And so it goes with God

            There was a historical Jesus, and his name was Yeshua of Nazareth. He was born of Miriam and Yoseph. He was an itinerant rabbi, an apocalypticist, and a political dissident. His actions in Jerusalem earned him the wrath of the local Pharisees and Sadducees, and won him an execution at the hands of Pontius Pilate. His followers went on to make him the single most influential person in the history of mankind.

            Then there is another Jesus. Jesus the Christ. The Anointed One. The Son of God. The Messiah. Born of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit. A man who's miraculous birth was foretold by scripture and angels alike. A man who performed miracles of healing, transformation, walking on water, and raising people from the dead. His actions in Jerusalem gathered upon him the wrath of the local Pharisees and Sadducees, and earned him crucifixion at the hands of Pontius Pilate. Whereupon he died for the sins of the world, and was buried, descended into Hell, arose on the third day, made a few appearances, ultimately ascending into Heaven to take his place at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

            For the historian and the non-believer, the first story is made up of the statistically reliable, historically viable information based on the source material that we have. There is little or no doubt that Yeshua (later called Jesus in Latin) existed, and that these things happened. For the faithful, the second story is true, despite the lack of historic or statistically reliable evidence. They take it on Faith. And neither of these two camps are wrong. But there is another way of looking at these stories.

            I once heard the word "myth" defined as a story that can be true on the inside, without necessarily having to be true on the outside. But more accurately, "myth" can be defined as: a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being, hero, or event, which may or may not have a determinable basis of historical fact or a natural explanation; especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John of the Christian Testament, are full of material that satisfies, to a greater or lesser degree, both the historian and the faithful. They are also full of myths. They are filled with stories that may or may not be historically true, but are filled with truth nonetheless.

            One does not have to believe in the literalness of a story to gain the benefits of the story's wisdom or truth. Does it matter that Jesus was born of a virgin? Historically speaking, no. Faithfully speaking, well... not really. What matters is what is understood by understanding the story. That it is understood that Jesus was of particular uniqueness. That his birth had divine implications. That his mother set the example of obedience to God's will. That she understood that to believe God, to believe IN God, was to allow the birth of Christ within her. Perhaps we are meant to understand that story the same way. By accepting God's will within us, we allow for the birth of the Christ consciousness within ourselves. The death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus cannot be fully reconciled historically. It can, in the eyes of the faithful, be taken completely literally. But there is another viewpoint that satisfies both positions. And that is the story of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus as a "myth." Not a lie. Not a fairy-tale; but a wisdom story that contains a universal truth. A truth that can be heard by those who have ears to listen.

            There are two quotes from two movies that I would like to share with you. One is from Secondhand Lions, where an ageing uncle is instructing his nephew on the facts of life. Here he tells the boy:

"Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love... true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in."

            The second is from the Life of Pi. Pi has just shared two versions of his tale of survival with an interviewing author. When you read this one, I want you to consider my opening paragraphs:

            Pi: So which story do you prefer?

            Writer: The one with the tiger. That's the better story.

            Pi: Thank you. And so it goes with God.

            Writer: [smiles] It's an amazing story.

Let those who have ears listen. Let those who have hearts love.

+AMD.G+