by Ethan Johnson
May 30, 2007

This is an installment in an occasional series concerning a book titled The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ. If you're not into that sort of thing, seek entertainment elsewhere. This article does not assert that the AGJC is in any way factual, and does not seek to convert anyone to a particular religious or spiritual point of view.

In Chapter 68, Jesus speaks once more of "the king", but in a very definite way:

1. The news soon spread abroad that Jesus, king of Israel, had come to Bethany, and all the people of the town came forth to greet the king.
2. And Jesus, standing in the midst of them, exclaimed, Behold, indeed, the king has come, but Jesus is not king.
3. The kingdom truly is at hand; but men can see it not with carnal eyes; they cannot see the king upon the throne.
4. This is the kingdom of the soul; its throne is not an earthly throne; its king is not a man.
5. When human kings found kingdoms here, they conquer other kings by force of arms; one kingdom rises on the ruins of another one.
6. But when our Father-God sets up the kingdom of the soul, he pours his blessings forth, like rain, upon the thrones of earthly kings who rule in righteousness.
7. It is not rule that God would overthrow; his sword is raised against injustice, wantonness and crime.
8. Now, while the kings of Rome do justice, and love mercy and walk humbly with their God, the benediction of the Triune God will rest upon them all.
9. They need not fear a messenger whom God sends forth to earth.
10. I am not sent to sit upon a throne to rule as Caesar rules; and you may tell the ruler of the Jews that I am not a claimant for his throne.

As usual, this flies in the face of everything that people teach about the Jesus of the Bible: He doesn't seek to rule, doesn't oppose rulership in and of itself, and at no time calls himself the "king" of anything.

Okay, so after establishing what Jesus is/was not, who or what shall we call the "king"?

11. Men call me Christ, and God has recognised the name; but Christ is not a man. The Christ is universal love, and Love is king.
12. This Jesus is but man who has been fitted by temptations overcome, by trials multiform, to be the temple through which Christ can manifest to men.
13. Then hear, you men of Israel, hear! Look not upon the flesh; it is not king. Look to the Christ within, who shall be formed in every one of you, as he is formed in me.

Line 13 is a common theme in Jesus' teaching (even in the conventional Bible). Nothing that Jesus does is beyond the capabilities of anyone else, but one must choose to follow his lead. As I have mused about the lessons of Jesus' life (such as they can be evaluated), he's really not making very grandiose claims (short of walking on water), but the difficulty is in the simplicity of what his ideals represent. That's a story for another time, I'm afraid.

Here's where things get semantically foggy:

21. And many of the people said, We know that Jesus is the Christ, the king who was to come, and blessed be his name.

At a glance, it appears that "the people" are letting all of this go in one ear and out the other, and calling Jesus a king despite being lectured to the contrary. On closer inspection, they're saying that the Christ is the king. However, that's a pretty messy line because it's nearly impossible not to read it as "the people said 'Jesus is the Christ, and therefore the king.'"

Parsing this out, if one's soul may be thought of as a kingdom, the Christ (universal love) is the king, and ruler of the kingdom of the soul. If a man or woman conquers the carnal and ultimately, their very soul, they can tap into the universal love that is called the Christ and thus be "kings" in their own right. It is said that Jesus did this, and therefore was awarded the title of "Christ", which is why some religions refer to Jesus as "Christ Jesus". Not to offend, but this is similar to "Darth Vader" or "President Bush". Anyone can be a "Christ", as long as the requirements are met.

In this day and age, however, I am unsure as to who would actually bestow that title upon one who was deserving of it. Perhaps Jesus is saying that someone who has risen to the level of the title "Christ" should be patently obvious. After all, even among those who identify themselves as "Christian" none have shown themselves to be the Christ made manifest in human form. And the upshot is, even the unreligious might attain this, if they choose to do so.

Good luck getting those with an interest in serving as gatekeepers to the soul to agree with any of that. <EM>