Jesus on the borderline

“The most difficult problem of all is uniting when evil lurks. And evil has a habit of lurking on earth.” So Abba interjected when Jesus shared the substance of his mulling.

“Spell that out, please.”

“Evil is anything from selfishness and mindlessness to murder, Jesus. If people are so inclined, they will poison any group they are in. Society knows this and organizes accordingly. But when freedom and love come into play, as with you and Rachel, you will attract evil like flies. Only when evil is at bay is anyone truly safe.”

“And evil boils down to the fact that people do not know you.”

“Everybody knows me but they do not seek me, Jesus. People who think properly are not inclined to evil. They are repelled by what hurts and harms. They tend not to interfere.”

“It comes down to persons. And how they live.”

“Yes.”

“Learning from you can change people.”

“Yes. In the sense that they can learn to use their freedom for good. And that changes things, often completely.”

“You are at hand. Nearby. Right?”

“Yes. When you go, out you are also. Teach good. Teach doing no harm. Teach not hurting.”

“Maybe.”

“Yes. Maybe you will heal also. Not always. But sometimes. Maybe you will teach sharing.”

“And love and freedom?”

“Absolutely. Nothing overcomes love and freedom.”

“They cannot die.”

“No.”

Jesus let out a sigh with a whistle to it. “That’s over the borderline,” he said.

“You will mystify, Jesus. They won’t know what to make of you. They’ll jump to conclusions.”

“Like I’m a Messiah.”

“Yes. They’re on the lookout. They scurry away from who they are. ‘Save us from ourselves’ is their constant cry. So they throw freedom away. It’s like suicide.”

Jesus thought. Past the borderline. Heaven. Calm. Peace. Could he summon it up? This state…this way of being? He headed back, wondering.

“Yes,” he decided. “I will.”