By William Cooper
When Jesus was seven years old, a recruiter from a prestigious school in Jerusalem came to Nazareth to recruit him to attend the Jerusalem school. Mother Mary was in favor of sending him to the school because it would be a good education and the start of impressive credentials for Jesus. Mary remembered Gabriel’s visit to her before Jesus was born, during which Gabriel made it clear that Jesus had a destiny to “inaugurate the kingdom of heaven on earth and among men.” Mary saw the Jerusalem school as a start toward his career. Mary still believed that Jesus was destined to be the Jewish Messiah, a political leader and liberator of the Jews from political oppression. Joseph, Jesus’ father, thought Jesus would grow up to be a man of destiny but he was profoundly uncertain what that destiny would be. Consequently, for Joseph, sending Jesus off to boarding school in Jerusalem held no special benefit. The recruiter convinced Joseph and Mary to trust Jesus to make this decision. So, here is the process Jesus, at age seven, followed.
Jesus’ best friend was Jacob, the son of the stone mason who lived next door to Jesus. Jesus talked with Jacob’s father and to Mary and Joseph about the choice. Then he had what he described as a chat with his Heavenly Father. It was Jesus’ habit to talk to his Heavenly Father the same way he talked to his earthly father, Joseph. In this way, he developed a loving and close personal relationship with both. The next day he came to the adults with his decision and said since his earthly advisors were divided on this decision, he was relying mainly on the guidance of his Heavenly Father. While he was not certain of exactly what his Heavenly Father was saying to him, he was persuaded that his Heavenly Father wanted him to stay with those who loved him and knew him well and could therefore provide better guidance for him.
Jesus continued to relate to his Heavenly Father as a friend throughout his life, and still does. He told his followers that they too are children of this same loving and available Heavenly Father and that their Father wants them to treat each other as loving family of the same Father. He told them to consult their inner spirit of God for guidance in how to progress in loving goodness, thereby becoming more and more like God until eventually, in eternity, they are lovingly perfect like God. Love to God and Jesus has many, many expressions. They are all a pleasure to live and a joy to observe.
Read more in The Urantia Book. The Urantia Book paper 123 : section 6 . paragraph 8