The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ

21 Will dash you to the ground and slay you and your children in the streets.

22 And of your holy temple, and of your palaces and walls, they will not leave a stone upon a stone, because today you spurn the offers of the God of heaven.

23 When Jesus and the multitude had come into Jerusalem, excitement reigned, and people asked, Who is this man?

24 The multitude replied, This is the king, the prophet, priest of God; this is the man from Galilee.

25 But Jesus tarried not; he went directly to the temple porch, and it was filled with people pressing hard to see the king.

26 The sick, the halt, the lame, the blind were there, and Jesus paused, and laid his hands on them and healed them by the sacred Word.

27 The temple and the temple courts were filled with children praising God. They said, Hosanna to the king! The son of David is the king! All hail the king! Praise God!

28 The Pharisees were filled with anger when they heard the children sing. They said to Jesus, Hear you what the children say?

29 And Jesus said, I hear; but have you never read the words of our own bard who said,

30 Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise!

31 And when the evening came the Lord and his disciples went again to Bethany.

CHAPTER 152

Jesus rebukes a barren fig tree. Drives the merchants out of the temple. Teaches the people. Returns to Bethany.

Next day, the Monday of the week, the master with the twelve, went to Jerusalem.

2 And as they passed along the way they saw a fig tree full of leaves without a sign of fruit.

3 And Jesus spoke unto the tree; he said, You useless cumberer of the ground; you fig tree fair to look upon, but a delusive thing.

4 You take from earth and air the food that fruitful trees should have.

5 Go back to earth and be yourself the food for other trees to eat.

6 When Jesus had thus spoken to the tree he went his way.

7 And when he reached the temple, lo, the rooms were filled with petty merchants selling doves and animals, and other things, for sacrifice; the temple was a mart of trade.

8 And Jesus was indignant at the sight, and said, You men of Israel, for shame! This is supposed to be the house of prayer; but it is now a den of thieves. Remove this plunder from this holy place.

9 The merchants only laughed and said, We are protected in our trade by those who bear the rule; we will not go.

10 Then Jesus made a scourge of cords, as he did once before, and rushed among the merchantmen, threw all their money on the floor;

11 Threw wide the cages of the doves, and cut the cords that held the bleating lambs and set them free.

12 And then he drove the merchants from the place, and with a clean, new broom he swept the floors.

13 Chief priests and scribes were filled with wrath, but feared to touch or even to rebuke the Lord, for all the people stood in his defense.

14 And Jesus taught the people all day long and healed a multitude of those diseased,

15 And when the evening came he went again to Bethany.

CHAPTER 153

The Christines go to Jerusalem. They note the withered fig tree; its symbolic meaning. Jesus teaches in the temple. Is censured by the priests. Relates a parable of a rich man’s feast.

On Tuesday, early in the day, the master and the twelve went to Jerusalem.

2 And as they went the twelve observed the tree to which the Lord had talked the day before, and lo, the leaves were withered, just as if they had been scorched with fire.

3 And Peter said, Lord, see the tree! Its leaves are withered and the tree seems dead.

4 And Jesus said, So shall it be with those who bear no fruit. When God shall call them up to give account, lo, he will breathe upon them, and their leaves, their empty words, will wither and decay.

5 God will not let the fruitless trees of life encumber ground, and he will pluck them up and cast them all away.

6 Now, you can demonstrate the power of God. Have faith in God, and you can bid the mountains to depart, and they will crumble at your feet;

7 And you may talk to wind and wave, and they will hear, and will obey what you command.

8 God hears the prayer of faith and when you ask in faith you shall receive.

9 You must not ask amiss; God will not hear the prayer of any man who comes to him with blood of other men upon his hands.

10 And he who harbors envious thoughts, and does not love his fellow men, may pray forever unto God, and he will hear him not.

11 God can do nothing more for men than they would do for other men.

12 And Jesus walked again within the temple courts.

13 The priests and scribes were much emboldened by the council of Caiaphas and the other men in power, and so they came to Jesus and they said,

14 Who gave you the authority to do as you have done? Why did you drive the merchants from the temple yesterday?

15 And Jesus answered them and said, If you will answer what I ask, then I will answer you; Was John, the harbinger, a man of God, or was he a seditious man?

16 The scribes and Pharisees were loath to answer him; they reasoned thus among themselves:

17 If we shall say, John was a prophet sent from God, then he will say,

18 John testified for me, that I am son of God; why do you not believe his words?

19 If we should say, John was a bold, seditious man, the people will be angered, for they think he was a prophet of the living God.

20 And so they answered Jesus and they said, We do not know; we cannot tell.