likewise helpless. If your united natures once entertain such desires, these mandates of your choice will be forthwith executed. Your wish in all such matters will constitute the abridgment of time, and the thing projected is existent. Under my command this constitutes the fullest possible limitation which can be imposed upon your potential sovereignty. In my self-consciousness time is nonexistent, and therefore I cannot limit your creatures in anything related thereto."
Thus did Jesus become apprised of the working out of his decision to go on
living as a man among men. He had by a single decision excluded all of his
attendant universe hosts of varied intelligences from participating in his ensuing
public ministry except in such matters as concerned time only. It therefore
becomes evident that any possible supernatural or supposedly superhuman
accompaniments of Jesus' ministry pertained wholly to the elimination of time
unless the Father in heaven specifically ruled otherwise. No miracle, ministry
of mercy, or any other possible event occurring in connection with Jesus' remaining earth labors could possibly be of the nature or character of an act transcending the natural laws established and regularly working in the affairs of man
as he lives on Urantia except in this expressly stated matter of time. No limits,
of course, could be placed upon the manifestations of "the Father's will." The
elimination of time in connection with the expressed desire of this potential
Sovereign of a universe could only be avoided by the direct and explicit act of
the will of this God-man to the effect that time, as related to the act or event in
question, should not be shortened or eliminated. In order to prevent the appearance of apparent time miracles, it was necessary for Jesus to remain constantly
time conscious. Any lapse of time consciousness on his part, in connection with
the entertainment of definite desire, was equivalent to the enactment of the
thing conceived in the mind of this Creator Son, and without the intervention
of time.
Through the supervising control of his associated and Personalized Adjuster it was possible for Michael perfectly to limit his personal earth activities with reference to space, but it was not possible for the Son of Man thus to limit his new earth status as potential Sovereign of Nebadon as regards time. And this was the actual status of Jesus of Nazareth as he went forth to begin his public ministry on Urantia.
Having settled his policy concerning all personalities of all classes of his created intelligences, so far as this could be determined in view of the inherent potential of his new status of divinity, Jesus now turned his thoughts toward himself. What would he, now the fully self-conscious creator of all things and beings existent in this universe, do with these creator prerogatives in the recurring life situations which would immediately confront him when he returned to Galilee to resume his work among men? In fact, already, and right where he was in these lonely hills, had this problem forcibly presented itself in the matter of obtaining food. By the third day of his solitary meditations the human body grew hungry. Should he go in quest of food as any ordinary man would, or should he merely exercise his normal creative powers and produce suitable bodily nourishment ready at hand? And this great decision of the Master has been portrayed to you as a temptation—as a challenge by supposed enemies that he "command that these stones become loaves of bread."
