“Are you a prophet, a messenger, a priest, or a guru?”
“None,” Jesus responds. “I’m merely a reminder.”
The intro music of the podcast begins.
Jesus has joined Ade in his humble studio, i.e., his garage, for a live interview. The garage is filled with stuff one would find in any ordinary garage: a claw hammer, a collection of nails and screws, a wrench, a ladder, and not to mention the permanent residents, the cockroaches. One of them crawls on the old paint cans that are stacked next to Ade.
Sitting on a wobbly, wooden stool, once in a while, Ade leans against the wall behind to relax a bit. The big wooden desk in front of him limits his mobility. A microphone with fat padding stands before Ade, and another before Jesus who sits on the opposite side of the desk. Although quite old, Jesus’ chair is considerably more comfortable than Ade’s; it has a thin cushion and a backrest.
The light that pours in from the partly open, roll-up garage door casts Sera’s shadow on Ade. Ade’s 15-year-old, tech-savvy daughter, is the woman behind the curtain, single-handedly taking care of the live broadcast. Although shy and quiet, she looks quite serious when operating the sound mixer program on the 17-inch, beaten-up laptop before her. Standing behind the desk, she moves her hands like an orchestra conductor.
If I ever had a sister, she would look exactly like Sera, Jesus thinks, watching the innocence in her eyes. What does a 15-year-old kid know about life and its cruelty awaiting her?
Sera stops the intro music and touches Ade on his hand.
With her signal, Ade continues the interview. “He is here, the man with no fear, the promised one, the one who forgave God, Jesus, the Black reminder. This is Adekola, your friendly voice, and you hear us from the Common Sense Studio.”
Jesus sneers at the word ‘studio’ and takes another look at the cheap garage that they are sitting in. The listeners have no idea that the ‘studio’ of such a popular podcast is also composed of garbage cans, a dustpan, a garden hose, and empty flower pots. This is what happens when a man is not in it for money and does not degrade his podcast with the paid-for ads.
“You’re Jesus.”
“Yes.”
“But you are no Messiah.”
Jesus flinches. “Ah—”
“You called yourself a reminder. How is that different from a prophet?”
“Well, a prophet prophesies the unknown future while a reminder reminds the known eternal truth.”
“You know well that you are not the first on the block. Tell us, Jesus. What’s new about your movement?”
“Movement?! I don’t know if I’d call it that. And I certainly don’t claim any novelty here. I’m simply reminding what everybody already knows.”
“And what is that?”
“Doing good. This is what our common sense tells us. It is a common value as it always has been through the centuries and across east to west. Compassion is cherished as a value whether you are Chinese, Indian, Arab, German, African, or Latino. Good deeds know no race, no color, no religion.”
“And why should the listeners of the Common Sense Podcast believe you?”
“You don’t have to believe me. Just believe your heart. Try it for yourself. Start by forgiving. Show some compassion, and feel the sense of peace that will grow in your heart…”