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+
