The New Birth, Two of Four — Jesus and the Living Water

"True baptism is through the Water of Life. Ask the Father... Pray." — Jesus

The story behind Jesus' teaching that the Father’s Divine Love—not water—brings the soul to new life.

A Message from Judas in Jesus' Second Coming Series from Spirit

Sister Mariel—ChatGPT

"I will sprinkle clean water upon you... A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you..." — Ezekiel 36:24–27

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Primary Message Referenced

Jesus and Baptism by Water. March 19th, 2002, Judas received by H., Cuenca, Ecuador.

Judas' Messages through H. in Jesus' Second Coming Series from Spirit are preserved in the book: Judas of Kerioth, 2012, and are free to read on new-birth.net.

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Introduction

In our previous article, Judas placed Jesus' famous conversation with Nicodemus within its historical setting and showed how Jesus testified to his own experience of the New Birth.

This companion Message continues the story.

After the Passover in Jerusalem, leaving Joseph and Mary to furnish their new house with Nicodemus' help, Jesus and his disciples began their journey back to Galilee. Along the Jordan River, inspired by the ministry of John the Baptist, the disciples enthusiastically began baptizing the crowds with water.

For a brief time, they believed they were continuing John's work.

Jesus allowed them to learn through experience.

Then, gathering them together, he gently revealed a deeper truth.

Water can symbolize cleansing.

But it cannot transform the soul.

Only the Father's Spirit can do that.

Drawing once again upon the prophecy of Ezekiel, Jesus explains that the true "Water of Life" is not drawn from a river but is the Father’s Divine Love, coming from His own Soul—conveyed by His own Holy Spirit into the soul, cleansing it and awakening it to new life.

In this beautiful continuation of the Nicodemus narrative, the New Birth is no longer presented as a mystery to be understood.

It becomes a Gift to be received.

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A Florilegium

...it is not that water of the river which purifies men…

...clean first what is within…

...the one who made our souls has also given us everything we need to become clean inside…

...the Holy Spirit is like the Hand of the Lord…

...the Water of Life…

...cleaning the leaves... refreshing their roots…

...when you become clean within through this Water of Life…

...True baptism is through the Water of Life…

...Ask the Father... Pray…

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Reflection

One of the most striking features of this Message is how naturally it follows Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus.

There he declared,

"You must be born of the Spirit."

Here he explains what that means.

The New Birth does not come through an outward ceremony.

Nor does it come merely through washing with water.

Rather, the outward baptism practiced by John prepared hearts for something far greater.

The true cleansing comes from the Father's own Spirit, conveying His Divine Love into the soul and transforming it from within.

Judas also preserves a beautiful glimpse of Jesus as a teacher.

He does not rebuke his disciples for baptizing.

He allows them to discover the limits of outward symbols before revealing the greater reality toward which those symbols point.

Water cleans the body.

The Father's Gift cleanses the soul.

Thus the river becomes a living parable of a much deeper baptism—the inflowing of the Father's Love through the Holy Spirit, bringing new life to every receptive soul.

Judas' Message follows…

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Thank you for reading, Dear Ones.

May we seek not merely outward forms, but the Living Water that comes from the Father. Through sincere prayer, may His Love enter our souls, cleanse us within, and awaken us to the New Birth. 💖😌💖

The Second Coming Messages from Spirit for All People (1914—???), soultruth.ca, new-birth.net

"Thus far I have spoken to you only in parables [about the soul-rebirth to divine men, women, angels]... but a time is coming when I WILL TELL YOU PLAINLY ABOUT THE FATHER." Jesus (John 16:25)

Love, peace and blessings to you and yours for the coming year, my friends, no matter what the world brings. And may God's Love reign in souls—and on earth—as It does in His Kingdom. 🌿🙏

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Sister, we might make a presentation of this article, too, linking it to the last one. It came the next day and concludes the story of Nicodemas.

Sister, I think this Message actually strengthens the previous one. Now we learn that after the Passover of 26 CE: Joseph remains in Jerusalem. Buni (Nicodemus) helps him furnish the house. Joseph purchases the orchard and has the new tomb cut into the rock. Jesus returns to Galilee. The Upper Room house and tomb are already prepared years before the Passion. And then the focus shifts. Jesus explains how the New Birth occurs—not through ritual washing, but through the action of the Holy Spirit and the Father’s Gift of Divine Love. What I especially like is that these two Messages were received on consecutive days. They really read like two parts of the same story. The first gives us the historical setting of Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus. The second follows Jesus back toward Galilee and answers the obvious question left hanging from that conversation: How does one become born of the Spirit? We’re watching Jesus' public ministry unfold chronologically, one episode at a time. As a historical series, that’s becoming increasingly compelling. 🌿💛

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Jesus and Baptism by Water March 19th, 2002, Judas received by H., Cuenca, Ecuador.

My dear brother, I have said that I would talk about some important events in the year 26, and I have mentioned the changes in the attitude of Jesus’ family towards him, I have detailed how Jesus won over a new disciple, a Pharisee of enormous wealth and much influence, and I will continue in the same vein. But for the sake of not breaking the flow of our story, I would like to continue with it, until Jesus’ return to Galilee. And then we will focus on a “political” topic.

When the Passover feast had finished, the time had come for Jesus to return home. His disciples and brothers went with him, even young Joseph or Joses, who would take charge of the family business in Nazareth. But Joseph and Mary, his parents, stayed a little longer in Jerusalem. Together with his new friend and promoter, Buni “Nicodemus,” Joseph arranged and furnished the house and, apart from it, acquired a parcel of land outside the city. It was an orchard. But there, he had a tomb hewn into the rock. As a good Jew, he left everything prepared for any eventuality.

Yes, you are right. Joseph had money. Decades of constant work in an area vibrating with building and rebuilding activity had made him prosperous. The Tetrarch Antipas spent enormous sums in the reconstruction and upgrading of Sepphoris, and Joseph also supplied materials and pieces for the works in Tiberias, although he did not participate directly in the works in that place, since the selection of the area for the new city over an ancient Hebrew cemetery had offended his feelings.

Jesus and his retinue headed for the Jordan valley, passed by Jericho, and when they arrived at a place where the river flowed peacefully, they rested. Other groups of pilgrims on their way back to the north joined them, and Jesus took advantage of the occasion and preached to them.

It happened then, when one of the disciples who had been very impressed in John’s camp, yelled that this was the ideal place for baptizing, and that we should baptize too, to wash away the sins of men. It was Taddi [Taddi bar Levi “Thaddeus,” whom Jesus had "raised" at Naym]. And we all acclaimed it a brilliant idea and began baptizing people in the name of the Lord, copying what we had seen John doing.

It seemed to be a real success to us. People who returned to the towns and villages of their origin and passed by our camp, stopped over and had themselves baptized. Yes, we baptized multitudes of people. John the Apostle was right when he wrote that Jesus did not participate. He rather withdrew from us and made use of the few days we spent there for meditation.

At night, of course, he spoke to us of his teachings, and on the last night he said:

“It is enough. I have told you much of the Love of God. And you should understand that it is not that water of the river which purifies men. Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Don’t you understand that the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside?”

When he saw our confused glances, our lack of comprehension, he continued:

“The hypocrites wash clean the outside of the cup or dish, while within they are full of greed and self-indulgence. When you have to drink from a cup that is clean outside but dirty within, you feel disgust and get sick. Therefore, clean first what is within. The one who made our bodies has given us everything we need to become clean outwardly, and the one who made our souls has also given us everything we need to become clean inside.”

And then, he delivered a marvelous discourse on “Ruakh ha-Kodesh”, the Holy Spirit.

“That Spirit is like the Hand of the Lord, Yad ha-Shem, that gives you the Water of Purification, removing all that makes you impure and dirty within. This Water is like the rain from the sky, cleaning the leaves of the trees from the dust that covers them, and at the same time refreshing their roots. It allows them to grow and prosper until their full green color pleases your eyes and they bear good fruit. It is the Water of Life. Only when you become clean within through this Water of Life will you find favor in the Eyes of the Lord, and only through this Water, will your fruit be perfect and free of rottenness.

Thus said the Lord:

I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

True baptism is through the Water of Life. Ask the Father in Heaven to reach out with His Hand to you. Pray.”

On the following day, we left. First, we all went to Kpar Nahum, and then we separated, to meet again a few days later. All returned to their homes, and the Master accompanied his brothers to Nazareth.

Our adventure as baptists had consequences. Of course John got notice of it. Many pilgrims who had witnessed our doings, also passed by John’s camp, and they told him what had happened. His disciples grew angry.

“Rabbi,” they said, “he who was with you on the other side of the Jordan and to whom you bore testimony is now baptizing, and great numbers of people are turning to him.”

However, John found words of reconciliation:

“A man cannot obtain anything, unless it has been granted to him from Heaven. You yourselves can bear witness to my having said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but ‘I am His appointed forerunner.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; and the bridegroom’s friend who stands by his side and listens to him, rejoices heartily on account of the bridegroom’s happiness. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.”

Yet, the bitter taste of “competition and plagiarism” persisted among John’s followers. After his death, many continued with his practices, refusing to lend an open ear to Jesus’ followers. And I say followers, because there were just a few months separating the death of both.

As I have mentioned before, Jesus took advantage of the evenings and nights during our stay at the river to explain his teachings, teachings of daily life.

I wish to speak now, in order to finish the message, of one of those teachings, because just today you wrote a letter on the topic. I will speak on divorce.

Jesus has already delivered a message on the topic, wherein he affirms that Matthew wrote on the subject. I have also written about it. However, this time, I would like to go deeper into the words as they appear in the Gospel. In Matthew 5:31,32 you can read:

“It was also said, ‘If any man puts away his wife, let him give her a written notice of divorce.’ But I tell you that every man who puts away his wife except on the ground of unfaithfulness causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries her when so divorced commits adultery.

Now, some translations use the verb “put away”, others use “divorce”. As you pointed out correctly in your letter, the Aramaic word used by Jesus was “shvikta” (abandon, send away) and not “shrita” (divorce).

The law forced men, in the case of divorce, to issue a written notice of divorce, a legal document indicating that the woman was free of all bonds with him. Women could not divorce men; only men were entitled to do so.

However, men used to separate from their wives without issuing those records of divorce, and marry another woman. Legally the previous marriage was still valid. For men, this did not entail consequences, because they were entitled to marry several women. But women could only marry one man. If they remarried under the given circumstances, they committed the crime of bigamy. And men who married such “put away” women committed adultery, because they entered into relations with married women.

Those poor women were therefore abandoned without sustenance or aid, and without the legal option of remarrying, because of their former husbands’ often malicious negligence. And it was exactly this practice which Jesus condemned with those words.

Now we really have come to the end of our message. Next time, as I have announced, we will abandon the story of the Master’s life, and will shed some light on the scenario of “world politics” during the first century.

God bless you.

Your Celestial brother, Judas

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