I have often wondered just how much of what we think we know about the Jesus story is anywhere near the truth of the Jesus story...and,
I don't think those closest to Jesus in real life knew what the truth of the Jesus story was (almost) anymore than folks in our time and place do.
And so, I wonder if someday we will unearth written documents that go something like this:
Just a few short weeks ago, the man named Jesus was killed on a cross outside the city wall of Jerusalem. This is not rumor nor fantasy, it is true. Yet, while he is gone, he remains the hope of those who were his closest friends and followers.
Many in Jerusalem and perhaps in some nearby villages and towns, are reportedly heartbroken.
Too much has happened to fully explain, let alone fully understand. Almost none of it makes sense.
No doubt there will be reports spreading that he was a fool, a liar, a flim-flam man. There is no doubt that what he spoke of and what he promised has all gone, all disappeared.
Many of those who were in Jesus' inner circle are now being hunted by the authorities. If they are not all caught and dealt the same death sentence as Jesus, they will most likely have to lay low for the foreseeable future. No doubt they will have some great stories to tell about their three years of being in his company.
If Jesus' message is to be believed, these followers will probably defend and promote his life through living peaceably and lovingly wherever life takes them. The truth is that almost all that is known about the man named Jesus is that he cared little for what others believed to be true, but cared supremely for what he believed God declared to be true: That loving others was the only way forward.
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