Thursday, November 1, 2007

From THE BOOK OF THE ACTS OF JESUS

Chapter VI
JESUS AND THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH

Jesus was sitting on the sand, with his back he was leaning against the hull of an upturned boat.
In another place or another time he might have been smoking a cigarette.
He looked across the water that was as flat and grey as slate.
“You’d almost think you could walk on it” he said to himself.
He noticed a woman was approaching him along the beach, she was about his age and she had the same auburn coloured hair. She was speaking gently to the child she was leading by the hand.
You’re Jesus aren’t you?” she called to him as she came closer.
He nodded his head and waved at the child.
The woman sat down opposite him and looked at him without speaking
“Can I go and play? asked the child, “yes” she said “but don’t go too far”
“You’re the son of God aren’t you?”
Jesus shrugged, “Perhaps” he said.
“Why deny it?” she asked locking her eyes into his.
She turned her head and looked at the child playing on the waters edge
“I believe I am the daughter of God”
Jesus dug his hand into the sand “what makes you think that?”
“Well” she said “I have heard you speak and I have known every thing you say ever since I was a child, I also have the power of healing and that child, I only just found it lying on the beach, dead,
and when I picked it up it came to life, it now believes I’m its mother.”
So I am like you, but I’m not sure what I should do”
Jesus leant towards her, he stretched his hand out but she was just out of reach,
“Don’t do any thing, look after your new found child, if you do any more than that, they’ll kill you”
“Aren’t they going to kill you?” he heard an edge of anger in her voice.
He smiled at her “So…you know that do you?”
“For me its different, I’m a man. When they kill a man they always find a greater cause to do it
For God or Country, for the good of the community, an example to all. Some one must always be seen to have benefited from the death of a man justice, peace. The whole damned world, if it suits their purpose.
But when they kill a woman its for revenge, It’ll be something to do with being hysterical, too forward
Too loud, a prostitute, a single mother, for being, lets be honest” he put both hands too his face, when he pulled them away his eyes were closed, “they will kill you for being a woman”
“You tell them, what I tell them, you do, what I do and they will call you a witch and you are dead”
The woman reached out to him and he held both her hands “Take your new found child and teach it everything you know, you are the love that will save this world – not me”

Peter sat down next to him “Who the hell was that woman and what wrong with your eyes?”
“Oh I just got sand in my eyes and that woman was my sister”
Peter was startled “I didn’t know you had a sister”
Jesus looked into the distance where the woman and the child were walking.
“Nobody does, nobody wants to.”


CHAPTER V1 PGES X11
THE SILENCE ON THE MOUNT

Jesus was sitting on a large rock on the top of a hill.
He sat silently looking past the olive plantation and orange trees into the hazy distance.
Ahead of him were the seas that lead to Rome, to the left the desert that lead to Egypt.
He was sitting at the fulcrum of the future and the past.
He sensed that people were beginning to come up the hill towards him but he remained seated and ignored them.
The silence was broken only momentarily by someone coughing.
“The sick follow me like a shadow” he thought
He saw a goat coming towards him but it turned around and went back down the hill.
The dry grass crackled beneath its feet.

Dust settled
He sensed there were now about forty people sitting behind him.
There were nervous whispers.
There were inaudible words of urgings, of false courage.
A child cried, the sun was overhead and the temperature rising.

“Say something” said a voice hinting at anger.

He sat in silence.
His dusty clothes were the colour of the rocks around him and the one on which he sat.
He sat in silence.
He saw the goat was now chewing a thorn bush.
In ones or twos, or mumbled laughter, He heard them leaving.
He heard the stones under their feet.

He knew no time or place.

The old woman’s face appeared out of the light.
“Thank you” she said
“Thank you young man, I know exactly what you mean”


CHAPTER VIII
THE CANCELLED LAST SUPPER

Antonius apparently wrote this to be included in the everyman plays
but was rejected by the inquisition.


(Jesus is sitting at the middle of a long trestle table. The table is covered with a white cloth
There are several bowls on the table as well as drinking goblets and a basket of bread.
He is drumming his fingers on the table.
A man comes on stage right, he seems to be in a hurry, he is carrying a medium sized money bag.
Which drops on the table.)



Judas: Hello Jesus.

Jesus: Hello Judas,I see you got the money..

(Judas sits down several chairs away on Jesus’left)

Judas: Yep.

(Both sit in silence. Jesus looks from side to side then at where Judas is playing with his finger nails)

Jesus: Where are the others?

(Judas grunts)

Jesus: Where are the others, where is every one?

Judas: What others?

Jesus: The others, the other disciples you idiot.

Judas : Oh the others ..not, eh, here

Jesus: I can see that! Where are they?

Judas : Thomas wasn’t sure he could make it and the others are. (He shrugs) Fishing

Jesus: What the..? Fishing? We’ve been planning this for months and they go fishing! What is the matter with you lot? Didn’t they go fishing this morning?

Judas: Yes ,,but they had to go back because of the men they caught.

Jesus: Men? What men? Why were they catching men?

Judas: They didn’t mean to, it’s just that there were these two guys floating out at sea with these inflated pig bladders and they’d been swept out to sea, so they called to the gang..

Jesus: The what..the gang?

Judas: Yeah! Peter and James and the ..all of us

Jesus: Judas, we are not a gang!

Judas: What ever,,,any how they picked em up and took them back to shore and went back out to go fishing.

Jesus: (quietly shaking his head) Unbelievable , unbelievable.
So, were they planning to be here?

Judas: Well yes, but if they were late they would pick up something to eat on the way.

Jesus: OK that’s it. Forget it. The whole thing is a farce

Judas: What do you mean? We can still ..you know… do it.

Jesus: Do what?

Judas: You know. What you had planned.We could eat something …or not.
We could just go to Gethsemane the two of us. They know you’re coming,
See… I got the ….(he points to the bag)

Jesus: Judas if you think that I’m going out there, just the two of us, you are madder than I thought.

Judas: What difference would it make?

Jesus: What difference..?

Judas : You’d still get caught and all that stuff.

Jesus : OK Great I’d still get caught and all that stuff .as you put it
While the Gang ,, as you call it, are out fishing or buying take away.
What do you think Pontius would think of that? Judas you idiot ..We are trying to change the world here…

Judas: Alright, alright, keep your wig on…

Jesus: Shut up ! I’m not wearing a wig.

Judas: (drinks from one of the cups) This is water, I thought we were having wine.

Jesus: Judas!..The..night ..is ..young!

(Both sit sulking)

Judas: Well what now..?

Jesus: Its off! Its all off! Cancelled, kaput,
You can forget the whole thing. Tell the others -
The Gang! We’ll try again next year.

Judas: Next Year? Next Year? What about the money ..the money and every one is waiting at Gethsemane, what’ll I tell them.

Jesus: Tell them nothing…. and give them back the money. Or spend it
That’s what you always do…

Judas: That is not fair!! Everyone always says that and it’s not true!
I keep records of everything I spend. Some one else should try being treasurer
That tax jerk should do it he’s got a head for figures.

Jesus: Yeah.. what ever. Just go do what you have to.

Judas: Its not hard to get sick of all this! No one appreciates what I do.
(He stands up and picks up the bag and leaves)I suppose you’ll be at your mothers.

Jesus: There’s nowhere else to go.... bunch of idiots
( He sighs and pulls off his wig)



MANUSCRIPT ILLUMINATION page XXXIIV

THE DAY JESUS SET THE CHURCH ON FIRE.


A mysterious reference to both the Crucifixion and Ascension of our Lord


ChapterIX

JESUS EXPLAINS THE MIRACLES

“Ok” said Thomas, “ How do you do it?”
“Do what?” asked Jesus, looking up into the tree they were lying under, wondering where the hell the figs were.
“The miracles …how do you do the miracle thing?”
“This damned tree” said Jesus, “Miracles? I don’t do miracles!”
“Give over brother” said James, sitting up, “We’ve seen you do it, the wine, the bread, the healed sick”
“I don’t do any of that” said Jesus resentfully pulling bits of bark off the tree.
“I saw all the bread and fish” said Judas “and as sure as hell,I didn’t buy any”
Jesus sat up and pulled a face, he let out a sigh and opened his eyes. “Now here is how it is, and I must say it astounds me you guys don’t get it, I fear for the future
I can see walls tumbling down…… There are no ‘miracles’, there never have been and there never will be. What you call ‘miracles’ is just human nature excelling itself or feeding off its own expectations.”
Andrew pulled at his beard, “What about the wine you made?”
“ I didn’t make wine!..you guys were so drunk, you would have drunk anything and did.” They all laughed “Well” said Andrew “It did taste good!”
“Exactly” laughed Jesus “You got what you wanted”
Peter stood up, brushing the dust off his legs, he said crossly “And the bread and the fish?
You are going to say there wasn’t any, and you didn’t make the bread and the fish?”
“Sit down Peter and listen” Jesus folded his hands “Here’s how it works.
Remember, one of you said there was nothing to eat and everyone was hungry, you asked around and everyone played dumb…so out comes that poor Samaritan family with the bread and fish, they say “Sir maybe we can help” and next thing no one is going to be out done and everyone is helping..I didn’t do any thing ..any one of you could have done it and chances are you will”
“But” said Thomas “there are still the sick you healed…If you didn’t do that, who did?
They hardly did it themselves!”
“Wrong!” Laughed Jesus “That’s exactly what they did..all they needed was permission” I said to them “go for it - you are free to chose, forgiven if you wish”
Peter looked astounded “That’s it? The miracles are just people doing it themselves?”
“Of course it is, you silly man” growled Jesus “ What do you think I’ve been telling you the last two years?”
“It seems a little disappointing” mumbled Mark.
“The Good and Simple things in life always are, Mark” said Jesus.
He stood up and looked at the empty tree.. “and as for you….”


CHAPTER XII

JESUS AND A YOUNG MAN

A young man carrying a harp approached Jesus, “Can I ask you a question?” he said.
“Sure” said Jesus “Sit down”. The young man sat down and lent the harp against his leg. Jesus nodded at the harp, “You’re name’s not David is it?” “No” said the young man “its Gabriel”. Jesus smiled “Maybe you should play a trumpet”
“I do” said Gabriel “I’m a musician and I travel from town to town” “Like me “ said Jesus “Now what did you want to ask me?”
The young man looked down and touched the top of his harp, “Last week I heard you talking about ‘being born again’..I was wondering if I was born again would I be different from what I am now…would I be some one else?”
Jesus shrugged “Do you want to be some one else?” “Not really” said Gabriel.
Jesus looked him in the face “Well you must want some thing ..say what you want.”
“I want every thing and I want nothing – I want to be God and I want to be the Devil
To be able to do good and to be able to do evil – to live as I am. I know I’m asking you a question, but I don’t want an answer, as such. You seem to have a different view on life, you’re a bit like most of the musicians I know, you seem happy to improvise and bugger the mistakes. The ‘sin thing’ is what I don’t get..I know I’ve done wrong and sometimes I’ve made up for it and other times not, but what goes around comes around. Surely God can’t blame us for being what we are? Didn’t he make us this way? I try very hard not to hurt others…. that’s how I make my choices,
In fact it’s probably the only choice I make.”
There was a pause and a donkey standing nearby in the sun snuffed the dust..
Jesus scratched his beard “ So why do you ask about being born again?”
“Because” said the young man picking up his harp and rubbing the wood ‘ you said it was the only way to get into the Kingdom of God”
“Agh!” Said Jesus “the kingdom of God ..wouldn’t we all”
“I‘ll tell you something Gabriel, I suspect you’re already there, but don’t know it.
Listen my friend – if I may call you that – How would you like to be one of my, shall we say ‘disciples’?” Gabriel looked down in embarrassment “Well” he mumbled “I’ve got gigs planned and I rather enjoy what I’m doing” Jesus laughed “ the thought of you giving me harp lessons doesn’t temp you! Lets do a swap, you give me a free ticket to your next concert and I’ll give you a ticket to the kingdom of heaven!”
Jesus stood up, “Before you go lets move that donkey into the shade”

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