Jesus of Nazareth - Conversations with Jesus of Nazareth: In His Own Words

It is through an intermediary, a woman called Susanna, that Jesus of Nazareth has agreed to meet me, though who knows what I can expect? People are beginning to use rather flowery language to describe him, but whether its justified, Im not sure. Im a gentile myself and much-travelled, but have lived among the Jews long enough to know that another starry-eyed messiah is no particular surprise.

The rumours around this man are many, with unconfirmed reports of a virgin birth, divine origins, dangerous teachings, and miracles of healing. Some even claim that hes been killed here in Jerusalem and is now alive again, so we must add resurrection to the hearsay. But let us not be hasty. For me, you know them by their fruits, and Im looking for the real Jesus, rather than a Jesus defined by others. What is the true nature of his message? And more importantly, what is the true nature of the man?

He speaks as one who has authority; this I hear again and again. What does that mean? I suppose it means that unlike many teachers, he and his message authenticate themselves in peoples hearts, through their power to awaken things; to reach the hidden and courageous parts of the human soul and mind. It appears he doesnt want followers who hang on his every word; but rather, people whove dismantled their certainties, overturned their pasts, jettisoned possessions, and thrown away their fears. Only people such as these can walk in his footsteps, which suggests his following will always be small.

Some have used the word messiah, but they had best be wary, for this region is not favourable to those claiming that title, and perhaps a little history may be helpful here. Palestine, where I now sit, lies near the eastern confines of the Roman Empire. Jews are the dominant group and the Romans, who have never understood them, will tell you how stubborn they are. The nationalist revival two centuries ago is remembered like it was yesterday, and with much nostalgia by some. The zealots political activists represent such hopes, passionate in their desire to overthrow this hated Roman rule.

The priestly aristocracy, called Sadducees, hate the zealots. When do the rich ever want change? The zealots call the Sadducees Romes bootlickers; and the Romans call the zealots bandits. All in all, Palestine is an unsettled place, with the balance of good and evil noticeably disturbed.

And yet, suddenly the followers of Jesus seem cheerful. Why? They claim this Jesus of Nazareth died and has come back to life. It sounds like a fine delusion, but theyre so excited they run everywhere, quite unable to walk sensibly. Its all very puzzling. I met one or two of these folk before these events, and believe me, they were far from impressive. Just your average stupid Galileans, as one religious leader told me, and it was hard to disagree.

So Im interested to meet the man at the centre of this storm. Jesus formerly Joshua bar Joseph has agreed to speak, and in preparation, Ive put my ear to the ground and met associates and onlookers alike. Matthew speaks a bit like a textbook, but has all sorts of stories; Lukes more of an individual, but shares many of Matthews tales. They dont always quite agree who does? yet give a good sense of the sort of person Jesus is, the sort of things he does, the sort of things he says and, interestingly, the sort of people who find him disturbing. Thomas is different, of course. He tells me nothing about the life of Jesus, but is well-versed in his terse and unsettling teaching.

And then theres Mark, who is different again, more breathless in his account than anyone else. He cant keep still for a moment and nor does his story. He likes action, mainly, with Jesus doing this, and then that, and then something else, while John, well thats not a meeting Ill forget. It was like the life of Jesus had already become a meditation for him, a mystical journey impregnated with meaning. Hes wonderfully original in his take on things, and on another day I could have listened to him for hours. As a journalist, however, I just want the prosaic facts, and theres some disentangling to do before you get those from John.

And then there were the two Marys his close friend Mary Magdalene and his mother Mary. Some say Magdalene was too close, and Ill raise that matter with him, but whatever the truth, these women offer a rather different take on the man; personal accounts, unlike those of onlookers like Pliny and Josephus who are informed and serious, but rely more on hearsay. They want to put the teacher in context, but havent actually met the teacher themselves. Its a different sort of knowing.

But thats enough preparation. Its time to meet the man, which is why Im walking towards the marketplace now. Some say theres a religion growing around him, but Im not greatly concerned about that. Religions are twopenny, and often worth rather less. Im interested in the religion of Jesus, rather than any religion about him. What will I find? Believe me, its with a certain caution that I approach my conversation withJesus of Nazareth.