It must be remembered that the Apostles were endowed with the mastery of the occult forces of nature which enabled them to perform the “miracles” of healing similar to those of Jesus.  And it must not be supposed for a moment that an occult Master of so high a degree of attainment as that reached by Jesus would have allowed His disciples to use such mighty power without also instructing them fully in the nature of the forces they were using, and of the best methods of employing the same.  And such knowledge could not be imparted without the fundamental truths of nature being understood by them, which understanding was possible only to those who had grasped the great Basic Truths of the Science of Being.

In short, the traditions are that the Twelve Apostles were gradually initiated into the great degrees of the Occult Brotherhoods of which and in which Jesus was a Master.  He gathered together a great store of occult information and mystic lore, and condensing the same into a plain, practical, simple system, He imparted it fully and thoroughly to those whom He had elected to be His chief co-workers and His successors after His death, which He knew full well was not far off.

These facts must be fully understood by the student of Mystic Christianity who wishes to grasp the secret of the early Christian Church after the death of Christ.  The wonderful headway manifested by the movement could not have been given by mere followers and believers in the Master.  It usually follows that when the great head of an organization dies the movement disintegrates or loses power unless he has been able to “communicate his spirit” to some chosen followers.  And this Jesus did.  And it was only to men who thoroughly grasped the fundamental truths and principles of His teachings that such “spirit” could have been imparted.

There was an exoteric teaching for the multitude, and an esoteric teaching for the Twelve.  There are many Scriptural passages which go to show this fact, which was well known to the early Fathers of the Church.  And upon the occasion which we have mentioned the last great Basic Truths were explained to the Twelve, and from that time henceforward they were regarded and treated as Masters by Jesus, and not as mere students, as had been the case before that time.  And arising from that final instruction came the Sermon of the Mount.

The Sermon of the Mount, that most wonderful and complete of any of the public utterances of Jesus, was delivered almost immediately after the Choosing of the Twelve Apostles.  And it was intended even more for them than for the multitudes gathered around to hear His preaching.  He knew that the Twelve could interpret it by reason of the Inner Teachings that they had received from Him.  And almost forgetting the congregation gathered around and about Him, He elucidated the Inner teachings for the benefit of the Chosen Few.