46. The New Human Jesus and Me

Jesus found me lounging in my little chapel on the island where I spent blissful days in the aromatic sacred space and happy nights flying figure eights over the Aegean.

"There you are angel!" He exclaimed with relief the moment He entered the chapel. "I have been looking everywhere for you! Your vacation is over! Come, let's get back to Jerusalem!"

"Why do You want to go back there?" I retorted. "Stay here with me; this place is so beautiful and serene. I've grown rather fond of this century too."

Without further comment Jesus walked out of the chapel expecting me to follow, which, of course I did. He seemed to be in a hurry. I wondered why Jesus would even want to return to that dusty busy town, particularly in the days and weeks after His crucifixion, the scene of hostile priests, militant Romans and His scourging.

Return we did to 33 AD and to the region of the sea of Tiberias.

"What are we doing here?" This isn't Jerusalem?"

"I know" replied Jesus, "I want to check in with a few of my students. Do me a favor, find someone to build a fire on the beach for me please, okay?"

"I'll try." I replied and went off in search of a Boy Scout. I soon spotted a young adolescent milling around aimlessly, and sent him a powerful chill and then transferred the thought to build a fire. Being so young, he was particularly easy to influence. Within moments, he had a fire blazing. Jesus walked up to the young man with a few fish in hand.

"Greetings son, may I use your fire to cook these fish?" He asked.

"Sure. How many have you got, sir?" Just then the young man's uncle called for him. "I've got to go." he said, "Enjoy the fire, it's all yours." And off the boy went.

I looked at Jesus with a very big grin, feeling particularly proud of myself for orchestrating that so well.

"Enough of that," He said not wanting me to indulge myself in pride, "Here come my students; watch this." Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel and two others were rowing to shore in their fishing boat.

When they arrived Jesus hollered out to them saying, "Where are your fish?"

Peter replied, "We have been out all night and didn't catch a thing."

He called out, "Go back and cast your net on the right side of the boat."

Desperate and with nothing to lose, the five men went back out. Sure enough this time they caught so many fish that they could barely haul them in. Surprised by the sudden and unexpected success, they looked at each other and in unison hollered, "Jesus!"

Jesus smiled and called to them, "Bring some of those fish you just caught. Let's cook them up on this fire. I have bread."

While they were all feasting on the fish and bread Jesus asked Peter over and over again if he loved Him, which seemed to irritate Peter slightly, until by the third time Peter understood that Jesus was allowing him to reverse the three cowardly lies that he told when he denied that he even knew Jesus, whom he now said he loved. Now that there was no risk. To help Peter make amends even more, Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep, meaning that Peter should help create the Church, The Bride of Christ. What a big job; what an honor, for such a louse.

After breakfast the disciples had to get back to their haul. Jesus bid them farewell promising to see them again, and then we departed for Jerusalem. While we walked, I decided it might be a good time to talk, so I asked Him point blank, "What are we doing here? Why don't we go back to heaven? What more can you do on earth? Will you stay here forever and watch over your friends until one by one they grow old and die!"

Jesus answered, "I want to get one last look, I want to experience being human a little more. There were a few things I couldn't do before that I want to do now. Most importantly l want to make sure my friends know that I am not dead."

I didn't want to contradict Him, but I didn't think Jesus seemed as human as He did before. I could tell that He still embodied the Spirit of God, but with a different kind of luminescent immortal body. I wondered why Jesus made himself look different since His resurrection, but I didn't dare ask.

When we arrived at the Jaffa gate. Jesus stopped and looked back, and then turned around and peered through the gate into the city. Then he looked over at me and said, "I am going to miss this place."

I replied trying to curb my enthusiasm, "Does that mean we are going to leave? When do we go home?"

Again, not replying, which really started to irk me, Jesus walked quietly through the streets of the City. Of course no one recognized Him. That's when it occurred to me that it would have brought too much attention to Him if He looked the same. We visited His mother, and others, but He did not reveal Himself very often. I think Jesus was truly enjoying the anonymity after the last three years of fame with all the crowds and lack of privacy.

What I didn't realize then, was that during these weeks after Pascha Jesus lived on earth as a new kind of human, an immortal one, enjoying nature, and humanity up close as He had for thirty three years, but with a new perspective. I believe that these are the freest and most peaceful days of Jesus Christ's earthly life. I had never seen Him so calm and nostalgic. His work was done, and now He could just enjoy life as a human on earth.

Post script. One day, when I was in the twenty-first century a young man told me how glad he was during these weeks after the resurrection to know that Jesus was still on earth in the Bride's year. It was like knowing that a movie star or a president lived in the neighborhood, even though he had never seen the movie star or president. Just knowing that that he or she was near was kind of thrilling. Likewise knowing that Jesus is still here, walking the planet in these days in the Bride's year always brings to his heart a feeling of exhilaration.

Humans are strange creatures. That's for sure.