The Permission of Aden
Jesus instructed teachers who would follow him, regarding their conduct toward other spiritual teachers. Forbid him not, he ordered, when his Apostle John presumed to suppress the activities of Aden, a stranger teaching in jesus' name. John had judged Aden as lacking in authorization, learning, and perhaps even worthiness.
At this time, Jesus established what might be called the Permission of Aden. In the future, he said, many people would do strange things in his name, but he would not forbid them, even those not wholly worthy. Heaven, he taught, would honor each such instance on its own merits, down to a glass of cold water given with love to a thirsty soul (1).
Human claims of relative superiority in spiritual matters were disowned by Jesus in this commandment, in which he effectively directed religionists of all times who teach in his name to refrain from working to restrict the activities of all other religionists who teach in his name, regardless of differences.
During his life in the flesh, Jesus taught and followed the principles embodied in the Permission of Aden, not only toward those teaching in his name, but toward all. He refused to interfere with the misguided trance prophet, Kirmeth, who intruded into one of Jesus' teaching encampments for several days and left with a few unstable souls (2). He taught that we should never try to take anything out of anyone's heart, only try to put something in (3). He taught that we should tend to the log of error in our own eye rather than in our brother's (4). And, as Michael, Universe Ruler, he allowed Lucifer and his associates to teach even their doctrines of sin and rebellion (5).
