After eating the banana, Yugong heard a sound. He looked down and saw a man with no legs crawling across the beach. The crippled man ate the banana skin happily.
“What a pitiful creature,” Yugong said, “what a horrible world.”
In despair, he leapt from the tree and killed himself.
“Consider also this story, “Jacob said.
There was a zookeeper in charge of four monkeys.
“I will make a deal with you,” he told the monkeys, “I will give you three bananas now and four more bananas this afternoon.”
This made the monkeys very upset. They began to scream and jump up and down.
“Wait,” the zookeeper said, “I will give you four bananas now and three later.”
Two of the monkeys were pleased but the other two still screamed and screamed.
“Fine,” the zookeeper said, “you may have all seven bananas now.”
Chapter 55: Learning
A group of unbelievers came to challenge Jacob. This discussion would hurt him more than any of his teachings.
“You say everyone goes to Heaven?”
“Yes.”
“And the point of life in this world is to seek happiness?”
“Yes.”
“But if we are all happy in Heaven, then why does God put us on this earth? If God made the Earth, then why do we want to go to Heaven? If we are not happy in Heaven then why does God allow us to die?”
“Both Heaven and earth are necessary for our happiness. Let me explain. Do you agree only God can have freewill in Heaven?”
“Yes.”
“When God created us, we wanted to be like God. We wanted to have free choice like God. This was the forbidden fruit in Heaven, because free choice in Heaven could lead to evil which would destroy the perfection of Heaven.”
“If Heaven is perfect, why would we be unhappy?”
“We were fools. We wanted more than perfection. We chaffed at our inability to choose. We disliked being forced to always choose the good. We did not want evil, but the ability to choose. We did not realize our weakness would lead us to sometimes choose evil.”
“I don’t understand how perfect beings could be upset.”
“Consider yourself. Are you not alive? You prefer this life, although the life to come is better and more enduring. Obviously you prefer this life, or you would kill yourself.”
“Then what does our time on this earth achieve?”
“We come here to learn what it is like to have freewill. We use our time in this world to learn the truth. God, our savior, desires all of us to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. In this world, we learn that choosing evil leads to unhappiness and choosing good leads to happiness. Practice is the best of all instructors.”
“What about those who do not learn?”
“God changes not what is in a people until they change what is in themselves. If they do not learn on Earth, they will learn after death or they will come again to complete their education. Experience is the best teacher.”
“And what is this truth?”
“We learn choosing evil leads to misery. Therefore, we will always choose the good. God may then give us freewill in Heaven because we will always choose to do the good. God will no longer have to force us to do the good. He can set us free. When you learn the truth, the truth will make you free. You will have free choice and Heaven will remain perfect.”
Chapter 56: News
After a few days in Carthage, I began to doubt whether Jacob really was the Messiah. I had heard whispers of his previous life in Carthage, but I refused to listen. Then, as I walked the streets of Carthage at night, trying to clear my head, a Carthaginian priest told me everything and shook my faith.
“Come here,” the priest ordered.
“I have nothing to say to you,” I said.
“I want to help you, I want to tell you of Jacob’s previous time in Carthage. Do you want to hear or are you afraid of the truth?”
“I will listen; I do not fear the truth.”
“Did you know Jacob was a priest in the Carthaginian Church?”
“No.”
“Ah, you know less than nothing because if you knew nothing, that would be something, but you don’t. No wonder you follow him. Yes, he was a priest. He was very popular as he was a powerful preacher. He was called the ‘star of the preachers.’ He converted many people to the faith. In fact, he was almost appointed to be the priest of one of the greatest Churches in all of the City. This honor was the cause of his downfall.”
“What happened?”
“The leaders of the Church felt Jacob was too young. They gave the appointment to another priest. Jacob was very distraught, but he could do nothing against the Church. Nothing, that is except preach. He began to preach that some of the doctrines of the Church were wrong.”
“What did they do?”
“The leaders of the Church fired him from his position because of his heresy. This made him homeless and penniless because the Church owns the wealth of all the priests. Soon after he began calling himself the Messiah and left the City to gather followers.”
“So what?”
“Don’t you understand? He is a fraud. All he wants is his position back in the Church. Even now he is negotiating with the Church saying he will stop preaching his heresy if they will give him back his position.”
“You lie.”
“Believe what you want. However, I must warn you, he is using you. He is using you and the others as examples, preaching about your sins and proclaiming that his teachings have turned you from your evil ways. Yesterday he gave a sermon about how he turned the girl from a life of prostitution.”
“That’s ridiculous, Aurora was never a prostitute.”
“That is what he said, whether it is true or not. He also said the leader of his disciples was a drug dealer, one was a homosexual, another was a child molester, another was a murderer and so on. He sets you all up as examples.”
“None of that is true,” I said, but I did not believe my hollow words.
Chapter 57: New
“Many of you are afraid,” Jacob said, “of what you call my ‘new’ teachings. You are afraid because you think they are different from what you believe.”
Many in the crowd nodded, for there had been much discussion of this.
“The wise man does not follow established laws, but only the law of virtue. Much of what you have learned is not the truth. Man must pass from old to new, from mistake to fact, from what once seemed good to what now proves best.”
“Are you saying our religion is false,” a woman in the crowd asked.
“No, not all of it, “Jacob said, “much of what you have learned is true, but some of it is false. However, some of what you believe was made by men, not by God. That part, the false teachings, you must leave behind. Old ties must give way to new ones. Nevertheless, your religion will continue after you have made the necessary changes.”
“How do we know what is true and what is false?” someone asked.
“You can learn nothing except by going from the known to the unknown. You must investigate all of your beliefs beginning with the most basic. Then you must determine what comes from God and what from men. To create a sound one must first destroy the silence that was there before. To find the truth, one must first discover all which is not the truth.”
“We are afraid,” the people said, “for we have had faith in these things our entire lives.”
“Be not afraid. Someone who says nothing new and frightens no one has never changed the world. Trust in me. I will not lead you astray. I promise you I cannot destroy the truth. Truth never dies. Everything changes, nothing perishes.”
Chapter 58: Darkness
I began to lose faith. I needed to talk to Jacob alone, but he was never alone. He spent all day preaching to great crowds. At night, followers still crowded around him as he traveled the city ministering to the poor and disabused.
&nbs
p; Every day, he spent less and less time with the disciples. He sent us out to other areas of the city to preach. We thought he trusted us to preach the word for him, but now I wondered whether he wanted to talk behind our backs. At night, he was always too busy to see us.
Through persistence, I finally got Jacob alone. “Do you have time to talk with me?”
“I always have time for my disciples. What troubles you?”
“I’ve heard things, things that make me question my faith in you. I need answers. Stop talking in riddles, stop keeping me in the dark about what is really going on.”
“You have become like all the others. You beg me to speak plainly, even though I have already clearly told you everything. You don’t want to hear me. Nobody is listening. They stand in their shadows and wonder why it is dark. It makes all the difference whether one sees the darkness through the light or brightness through the shadows. Darkness is to you light and light darkness.”
“You say you have spoken clearly, but I still do not understand. I need to understand. I need an answer. Tell me everything you know. Tell me who you are.”
“God forbids it. He does not allow me to reveal all. The world is not yet ready. God’s knowledge is filled with necessary darkness. That divine Darkness is the unapproachable light in which God dwells. Into this Darkness, rendered invisible by its own excessive brilliance and unapproachable by the intensity of its transcendent flood of light, come all those who are worthy to know and to see God. Our duty is to exist within the dark, the light, and all that is. Find the darkness within the darkness. That is the gateway to all understanding.”
“You lie. You cannot speak clearly because you know nothing. I know you now. I know what you have done. If you cannot prove to me you are what you seem to be, I will leave.”
“I will not prove myself. Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot bear to hear my word. You will do what you must. I ask only that you go home now and think on what I have said. Sleep, fold yourself into the peaceful darkness and find comfort in those gentle words…good night. When you awake, you may understand.”
Chapter 59: Meeting
I couldn’t keep Jacob’s secret. I told all the other disciples how he preached about us. How he was telling lies about us. No one was pleased. Several seemed afraid. Nevertheless, we refused to abandon Jacob, not yet anyway. In truth, we refused to make a decision. We just let things go on until their inevitable conclusion.
Chapter 60: Counsel
Now I must relate an event I did not witness. I wish I could limit this story to those things I myself experienced, but that is impossible. Please accept this for what it is, and don’t make of it what it isn’t. I must tell you the whole story, and this is an important part. Remember, I tell only what I have been told. If this is not really what happened it is not my fault.
Nevertheless, I believe the report of the one who was there. I believe it, because he is a believer and because his account of the meeting is similar to counsels throughout history when the powerful gather to destroy a weak person whom they fear greatly. He who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may also believe.
Three men gathered to take counsel against Jacob. They were powerful men and they represented many thousands or millions who believed the same things. Three men for a three-tiered city. The highest ranking, and possibly least powerful, was the mayor of Carthage. With him came the lead prosecutor of the city, Joseph Karamazov. He knew he would have to do the unclean work of the other two. These two represented the secular power of the city.
However, the secular powers of Carthage did not breathe without the acquiescence of the religious power. Therefore, the leader of the Carthaginian Church, Enoch, had come to tell the secular leaders what to do. His power was much greater than theirs, but do not think they should avoid all blame.
Enoch opened the meeting, “You know why we are here. We have been sitting on the fence for far too long. This problem has begun to fester and grow. We are all in danger.”
“I agree,” the mayor said, “Jacob’s preaching has gotten out of hand. Everyday hundreds gather on the streets to see him. The city is hemorrhaging money because of police protection and traffic jams.”
“Why does he need police protection? Do they come to hear him preach or to protest him?” Joseph asked.
“Some come to listen, others come to protest. Many switch sides by the end of the day. Most people are just upset about the traffic jams.”
“Enough,” Enoch said, “We came here to make a decision not complain.”
“Fine,” the mayor said, “what do you want to do about this Jesus-mania?
“Don’t make jokes about this,” Enoch said, “this is a dangerous situation. Thank God the solution is simple. All we have to do is eliminate Jacob and this heresy will end. I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be dispersed.”
“We should be able to lock him up for something,” the mayor said, “He must have violated some law. Surely we at least have a law against public use of the streets.”
Joseph, wanted to say something, for he had heard Jacob preach and had begun to believe. He challenged the others, “Of course we could find some law to persecute him, but are you sure that is the best option. Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing? Do you not believe the Bible’s saying that ‘If this is from God it will remain but if it is not then it will die of its own accord?’”
“I believe in the Bible,” Enoch said, “but evil does not always go away of its own accord. Evil will always triumph if good men do nothing. Surely, you do not believe this man is the Messiah. He is like all those demagogues who have come before. He is a false prophet and he is dangerous. He has created an illusion and the illusion has become real. The more real the illusion becomes, the more desperately his followers want it. If we let this continue, someone will end up dying.”
Enoch shook his head, “The Messiah would not reveal himself in the form of such a worthless man. Besides, listen to what he preaches. His words show him as a false prophet who goes against all the truths and traditions of Christianity.”
The mayor, in a moment of insanity, said to him, “What is truth? How can we be sure this man is not the Messiah. Not that I believe he is, but shouldn’t we be careful? We don’t want to look like the bad guys here and I don’t want to make a huge mistake.”
Now the old man’s eyes glowed with fury, “What are you afraid of? That this fool is really the Messiah or that you will lose your next election. If he is the Messiah, God has lied to us because he does not fit any of the prophecies. If he is the Messiah, God has made a mistake by not revealing him to me and all the other righteous people who truly believe. God does not make mistakes and therefore, this man cannot be the Messiah.”
He took a breath and said in a softer voice, “You will do something about this or you will lose your next election.”
The mayor said, “I will do something about him. I just don’t want any crazy people to blame me. I’m the one in danger if this blows up.”
Joseph shook his head, “No matter what happens none of us will be blamed for this. Someone else will be responsible. We will run his conviction through all the levels of government. If something goes wrong, we will have insulated ourselves from blame by creating enough scapegoats between us and him. Besides, voters especially have short memories. On the other hand, if all of this goes well, as I expect, we will be able to set ourselves up as the creators and heroes of the policy.”
The old man rubbed his hands together, “Good, now attorney, what is the worst crime we can convict him of.”
Joseph wanted to protest, but he had to do his job, “There is one law I think might work. Just last year we passed a law to protect people from ‘cults.’ We can prosecute him under that law. All we have to prove is that he brainwashed his followers.”
“Excellent,” Enoch said.
So these men gathered to destroy Jacob. Not because they wanted to or believed it was necessary, but because the need for this action had been set into motion long ago. No Church could turn from its founding principles just because the truth appeared. No secular leader could change from the beliefs, which elevated him to office. No man of high station could risk losing his job by standing up to those who were more powerful, especially when such a sacrifice would accomplish nothing.
None of them were responsible. All of them were caught up in something larger than themselves.
Chapter 61: Confrontation
Something important was about to happen. We could all feel it. More and more people flocked to see us every day. Many returned the next day. Many were beginning to believe. Something important was about to happen.
We decided to confront Jacob about the stories we had heard. I, at least, had begun to lose faith. From what I observed, the faith of the others was waning as well.
Simon was our spokesperson. “Jacob we need to talk. We need to know what’s going on. We’ve heard stories about you.”
“What do you mean?”
“We heard that you were kicked out of the Carthaginian priesthood because you were angry you didn’t get an appointment.”
“That is a lie,” Jacob said, “the leaders kicked me out because of my teachings.”
“Why didn’t you tell us that?” John asked.
“What difference does it make?”
“It makes a difference if what I’ve heard is true,” Phillip said.
“What have you heard?” Jacob asked.
“I heard you made a deal with the Carthaginian Church and they were going to give you an appointment to your old church.”
“That’s true,” Jacob said, “isn’t that good news.”
“What did you have to promise them?”
“Nothing. I only promised I wouldn’t preach in the street anymore. This doesn’t change anything.”
“Yes, it does,” Andrew said, “we thought you were the Messiah, but you’re just an ordinary man.”
“Now you are going to abandon us, especially after announcing all of our sins to the world,” I said.