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The Fourth Lesson: The Beginning of the Ministry.979
springing from the loins of David, and coming to take His rightful place as
the King of the Jews, was imbedded in the heart of every Jew worthy of
the name. Israel was oppressed by its conquerors, and made subject to a
foreign yoke, but when the Messiah would come to deliver Israel, every Jew
would arise to drive out the foreign invaders and conquerors—the yoke
of Rome would be thrown off, and Israel would once more take its place
among the nations of the earth.
Jesus knew full well the fact of this national hope. It had been installed into
His mind from childhood. He had pondered over it often during the time of
His wanderings and sojourn in foreign lands. The occult legends, however,
make no mention of His having ever thought of Himself as the Messiah until
he was about to re-enter His own land after His years of foreign study and
ministry. It is thought that the idea of His being the long expected Messiah
was first suggested by some of the Essenic teachers, when He rested with
them for awhile before appearing before John the Baptist. It was pointed
out to Him that the marvelous events surrounding His birth indicated that
He was a marked individual destined to play an important part in the history
of the World. Then why was it not reasonable to believe that that role was
to be that of the Messiah come to sit on the throne of His father David, and
destined to bring Israel from her now obscure position to once more shine
as a bright star in the firmament of nations? Why was it not reasonable that
He was to lead the Chosen People to their own?
Jesus began to ponder over these things. He had absolutely no material
ambitions for Himself and all His impulses and inclinations were for the life
of an occult ascetic. But the idea of a redeemed and regenerated Israel was
one calculated to fire the blood of any Jew, even though the element of
personal ambition might be lacking in him.
He had always realized that in some way He was different from other men,
and that some great work lay ahead of Him, but He had never understood
His own nature, nor the work He was to do. And it is not to be wondered
that the talk among the Essenes caused Him to ponder carefully over the