Paper 166 Overview: Last Visit to Northern Perea

From February 11 to 20, Jesus and the twelve apostles toured northern Perea, visiting cities and villages where Abner and the women's corps were successfully spreading the gospel. Throughout this journey, Jesus frequently reminded his apostles that the gospel of the kingdom could spread effectively without the accompaniment of miracles and wonders, demonstrating that his message had inherent power. The mission in Perea was carried on successfully with minimal assistance from the twelve apostles.

After Jesus' death and resurrection, however, his followers did not adhere to his instructions regarding the nature of the kingdom. Instead of focusing on his teachings, they built the early church around miraculous concepts and glorified memories of his divine-human personality, shifting emphasis from his message to stories about his person. This departure from Jesus' original focus represents one of the first major transformations of his gospel after his earthly ministry ended.

Jesus and the twelve traveled through northern Perea during February, visiting the areas where Abner and the women's corps were working. Throughout this tour, Jesus repeatedly pointed out to his apostles that the gospel was successfully spreading without miraculous demonstrations, teaching them that his message had inherent power even without supernatural signs. This successful three-month mission in Perea was accomplished with minimal help from the twelve apostles.

After Jesus' death and resurrection, his followers departed from his original teachings despite his clear instructions. Instead of emphasizing his message about the spiritual kingdom, they began constructing the early church around miraculous concepts and glorified memories of Jesus as a divine-human personality. This shift from Jesus' teachings to stories about Jesus himself became a pattern that would continue throughout Christian history.

On February 18, Jesus visited the home of Nathaniel, a wealthy Pharisee at Ragaba, who had arranged a Sabbath morning breakfast for about twenty Pharisees and Jesus. When Jesus arrived, he went directly to the table without performing the ceremonial hand washing that was customary among Pharisees, which shocked his host. Jesus knew that these washings were merely ceremonial rather than for cleanliness, and some Pharisees who were familiar with his views were not surprised.

After witnessing whispering and scornful expressions from the Pharisees present, Jesus confronted them about their motivations for inviting him. He criticized them for using the occasion to display their self-righteousness rather than discussing the kingdom of God, and proceeded to rebuke their focus on outward appearances while neglecting spiritual purity. Jesus specifically condemned their meticulous tithing and ostentatious almsgiving while rejecting God's revelation and love, and a lawyer present also received rebuke for burdening others while not helping them. While some Pharisees became believers after hearing Jesus' words, most became even more determined to trap him.

The next day, Jesus and the twelve traveled to Amathus near the Samaritan border where they encountered ten lepers who called out for healing—nine were Jews and one was a Samaritan. The apostles, particularly Simon Zelotes, were reluctant to acknowledge the Samaritan, but Jesus questioned Simon about judging who loves God and who deserves mercy. Jesus instructed all ten lepers to show themselves to the priests as required by Moses' law, and as they went, all were cleansed.

Notably, only the Samaritan returned to thank Jesus, falling at his feet in gratitude while the nine Jewish lepers continued to the priests. Jesus used this opportunity to teach his apostles about gratitude and prejudice, asking "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?" Jesus instructed the Samaritan to rise, explaining that his faith had made him whole. Interestingly, Jesus later revealed that only four of the ten actually had leprosy while the others had a skin condition mistaken for leprosy, yet the Samaritan was among those who truly had the disease. Jesus used this incident to teach about appreciating blessings rather than taking them for granted.

While at Gerasa, a believing Pharisee asked Jesus whether many or few would be saved, prompting an important teaching about salvation. Jesus explained that traditional Jewish beliefs limited salvation to Abraham's children, but he declared that salvation is a matter of personal choice available to all who sincerely seek it. He emphasized that while the path to eternal life may be narrow, the door is wide enough to admit everyone who genuinely desires to enter by faith through him.

Jesus warned against postponing entry into the kingdom while pursuing selfish pleasures, as the door might eventually close to those who repeatedly reject the invitation. Using the metaphor of a house owner who no longer recognizes late-coming guests, Jesus illustrated that those who refuse salvation during their earthly life cannot expect to claim it later. The apostles were gradually beginning to understand Jesus' teaching that one must be "born again" to enter the kingdom, though they would not fully grasp his mission until after his death and resurrection. Jesus consistently taught that while many are called, those who enter through faith in his message would be saved.

During a midday rest on the journey to Philadelphia, Thomas asked Jesus whether spiritual beings cause unusual events or prevent accidents. Jesus responded by explaining that his own life demonstrated how he refused to employ supernatural forces for personal advantage. He challenged the common belief that prosperity indicated divine approval and adversity showed God's displeasure, pointing out that this view was merely superstition.

Jesus outlined three categories of events that can occur in human lives: normal experiences shared with others, random accidents of nature not arranged by spiritual forces, and consequences of one's own efforts to follow natural laws. Using the parable of the barren fig tree, he illustrated how working with natural laws can produce positive results. Jesus taught that health and sickness result from material causes rather than divine favor or disfavor, emphasizing that while God treats all humans equally in material blessings, spiritual gifts depend on human faith and willingness to follow God's will. Despite Jesus' patient teaching about these concepts, the apostles struggled to fully comprehend his message.

Jesus and the twelve traveled to Philadelphia to visit Abner and his associates, who had established the largest community of kingdom believers in Perea. Philadelphia's synagogue, unlike others in Palestine, was not under the control of the Jerusalem Sanhedrin, allowing Jesus and his followers to teach freely there. Abner conducted teachings three times daily in this synagogue, which later became a Christian church and missionary headquarters for eastern regions.

The Philadelphia congregation became a center of controversy after Jesus' death and resurrection. Abner, who headed this church until his death, found himself at odds with James (Jesus' brother) and the Jerusalem church leadership over questions of administration and jurisdiction. Abner also disagreed with Paul regarding philosophical and theological matters, refusing to accept Paul's modifications of Jesus' teachings that were designed to make them more acceptable to Jewish and Greek-Roman believers. Because of his commitment to Jesus' original teachings, Abner lived in isolation, leading a church that maintained a purer form of Jesus' gospel than any other group on earth. Abner lived to be 89 years old, dying in Philadelphia on November 21, A.D. 74.