Make Clear the Way
The Kidron Essene house was outside the city wall, and the road east was well traveled and maintained, Jesus was fresh, eager and had put five miles behind him when the sun broke. Part of his discipline of spiritual advancement was wonder, joy, and gratitude in every situation. If it was not inherent in the situation, he would make it. This morning however, it was being served in heaping bowls to him, and he was drinking it straight. He made all this his morning prayer.
John was preaching in the area of the Jericho crossing of the Jordan River, also known as the Haljah Ford. The road Jesus walked led directly to it, crossed the Jordan and continued east to Philadelphia in the Decapolis. The day was perfect, the sun was silver and darting from the scattered clouds, a moderate breeze invigorated him, and the road was alive with travelers of all sorts.
Jesus estimated that John would be preaching and baptizing right at the ford, and he sought confirmation from travelers coming from the east. Jesus was taken aback when some referred to him as “the Essene Prophet”. Jesus arrived at the ford three hours before sundown, he had walked twenty-four miles that day. John was not to be seen at the river crossing, and along the banks he observed no indications of people assembling. He learned that “the prophet” retreated to the hills at night, and reappeared at the river during the day. Jesus spent the night along the banks, there was plenty of wood for a fire, and he obtained a coal from another traveler.
John did not appear the following morning. From the reports of travelers, Jesus was certain that John was preaching at the ford, and he considered what might be the reason for his absence. He concluded that few travelers would be willing to stop before noon, this was the cooler part of the day, and that John would appear at the river later in the day. John would have larger crowds in the afternoon when people would welcome a reason to stop for a rest. His theory proved correct, two hours after noon, disciples of John began their roadside appeals on either side of the ford. Just upstream of the ford, John appeared, shouting, flailing, and wearing some sort of animal skin.
John had taken the Nazarite vow upon entering the Qumran Essene community. His uncut hair was braided just behind his ears on both sides. He would tie these two ropes of hair in a loose knot, either on his chest or his back. Jesus would observe that when John was entering into very intense activity among the people, he would make a second knot to ensure his braids did not become an obstacle to the gestures of his hand or staff.
John did what he could to maintain cleanliness. At Qumran, cleanliness was given a priority almost equal to prayer. If John was eccentric in dress and manner, he was no wild man. His clothing was a long loin cloth, reaching to his ankles, and covered with a camel skin which no longer had the shape of a coat or a cloak. He would use a blanket as a mantle. Among many Nazarites, it had become a custom that one’s beard only could be trimmed as needed, especially the moustache which would otherwise overgrow into an obstacle for eating and speech.
Most people saw John for only an afternoon, but those who lived with him knew him beyond his adrenaline fueled oracles. He was at essence a man of peace. He preached out of duty, and sought solitude and prayer out of preference.
John was cultivating faith and virtue in the people in a way, and on a scale that the Jerusalem priests could not; but he had also earned mixed feelings from the Sanhedrin. They did not disagree with most of his preaching, but it had brought the anger of King Herod Antipas upon them, and they were caught ineffectively in the middle. Herod Antipas did not rule Judaea, he ruled Galilee...but so did the Sanhedrin.
John disapproved of King Herod’s marriage to his brother’s ex-wife Herodias, and so did many of the temple and the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was in ways happy to have someone else voice their disapproval of the ruler of Galilee, and none less than John the “prophet”. The problem was that John preached against greed and corruption wherever he found it, and the temple priests were sometimes on the receiving end of his prophetic wrath. He did speak eloquently about the faith and the people looked to him as a prophet, this is what kept him alive. Incredibly he suggested cooperation with the Romans, and this caused problems with the Jewish partisans — the Zealots.
The Jordan River was a natural stopping point for travelers, and a stop forced on them by the customs agents on either side of the Jordan river border. Water was available of course, and firewood along the banks offered a welcome chance to cook a hot meal. Travelers tended to stay in groups for security and those stopping at the river attracted others to stop for the night.
Jesus observed the crowds approaching to hear John. He was a real showman, amplifying everything: the finality of judgment, Heaven and Hell, the fleeting nature of life, health, wealth, and power. He even exaggerated his presence by his prophet’s attire and staff. The staff he used was a foot taller than himself and he used it to strike water and rocks, to point to someone in the crowd, or even to pin a person. His disciples were nine on this day who saw to the crowd and practicalities of the mission; John was the mouthpiece. The female disciples saw to the female pilgrims, the elderly, and the children.
For two hours it was quite a show. John preached, appealing to reason, faith, morals, instinct, Jewish scripture and tradition; then at the tenth hour, he called the people to recommitment and baptism.
John worked all parts of the baptism; encouraging, directing the patrons and staff, baptizing and then seeing off those exiting. On this occasion John worked the baptism station in the shallow water near the shore. It was prudent to provide this option to mothers bringing infants for baptism, and the elderly who would rather not wade into the rib deep water further out. Those close in would have water poured over their head and then be anointed with oil.
John had begun preaching before Jesus could speak with him, he saw Jesus while speaking but continued. Now the baptisms were drawing to a close and John approached Jesus on shore, “Brother, I have been expecting you. It is good that we finally work together.”
Jesus returned the greeting. The two spoke very briefly of family and then of the new mission. John said that a third man might be sent from Qumran. John had instructions to continue preaching until the last day, two months hence, and if the third man had not arrived they were to proceed north to Galilee on mission.
John invited Jesus to work with him for the last days of his mission before the new joint venture started. The third man had some time to arrive — eighty-one days. Jesus decided he would work with John’s mission. John appointed Jesus as “learning leader” of the disciples. It was a merciful immersion; rather than criticism for the many things Jesus had to learn, the disciples of John were most helpful. It really paid off for everyone, grumbling at someone new does not promote learning but discourages it, and the project is delayed that much longer. The disciples laughed at themselves and cultivated humility in many other ways. Within a week, Jesus was truly ready to lead the others.
He came into the mission well acquainted with the theology and practice of spiritual advancement, and all its components. The people they served were mostly Jews. Occasional Greeks, Pagans or Eastern religious would stop to listen to John. To people not stopping, John might even walk alongside preaching his message, starting at the front and working his way back...as he wore out his welcome with each node of travelers in the column. The quality of a zealot was observed not in how he handled success, but failure. John insisted that Jesus try his technique.
With forty-five days left in the mission, Jesus informed John that he wished to go on retreat for the remainder of the time. John thought it was a good plan, Jesus was due back no later than the last day of the month of Nissan. John thought it unlikely that the third Essene would show, but if he did he would be put to work with John. Jesus said that he would leave early tomorrow. John agreed but seemed to have a question. “What is it John?” asked Jesus.
“Brother, what I am thinking of, you have no need for. If you were burdened with sin, your retreat would be more fruitful if it were resolved before leaving but....”
Jesus interrupted, “Let it be done. Water and oil bestow the gifts of God through his Holy Spirit. Let the gifts accompany me on retreat.” {13}
John and Jesus stepped off the bank into the shallow water, Jesus knelt, and John poured water from his cupped hands over the head of Jesus saying, “Receive now, the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately a dove alighted upon the shoulder of Jesus, and all present heard a voice from above. Jesus heard, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
John and the others heard, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The Asphaltitus Sea — the Dead Sea — was only twenty miles east of Jerusalem, but was wilderness. Twenty inches of annual rain in Jerusalem watered the surrounding olive tree orchards, but the nearby Dead Sea received only two inches each year, and aside from springs was nearly devoid of vegetation. It was on account of the rapid drop in elevation from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, that any moisture in the atmosphere was released before reaching the Dead Sea. Because there was no outlet, the inflowing Jordan River added a small amount of mineral salt, which was not removed but accumulated year after year. The Dead Sea had eight times the salt concentration of the ocean, and supported no life.
The Dead Sea was the low spot of a 200 mile long canyon, with many areas having a distinct and steep rim. The Sea of Galilee was another low spot in this canyon, and it too was lower than sea level. Sheep herding existed, but it was more limited by lack of vegetation, rather than lack of fresh water. While water from the Dead Sea itself could not be used, several fresh water springs did feed the Dead Sea. Apart from herding and a few salt production operations, there was little reason anybody frequented the area.
Jesus walked south and by noon was at the northern shore of the Dead Sea. The west rim was steep, but the east side where Jesus had arrived, had a more moderate slope. It was early spring, the temperature was moderate and the rains had just ended, not that the Sea received much. Still, it meant that the springs would be charged, and finding water might be easier. Finding water however was not a concern — a necessity yes, but not a concern. The Father would provide as needed. In any event Jesus had taken water just two hours ago, a traveler inbound to Jerusalem had offered him some. Jesus was now traveling south along the east rim, with no particular destination in mind. He trusted that the even the discernment goal of the retreat would be revealed.
The next two days had Jesus settling into a routine. He continued slowly south, stopping often to look about, to meditate, to recite psalms. It was not a matter that a greater intensity or volume of prayer was expected to bring a better discernment, but it was necessary that he free his soul of all discretionary interests, hence the solitude, and then to fill the void with the Spirit of God. Fasting was the time tested method for discernment; the prophets, and even the entire nation under Moses had entered the desert to clear their souls. To clear the mind had value as far as it went, but to clear one’s entire soul was to free not only the intellect, but the will.
Jesus broke his days into a series of one, two, or three hour episodes of meditation, prayer, psalm and hymn singing, and simple wandering. He would recall the scrolls of Moses, the Prophets and the rest of scripture, all of which were fresh in his memory after five years of study with the Essenes. He found it beneficial to intersperse other activity; building shelter might have been one such task but it was more a diversion than a necessity — he was on pilgrimage not encampment — and there was little in the way of foliage to use.
Fire making was more necessary, not to cook the food he did not have, but to ward off animals. He considered it, but decided against it; he would have to use a friction technique of wood against wood to produce an ember, which could take hours as he was not expert in it. It just had worry, desperation and survival attached to it, he would be clinging to what he sought to free himself from. He found a spring and spent a number of days in its vicinity, wandering out then returning the next morning. Nights were spent mostly thinking about his mission, not its schedule but its substance.
“Messiah” continued to nag Jesus. Yes, he was to be Messiah...but when, he had thirty years, and was only a simple Essene monk. The Messiah was to make Israel into the kingdom of God that it had never fully been. He did not insist that the Messiah be king, or a warrior that drove the Romans off the land...but the Messiah must aspire to something, and he seemed to be going nowhere in particular.
Jesus was open to the idea that the Messiah, expected by all of Israel, was to fulfill his role as priest, prophet and king in a new way. For centuries the kings in Israel had failed in their primary duty, and even the priests had sacrificed to the idols the king erected. The prophets did their jobs well enough, but they were listened to only after their deaths. The Messiah would need to take a different approach. In the widest interpretation, the Messiah was to bring everlasting peace and prosperity to the entire world.
It came full circle again, nothing was resolved. He was a man wandering the desert without influence, support, opposition or even water. Was it as simple as proclaiming himself Messiah and having the people fall into rank? It had been tried before, many people had claimed the title and had gathered a small following, but they had all come to nothing, sometimes by a century of Roman soldiers. The institution of false Messiah was well established in Israel. Not all believed the Messiah would appear, but everyone was certain that each year one or more false Messiahs would come forward.
He had done all he could for now, it was after midnight...probably. Perhaps a solution would present itself as he walked. Jesus got up, walked with the moon behind him, and stepped on a large snake. He knew the feeling, a sort of ground turned to jelly effect as the large serpent squirmed powerfully under his foot. Jesus jumped back and the snake coiled into striking posture. Jesus was quickly two man lengths away. He looked around for any other threats then backed away, before turning and power walking away from the snake. Snake stepping was a hazard during the cool nights; they were cold blooded, slow, and coiled to conserve heat. He was satisfied not to return to determine what species it was, but did reconsider the idea of building a fire.
There was always something to contend with, even in the desert. Two weeks into his discipline, Jesus was sitting in the shadow of a cliff. He had finished some prayer and looked up to view the horizon as he often did. At a distance of perhaps 100 feet stood a woman. The woman and Jesus studied one another momentarily, then she walked toward him. She was beautiful, sensual, and clean and had not been wandering the desert for days. Jesus was assuming nothing, and as always gave the person and situation before him a charitable estimation. As she approached, Jesus fixed his eyes at a point six feet in front of him. Her feet, then legs came into view, and she stopped at the feet of Jesus who remained sitting. Jesus looked up and spoke clearly and slowly, “Do you need help?” She smiled but said nothing, Jesus returned his eyes to her feet. His suspicion was growing, and was all but confirmed as he saw her attractive tunic fall at her feet.
The next half hour was from Hell itself as she danced and sang, groaned and made remarks both sophisticated and crude. He had never before felt any undue sexual attraction, but now for the first time he felt it. It was more of a mental debate however than a matter of passion; in a short while Jesus had the upper hand, then waited patiently for her to leave. He occupied his thoughts with silent recitation of the psalms. The casualties in this encounter were his eyes and neck, his eyes desiring to look up to focus on any distant object, and his neck required relief from his self imposed paralysis. He would rather that she were a loaf of bread.
At length it stopped dancing, and only slightly out of breath said, “I am commanded to reveal who I am, and who you are…I AM NOT.” It then began a set of broken gagging noises, which preceded the release of vomit onto the ground, which stank of sulfur. Jesus considered the description given, “I AM”, followed by a negation. It seemed to wait upon Jesus who looked at it. It then continued, “I now tell you, that you are the Son of God and the divine Messiah.” {14} Jesus had nothing further for it, she considered her instructions completed and began to curse and claw at her face and chest. Not waiting for the conclusion of this event, Jesus rose and left without looking at it.
Jesus had never been severely subjected to sensuous trials, even in the caravan he found the prostitutes, the opium and the graft repulsive. The repulsion was when an act was projected to its completion and the Devilish consequences were foreseen, something that his caravan comrades never did.
Years later it might be said that Jesus was always and fully integrated into the will of God. This would be true in a past tense, to those who were not there. But the Father’s will was not handed to Jesus on a plate, he had to will it himself.
Jesus refined his discernment efforts. He removed his own efforts as much as possible. The more he sought the Father’s will by strength of his own will, the more deeply he shared in his own will, instead of the Father’s. Perhaps he was trying too hard — forcing his will, instead of accepting the Father’s will. He recalled Abida’s advice to become a winnowing basket.
Winnowing grain with a shallow basket involved repeatedly tossing the grain into the air, allowing a breeze to remove the chaff. Each time less chaff resettled, until the grain alone remained in the basket. The abbot Abida told the monks to expect false thought of all types: moral, emotional, logical. In a well formed soul however, the false thoughts would not stand repeated winnowing, and would not find a hold.
Abida further thought that one’s station in life was willed by God and should not be lightly changed for another. One’s particular circumstances or status was an accident of life, and not fundamental to the soul. In fact more difficult circumstances held greater potential for the soul when these were cultivated into their best form in faith and virtue.
Jesus pondered all of this and worked toward a conclusion that had him as a Messiah of current circumstances. He was not to expect to be as Herod or David in their palaces, with barons and an army to enforce his will. This was never a concern, he did however need the authority of Messiah. He must be raised to authority by some other means; the Sanhedrin was the obvious answer.
The next week passed uneventfully, until he spotted a caravan in the distance. There was a path of sorts but no real road, which was only a concern if wagons were in tow, and he did not see any. The party was mounted on horse and camel and apparently saw Jesus before he saw them. The assembled riders were quickly upon Jesus and told him that they were emissaries from an Eastern kingdom that was effectively the Rome of the East, and had been told that Jesus could be found in the desert. They were most generous, and were not offended when Jesus refused all food and drink. After niceties the man in charge came to the point.
Jesus was their choice for national governor, with an expected career path to king within five years. The emissary told of how he had sought the opinion of many, and had prayed to the God of Israel, and they were sure Jesus was the one for the post. It was out of duty that Jesus was expected to accept the offer. It had been revealed to them that Jesus was the Messiah, and further that their mysterious Eastern king was to facilitate the coming of the Messiah into his kingship.
Jesus thanked the man but declined, saying he was certain that God had a specific other purpose for his life, but did not go into detail and excused himself. The emissary walked beside Jesus while the other advisors followed with their animals at a respectful distance. The mysterious man grew more adamant, but offered to compromise; Jesus could simply postpone his other mission, or could direct it from his new kingdom, and he would have all the resources that he now lacked.
Jesus said he was ending the conversation and wished God’s blessings upon the man. The man grabbed Jesus’ shoulder and stepped in front of him saying, “Sir, at least look at what I offer.”
The man unveiled a panorama of the kingdoms of the world, present and future. All were somehow not just shown but offered now — to Jesus if he would redefine his mission and commit his life to the duties of King of the World. “You would pay my king homage during the transition period, and when you assumed your reign the people would pay you homage,” said the emissary.
Jesus said briskly, “You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.”
Finally the Devil’s emissary threatened, “I am authorized to put you to death if you do not comply.”
Jesus said calmly, “I expect we will talk again at that time,” and resumed walking away.
Jesus heard, but did not look back to see the emissary go mad with anger, screaming and hacking a nearby assistant with a sword, and finally crawling into the large fire that had been built during the negotiations, heaping coals upon his back and grinding them into his face.
What now? He was committed to his mission, even if it meant death. He would consider it all tomorrow, he wanted to put some distance between himself and the emissaries. He walked for two hours, then stopped to sleep but could not. He turned west toward the sea and walked until dawn.
Two other apparitions occurred about the third and fourth weeks. Interior trials in which the Devil did not appear in the flesh were continual and varied in intensity and nature. At one point Jesus was tempted to ask the Father to turn the stones he walked on into loaves of bread, and the temptation to despair was continual.
Jesus turned west once again toward the Dead Sea. He almost missed it. He was further south than he had estimated, and was now at the southern tip of the sea. Jesus continued walking, but now along the west rim, for most of the day. His fast had heightened his senses and his appreciation of the beauty. He had denied satisfaction to his basic drives, which now were attuned to seeking it higher. Not just the stark beauty of the desert, but the peace of God, the immortality of God. He observed a perfection in the desert landscape which seemed to largely have avoided the corruption found closer to population centers. But the Almighty was not content to be a gardener, He had chosen to be a parent, and the free will of the children came with that.
Jesus was gathering pieces of the plan, and more than one had confirmed him as Messiah — the Devil’s daughter who spewed vomit and truth, the king and kingdom dream, Abida’s visions. His mother Mary especially had told him the story of her espousal to the Holy Spirit, and his birth as the Messiah of Israel.
But what of it? Such a great office given to a man with no authority or influence. How was he to restore Israel to glory, when it was under occupation and when he himself rejected the violence of the Zealots? Jesus asked, “Father, is the Messiah to be a priest of the temple? Shall I rule as David did? How shall I rule those you give to me? There was no reply, and Jesus looked inward.
The thought — king and kingdom — recurred in the day, and again in the night as a dream. He was pondering it now. The Messiah was to rule the kingdom of God...not the kingdom of Israel. But if Israel was not God’s kingdom on earth, what was?
But why define God’s kingdom by the boundaries drawn by kings of the earth? The kingdom of God was not land, but spirit. The kingdom of God were the souls of God’s children. This had always been the primary concern of Israel and its God — soul, virtue, reverence, not extensive borders or a full treasury.
Was he was both king and kingdom? Were those who would share in the kingdom of God to become Messiah themselves? Was this the trial of faith — to become Messiah? It was like being told to drink honey. But how were others to share in the kingdom? By will, was the extent of the answer that occurred to Jesus. He was confident that the complete answer would be revealed to him.
Jesus found shade in the shadow of a cliff, and directed his thoughts to the idea of “king and kingdom”, and how by an act of will others would share in both. He could just not devise a mental model for a man sharing in God by his act of will...he was thinking too narrowly! It was not an act of will, it was two acts of will; the will of man and the will of God. What man could desire, omnipotent God could complete.
Jesus did not expect the Father to shout down an answer from Heaven. He wondered how many days he had been on fast. He looked about and saw the highest point, it was some distance away, it would take him most of an hour to even arrive at its base.
From the top of his new hill, he slowly surveyed the entire area. He saw wadi troughs in the hillsides where water fed scrub brush about three times a year. He saw a dust funnel. He saw a crow, then a fox stopping to investigate something, then move on. Jesus wandered down the hill to this point of interest.
As he approached, it appeared to be cast off fabric, part of a blanket perhaps. Coming closer he saw that it was an animal mummified by the dry heat of the desert. It was the scapegoat…the goat that was released each year bearing the sins of Israel! How did such a superstition become part of the faith? It was to be symbolic, but he knew of many who understood it literally. Synagogue ladies would plaster the goat with notes describing sins and petitions. The extra pious would flee from the animal, not wanting to become defiled by contact with it. What was even the point, to bear away sin, only to relocate it?
Abida’s theology came to mind; he would speak of virtue and sin as real, and not just symbolic ideas. He would speak of virtue being made sin by moral mischoice, and then a person reforming the sin into virtue again by acts of moral courage — patience in the face of anger, respect when insulted — that was the job of an Essene, not a goat.
...What if a man...a Messiah, were to make someone’s sin...into his own virtue? He would accept their sin as his own, but restore it as virtue by moral effort. The sin would now be virtue, and be under joint ownership. The Messiah would be incorporating the sinner (now virtuous) into the very being of the Messiah...union with God. The Messiah would save people by making them part of himself. The Messiah was the divine Son of God, and would take all who desired as himself. The Messiah would claim all the goodness abandoned by evil and create a new kingdom of God within himself. {15}
Jesus walked...anywhere, would his new understanding be overturned by tomorrow, would he find flaws in it himself. He wandered for the remainder of the day, and most of the night. He examined everything again, but each time it became more coherent. Jesus finally fell off to sleep only an hour before sunrise.
Jesus was no longer amazed when some person appeared from nowhere simply to visit, and his next visitor was a man much like himself. The man was composed, and had an air of authority and wisdom about him. The man could have fit into any middle or upper class as a merchant, an administrator, or any similar office. The man offered no story as to why he was wandering the desert at dusk, but began to speculate on life and Jesus’ place in it. Jesus replied that he had business elsewhere and could not accompany the man. As Jesus walked away, the man followed behind. Jesus knew that something had to break, that they would not be walking in silence all night, but it would have to come from this other fellow who Jesus wanted no dealings with.
Soon enough, Jesus found himself walking along the highest point of the temple wall, and thankfully in a lengthwise orientation. Jesus stopped, turned about looking at the man and said, “Why do you disturb me?”
The man replied, “Sir, I am here to enrich your life…and I do not refer to wealth or power. As the Son of God, you have no need for such things. Prove it to yourself, throw yourself down...God will send a legion of angels to preserve you.”
Jesus hated disguise and deceit, and it was incarnate at his side. He looked about the temple below him and saw the evening offerings being made; men, women, and Gentiles in their courts, and the entire city of Jerusalem was visible. It was a magnificent sight, he calculated that this was not a vision but reality. The sun was twenty minutes from setting and where it hit a stone structure, a stunning warm glow was seen. He was quite satisfied to continue looking about, rather than at the annoying man. Jesus observed the shadows where the setting sun left a void of…“Sir, Sir, you owe it to yourself to listen to