The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ

13 You Pharisees, you hypocrites! you know you would be glad to have my help upon the Sabbath day, or any other day.

14 These people all have fallen into pits, and they are calling loud for me to help them out, and man and God would curse me should I pass along and heed them not.

15 And then the Pharisees returned to say their prayers, and curse the man of God because he heeded not their words.

16 Now, in the evening Jesus stood beside a pool; a playful child had fallen in, and it was drowned, and friends were bearing it away.

17 But Jesus called the carriers to stop; and then he stretched himself upon the lifeless form, and breathed into its mouth the breath of life.

18 And then he called aloud unto the soul that had gone out, and it returned; the child revived and lived.

19 And Jesus saw a wounded dog; it could not move; it lay beside the way and groaned with pain. He took it in his arms and bore it to the home where he abode.

20 He poured the healing oil into the wounds; he cared for it as though it were a child till it was strong and well.

21 And Jesus saw a little boy who had no home, and he was hungry; when he called for bread the people turned away.

22 And Jesus took the child and gave him bread; he wrapped him in his own warm coat, and found for him a home.

23 To those who followed him the master said, If man would gain again his lost estate he must respect the brotherhood of life.

24 Whoever is not kind to every form of life – to man, to beast, to bird, and creeping thing – cannot expect the blessings of the Holy One; for as we give, so God will give to us.

CHAPTER 75

Nicodemus visits Jesus in the night. Jesus reveals to him the meaning of the new birth and the kingdom of heaven.

Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews, and he was earnest, learned and devout.

2 He saw the master’s signet in the face of Jesus as he talked, but was not brave enough to publicly confess his faith in him;

3 So in the night he went to talk with Jesus at the home of Jude.

4 When Jesus saw him come he said, Full blessed are the pure in heart;

5 Twice blessed are the fearless, pure in heart;

6 Thrice blessed are the fearless, pure in heart who dare to make confession of their faith before the highest courts.

7 And Nicodemus said, Hail, master, hail! I know you are a teacher come from God, for man alone could never teach as you have taught; could never do the works that you have done.

8 And Jesus said, Except a man be born again he cannot see the king; he cannot comprehend the words I speak.

9 And Nicodemus said, How can a man be born again? Can he go back into the womb and come again to life?

10 And Jesus said, The birth of which I speak is not the birth of flesh.

11 Except a man be born of water and the Holy Breath, he cannot come into the kingdom of the Holy One.

12 That which is born of flesh is child of man; that which is born of Holy Breath is child of God.

13 The winds blow where they please; men hear their voices, and may note results; but they know not from whence they come, nor where they go; and so is every one that is born of Holy Breath.

14 The ruler said, I do not understand; pray tell me plainly what you mean.

15 And Jesus said, The kingdom of the Holy One is in the soul; men cannot see it with their carnal eyes; with all their reasoning powers they comprehend it not.

16 It is a life deep hid in God; its recognition is the work of inner consciousness.

17 The kingdoms of the world are kingdoms of the sight; the kingdom of the Holy One is that of faith; its king is love.

18 Men cannot see the love of God unmanifest, and so our Father-God has clothed this love with flesh – flesh of a son of man.

19 And that the world may see and know this love made manifest, the son of man must needs be lifted up.

20 As Moses in the wilderness raised up the serpent for the healing of the flesh, the son of man must be raised up.

21 That all men bitten by the serpent of the dust, the serpent of this carnal life, may live.

22 He who believes in him shall have eternal life.

23 For God so loved the world that he sent forth his only son to be raised up that men may see the love of God.

24 God did not send his son to judge the world; he sent him forth to save the world; to bring men to the light.

25 But men love not the light, for light reveals their wickedness; men love the dark.

26 Now, every one who loves the truth comes to the light; he does not fear to have his works made manifest.

27 The light had come, and Nicodemus went his way; he knew the meaning of the birth of Holy Breath; he felt the presence of the Spirit in his soul.

28 And Jesus tarried in Jerusalem for many days and taught and healed the sick.

29 The common people gladly listened to his words, and many left their all of carnal things and followed him.

CHAPTER 76

Jesus in Bethlehem. Explains the Empire of Peace to the shepherds. An unusual light appears. The shepherds recognize Jesus as the Christ.

The Logos went to Bethlehem, and many people followed him.

2 He found the shepherd’s home where he was cradled when a babe; here he abode.

3 He went up to the hills where more than thirty years before the shepherds watch their flocks and heard the messenger of peace exclaim:

4 At midnight in a cave in Bethlehem the Prince of Peace is born.

5 And shepherds still were there, and sheep still fed upon the hills.