“The following morning, The Navigator directed the helmsman to steer a course that would take them out of the harbor and then north along the coastline. The ship ghosted over the still waters with the warm rays of the rising Sun coating the deck with gold. Large pelicans escorted the Ship of Light, floating gracefully along either beam until they would tire of the game and sweep up over the masts, wheel away and glide to the sea looking for fish.

“They approached a group of forested islets that rose out of the sea like emeralds. The men worked the ship carefully over the shallow waters; they measured the depth with a sounding line making for a quiet cove.

“And the waters turned from blue to a deep green.

“‘By the mark of six fathoms,’ cried the pilot. At the shout a flock of parrots, flushed by the sudden noise, took flight out of the forest. The anchor was dropped with a splash off the Island of Espiritu Santo or Holy Spirit. The two islands of San Pedro and San Pablo, which is to say Saint Peter and Saint Paul, lay to the east. They rowed the longboat to the beach of Espiritu Santo, a short distance away. Its white sand glinted in the strong light of a sun encircled by a fog-bow arc of rainbow colors.

“After coming to the shore, they romped on the beach like children, collecting seashells and swimming in the surf. And they refreshed themselves on the milk of coconuts picked from the heights of tall palm trees. They lunched on fruits under the spreading branches of a beech tree near a cluster of large boulders. And after eating, The Man gathered together the seafarers before him in the midst of the rocks saying, ‘It is fitting that we speak further of the sayings of Jamil which he entrusted into my care.’ And he removed three scrolls of white paper bound with a ribbon from his alforja and began to read the first one.

“And these are the words of the Thirteenth Saying:

“‘After my passing from the world of the living, many will doubt of my nature saying that I was an ordinary child, small and weak of limbs, delicate and frail. And they shall say that I was the creation of your own mind. One in whose mouth you placed words to build a new religion – a monument to be esteemed by men out of sorrow and loss of my body. All such men have not faith nor belief in any thing beyond themselves and they would doubt of God’s existence, of the Worlds of Light, of Christ, and the goodness of the Angels. As I care little for love, or respect, or admiration of natural men, be of the same temperament, for natural men give only when they expect to receive.

“‘Men do not love or respect or admire the weak for they are taught to love, respect and admire the strong. Men of the world are hardened, unable to understand anything beyond their own natures which are fashioned out of and for the material world. What do they know of spirit, of things eternal, fashioned by the hand of God? And I say unto you that I came not to serve, or to teach, or to prove myself to such men. I came to the spiritual, the supernatural ones who love God and wish to know and understand Him. I came to establish a Community not of the world but of the spirit. The spiritual shall know me not by your words alone, nor believe in me because of any proofs you shall give, for the spiritual shall not require such to accept me.

“‘I came to announce the coming of the Messianic Sun of God and the blessings therein. I am not to be adored or even esteemed. For this reason, I ask that at the time of my passing from the world you not keep any mementoes of me. And I would prefer that you not show the image or likeness of myself except to those few who would benefit from it. Do not reveal it to the ordinary men of the world; it will mean nothing to them, even as my person in life did not reveal my true nature.

“‘Men have always questioned the person of Christ. Look at the life of Jesus. Was he not ridiculed, betrayed, denied and hung from a tree in dishonour by his own people? With the passing centuries, men cling to his memory, to his image, in hopes that he will aid them. And I say unto you that only God can redeem Man from the Earth. I came to speak of God, to show the way to Him so that goodly men may be redeemed from the material Earth.

“‘Say unto all those who would hear that I brought a message of hope to mankind. My sojourn on Earth was intended to instruct men in the means by which they can attain salvation, and that means is Light. Say unto the spiritual that though I was burdened with the material body, I did express the Light during my whole lifetime. In this respect, I was the Son of Man, walking among men so they might understand the higher life that is available to God’s spiritual ones.

“‘Speak to those who would hear your words and learn from them. Do not teach to those who would question them except in good faith, and in order to learn what is required. Hide the Light as I hid the Light from such men. Do not reveal your true image. And say to the bearers of Light, to the Guardians of the Teachings of Light, that they shall speak in casual manner about my person when pressed to give an answer about who I was or might have been. Men will ask whether I was Christ or Buddha, or Saoshyant, or some other promised teacher. The writings speak clearly on this. Refer such men to the books. Do not impress them with words. Let them read for themselves. The voice of their own spirit shall speak to them and instruct them.

“‘Remember that this is the last and final religion to come forth. It is unlike any other religion of any other time; unique and unparalleled for it is a religion not for natural men but for supernatural men. I came to lift the eyes of men from the Earth heavenward and I came to point their heads to the Sun, the gateway to God. If men care not to face their God, then leave them to the Earth and its ways. For I say unto you and all men of the Earth that such men would not accept God though He were to walk among them in human form. How could such accept the personage of God incarnate in the flesh when they refuse to accept His very existence?

“‘Guard over the inner Teachings I have entrusted into your care. Know that to live the Life of Light and to benefit from the rewards is to live and share in the mystery of God’s presence in Light.

“‘As has been written in the New Testament, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God.” You have shared in this mystery during my lifetime. Those who may have gazed upon my person cannot discern my radiant nature nor my true origin for it is not for all men to comprehend or to perceive of those things beyond their physical perceptory natures. Things of flesh are discerned by the flesh. Things of spirit are discerned by the spirit. Know then that all men are not of the same nature. Some are more advanced than others, quickened by events or by the Will of God.’”

I hope your Easter was joyful and blessed. Here is the third and final portion of the introductory commentary on the Thirteenth Saying of Jamil. Next week, we will begin with the first part of the Saying itself which, again, is quite lengthy. Once you receive all parts of the Saying, I suggest you read it carefully in its entirety.

The Thirteenth Saying (Part 3)

“And one of The Mariners spoke about free will saying, ‘And what of Man’s free will. Is not one’s destiny decided by one’s own actions regardless of external causes?’

“And The Man replied, ‘There are many schools of thought regarding free will. Here we enter the realm of the philosopher and the theologian. The modern existentialist would say that the environment of Man is hostile, that life has no meaning, and that in the final analysis Man is responsible for his own actions. The determinist would say that events are independent of the human will. Predestination teaches that God has foreordained all things; that each soul has already been regulated to either heaven or hell.

“‘In The Community, we teach the eternal doctrine of the Essaei Community, as upheld by Jesus and The Child, that every person has two spirits, one of Light and the other of Darkness. All persons are given the right to choose either Light or Darkness; that is, each person is free to select the laws under which that person will live. There is no other choice or selection available. Each guiding spirit is regulated by governing laws. And these laws are more overpowering than Man’s will.

“‘It is the same for Man in the natural environment. We can work with the environment or against it. Man does not have the free will to decide what the environment will be, though he can alter it from time to time, usually for the worse in the case of pollution of air and water. Therefore, God has foreordained the spiritual environment of Man. Man is given the right to use his free will to either work with cosmic law and effect or in opposition to it.

“‘In both cases, the results are determined by forces external to Man, either for good or for bad. One can safely say that the natural Man of the world is in reality little more than a slave, moved by cosmic forces as a puppet controlled by strings. His freedom and use of free will is an illusion. Does Man’s free will determine his length of days on earth? Or his sex, or his nationality, or the culture that breeds him? And what of the Sun and the stars and the planets in the solar system that determine Earth’s weather and climate? And what of the rise and fall of nations? Of wars, and plagues, and famines and disease? Man has the free will to do the bidding of cosmic forces or suffer dire consequences. He is obliged to obey the laws of the state or suffer punishment.

“‘I tell you, my trusted companions, there is greater freedom in following God’s Way than by following the ways of the world or of Darkness. Who but the spiritual have been released from the hold of those malevolent forces that control the destiny of Man and his world?’

“And they talked long into the night, the ship rocking gently in the gentle sea.”