From the top of the amphitheater, on the knoll, a tall man stood and
called out, “The Pertise have long told us that the Law and the Way are
one and the same, that we cannot find the Way without following the
Law exactly.   And the Law says that we must keep the Order, and
make our Sacrifices, so that stability and harmony will be maintained.
We have been taught that this is how we reach Paradise, and how we
avoid suffering in this life, and in the next. Are you saying this is
wrong?”
“You have heard,” said Jesus, “but you have not yet understood. You
have heard my story of the two farmers, but you have not understood
that the Way is more important than the Law.
“Let me tell you another story. A rich builder is walking along a road.
Behind him come the farmers who work his land, pulling a cart laden
with food. Now a poor village woman happens to be walking on the
same road, just behind the farmers, carrying a very small sack.  Sitting
along the side of the road are two invalids. The invalids call out to the
rich builder, ‘Please, share with us some food!’  The builder stops and
sees the farmers and the old woman watching him, and he puts on a
great show of giving the invalids a large basket of food, and then he
goes on his way. As the poor village woman passes the invalids, she
stops and empties her sack at their feet, and two shriveled pieces of fruit
tumble out. ‘Here,’ she says, ‘you can have this fruit.’ And she picks up
her empty bag and walks away.
“Now I ask of you, who has made the greater Sacrifice? The rich
builder, because he has given them a large basket of food, or the old
village woman, who has given away her only two pieces of fruit?”
No one answered, and Jesus continued, “There is nothing wrong with
Laws, but they cannot become more important than the Way. And the
Way is one of Sacrifice, not because the Laws demand it, but because
love demands it. The Way is about love and compassion. Sacrifice is
about helping others, as you are able, to the best of your abilities, no
matter what your place in the Order.”
Jesus pointed at the temple steps. “Those steps lead into the temple,
where they continue on, up and up, to the altar. When you are there,
the rich sit closest to the altar, and on the steps behind them and below
them come those lower in the Order, all the way down to the traders,
who have to strain their necks just to see the priests.”
He pointed at the people in the front rows. “You here, you are builders.
And you back there are craftspeople, and behind you, the caretakers,
the farmers, the traders. You have sat according to the Order! Yet here
in this amphitheater, the rich are down below, and the poorest are
above. Who is to say which Order is right?
“Wake up! You have been willed to sleep by the rituals of the Laws.
You live as sleepwalkers, blindly groping in the dark. Before you can
see, you must awaken! The Laws have trapped you in a life of
stagnation. You have so come to rely on those who tell you what to do
that you no longer think of what you need to do yourselves!”
Someone called out, “But Jesus, if we do not follow the Order, how will
we survive?”
“By not letting the Law become an empty ritual.  If you do, you will
live only out of habit or out of fear. If you live out of habit, you simply
expect everything will fall into place for you. There is no sacrifice in
this. You must do more than what the Law tells you to do. You must
think of what you are responsible for, and what you need to do for
others. And if you live out of fear, you will not be making true
sacrifices. A sacrifice is not a payment of a debt or a tax, it is an act of
love and compassion. Sacrificing because you want to help others is
what will keep you alive! It is what will keep you in peace, and show
you the Way to Paradise.”
The crowd was silent. Finally the tall man spoke again, almost
beseechingly. “But if we do not make the Sacrifice as we have been
taught, how will there be anything ready for us in Paradise?”
Win’s gheris surged as Jesus replied, “The sacrifices of the Way are not
about things! Your life is about who you are and how you act, not what
you own. Those who covet possessions, who keep what they do not
need, who dress themselves in finery—none of these people will find the
Way, for you will not need things in Paradise! Material things are a
sign of greed, not sacrifice!”
There was a shocked silence. People shifted uneasily and cast wary
glances toward the temple.
THE ETERNAL MESSIAH:
Jesus of K'Turia
by
W. R. Pursche &
Michael Gabriele
Copyright 2009 W. R. Pursche and Michael Gabriele
Copyright 2009 W. R. Pursche and Michael Gabriele