The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

The Stranger

Now at about that time a stranger came to Christ and spoke to him privately.

‘I’m interested in you,’ he said. ‘Your brother is attracting all the attention, but I think you are the one I should speak to.’

‘Who are you?’ said Christ. ‘And how do you know about me? I have never spoken in public, unlike Jesus.’

‘I heard a story about your birth. Some shepherds saw a vision that led them to you, and some magicians from the East brought you gifts. Isn’t that so?’

‘Why, yes,’ said Christ.

‘And I spoke to your mother yesterday, and she told me of what happened when John baptised Jesus. You heard a voice speaking from a cloud.’

‘My mother should not have spoken of that,’ said Christ modestly.

‘And some years ago, you confounded the priests in the temple at Jerusalem when your brother got into trouble. People remember these things.’

‘But – who are you? And what do you want?’

‘I want to make sure that you have your rightful reward. I want the world to know your name as well as that of Jesus. In fact I want your name to shine with even greater splendour. He is a man, and only a man, but you are the word of God.’

‘I don’t know that expression, the word of God. What does it mean? And again, sir – who are you?’

‘There is time, and there is what is beyond time. There is darkness, and there is light. There is the world and the flesh, and there is God. These things are separated by a gulf deeper than any man can measure, and no man can cross it; but the word of God can come from God to the world and the flesh, from light to darkness, from what is beyond time into time. Now I must go away, and you must watch and wait, but I shall come to you again.’

And he left. Christ had not found out his name, but the stranger had spoken with such knowledge and clarity that Christ knew, without having to ask, that he was an important teacher, no doubt a priest, perhaps from Jerusalem itself. After all, he had mentioned the incident in the temple, and how else would he have heard about it?