"…and he was in the desert for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.” (Mark 1:13)
I don't remember it was when I was in the seminary or working as a pastor, but long time ago I was very interested in reading Nikos Kazantzakis' "The Last Temptation of Jesus". I don't remember much of "Zorba the Greek" written by the same author, but regarding that I remembered a lot of this "The Last” in a big frame, it must be touching my youthful sensibility.
This book starts with a cry of a Jewish woman whose son was executed on the cross because of having an independence movement with guns. This woman came to Jesus to condemn him. My son died on the cross you made. You would be executed on the cross too. . Since Jesus was a carpenter just like his father, Joseph, he could not avoid making crosses to sell according to Roman official's demand for execution of antigovernment criminals. Jesus was a little more sensitive and thoughtful than other kids from he was young, but he was not that special kid. When he was an adolescent, he attracted some girls when he went to the festival. Martha and Mary had special interests in him. Maybe Jesus himself had some curiosity too. But it was just a puppy love. After he became a young adult, Jesus had some serious spiritual talk with Baptist John. Sometime under the stars, they used to talk to each other, focusing on the will of God. And John went out of home first, and then Jesus followed. Just like the story in the Gospels, Jesus was killed on the cross. Just like that curse of a Jewish woman toward the person who made the cross, because of her son's death, Jesus was executed on the cross. At the moment he was losing his mind, Jesus descended from the cross and then on the white horse he was riding to go to Bethany and married Martha and Mary sisters. At those days this system of marriage did not look strange at all. Jesus lived happily with wives and son and daughter. One day the door was open, and some group of people rushed in. They were Peter, Andrew, James and John who used to be his disciples. Peter was grabbing his neck and shouted. “Such a traitor. Because you ran away from the cross, we failed in the world. Be responsible for that.” Other disciples began to do some violence to Jesus, and Jesus fell down to the earth by them. They kicked Jesus who felt down to the earth. To his stomach, neck, head and they trapped him on. Jesus was murmuring with a big headache. “I am not a traitor. I didn't run away. I am not a coward.” On the earth he threw himself down and started losing his spirit. With a big sigh he was getting his spirit again and found out he was still groaning on the cross.
Nikos Kazantzakis was describing dramatically with full imagination of a writer what the last temptation could be for Jesus being executed on the cross. His answer was that Jesus wished to live just like an ordinary Jewish young man, but is it close to the truth? Nobody knows. It might be possible or not. And that's not that important. We read a novel for the sake of novels. That's enough.
"The Last Temptation" took a great role to correct the image of Jesus for me little by little when I was young. From serious to friendly, from almighty of helpless, from the object to believe to companion for life, it changed. Through this kind of process, I could recognize Jesus as Messiah much realistically. Maybe some of you have the similar experiences like mine. But some people in Korean church, mostly the group which belong to the Christian Council of Korea would wave their hands for "The Last Temptation." I don't understand why they do not have such confidence about their own faith.
It is very fortunate for Jesus to have temptations. Beloved readers, we are not just getting temptations. The Bible is telling us Jesus got temptation under the same circumstances just like us. At the moment we face with temptation, Jesus might be in the same spot with the same kind of temptation. Let's be courageous
Lord, help us not to fear temptation. Amen
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