|
Having
recently studied the life of Jesus, through various non-biblical
sources, I realized something that I would like to share with
you. As many of you may recall, near the end of his life, Jesus
spent 40 days in the desert, ending in the temptation by Satan,
as told in Matthew (4:1-11) and Luke (4:1-13):
| Then Jesus was led
by the spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
After fasting forty days and nights, he was hungry. The tempter
came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell
these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It
is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on
every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”.
The devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the
highest point of the temple. “If you are the son of God,”
he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He
will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift
you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone.’ ” Jesus said, “It is also
written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’
” Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and
showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour.
“All this I will give to you,” he said, “if
you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him,
“Away from me, Satan! For it is written: “Worship
the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ” Then the
devil left him, and angels came and attended him. |
As
I understand this passage, each temptation was aimed at the pride
of Jesus. The first two tempt him to show-off his powers, by turning
stones to bread and defying the laws of gravity. From the passage
it would appear that Jesus was humble enough, as he did not perform
any tricks for the satisfaction of his own self-esteem. But he
did, in fact, perform both of these miracles on other occassions.
The miracle of loaves and fishes is told in Matthew (14:13-21)
| When Jesus
heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to
a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him
on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large
crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As
evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This
is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the
crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves
some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to
go away. You give them something to eat." "We have
here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.
"Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed
the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves
and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks
and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples,
and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and
were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls
of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those
who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. |
Matthew
(14:22-31) also tells the story of Jesus taking liberty with the
laws of nature
| Immediately
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead
of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After
he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself
to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat
was already a considerable distance[1] from land, buffeted
by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth
watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the
lake.When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they
were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried
out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take
courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's
you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on
the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got
down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward
Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning
to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately
Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little
faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" |
Now,
it can be argued that in both of these cases Jesus used his powers
in aid of others, whereas he resisted the temptation to use the
powers for himself. However, it may also be argued that there
is no such thing as a purely atruistic act as well. My revelation
comes from the third temptation, which is clearly different than
the other two. Jesus is not asked to demonstrate a power he already
possesses, he is offered a bargain by Satan: worship me and you
will rule the world.
Taking
a look at the current state of affairs, I think it is fair to
say that Jesus rules a substantial portion of the spiritual minds
of the world - just as he was offered by Satan. Furthermore, given
the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the multitude of other atrocities
committed in the last two millenia by Christians, I think it is
also fair to say that there is a great deal of evil committed
in the name of Jesus. So, although it is told in the Gospels that
he was resistant, it does appear as though Jesus may have taken
the bait.
A
parallel to the story of the temptation can be found in the Arthurian
legends, with the tale of
|
From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia.
Synopsis
The Challenge
The story, set in verse, begins at King Arthur's court at
Camelot one Christmas. As Arthur's court is feasting, a
stranger, the gigantic Green Knight, on horseback and armed
with an axe, enters the hall and lays down a challenge.
One of Arthur's knights may take the axe and strike a single
blow against the Green Knight, on the condition that the
Green Knight, if he survives, will return the blow one year
and one day later. Sir Gawain, the youngest of Arthur's
knights, accepts the challenge and chops off the giant's
head. The Green Knight, still alive, picks up his own head,
reminds Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel in a year
and a day, and rides off.
Sir Gawain's Journey
Almost a year later, Sir Gawain sets off in the finest armour,
on his horse Gringalet, to find the Green Chapel and complete
his bargain with the Green Knight. His shield is marked
with the pentangle, a symbol of Biblical origin, which is
to remind him of his knightly obligations. The journey takes
him from the isle of Anglesey to a castle somewhere in the
West Midlands. Gawain meets the lord of the castle and his
beautiful wife, who tell him that the Green Chapel is close
by, and suggest that he stay with them.
The Lord's Bargain
The lord, before setting off on a day's hunting, offers
a deal to Sir Gawain. The lord will give Gawain whatever
he catches, on condition that Gawain gives to the lord,
without explanation, whatever he might gain during the day.
Gawain accepts. That night, while the lord is still away,
the lady of the castle visits Gawain's room and tries to
seduce him, claiming that she knows of the reputation of
Arthur's knights as great lovers. Gawain, however, keeps
to his promise to remain chaste until his mission to the
Green Chapel is complete, and yields nothing but a single
kiss. When the lord returns with the deer he has killed,
he hands it straight to Sir Gawain, as agreed, and Gawain
responds by returning the lady's kiss to the lord. According
to the lord's bargain, Gawain refuses to explain where he
won the kiss.
On his second night, Gawain again receives a visit from
the lady, and again politely refuses her advances. Next
day, when the lord returns, there is a similar exchange
of a hunted boar for two kisses.
On his third night, when
the lady visits his chamber, Gawain maintains his chastity
but accepts a silk girdle as a parting gift. The next day,
the lord returns with a fox, which he exchanges with Gawain
for three kisses.
The Meeting with the
Green Knight
The next day, Gawain leaves for the Green Chapel, with the
lady's silk girdle hidden under his armour, and accompanied
by a guide from the lord's castle. Leaving the guide, who
is afraid to approach the Green Chapel, Gawain finds the
Green Knight busy whetting the blade of an axe in readiness
for the fight. As arranged, the Green Knight attempts to
behead Gawain, but after three attempts Gawain remains only
slightly injured. The Green Knight then reveals himself
to be an alter ego of the lord of the castle, Bertilak de
Hautdesert, and explains that the three axe blows were for
the three occasions when Gawain was visited by the lady.
The third blow, which drew blood, was a punishment for Gawain's
acceptance of the silk girdle.
The Green Knight explains that Gawain's trial was arranged
by Morgain le Fay, mistress of the wizard Merlin and now
a guest at Hautdesert castle. The two men part on cordial
terms, Gawain returning to Camelot. There, Sir Gawain recounts
his adventure to Arthur and explains his shame at having
partially succumbed to the lady's attempts, if only in his
mind. Arthur refuses to blame Gawain and decrees that all
his knights should henceforth wear a green sash in recognition
of Gawain's courage and honour.
|
With
the third temptation by the seductress, Gawain accepted and kept
for himself something he shouldn't have. What I now believe is,
so did Jesus. Most assuredly, he was resistant to the greater
temptations, just as Gawain resisted the advances of the seductress,
but in his pride he accepted the gift of immortality and godhood.
And, Truth be told, isn't immortality, which is the making eternal
of a particular ego, the ultimate selfish act? And doesn't selfishness
equate with evil? Arthur, or in Jesus's case, God, forgives the
hero for his transgression and grant's his wish.
Immortality
is available to everyone, and there are many paths which lead
there. If it is something you desire, just know that all roads
run between, and contain, both Good and Evil.
Simon.
Morte Nunquam Reget
Please Forward this e-mail on to anyone you might
think is interested in the the truth.
If you would like to receive future issues, send your request
here:
|
