Look Who’s Talking

If you listen, you can hear what they say about him:

“I went to school with him. No question he’s smart, but he’s nuts—one of these guys who pretends to be the Messiah . . . a popular line of work since the Romans took over.”
* * * *

“He’s been ‘all that’ since he was 12 and came with his parents to one of our yearly theological conferences. After the scheduled talks, the little show-off kept arguing with a bunch of PhDs in one of the back rooms. A kid, a greenhorn, a teenage rock star, know what I mean? Who knew he had charisma and used it for all it’s worth? So where did he come from, this teenager? And more important, where will he end up?”
* * * *

“ . . . from Nazareth. I don’t know him, not really. Went to one of his rallies once—such a mob; when one moved, we all had to move. It was hot. Noon. Nothing to eat. Everyone restless. The smell of danger. They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. But he asked for a fish and a loaf of bread and he kept peeling copies off until everyone had plenty to eat. No, no kidding. And it was tasty. Let me tell you something: it’s scary to have a magician like this on the loose. No telling what he’ll do next.”
* * * *

“He’s the kind of person that says something wrapped in stories that make it hard to follow. He does that on purpose. You get part of what he means, and you think if you could just stick around you could get the rest. It’s like some kind of trap.”
* * * *

“He hangs out with lowlife. He crashes in whatever pad he’s in. Is he homeless? If so, it’s ironic, because his father is a carpenter and he was a carpenter’s apprentice. I wouldn’t take him in. Not me. I say if he’s so good at making bread and fishes, let him whip up a house for himself.”
* * * *

“By afternoon people are crowding up and down the shore and he stands in a boat so we can see him, and he’s explaining his view of the world. Before long you feel as if you’re waking up, and you step outside your tent and scrape up manna from the grass into a heap and scoop it onto a plate and hand it around to your kids to eat. It’s cool on your tongue and a little sweetish. I mean the man can take you where he wants—back to Moses, to Elijah. He’s got a battalion of people following him. They’re spellbound. I tell you, he’s got enough of the public to overthrow the government.”

* * * *


For all the talk, and everybody seems to be in the buzz, what did he say about himself?

He said, “I must be about my Father’s work.”