Paper 148 Overview: Training Evangelists at Bethsaida

Paper 148 documents a pivotal five-month period in Jesus' ministry (May 3 to October 3, A.D. 28) when he established a significant organizational and training center at Bethsaida by the Sea of Galilee. This period represented the most settled and well-structured phase of Jesus' public teaching, during which a methodical approach to kingdom expansion was implemented through Peter's evangelistic training school. The seaside encampment, efficiently managed by David Zebedee, accommodated between five hundred and fifteen hundred truth seekers, healing candidates, and curious observers at various times, creating an unprecedented opportunity for systematic training of kingdom messengers while establishing a model for future ministerial preparation.

During this period, Jesus increasingly withdrew from public ministry to attend to what he termed "the Father's business," suggesting his growing attention to universal administrative responsibilities beyond his earthly mission. The paper details several profound theological discourses on the nature of evil, sin, and iniquity; the purpose of human suffering; and the misunderstandings surrounding divine justice as illustrated through the Book of Job. These teachings, coupled with strategic healing episodes that directly challenged religious authorities, reveal Jesus' deliberate intensification of the conflict with established religious leadership while simultaneously expanding the scope and organization of his movement through the methodical preparation of over one hundred evangelists who would later form the nucleus of the seventy messengers commissioned to extend the kingdom message throughout the region.

From May 3 to October 3 of A.D. 28, Jesus and the apostolic party established residence at the Zebedee home in Bethsaida, creating an extensive seaside encampment that served as both a teaching center and a model of efficient organization under David Zebedee's administration. The encampment, which fluctuated in population from five hundred to fifteen hundred individuals, maintained exemplary standards of order and sanitation, including specialized areas for different categories of sick individuals under the supervision of a Syrian physician named Elman. This well-structured environment provided a stable base of operations where the apostles could maintain a balanced schedule—fishing one day weekly to contribute to the camp's resources, spending one week monthly with their families, and devoting the remainder of their time to the training of evangelists and ministry to the multitudes who gathered to hear the gospel of the kingdom.

The administrative structure implemented during this period reflected a significant evolution in the apostolic ministry, with Andrew continuing in general oversight while Peter assumed specific responsibility for the evangelistic training school. The daily schedule demonstrated a pragmatic approach to spiritual education: apostles taught groups of evangelists each morning, both teachers and students engaged in public teaching each afternoon, and five evenings weekly were devoted to question sessions led by the apostles for the evangelists' benefit. Jesus personally presided over one question session weekly, addressing unresolved inquiries from previous meetings, thus establishing a pattern of delegated leadership while maintaining ultimate spiritual authority. This organizational arrangement facilitated the instruction of thousands from across the Roman Empire and eastern lands, making this the most productive and systematically structured period of Jesus' teaching ministry.

The evangelistic training school operated under the oversight of Peter, James, and Andrew, who comprised the admissions committee appointed by Jesus to evaluate applicants seeking entrance into this new prophetic order. The school welcomed students of diverse racial and national backgrounds from throughout the Roman world and as far east as India, implementing a pedagogical approach based on the principle of experiential learning—acquiring knowledge in the morning and immediately applying it through public teaching in the afternoon. This practical methodology was supplemented by evening discussions where students and teachers informally processed both their learning experiences and teaching challenges, creating a comprehensive educational cycle that reinforced theoretical concepts through immediate practical application.

A distinctive characteristic of this training center was Jesus' deliberate allowance for theological diversity among his apostolic teachers, each of whom presented his own interpretation and understanding of the kingdom message without conforming to standardized or dogmatic formulations. Although Peter's theological perspective tended to dominate the school, followed by James Zebedee's substantial influence, Jesus actively harmonized these diverse viewpoints during his weekly question sessions without eliminating their distinctive characteristics. This intentional cultivation of plurality within unity anticipated the later development of Christian theological traditions and demonstrated Jesus' recognition that different personalities and cultural backgrounds would naturally produce varied expressions of spiritual truth. The more than one hundred evangelists trained during this five-month period constituted the primary pool from which the seventy kingdom messengers would later be drawn, though they did not baptize believers until receiving their official commission from Jesus.

The evangelistic students maintained a distinct identity from the twelve apostles, with different levels of community sharing and ministerial authority. Among these students was the nobleman's son from Capernaum whose healing had attracted considerable attention earlier in Jesus' ministry, representing the transformation of beneficiaries of Jesus' ministry into active participants in the propagation of the kingdom message.

In conjunction with the evangelistic training center, Elman, the Syrian physician, established what might be considered the kingdom's first formal hospital, operating for four months with the assistance of twenty-five young women and twelve men. This medical facility, strategically positioned near the main encampment, integrated conventional medical treatments with spiritual healing practices including prayer and faith encouragement. Jesus demonstrated his continued concern for physical well-being by personally visiting patients at least three times weekly, maintaining the holistic approach to mind, body, and spirit that characterized his ministry throughout.

The narrative emphasizes that no supernatural healings occurred among the thousand patients treated at this infirmary, though most experienced improvement or cure and attributed their recovery to Jesus' influence. The text provides a significant insight into the nature of many of Jesus' healing works, describing them as "transformations of mind and spirit" occurring in expectant, faith-dominated individuals under the inspirational influence of Jesus' powerful personality—his ministry "banished fear and destroyed anxiety." This psychological interpretation of certain healing phenomena offers a bridge between materialistic and supernaturalistic explanations of recovery from illness. Despite Elman's attempts to educate patients regarding the erroneous nature of "spirit possession" theories of disease, the near-universal belief that physical and mental afflictions resulted from indwelling unclean spirits proved resistant to correction, illustrating the profound challenge of transforming deeply embedded cultural paradigms even when presented with alternative explanations.

The chroniclers note that Jesus adhered to his Paradise brother Immanuel's pre-incarnation instructions regarding medical treatment and the explanation of unknown disease causes, suggesting parameters established for the incarnation that maintained certain limitations on Jesus' healing ministry even while demonstrating compassion for physical suffering. The infirmary operated until the approach of the seasonal increase in fevers, indicating a practical awareness of epidemiological patterns that informed the ministry's scheduling decisions.

Throughout the Bethsaida encampment period, Jesus markedly reduced his public appearances, conducting fewer than twelve services at the camp and speaking only once in the Capernaum synagogue before the evangelists departed on their second preaching tour. When questioned about his frequent absences, Jesus consistently responded that he was engaged in "the Father's business," a phrase that became associated with these periods of solitude and suggested activities beyond his immediate earthly ministry. Unlike his usual practice of including Peter, James, and John as close companions, Jesus temporarily released these three disciples from their personal attendance role so they could participate in training the evangelistic candidates, selecting instead any two available apostles to accompany him during his withdrawals to the hills.

The text provides intriguing insights into Jesus' cosmic role during these periods of apparent seclusion, indicating that while not explicitly revealed in the current record, these intervals likely involved "direct and executive association with many of his chief directors of universe affairs." As the incarnated Sovereign of the universe, Jesus appears to have maintained certain cosmic responsibilities even while conducting his bestowal mission on Urantia. Apostles occasionally observed dramatic facial transformations during these episodes, though they neither heard verbal communications nor witnessed visible manifestations of celestial beings communicating with their Master. These observations suggest a complex reality underlying Jesus' seemingly simple ministerial activities: while appearing to human observers as a religious teacher periodically seeking solitude for prayer, he simultaneously functioned as a universe administrator, maintaining essential oversight of cosmic affairs through means not fully disclosed to even his closest associates.

Jesus established a practice of holding private conversations with individuals in a secluded corner of the Zebedee garden two evenings weekly, creating opportunities for more intimate spiritual instruction than his public addresses permitted. During one such conversation, Thomas raised profound questions concerning spiritual rebirth, the control of evil, and the fundamental nature of evil itself. Jesus responded with precise theological distinctions between several frequently confused concepts, beginning by differentiating "evil" from "the evil one" (identified as the "son of self-love" who deliberately rebelled against the Father's rule). Jesus then provided a systematic taxonomy of moral transgression, distinguishing three progressively serious categories: evil (unconscious or unintended transgression of divine law, measuring imperfection in obedience), sin (conscious and deliberate transgression, measuring unwillingness to be divinely led), and iniquity (willful, determined, and persistent transgression, measuring continued rejection of salvation).

Jesus corrected several misconceptions in Thomas' thinking, particularly those derived from Greek philosophical traditions and Persian religious dualism, which had created confusion about humanity's relationship to evil. Rather than viewing humans as inherently sinful or as children of an evil force, Jesus explained that while humans naturally possess inherent evil tendencies requiring spiritual rebirth to overcome, these imperfections do not constitute sin unless consciously embraced. Jesus challenged the prevalent notion that humanity began with perfection in Adam and subsequently degenerated, presenting instead a progressive view of human development ascending toward divine perfection rather than declining from it. He supported this perspective with scriptural references to humans as "children of the Lord your God" and "sons of the living God," emphasizing the spiritual component from the heavenly Father present in every "faith son of the kingdom." This discussion remained confidential until after Jesus' departure from the world, suggesting its potentially controversial theological implications within contemporary religious frameworks.

In another private garden conversation, Nathaniel posed the perennial theological question concerning divine permission of human suffering, asking why a loving Father would allow his children to experience such afflictions. Jesus responded with a cosmological explanation for the imperfect conditions of the evolutionary world, attributing many of humanity's troubles to the historic disruption of the natural order through "the sinful adventures of certain rebellious traitors to the Father's will." Jesus positioned his own mission as "a beginning of setting these things in order," though acknowledging that cosmic restoration would require many ages to "restore this part of the universe to former paths" and release humanity from the burdens of sin and rebellion. This explanation situated human suffering within a broader narrative of cosmic conflict and gradual restoration rather than as an intended component of divine creation.

Jesus emphatically clarified that "the Father does not purposely afflict his children," attributing humanity's sufferings instead to three primary sources: the inherent imperfections of an evolutionary world, the inevitable consequences of sin, and the inescapable penalties of persistent iniquity. He urged Nathaniel not to doubt divine love simply because of encountering difficult aspects of natural law, drawing on numerous scriptural passages affirming God's compassion, strengthening presence during distress, and healing ministry to the brokenhearted. Jesus confronted a common misconception in religious interpretation that ascribed to divine action what actually resulted from human ignorance or disobedience, redirecting Nathaniel to focus on the Father's loving purpose rather than attempting to explain every instance of suffering as directly ordained by God. This teaching offered a profound theological reframing that preserved divine goodness while acknowledging the reality of pain in an imperfect universe still in process of perfection attainment.

When John subsequently inquired about the suffering of innocent people, Jesus delivered an extensive discourse on the Book of Job, using this ancient Hebrew text as a framework for addressing profound questions about divine justice and human suffering. Jesus identified the fundamental misconception underlying the Book of Job: the traditional assumption that material prosperity and good health necessarily indicated divine favor, a perspective that inevitably led to theological confusion when righteous individuals experienced affliction. He emphasized that God loves the poor equally with the rich and makes no distinction in his affection based on external circumstances or social position.

Jesus systematically deconstructed the inadequate theological responses offered by Job's three friends, each representing a different but equally insufficient explanation for suffering: Eliphaz urged stoic acceptance and religious trust while implying Job deserved punishment; Bildad proposed that Job's children must have sinned since they perished, reflecting a rigid cause-effect theology; and Zophar offered melancholy observations without substantive comfort. Jesus contrasted these failed approaches with Job's difficult but ultimately transformative spiritual journey. Although Job never received an intellectual resolution to his questions, he achieved the greater victory of a direct vision of God that transcended his theological confusion and brought soul peace. Through this analysis, Jesus redirected attention from the intellectual problem of suffering to the existential possibility of spiritual insight even amid affliction, suggesting that personal communion with God provides a deeper resolution than philosophical explanation could offer.

Jesus concluded his discourse by articulating a comprehensive understanding of suffering's origins, identifying four distinct sources rather than attributing all pain to divine punishment: the accidents of time, the imperfections of physical existence, the consequences of sin, and the harvest of persistent rebellion. This nuanced perspective freed the concept of God from accusations of cruelty or indifference while acknowledging the complexity of suffering's causes in an evolutionary universe still developing toward perfection. The profound impact of this teaching is evidenced by John's lifelong transformation in perspective regarding human affliction, demonstrating the discourse's lasting influence on the apostles' theological understanding.

On the second Sabbath before the evangelistic corps departed on their preaching tour, Jesus delivered an address on "The Joys of Righteous Living" in the Capernaum synagogue. Following this presentation, the confrontation with religious authorities intensified when a man with a withered hand approached Jesus at the instigation of the Pharisaic spies, who deliberately orchestrated this encounter to trap Jesus in Sabbath law violation. Recognizing their intention, Jesus strategically reframed the discussion with a rhetorical question about rescuing a sheep from a pit on the Sabbath, an action universally accepted as lawful, before asserting the greater value of human beings and the legitimacy of "doing good" on the sacred day.

With masterful insight into their predetermined judgment, Jesus challenged the Pharisees' inconsistency in permitting animal rescue while forbidding human healing on the Sabbath. He then publicly healed the man's withered hand, deliberately transforming what his opponents intended as a trap into a powerful demonstration of the true purpose of Sabbath observance. The Pharisees, angered by this public refutation of their legalistic interpretation, sought alliance with Herodians against Jesus, but found Herod unwilling to act, recommending instead that they pursue their complaints in Jerusalem. The text specifically identifies this healing as the first miracle Jesus performed deliberately in response to his enemies' challenge, functioning not primarily as a demonstration of supernatural power but as an "effective protest against making the Sabbath rest of religion a veritable bondage of meaningless restrictions upon all mankind." This episode reveals Jesus' strategic approach to confrontation with religious authorities—rather than avoiding conflict, he used it as an opportunity to dramatically illustrate the higher principles of the kingdom while exposing the inadequacy of legalistic interpretations that obscured true spiritual values.

As the Bethsaida encampment neared its conclusion, significant divisions emerged among the Jerusalem spies observing Jesus, with three becoming genuinely impressed by his teachings and ministry approach. This internal division coincided with dramatic developments in Jerusalem, where Abraham, a young and influential Sanhedrin member, publicly embraced Jesus' teachings and received baptism from Abner in the pool of Siloam. This high-profile conversion created such consternation in Jerusalem that messengers were immediately dispatched to recall the six investigating Pharisees, indicating the growing concern among religious authorities about Jesus' expanding influence among respected members of the establishment.

The final week at Bethsaida witnessed several notable events that highlighted the diverse responses to Jesus' ministry. A Greek philosopher previously converted during Jesus' Galilean tour returned with wealthy Alexandrian Jews to invite Jesus to establish a joint philosophical-religious school and healing center in their cosmopolitan city—an offer Jesus courteously declined. The camp experienced disruption from a self-proclaimed trance prophet from Bagdad named Kirmeth, whose fantastical visions and dreams created confusion until his teaching was recognized as inconsistent with kingdom principles. Unlike Simon Zelotes, who advocated forceful removal of this disruptive influence, Jesus permitted Kirmeth freedom of action for several days, demonstrating his respect for individual spiritual exploration even when misguided. Most significantly for the future of the evangelical mission, the newly converted Sanhedrin member Abraham donated his considerable worldly possessions to the apostolic treasury, providing the financial resources necessary to commission and send forth the hundred newly trained evangelists as the encampment prepared to disband.

The Bethsaida training period culminated in a dramatic episode on Friday afternoon, October 1, during Jesus' final meeting with the apostles, evangelists, and leaders of the disbanding encampment. While Jesus addressed the assembled group, including the six Jerusalem Pharisees seated in the front row, friends of a paralyzed man from Capernaum, finding conventional entry impossible due to the crowd, removed roof tiles and lowered the afflicted man on his couch directly before Jesus. The paralytic's remarkable statement revealed both genuine faith and spiritual motivation, as he expressed desire for healing not merely for physical restoration but specifically "that I might serve in the kingdom of heaven," distinguishing him from many who sought healing for purely personal benefit.

Jesus, recognizing both the man's faith and the fact that his condition resulted from "his own misspent life," first pronounced forgiveness of sins before addressing his physical condition. When the observing Pharisees mentally judged this pronouncement as blasphemy, Jesus demonstrated his insight into their unspoken thoughts by directly challenging their reasoning and establishing an essential theological principle connecting his healing and forgiving authorities. By healing the paralytic after declaring his sins forgiven, Jesus presented tangible evidence for his spiritual authority, posing a profound question about the relationship between physical restoration and spiritual transformation. The impact of this demonstration proved decisive for the remaining Jerusalem spies. When messengers arrived recalling them to Jerusalem, three returned while the other three "confessed faith in Jesus and were baptized by Peter and fellowshipped by the apostles as children of the kingdom," marking a significant division within the very group commissioned to find evidence against Jesus. This concluding episode of the Bethsaida period thus foreshadowed the intensifying conflict with religious authorities while simultaneously demonstrating the compelling power of Jesus' message and ministry to transform even those officially aligned against him.