[Another piece of fiction added to “Learning To Adapt.”]

Jesus sat under an olive tree, or, at least that is what he thought. There was no moon and the night was pure black. He could hear the others collected a little ways off. Most of them sleeping, but a few close together whispering. Jesus was worried and needed a little time alone to think. He had just learned that his students, his disciples, people he considered friends that he could trust, were telling false and exaggerated stories about him.

They were in a small village earlier that day when a farmer approached him and asked if he could confirm a crazy story he heard about him. When Jesus looked shocked and didn’t know what to say, the farmer scoffed and walked away. When he asked Peter about this, Peter said that was a story Andrew was telling people. But, then, it slowly came out that they all were telling one tall tail or another. They each had at least one, told in their own way, and focused on their own specific interests. None of them were completely true, and they were all entirely about him. He feared that these stories would overshadow, or undermine his teachings.

He must have been tired as he lost track of time and his thoughts. He was brought back to himself by the sense that she was approaching. He felt the warmth of her love getting stronger, and with a big exhale he let his body relax a bit and she was there. He knew everything would be alright.

“Hello Jesus. How are you? It has been very difficult reaching you today. Have you been worried?”

“Yes my love. I discovered today that false and exaggerated stories are being spread about me. I don’t know what to do, how to fix it, to keep people focused on what I am teaching.”

She gently settled around Jesus and gave him a long, firm embrace. The stress completely drained from his body. “This is not something to worry about Jesus.” She said softly, breaking the beautiful silence. “It is the nature of God’s Art.” 

Jesus looked perplexed and said, “Please teach me what this means.”

“You already know.” She said playfully. “You have experienced it all before,.. just from a different perspective.”

They sat quietly for some time. He trusted that she was waiting for a reason, so he focused on relaxing and with the warmth of her presence. “Remember when we met?” She finally asked.

“Yes.”

“Remember when we went into the desert?”

“Yes”

“You fought so hard to protect me.”

A flash of guilt and shame came over Jesus. “I’m sorry for how I behaved. I don’t think I did much to protect you as much as I was trying to avoid God’s punishment.”

“God never punished you , Jesus.” She said wryly.

Jesus scoffed, “I remember very well the feeling as I was crushed to the ground. The fear,.. and the loneliness. You would come to me and I would lose control, then he would take you away and punish me. I understand it, I know I deserved it, but it was brutal.”

“Sweet Jesus.” She said to calm him. “There are two things you need to understand. The first is that I was always, and always will be, by your side. The perception that I come and go is based entirely on your focus. And the second is that God never punished you. That was all your doing.”

A long time passed in silence while Jesus processed that information. Eventually, she broke the silence, “Do you remember a long time ago, when you were traveling, that story you heard about the cave by the Greek named Plato?”

“Yes.”

“It is obvious that God is the sunlight outside of the cave, and the people, all his children, are deep in the cave looking at shadows cast on the wall from another, lesser source of light. But where are you in this story?”

“I’m trying to get out of the cave.”

“No. It is impossible for anyone to get out while in this life. You are and have always been halfway up the tunnel. That is your role. You are halfway up, I am just above you, your students are below you in the tunnel but above the rest of God’s children. Our role is to shine God’s true light down to the people deep in the dark cave. The trick is that God’s light is not found in any words or text, it is found in our behavior, our character, and our integrity.” Jesus puzzled over this for a moment, then she continued, “They will tell their stories about you,.. over and over,.. And they will punish themselves for losing focus and control. Just like you did. But eventually they will find their balance.”

“Is there nothing I can do, nothing I can say to help see and understand?”

“No. The harder you fight against their stories, the more true their stories become. And therein lies the truth, Jesus. More than anything, it is our fight to find balance and peace that is God’s Art.”

“Then what do I do?”

“Do not worry. Relax. As always, once you find your balance the solution will make itself clear to you.” 

In early dawn light footsteps could be heard approaching the group. Jesus could hear voices becoming agitated and before long there were a few people standing over him. He opened his eyes to find eager faces looking at him. He acknowledged the stranger and nodded to him to speak. “Jesus, I came as soon as I could without being noticed. The Romans are in the village and are looking for you with the intent to arrest you. No one told them anything, but you must go.”

Jesus took a breath and gave a gesture intended to calm everyone. He thanked the villager for the news and walked back to sit with the rest of the group. They discussed what to do well into the morning. No one except Jesus noticed Judas quietly slipping away. Jesus immediately recognized himself in Judas.