The Fifth Covenant With Jesus (PBUH)

How could a man capable of performing extraordinary miracles be abandoned by some of his own disciples?

The story of Jesus Christ is often told through his miracles, his parables and his message of love.

Yet the Gospels also present a Jesus whose words disturb, provoke controversy and lead some of his companions to distance themselves from him.

In the fifth Door of The Goal of the Wise, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) pays particular attention to this dimension of his mission.

The Fifth Covenant thus appears as a stage during which faith is confronted with teachings that believers are not always ready to accept.

1. The coming of Jesus and the new Covenant

According to the theological structure of the book, Jesus comes at the end of a period marked by the breaking of the previous Covenant.

His mission opens a new stage in the relationship between God and humanity.

He does not come simply to pass on words of wisdom.

He calls people to recognise a spiritual authority and to renew their faithfulness to the Creator.

The question of his recognition therefore becomes essential.

Are those who know the Scriptures necessarily the best prepared to recognise the messenger?

The story of Jesus shows that the answer is not so simple.

2. The miracles: signs that do not guarantee faithfulness

The book emphasises the importance of the miracles attributed to Jesus.

It mentions in particular the healings, the wonders performed before the crowds, the knowledge of certain hidden realities and the raising of Lazarus.

These signs hold a fundamental place in the Gospel accounts.

They bear witness to the exceptional mission of Jesus.

Yet they are not enough to preserve the faithfulness of all those who follow him.

This is one of the most striking paradoxes of this Door.

How can a person witness extraordinary events, then abandon the one they previously regarded as a messenger of God?

The book invites us to understand that faith does not rest solely on wonder.

It also demands an inner transformation.

3. Jesus, the Bread of Life

The sixth chapter of the Gospel according to John holds an important place in this Door.

There, Jesus presents himself as the Bread of Life.

He teaches that true life is not limited to material food.

But his words then take a form that deeply troubles his listeners.

He speaks of eating his flesh and drinking his blood.

For those who understand these expressions in a strictly literal way, this teaching seems shocking.

The book takes a particular interest in this reaction.

Why does Jesus choose a language that seems to drive away some of those who follow him?

The question leads us to reflect on the role of symbolic language in the transmission of spiritual knowledge.

4. When the words of the messenger become a trial

The Gospels report that several disciples stopped following Jesus after this teaching.

This departure is a major event.

The miracles had attracted the crowds.

But a difficult teaching now causes them to drift away.

From the perspective of The Goal of the Wise, this episode reveals a difference between attachment to a religious figure and true trust in their mission.

It is relatively easy to admire a messenger when he performs wonders.

It is much harder to keep following him when he speaks words that call our certainties into question.

This difficulty does not concern only the disciples of Jesus.

It can appear in every era.

5. Spiritual knowledge is not limited to the literal meaning

The teaching of the Bread of Life raises an essential question: how should religious words be understood?

The Scriptures frequently use images, metaphors and symbols.

Water can represent purification.

Light can symbolise knowledge.

Food can evoke a spiritual reality.

An exclusively literal interpretation therefore risks missing the intended meaning.

In The Goal of the Wise, this question holds a central place.

The author defends the idea that understanding the divine words requires a knowledge capable of going beyond appearances.

6. Why did some disciples abandon Jesus?

The chapter examines the reactions of those who had followed Jesus during his mission.

Some had witnessed miracles.

Others had benefited from his teachings or his kindnesses.

Yet not all of them remained with him.

This break invites us to reflect on the motivations of belief.

Does one follow a messenger for what he brings materially?

For the miracles he performs?

For the hope he represents?

Or because one truly recognises his spiritual authority?

The book presents these questions as fundamental trials.

7. The faithfulness of those who remain

When several disciples drift away, Jesus also asks the Twelve whether they wish to stay.

The answer of Simon Peter, in the Gospel according to John, expresses a faithfulness founded on the recognition of the spiritual word of Jesus.

This scene contrasts two attitudes.

Some abandon because they do not understand.

Others remain despite the difficulties.

This does not mean that questions should be forbidden.

On the contrary, the search for understanding is essential.

But the episode invites us to distinguish sincere questioning from the immediate rejection of what seems disturbing.

8. A lesson for today’s believers

The Fifth Covenant invites us to examine the way we approach religious teachings.

Are we ready to recognise that a word may have several levels of meaning?

Can we accept that a new knowledge may oblige us to re-examine certain inherited ideas?

The story of Jesus reminds us that familiarity with a tradition does not always guarantee an understanding of its message.

It is possible to know sacred texts and not recognise the teaching they announce.

Conclusion — Recognising the messenger beyond the miracles

The Fifth Covenant with Jesus brings to light one of the deepest trials of faith: remaining faithful when the truth seems to contradict our expectations.

Miracles attract attention.

Difficult teachings reveal convictions.

And faithfulness cannot be reduced to the enthusiasm of the early days.

Had we heard Jesus present himself as the Bread of Life, would we have sought to understand his words, or would we have left the crowd with those who were abandoning him?

This question prepares our discovery of the Sixth Covenant with Mohammed.