3. Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

4. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

Judas was of the flesh; he had never become awakened to the divine truths as taught by Jesus. He could think only of the self. His thoughts were carnal and destructive instead of divine and constructive. The evil within him caused him not to do the will of the Father and to obey the Law, but to follow and to gratify the desires of the flesh. He who knows the will of the Father, he who knows the Law and does not observe the Law, is betraying the Christ continually. He is selling the Christ to the flesh, to those who destroy him.

5. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

6. Then cometh he to Simon Peter; and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?

7. Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

8. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

Unless we are washed-that is to say, unless we are cleansed by the power that comes from the Christ (which is the Father)-we cannot know the Christ. For it is only through the cleansing that comes when the mind awakens to the truth and does the truth, that he can ever know the Christ or receive Divine Illumination. Thus, it is said that we must be washed by the Son of man, the awakened mind, before we can know the Christ, or become the Christ.

9. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

10. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit and ye are clean, but not all.

We cannot save a part of ourselves only. Either we must free ourselves from all that is evil, or we are not free from evil. If we break but one of the commandments, we sin as surely as if we broke them all.

11. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.

12. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

13. Ye call me Master and Lord: And ye say well; for so I

am.

14. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

15. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

16. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

17. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. Only through service can we become the Master. In order to become the Master, we must serve; for, through serving, do we know and understand what is required of the Master.

When man has reached the highest state of Illumination; when he has become the Christ, who is the Son of Godthen, there is but one thing that he can do; that is, to serve those who are not so blessed as is he.

Service thus becomes the keystone to the Arch. It is the stone that holds the structure together; and there is nothing greater or more desirable than to be of service to humanity.

A talent, or a power, is of no value unless it is, or can be, used. Of what value is it to be a Master, if one cannot do the works of a Master? In the work of a Master, there is nothing greater than the ability to serve.

Though being the Creator of all things, God serves all things, and is never idle. If therefore, he who created all things, continually serves all things, how much more should we, who are His creation, be willing to serve his creation?

18. I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. 19. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.

20, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

21. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

LESSON THIRTY-EIGHT

When evil leaves man, then is the Son of man glorified; for he has become the Son of God.

St. John 13:22-38.

22. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.

23. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

24. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.

25. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

26. Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

27. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

28. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake thus unto him.

29. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.

30. He then having received the sop went immediately out; and it was night.

It was night-that is to say, it was dark, evil was in the world and in man, and there was no light. When the soul in man is not awake; when it is still unconscious of its divine heritage, then, is there great darkness in man, it is the night.

31. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. When darkness, which is evil, leaves man, the glorification comes. For when that occurs, the night leaves him; the darkness passes away, for evil is the darkness. When the evil in his nature is transmuted, then comes the Illumination; and the Illumination is the glorification from God.

Man has then found the Christ, he is become the Son of God. For the temple has been purified, it has been prepared, God has taken up his abode in the temple. The divine spark has become a living Soul, in that it has become Conscious, it has become Individualized. The personality, which is human and carnal and subject to death, has been transmuted, changed, into the Individuality. Man has become a living Soul, a god. "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?"

32. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.

33. Little children, yet a little while I am with you.

shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither
I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

粤

34. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

God is love. Only through love can the Father be found. He who has most of love in his character has most of God. The more of love man has, the nearer he comes to God.

Man is the temple of the living God; but God does not take up his abode therein until man has prepared the temple for him.

This temple cannot be prepared through hate, through jealousy, through impatience, and through shrewd dealings with men. Only through obedience to the Divine Law, can the temple be prepared; and this obedience must not be prompted by a desire to gain the reward of obedience, but because we love to do the will of him who gave the Divine Law.

"By their fruits shall ye know them." Only by the love that men bear for each other, can they be known. Love will manifest through the flesh, and all men who know may read.

36. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. 37. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.

38. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

If Peter had really been willing to give his life for the Christ, he could have followed him at once. Though he thought he was willing to give his life-the life and the desires of the body-for the Christ, the events thereafter proved that, while "the Spirit was truly willing, the flesh was weak."