And into the marvelous light, he rose. He opened his eyes, his mouth, his nostrils. Rucha fully inspired him.
I know you must go, John said, embracing him. He struggled to find the proper words. Now, you truly understand what and why I am. It is such with you, son of man and son of the holy one.
Yes, Yeshua replied, also struggling to find words. The light was dazzling his eyes, his mind, his heart. His entire frame was buzzing with energy, and he knew he had to get away from this place, all these people. He needed solitude. He needed rest. He needed reconnect with the gentle earth. Right now, he did not feel that connection.
Yes, you are right. I must go. I don’t know if I will see you again. Shlomo ‘aleykhun.
John embraced him, Peace be for you, also. He helped Yeshua up the riverbank, watched him as he gathered his cloak and bag.
John watched him walk away.
Who will be next?
—
The desert stretched before him, and he just kept walking. Whenever he found water, he drank. He had no food. He walked in the cool of the mornings, rested in the warmth of the afternoons, then continued to walk toward evening. At nightfall, he found places to stop, where he would rest or sleep fitfully until first light.
Many days passed in this way, too many to number. He thought about many things. He counted his footsteps as he went. He prayed to the holy one for guidance. As the days passed, the lack of food weakened him.
One night, he had a dream.
In the dream, the Adversary came to him, smiling.
In a pleasing voice, the Adversary said, I can sense you are hungry. If you are indeed a son of the holy one, surely you could use magic to transform these stones into bread.
A pile of stones appeared between them. A smell like bread wafted from the stones. Yeshua’s stomach rumbled and hunger roared through his system.
Yeshua knew this dream to be a penultimate test, and his fevered brain ran to find the appropriate response. At last, as if a veil lifted, he saw the parallel of his desert wandering in the covenant days of Moses.
A small voice inside his soul spoke the text so only he could hear it: And he humbled you, he gave you over to hunger, and he fed you with the manna, a food which you and your fathers had never known, so he could make you understand that people do not live by bread only; it is by every word spoken of the holy one that people live.
Yeshua heard his own wavering voice speak: Not by bread alone do I live, but by the word spoken by the holy one.
And in flash, the scene changed. The Adversary had placed him precariously on the outer ledge of a high parapet of the Temple. If you are indeed a son of the holy one, throw yourself from this height. Surely, angels of the holy one will come to your rescue if you slip and fall.
Fierce winds clawed at his clothes, and he could feel his toes curl over the ledge of the narrow parapet. Though he tried to grasp the sheer wall at his back, he felt himself slipping.
But the small voice spoke another text: Do not tempt the holy one as you did in Massah. Instead, keep the commandments given to you by the holy one, keep the testimonies and the statutes as commanded of you; you were made to do only what is right and good in the sight of the holy one.
Through chattering teeth, Yeshua blurted out: It is written: Do not tempt the holy one!
And once again, with a flash of lightning, the scene had now become at a great height. Indeed, it was the highest place in the world, overlooking every shining kingdom of the earth. With unctuous voice, the Adversary put forth his last challenge: Worship me, and I’ll give you dominion over all of this. You’ll be able to do whatever you want with it all.
And Yeshua heard the words flow as if through his very blood: Beware lest thou forget the holy one, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, who released you from bondage. You will honor, serve and attest only to the name of the holy one.
And he heard himself yelling: Get away from me, fiend! It is written that we must honor and serve the one and only holiness!
And from this horror, fevered and shaken, he wrested himself to wakefulness.
On a rock nearby, someone had left a small gift of food and drink. There was no sign of the benefactor.
Slowly consuming the sustenance, he knew it was time to return. It was time to live and breathe the covenant to this generation, in service to the holy one by serving all people.
Strengthened by the offering of the departed stranger, he gave his heart and voice to prayer in the time-honored way, as he began his return:
Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad…
© 2020 by Elisabeth T. Eliassen and songsofasouljourney.blogspot.com
A brief note about my literary exploration of the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth: I have undertaken this exercise having read, sung (in several languages), meditated and prayed on the contents of the Synoptic Gospels (as well as the Non-Synoptic Gospels) for at least 45 years. In that time, I’ve accumulated a bit of a library (which comes as no surprise to those who know me), and I try to follow modern scholarship. Here is a partial list of the authors and books that come to mind as I write these episodes:
Ballentine, Debra Scoggins, The Conflict Myth & the Biblical Tradition; Oxford University Press 2015
Erdman, Bart, various titles
Gaus, Andy, The Unvarnished New Testament; Phanes Press, 1991
Herzog, William R., Parables as Subversive Speech; Westminster John Knox Press, 1991
Louden, Bruce, Greek Myth and the Bible; Routledge, 2019
Tatian, Diatesseron; www.earlychristianwritings.com/diatessaron.html
Wajdenbaum, Philippe, Argonauts of the Desert, Routledge, 2011
Ward, Keith, The Philosopher and the Gospels, Lion Hudson, 2011
Yosef ben Maityahu (Titus Flavius Josephus), various writings
