continued from Sunday, August 11, 2013
~ Act 4 ~
I transferred back and forth between Heaven and Earth several times to chat with our son, Jesse. Sometimes I would talk a bit about Heaven, a few bits about our science. He seemed to absorb some of that. Other times I would just go there and remain hidden, even from him. Here is one episode of what I observed incognito.
Jesse was teaching a group in a small room. With him were Peter, John, Thomas, Matthew, Philip, Judah, and Maggie. (I learned their names based on observing their conversation.)
"I've been working on a new speech," Jesse said as he picked up a parchment. "Here's the thing."
"Here's the thing?" Thomas was doubting that that could be the opening line. "I don't think you can begin a speech to thousands with "Here's the thing."
"OK." Jesse scratched off that line.
John touched Jesse on the arm with curiously loving eyes. "I think your ministry is going great, Jesse."
"Thanks, John."
Peter, a rather butch fellow, asserted himself. "I think we need to move to the next step, m'Lord."
"What did you have in mind, Peter?"
"A rousing speech from a mountaintop. The thoughts you shared with us last week."
Thomas was questioning. "What's the final scene in all this. I'm inspired, but what does this all lead to?"
"Always the doubter, Thomas. But I feel this world is all screwed up. It needs to shake off the old and modernize. A new testament, if I should be so bold. What do you think, Maggie?"
"You're going to listen to a woman?" Peter was like a rock.
"In the new world I envision, women have an equal role."
"Well, I don't cast my pearls before swine," Maggie scolded Peter.
"Hey, that's a great line!" Jesse said. He wrote something down with his stylus.
"Hey, don't fight. Blessed are the peacemakers," Philip chimed in.
"Another great line!"
This went on for some time. After a while, Jesse left the meeting room and went out walking alone on a hillside, looking down and mumbling to himself. I was following him out of sight when this professional-looking (in Judean terms) man approached Jesse.
Jesse looked up. "And who would you be?"
"L.Z. Bubb."
"L.Z.?" OK.
"I was at one of talks last week. Interesting."
"Think so?"
"You're going to mess things up with the establishment you know. And you know what happens to those who do that."
"All I want is equality and treating everyone the same. And for there to be a little justice and mercy. I just believe it gets better." Jesse sounded almost believable.
"Why don't you come work for me? You would be great in marketing. I can make you rich. This philosophical work is nonsense."
"Temping, I don't know ..."
"Think about it." L.Z. Bubb walked away.
~ Act 5 ~
I transferred back to Heaven. The next time I visited Earth I watched Jesse as he was speaking to a pretty large crowd. I just mixed in, so he didn't notice me.
"You're blessed when you think life sucks. Let go and let the One inside you rule.
"You're blessed when you aren't in the top 1%. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for Knowledge. It's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full', you find yourselves cared for.
"You're blessed when you can show nations how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. Otherwise you are just a war monger.
"You're blessed when your commitment to Truth provokes attacks. Persecution drives you even deeper into Enlightenment.
"Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then take the first step and do it for them. Add up the Torah and Prophets and this is what you get, more or less, minus the bullshit.
"Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don't be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.
"You've may have been taught to retaliate against your enemies. But I say to turn away from retribution.
"You've heard it was written, 'In the beginning God created Heaven and the Earth'. But I tell you our whole universe was in a hot dense state, then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion starts — Wait! Scratch that.
"I did not come here to you to tell you to ignore the Law. I tell you I'm here to fulfill it. Don't disobey the Law until that happens.
"There is far more at stake here than religion. This Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath; he's in charge.
"But if you just use my words in Scripture studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards."
With that, he walked away.
Two men right beside me started talking to each other. "I see trouble brewing," one said. "He's saying on one hand to obey Scripture, but then he's saying it's garbage and that he's replacing it. He makes no sense. He's some kind of a nut." The other responded, "We'll have to keep our eye on him. He is another one of those educated elite snobs who thinks he knows better than God's Word. If he gets a bigger following, The Council must take action."
That was the first time I heard of an organization called 'The Council'. After that, I returned to Heaven.
~ Act 6 ~
A later time I went back to Earth hidden from Jesse's view. Jesse and some of his followers were out walking and came across a disturbance. A group of men (one of whom I recognized to be a member of the Council) was holding John and another man (both barely dressed) in their possession.
"What are you doing with John?" Jesse asked without fear.
"These two have conducted themselves in the way of Sodom. We found them fooling around in the olive garden. They were sampling each other's pits. They must be put to death!" said one.
By the context, I figured out what 'way of Sodom' meant. Then I was surprised by what Jesse said and did next. "The old law is dead. Let them go!" Jesse and his men grab John and his companion away from the men from the Council. "Let's scram!"
With that Jesse and his group of followers ran away with John and companion, safe from the Council.
continued in part three
Update 2013/09/01: parts one through four combined
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