The Lord and I went camping out West after our adventure in ridding the world of child molesters. We were sitting around a campfire, staring into it and watching the flames dance.
"Do you think people got the message, Jesus?" I asked the King of Kings.
"Nah, they never do. Maybe a few souls were saved, but nearly all people only are remorseful when they get caught. Even in Hell, people are only sorry they are there. They are not really sorry for what they did to get there." Jesus spoke as he poked the campfire with a stick, the sparks flying up into the night sky.
"I suppose that is true, for the vast masses. Is it really their fault, though? Isn't the world rigged to snag people?" I askith The Lord.
"Well, Ted, people are given free will. And it's not like evil hides in the bushes. It is right out there in the open for all to see. There have more than enough holy men and women sent here, enough holy books written, that there really isn't a question of what is right and wrong. People choose to think that they are exempt. They justify, bend the truth, and convince themselves they are not THAT bad. Then you have the other side, who think they have a guaranteed pass into heaven because they believe they didn't do anything wrong. They totally ignore the fact they didn't do what was right. Not doing right is often more evil than doing wrong." Jesus poked his stick into a large piece of buring wood, and more sparks flew high into the night sky.
"So, you are saying being good is not good enough?"
"Not by far." Jesus went on. "There were two brothers. One was an upstanding citizen. He went to church every Sunday, he gave the church 1/10 of his income, which was substantial. He paid his taxes, and never caused any trouble. He raised his children to be the same as he. He was pround of all these things. The lesser brother spent his life in and out of prison for petty crimes. His marriages never lasted more than a few years. No matter what he did in life, it never worked out for him. One night, in a drunken brawl, he smashed a bottle over another drunks head, killing him. He was tried, and found guility of manslaughter. When he got out of prison for the last time, he went to see his brother, to make amends for the embarassment and pain he had caused over the years. His brother refused to see him. He had 'Written him off.' Saddened, he went back to drinking, and died in the back of an abandoned car during a winter storm. How do you think they would be judged? Who was the lesser?"
For me, Jesus, the successful brother was the lesser. The lesser brother was more. Those who struggle are the blessed."
That's the way it should be seen, but too often people judge others on the superficial. Society is built on the superficial, what people own, what they have achieved monitarily. What they forget is, you die at the end of your story. The difference between you and a homeless man doesn't matter to the worms in your grave. It doesn't matter to me, the Father, the Great Mother, The Universe, pick a name, any name, it doesn't matter to any of them.
"What about atheists? How do they fare when judgment comes?" I asked HIM.
"It really doesn't matter if people believe in me, or any other god. There are many good people who don't wait for God to fix things, they do it themselves. I would rather have a million atheists helping the poor, tending to the sick, protesting against wars, than a million people on their knees praying to ME to fix everything mankind does to one another."
"You know, Lord, that doesn't jibe with what is preached in most churches, and definately doesn't line up with politicians and TV evangelists."
"If people are so foolish to follow those so-called leaders, there is nothing for them after this world." Jesus stated as he opened his hands, palms raised up. "Nothing."
"What do you mean, nothing"? I pressed.
"I mean what I said - nothing. How could there be? If all someone has done is worried about themselves, then the missed the point of this life. They haven't lived. If they haven't lived, they certainly can't have a life after a death of a life that wasn't lived." Jesus looked at me as if I should know this.
"What happens to them when they die then?" I was finding this new understanding I was being given frightening.
"They go back to where they came from - nowhere."
"Wow, Lord, that seems severe." I was shaken.
"Is it really, Ted? Hasn't every person who has lived, died? Hasn't every spiritual master had the same message? Life is temporal! Be kind to people. Happiness is gained through kindness to others. Finding the kingdom isn't hard, it is inside of everyone."
"You know Jesus, that may be it. Because it is right there, most can't see it."
I sat staring into the fire for a long while, pondering these simple truths. Jesus started to snore. I tucked his blanket around him, wrapped myself in mine, and fell asleep under the star filled sky.
