Fairy Tale Spotlight: Our Divine Comedy, Pt. 25

In the beginning, there was darkness. Although people and things existed, those things had no light. Everything existed as a shadow of a shadow. It was bland and uninteresting. But then there came upon the earth a stranger. In much the same way, this stranger was dark and confusing. People did not understand who he was. People did not understand what he was. People did not understand why he was. This confusion lead to some very nervous questions.

"What? Seriously?"

Although the questions were answered, nobody seemed to understand. Darkness was all they knew. Darkness was all they believed in. There was a bias to darkness, and here was a man, also of darkness, who spoke of bright things.

"Is he not of Nazareth?" one asked. It was true. He was of Nazareth. He was a man of darkness. There was no light about him. He was a shadow. He was always a man who lived in the shadows. If one would look directly at him, there was a small chance that they would not even notice he was there. Yet out of confusion, he was noticed somehow. And for this reason, he began to form an importance.

"Is he not the son of Mary and Joseph?" another asked.

Indeed, he was the son of Mary and Joseph. Mary and Joseph were from the shadows too. They were of little consequence in the grand scheme of things. Nobody really thought much of them. This man was their son, but somehow none of that seemed to matter. He still spoke of brighter things despite not being all that bright himself.

"What right do you have to say these things?" asked yet another.

Indeed, the man had no right to say anything at all. He was a man of darkness like the rest of them. Yet he still persisted in saying the words that he said, and people detected his sincerity. The man ignored those who accused him and continued to speak as he was wont to do.

There came a day when a man of no value accused this man of being the son of God. The man of darkness agreed with this and was surprised to no end to hear another say so. This man knew that these words were true but simply wanted to be sure. To be accused of such a great crime as being the son of a being that was so ruthless and horrible to the people of Earth was a tough pill to swallow. Nevertheless... the son of God had suspected it and was ready to deal with it in whatever way that would come to him.

"We would do anything for you," said a disciple.

Many would say this to him. Many offered him great things. This man of shadows could see that his popularity was growing even to the kings themselves. He had an opportunity to use this to his advantage. Such things were not known to happen to the Nazarenes. But this man turned away from such opportunity. He chose to live for those who chose to follow him. He yearned to show them a new way. He wanted so dearly to help them along the path. He could not be bothered to allow others to raise him upon a pedestal. He, instead, chose to wash their feet. In all of his popularity, he chose to be a Nazarene. He was their servant.

During his trials as the son of God and man, this man of darkness was tempted. He could see the two paths. He yearned to betray those who cried out to him for salvation. He wanted to run away and simply... build. Perhaps he could build for others. Perhaps he could just build for himself. What was so wrong with that? These people were confused. They did not understand who he was. Would they even learn anything? Was it worth it? This man of darkness who spoke of light had choices to consider. He was tempted. He considered the possibilities. There was no right and wrong in those moments. It was merely a choice that would be judged by another. Once his choice was made, right and wrong would adhere to the new way. He knew this. The future of everything depended on his choice. Which was righteous: good or evil?

There came a day when there was one who turned against him. He expected it. He saw it coming from the very first day he was called for who he was. There was no need to die. He knew it. His father was the richest being in the universe. One call and it would all be over. He could just cry out and the world would be left to burn.

The man of darkness and shadow lowered his head and asked, "Is there any other way? I do not wish to suffer. I do not wish to die. Can they not be saved any other way?"

But there was no answer... for God was busy playing paddle ball. His own father, the very God of the cosmos himself, would not even look at him. He would not even listen to him. God was busy. God was ignoring him. The man of darkness realized just how alone he was. The entire universe rested on his shoulder. It was heavy and caused him great pain. But the man knew the truth of it all. There was no other way. He would either act as he had for his entire life... and die... or he would make a move in his own favor.

"They can do anything," he said to the nothing. "They can do anything they want. They can go as high as the moon. They can cross out into other worlds which lie beyond imagination. They can do it all, if they were not so blind. But I know that they still desire such things. They all live in darkness. It is too dark for them to see these things. I feel for them. I forgive them. They have no idea what they are even doing. For those who strive for greater things, I shall die for them in hopes that one day... it will make a difference."

This man was named Jesus, and he was murdered in innocence. He was a man without sin, yet he was still tempted. He knew good and evil, yet he chose good. And yet... he was murdered. The wages of sin was death, yet he was without sin. Why was he killed? Nobody understood this. Nobody knew who he really was. Jesus was the son of God, but he was also a mortal man. Even so, there was something more.

Mr. Nobody took note that Jesus died in the name of compassion and friendship. He died in the hope that the human race would thrive somehow. He also saw how so many had turned against him in the hopes of perpetuating some corrupt status quo. This angered Mr. Nobody. This angered him with intensity. His hands quivered with the very force of his anger. Never had he felt for a human in this way.

The Holy Spirit stood up upon his chair. God looked up for just a moment with wide-eyes as he saw Mr. Nobody fall into the table. Out of shock and surprise, God's rolling chair slipped from under him and he fell careening into the floor with a clash not unlike the first great fall he took at the beginning of this story. To be continued.

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