Tuesday, February 5, 2013

the pharisee


Hi everyone--
This is important to me. Please respond.  I have lots of these portraits--it's the major thing I've always wanted to publish. But how do I publish them?  What do you think they would do best as?  Monologs? Short stories/poetry?  Some sort of book of reflections?

I call them Biblical portraits.  They are pictures of men and women from the old and new testament, seen in a different way.

I would love your comments.  If enough of you comment for me to get a clear picture of what you think, I will follow the majority rule.

Thanks!



the pharisee
Matt 22:34ff, 23

Among my people, there is a saying
that if anyone could keep all the rules
all the laws
for one day
then Messiah would come.

All the rules.
All the laws.

There are over 600 laws recorded in the Torah.
We have laws which govern everything
we do not need to question anything.
It is all clearly spelled out.

Of course, it was not always so.
When our father, Adam, was created
there was only one law
do not eat the fruit.

Knowing he could not,
naturally he ate
and caused the curse to come upon us all.

Since that time, we have slowly become overwhelmed
by law
by rules
by regulations.

Eat this
do not eat that.

Wear this
do not wear that.

Associate with this group,
but not with those over there,
who worship a different way.

Actually, I do not mind it.
I see it as a challenge.
A goad to the intellect.
Who is following the law,
and who is not,
and for those who are not,
what shall the punishment be?

I was content
until he came.
This Jesus.

Who did he think he was?
Saying that all of the laws could be broken down
made into two:

The Shema:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and soul
 and mind

and the other like it:
love your neighbor as yourself.

I heard him that night, and at first I was amused,
even impressed
by his insight.


But that night,
alone in my room
with no other faces about me
 to reflect my superiority
I was forced to consider anew his words.

Love the Lord your God
Love God
Love the Lord

Love your neighbor
Love yourself

Love.

This is the difficulty.
Laws are easy to follow.
You know right away if you are right or wrong.
Everything is clearly spelled out
and punishment is swift and sure
for those who transgress.



But love?
What does law have to do with love?
I am a Pharisee.
One of the chosen--
chosen even among the chosen
elite.
A lawyer.
One who has made it his life's work to carry out
the law.

I know every law
all 613
and I ruthlessly search out those who transgress those laws
to prosecute
even kill
 if necessary,
so that the law may stand firm.

But if this man,
this Jesus
is right,
what happens to the law?
What happens to me?

No!
He cannot be right.
For if he is,
then he is God.
And if he is God,
then the law
and everything it stands for
must be different than I had thought.

But I spent my life in the study of the law.
I cannot be wrong.
The price is too high.

Therefore,
he cannot be God.
And if he,
not being God,
proclaims himself God,
then he must die
so that the word of the law may be fulfilled.




There is a tradition among my people
that if one man should uphold all the law
for one day
then Messiah would come.

As I watched him on the cross
a man who
it was said
had no guilt in him
it occurred to me:

could it be that the only man who could uphold the law
all the law
for one day
was the Messiah?

And was that man
Messiah
even now upholding the law
fulfilling the law
on that same cross?

No!
It could not be.
The price was too high.
Unless, of course,
you reasoned in the price
of love.


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