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of the Census: he induced some people to revolt under his leadership, but he, too perished and his whole following was scattered. And..so now: keep clear of these men, I tell you; leave them alone. For if this idea of theirs or its execution is of human origin, it will collapse; but it if is from God, you will never be able to put them down, and you risk finding yourselves at war with God.’ ”

(The Authorised Version gives the last sentence as: “For if this Counsel or if this work be of men it will come to nought; but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it: lest haply ye be found to fight against God”)

Queen Victoria, I understand, writing in reply to Bahá’u’lláh’s letter, is reported to have said: “If this be of God, it will live; if it is not of God, it does not matter.”

The point I want to make is: Every new Manifestation has faced opposition from the Authorities, but it was the people who accepted the new teachings whom Time proved to have been in the right. The Authorities, whether Church or State, if they opposed the new Message, are shown to have been in error in doing so. We read in Acts 9, that Paul “Put the Jewish residents in Damascus to confusion by his proofs that Jesus was the Christ—the Anointed One.”

Let me close this chapter with one further reference to the proofs of progressive revelation. This one comes from St. Paul, and it is related in Acts 13:15-35. Paul and his companions have been on a teaching trip, and at this stage of their journey have arrived at Pisidian Antioch . . . “On the Sabbath they went to the Synogogue and took their seats; and after the readings from the Law and the Prophets, the officials of the Synagogue sent this message to them: ‘Friends, if you have anything to say to the people by way of exhortation, let us hear it.’ Paul rose, made a gesture with his hand, and began: ‘Men of Israel, and you who worship our God, listen to me! The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers. When they were still living as aliens in Egypt he made them into a nation and brought them out of that country with arm outstretched. For some forty years he bore with their conduct in the desert. Then in the Canaanite country he overthrew seven nations, whose lands he gave to be their heritage for some four hundred and fifty years and afterwards appointed judges for them until the time of the prophet Samuel.

“ ‘Then they asked for a King and God gave them Saul, the son

45

[Page 46]of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. Then he removed him and set up David as their King, giving him his approval in these words: ‘I have found David son of Jesse to be a man after mine own heart, who will carry out all my purposes.’ This is the man from whose posterity God, as He promised, has brought Israel a saviour, Jesus. John made reaely for his coming by proclaiming baptism as a token of repentence to the whole people of Israel. And when John was nearing the end of his course, he said: ‘I am not what you think I am. No, after me comes one whose ‘shoes I am not fit to unfasten.’

“My brothers, you who come of the stock of Abraham, and others among you who revere our God, we are the people to whom the message of this salvation. has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognise him, or understand the words of the prophets which are read Sabbath by Sabbath; indeed; they fulfilled them by condemning him. Though they failed to find grounds for the sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that the Scriptures said about him, they took him down from the gibbet and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead; and there was a period of many days during which he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.

“ ‘They are now his witnesses. before our nation; and we are here to give you the good news that God who made the promise to the fathers, hath fulfilled it for the children by raising Jesus from the dead, as indeed it stands written, in the Second Psalm: ‘You are my son; this day have I begotten you.’ Again, that he raised him from the dead, never again to revert to corruption, be declares in these words: ‘I will give you the blessing promised to David, holy and sure.’ ”

Such a claim is as true today as it was then. The power of God has not decayed nor has it suffered corruption. The strength of our nation and the well-being of all the nations of the earth, still depends on men hearkening to the word of God as revealed through His latest Messenger, and this, irrespective of who the Messenger is, or from whence He may come. Bahá’ís believe that God is calling mankind today through the voice of Bahá’u’lláh, and it behooves all men fearlessly to investigate His claims, and to make their own decision as to the truth of His Mission. Bahá’u’lláh puts it this way: “Should you acquaint yourself with the indignities heaped upon the Prophets of God, and apprehend the true causes of the objections voiced by their

46

[Page 47]oppressors, you will surely appreciate the significance of their position. Moreover, the more closely you obServe the denials ofthose who have opposed the Manifestations of the divine attributes, the firmer will be your faith in the Cause of God.”"-’