Thebes found himself standing in the line that snaked upward toward the Pearly Gates. No surprise, really. He had been old. The cause was not what he expected but how you die isn't something people have a choice about.
He hadn't been a particularly pious man. He had been a man of duty and been busy. He couldn't read but even if he could there were no scrolls in the small village he lived in. Regardless, he dutifully listened to the occasional itinerant preachers who percolated through the small, rocky valleys that made up Thebes' world. He implemented what he could understand and marveled at what seemed inconceivable.
When it was his turn to be judged, a fisherman stood at the gate and the radiant ones were arrayed behind him. It was calming to know that he was to be weighed by another laborer.
The fisherman's gnarled hands swiftly counted the knots on the recording strings. His fingers shuffled the abacus. Then he paused and then repeated the counting and calculating.
Turning to the radiant figures behind him, he said "The one named Thebes is exactly equal. How do you want me to handle it?" The brilliance of the figures obscured the details. They reminded Thebes of the snow-covered sentinel pine on the ridge above the valley, first lit by the rising sun.
The voice from the brilliant figure on Thebes' left was as sweet and soothing as warmed honey. "Ask him what he wants."
Thebes was surprised, not by the fisherman's words but by what the figure had said. He was just a man. Not "holy". Not "bad". Just a man. He had not expected to be offered a choice.
"I am nothing but a common laborer. If it should please you, Lord, I should take that bucket of water, the stool and a towel and wash the feet those coming to see you" Thebes suggested. "I will set up at the edge of the light where I won't bother anybody."
The Lord asked "Will you only wash the feet of the just?"
Thebes replied "It is not within my power to know who was just or unjust. I shall wash the feet of everybody in the line."
The Lord said "So be it".
Thebes first picked up the bucket and then put it down. He could not carry all three. He solved the problem by tying the towel around his waist before picking up the other two items and trudging back down the line.
He set them down where the light of the Lord was but a kiss on the horizon and their voices were but faint murmurs. The line had grown since he had first joined it.
The worst seat in heaven is infinitely better than the best seat in hell.
Thebes died many, many centuries ago. If you don't see him on your path to the Pearly Gates, then the position is probably open again. Something to keep in mind if the counting string with your name on it has a lot of knots on it.
Joe, Because it is Sunday morning. " Those in Christ Jesus have already bypassed judgement and have their place on Heaven", But Joe I liked your story. Woody
ReplyDeleteThanks, Aesop. That was a good lesson.
ReplyDeleteMilton
I love parables, ERJ. Thanks for writing this one.
ReplyDeleteThebes was an unusual individual. His life balanced exactly between good and bad actions. For this reason he was given a choice. His humility and wisdom determined the path that led to his eternity in heaven. It is doubtful many would have followed his example. For the truth is we will not have a choice after we die. A wise person recognizes that there is no good in him at all. He knows that every thought of his heart is selfish and every move he makes is geared towards what he wants even if it hurts or destroys others in the process. There are exceptions. But they are so rare that epics are written about them and the stories become legends. But such acts do not grant reprieves. We are all still guilty of sin. There is a remedy, but the choice must be made before our existence here ceases. Twenty centuries ago God sent his only begotten Son to be an acceptable sacrifice for all who would believe. For those who accept the gift, they will stand before Him after death and be able to boldly claim his Righteousness as forgiveness for all of our transgressions while we were alive here on earth. The debt we should have owed will be marked “paid in full”. Very simple to do, but hard to believe. However, we were told by God himself, that he would use the simple things of this world to confound the wise. So, do not overthink it. Decide what your eternal future will be while you are still able to do so.
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