July 05, 2010
The cost of being Jesus
Well my friends, it's not all park-watering.
In fact, I'm presently approaching the end of 'Conversations with Jesus of Nazareth'. A couple more days and it will be done. Perhaps predictably, it's been the hardest of my conversations so far.
If anything, the experience of time spent with his words has made me less sure of how to tell the truth on earth, so many are the ways a single line can be misunderstood, misinterpreted or seized upon and used for the listener's own ends. I suspect Jesus suffers endlessly from all of the above.
He remains riveting company however, if utterly impossible. His style reminds me of the famous Emily Dickinson verse:
Tell all the truth but tell it slant -
success in circuit lies.
Too bright for our infirm delight
the truth's superb surprise.
As lightning to the children eased
with explanation kind.
The truth must dazzle gradually
or every one be blind.
Jesus never let the stupid put him off. They could ignore him, twist him, condemn him, crucify him, invent a new Jesus even. But he never let them put him off from telling truth's superb - and shocking - surprise.
Above all else, that takes courage.
Posted by Mr Bojangles at July 5, 2010 04:20 PM