THE GREAT DEBATE

"I commanded your Jesus to come out into the wilderness and prove his words. For forty days I watched him wander and listened to his thoughts. He did not eat in preparation of our meeting. When his body weakened and mind became unclear I revealed myself to him.

" I said to your Jesus you have come to meet what you call the enemy of the people without fear. You are right; you should not fear me, you should worship me, for I am your salvation. We are here to debate your words therefore you will need your strength. You come to the debate as a human and I see that you are weak for you have not eaten and your mind cannot focus. If you are this Son of God turn these rock into bread so we can be equals. Your Jesus answered this test with “man does not live by bread alone”. That is when I knew that this Son of God was nothing more than a man with a foolish dream.

" I said to your Jesus that some of the people think that you are the Son of God. If you are of this One True God; Why convert the multitudes with one miracle. Go and climb to the top of the temple and throw yourself off. I have read your mind and your God will not forsake you. God’s Angels will come and cushion your fall and all will believe. Jesus told me that he would not test God. The people do not need miracles for God offers them something a lot stronger; hope. I found amusement in his refusal to prove your existence. I gave him a test that he could not win.

" As I walked Jesus to the top of a mountain over looking the Dead Sea, I listen to his thoughts. He dreamed dreams that could never come true. The human nature that I observed could never embrace kindness, for brutality made them the rulers over their fleeting moment.

" I presented him with a panorama of all the kingdoms of the world. I told Jesus if he would bow down and worship me, I would hand him victories over all the nations. I can do this for I am the only thing that matters of this world. All you see before you is mine to do with what ever I want. Worship me and I will make you King over all you see. If you want the people to live in kindness and prepare for an eternal afterlife, so be it, all you have to do is command them. Your life will be long and the world will be what ever you want. If you refuse to bow down to me then I will make your life short and painful.

" I left your Jesus with his thoughts and waited for his answer at the bottom of the mountain. When Jesus came down from the mountain he told me that there is just one God and I am not It. He also said that God promised him that as a man he would have a great victory over the enemies of the Chosen People. .

"Jesus had placed himself willingly into my trap. I hardened the hearts of the people that would betray him. He would have no time for the promised victory and once again I would have proof that this God is nothing more than dream. Only the ones who had nothing, the meek, he said, will inherit the earth. These were the flock of this so-called Good Shepard. The ones with wealth and influence would loose their power so they were to be my instrument to put an end to this fool’s dream. The Chosen People demanded Jesus be killed and it was painful. His promise of a victory from his God did not come true. I would never again wonder about the existence of God.





<sup>“Once again you failed to witness what you did not want to see. Jesus walked the earth as a man but he held my heart and mind. They deserved to be not only the chosen of God but to become more God like. Jesus taught compassion, kindness, and eternal glory and the people embraced these traits even with your constant deceptions.

" Caiaphas was high priest in the Sanhedrin and was called to resolve the fate of Jesus. You the Beast had hardened his heart. For ten years, Caiaphas served with the Roman Pontius Pilate. The two had a close relationship. Caiaphas and Pilate had standing arrangements for how to deal with subversive persons such as Jesus. Pilate's tenure in Juda was associated with "briberies, insults, robberies, outrages, wanton injustices, constantly repeated executions without trial, and ceaseless and grievous cruelty. In fact, Rome, the most brutal of all the societies, found Pilate’s cruelty so excessive that they eventually released him of his post. Pilate was having problems with the Jews; they were not like the other nations that Rome conquered. The Jews obeyed the laws of Rome, but would not let go of their devotion to me.

"Even though Pilate was possibly the cruelest man on earth and had complete power over the Jews it was not worth it for him to interfere with their God.

"Yet when Jesus was brought before him and questioned, Pilate could not find any reason to condemn. He went out on the balcony and told the mob lead by Caiaphas why do you demand from me that I condemn this man called Jesus to death? Caiaphas answered that Jesus attacked the moneychangers in the Temple, in so defiling our holy place. This Jesus also claims to be the King of the Jews. He tries to lead the people in a revolt against the Sanhedrin at the time of our most holy days of Passover. We demand that you condemn this self proclaimed Messiah to death.

" Pilate asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. Jesus did not defend himself for he understood what is taking place. Pilate in spite of the political cost returned to the balcony and almost begged the crowd to release Jesus and replace him with the prisoner Barabas.

"Pilate asked the crowd why such thirst for the blood of Jesus; why, what evil has he done? The mob, worked up into a frenzy by the high priest Caiaphas of the Sanhedrin, demanded the death of Jesus and set the murderer Barabas free. Pilate allowed the crucifixion of Jesus, not out of a conviction that Jesus did anything wrong, but only to satisfy the crowd. Pilate was ashamed and filled with doubt after authorizing Jesus’ execution.

"When Pilate washed his hands in an attempt to rid himself of guilt Jesus knew that he had witnessed the victory that I promised on the mountain. When condemning to death sickens even the cruelest, Jesus knew that the people would embrace his message of kindness. Jesus’ job was done and it was time for him to return to me.”</sup>