35.

Resurrection

Wednesday, April 24 - 6:30p.m.

Goldberg dug out his cell phone. “I’ll stay here and keep watch. I’ll call your apartment if there are any signs of danger,” he said as Jennifer got out of his car. “Be careful and make it quick.”

“I will,” she said with a quick, nervous smile, then darted inside her apartment building. She took the elevator to the third floor, then walked to the door of her apartment. She inserted the key and turned it slowly. She felt the resistance of the lock and let out a low sigh, relieved that the deadbolt hadn’t been compromised. She gently pushed the door open with her left hand, afraid that it would set off some huge explosion that would rip her body to shreds. When she realized that she was standing in the hall holding her breath, still in one piece, she shook her head in anger. “Get a grip girl,” she said to herself. “It’s obvious that they haven’t been here. Lets get on with it.” She slipped inside, bounded into the bedroom and began throwing clothes, jewelry, makeup and anything else she could think of into her two suitcases.

She had always dreamed of this kind of packing; the packing that would happen after a late night phone call from the newspaper. Then she would be off to catch a plane to an exotic location with a breaking story. . . But this was not a story; this was her life and she had better get it right. She looked around the room, trying to decide what she wanted and what she just couldn’t live without for the next few weeks. She hoped that later, when she was safe, she could ask her mother to clean out her apartment.

Finally, she closed the bags and then lugged them to the door of her apartment. Then she remembered her laptop, which was still in the bedroom.

She sprinted back to the bedroom at a full run. When she reached the doorway, she crashed with full force into a man who hadn’t been there a moment earlier. She fell backwards from the impact and hit the floor with a painful thud. In a panic, she gulped for air and struggled to sit up. Her eyes darted around the room looking for a way to escape. A thousand questions went through her mind: How had he gotten in? Where had he come from? She was sure she had been alone, and she had not heard anyone come in. What was going to happen next? Was she going to die? What about her baby? This wasn’t the way it was supposed to end.

She wasn’t going to let her baby die without a fight. She glared up at the intruder, challenging him with every fiber of her being. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and her mouth opened to say something, anything, but there were no words. At this moment there was nothing, nothing but the man in front of her.

The man who stood in the doorway was dressed completely in white, and was radiant. His whole body glowed with an unnatural soft light. “Peace be with you, Jennifer,” he said in a soft voice. It was Mike, and his face beheld a serene, loving smile of unconditional love.

Jennifer was stunned. Was she seeing the divine figure of Christ or was it the biker, Mike that she loved? Should she bow down before him in adoration or get up and throw her arms around him? Was she hallucinating or seeing the real thing? She sat on the floor and stared up at him, trying to get her mind around what she was seeing. Then her emotions took over and she bounded off the carpet, straight into his arms.

He held her tightly while all the tragedy that she had been feeling slipped from her in small sobs. Finally she said, “Mike? What the hell is going on? You’re dead. I watched you die. I held you in my arms. Did you fake your death?”

“No, Jennifer, it wasn’t fake,” he replied as he gently lifted her face. He looked deep into her eyes, the piecing blue of his own eyes even more brilliant with the glow that surrounded him.

She shook her head in denial, but her eyes never left his. She did not want the reality of the past week to return.

He said, “You witnessed the death of my physical body.”

This time, she shook her head stronger, pulling away.

He reached up again and turned her face back to his. “Jennifer, your out-of-body experiences should have taught you that there’s so much more to who we are than that. You know that death is not the end.”

“If you died, then how can you still be here? How can I be touching you?”

“Oh, this?” He looked down at his own radiant body. “I materialized a new physical body.” He smiled with his best boyish grin.

“Just like that?” She snapped her fingers.

“Jennifer, since the physical world is an illusion, it’s not that tough to do. When I was incarnated as Jesus, I said that faith can move mountains. In the same way, it can also create a physical body. Hey, check this out: no bullet holes.” He opened his white shirt to reveal his bare chest, perfectly intact.

She moved her hand over the site of the gunshots in disbelief. He felt as warm and vibrant as ever. She looked into his eyes again and said in a firm voice, “I’m not letting you go this time. I was so angry at you. You promised you would never leave me.”

“I didn’t leave you. After I was shot, I left my dying body. It may be easier to understand if you think of it as a permanent out-of-body experience. I’ve been in my astral body, right beside you the whole time. You couldn’t see me, but I was with you. There were a few times when you felt my presence; you just didn’t recognize it for what it was.”

She wondered if she should tell him about the baby, then realized that since he had been with her in spirit the whole time, he already knew. “You’ve got another physical body now, so everything’s going to be all right. We can go away together, get married on some tropical island and raise our son. Everything’s going to be all right,” she repeated.

“I’m sorry, Jennifer. As much as I’d like to do those things, I can’t.” The truth of his words was reflected in the look of loss on his face.

Pulling away from him, she demanded, “Why not? You’re here now. We are together again. What’s stopping us from disappearing together? The church and their thugs? None of that is important now. The only thing that matters is us, because we love each other and we should be together. And isn’t that what you’ve been saying since the beginning: love, love, love? We can disappear and they’ll never have to know that you came back. That you have risen again.”

He gave a small sad smile to her as she tried to rationalize their future together. “Risen again,” he mused. Then he shook himself out of his memory. He needed to make her understand and he was running out of time. “Well, for one thing, I’m afraid I broke the laws of physics.”

Jennifer looked confused, “Physics?”

He continued. “That’s right, physics. It’s God’s law that we are supposed to maintain the stability of the laws of physics in this world. People aren’t supposed to materialize new bodies because it breaks the law of physics, and that in turn breaks God’s law. I was allowed to do it briefly two thousand years ago. That’s why the disciples believed Jesus Barabbas was Jesus Christ raised from the dead. I gave them a nudge for the sake of God’s plan. I’ve been allowed to do it again today for the same reason.” He looked intensely at her, “Jennifer, I’ve only got a few minutes.”

She slumped down onto the bed. Tears formed in her eyes. She was losing him all over again and the pain this time felt as bad as the first time. Maybe worse. Pulling her knees up onto the bed, she hugged them and rocked. It felt like molten lead was poured into the pit of her stomach, burning and poisoning her at the same time. The depression threatened to return.

He sat down beside her. “Please don’t cry, Jennifer,” he said reaching out to caress her back. “Remember that separation is only an illusion. Someday you’re going to die too, and on that day, we’ll be together in paradise. I will be waiting, I promise. I’ve got another whole world to share with you and it’s really cool. And after that, we can come back here again if you want. We’ve been together through a thousand lifetimes. What’s a few years between friends? Besides, you should know that love transcends space and time. If you feel love for me here, I’ll feel it over there. And my love is with you all the time.”

She looked over to him, her eyes glistening with tears. She wanted to believe him, to believe that they did have a future together. With her whole heart, she wanted the future to be now. But she knew–she had known on the hillside in Israel–that it was not meant to be.

Now he was giving her a new hope, hope for a future where they could be together. She struggled with her rational, logical side that insisted all we have is here and now. Future lives, past lives, they were so hard to grasp. What was that old saying? The only certainties in life are death and taxes. Then there was Mike. She had seen him die and yet, she had just been in his arms. It was all too much to take in.

She understood for the first time that these few minutes with him was a miracle. This miracle was a gift from God, the same God she had been cursing since Mike had died.

Mike had said it was a short gift. There was so much to say, so much to understand, and no time left. She crawled back over into his arms. It was important feel his warm breath, the comfort of his arms while he was still with her. Another minute apart would be a minute wasted. She accepted now what had been impossible to accept before, but there was still a need understand why all of this had happened.

Mike had said that God had a plan. What could that plan be if he wasn’t going to rise from the dead like before? Confused, she questioned, “What about the whole Messiah thing, the second coming? Didn’t you come here to change the world? Aren’t you supposed to save the world from sin and rid the world of evil?”

“No, Jennifer.” He tried to think of a way to tell her that was not so sudden, but couldn’t. He looked a little uncomfortable, then finally he blurted it out. “That is your job. You’re the Messiah, not me. I can pull a few tricks, perform a few miracles, but you’re the writer; you’re the one who is going to deliver the message and change the world.”

Jennifer was floored. Messiah? Me? That’s absurd. She was really confused now. “But you said . . . ”

He put his finger to her lips. “I was wrong. Joe misled me and I jumped to the wrong conclusions. He said he wanted me to help deliver a message to the Earth, but he never said I was the new Messiah. You are the Messiah. I knew it in Israel. I touched the blocks of the Golden Gate and they felt solid to me. It wasn’t until you touched the stones with me that we fell through. You unlocked the stone blocks. You are the next Messiah, Jennifer.”

She was shaking. “But I don’t understand. Weren’t you Jesus Christ in your past-life?”

“Yes I was, and that’s why I could remember how to do miracles. But the miracles were meant for you, not the world.” He continued quickly. Time was running out. “Two thousand years ago, as Jesus, I was the Messiah. After I died, Jesus Barabbas became the Messiah. There have been others over the years too: Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha. Messiah has had many meanings over the years and one of them is ‘anointed by God.’ God never intended for there to be just one messiah. However, She does usually only have one at a time. And this time it’s your turn.”

“But what about your mission?”

He laughed as he stroked her hair, “I didn’t understand my mission until it was too late. My mission was to deliver the message to you. I was to show you some real magic, and give you the meaning of love and open up your heart. By forgiving your father and letting go of the hate, you have set yourself free to accomplish your mission as the new Messiah. The message is yours to give to the world.”

Although she was still in shock, she had regained her sense of humor. “I’m supposed to be the Messiah? What am I supposed to tell our son? That his father was Jesus Christ and his mother is the Messiah? Do you know how crazy that sounds? What am I supposed to do? I’m not anyone special. I don’t have your psychic powers or anything.”

He laughed again, because he knew she would be all right now. She would need some time, but it was going to be okay. “Just be yourself, Jennifer. I thought I was a ‘nobody’ too, but guess what: we’re all special. We’re all God’s chosen ones.”

“Being special is one thing. Being Messiah is another,” she said with her natural feistiness reemerging.

He smiled at her lovingly. “The word ‘Messiah’ also means deliverer. You’re a writer, and through your writing, you’re going to teach the world about love and deliver God’s message. It’s the same message I thought I was supposed to give. Remember what I taught you, both in this lifetime and in my lifetime as Jesus Christ.” Coyly, he told her, “You were there too, you know. You’ll remember what you need to remember when the time is right.”

She looked at him, shocked at yet another unexpected revelation.

He continued more solemnly, “There are turbulent times ahead. Chaos and disorder will reign. This world will always be a kindergarten for learning, and there will always be bullies on the playground. It’s all part of the learning process. Sometimes we need conflict in order to grow spiritually.”

“But I don’t want to lose you, Mike. I want you with me.” She thought about the baby. “We need you.”

He reached down and caressed the soft, warm body that held his child so safely. “It’s okay, Jennifer. I’ll be watching over you, making sure you’re safe. And I’m going to send a special angel to guide and protect you.” His eyes twinkled with knowing. Then he turned serious again. “But my time is almost gone. I’ve explained all that I can, and right now you’re in danger.”

She started to protest about the time being so short, when the rest of his words filtered in.

Mike stood up and lifted her from the bed, “Do you remember Tony Malone, the guy who shot you in the casino? He’s outside now and he’s been ordered to kill you.”

She cried, “Outside? He can’t be. Rabbi Goldberg is waiting for me in his car. He’s supposed to call me if there’s any sign of danger.”

“I’m sorry, Jen. He didn’t see the danger until it was too late. Goldberg is dead. Look.” He motioned out the window.

She peered out and saw the Rabbi slumped over in his car, dead. The normally white leather interior was now splattered with red blood, and Jennifer almost gagged at the sight. She bit her hand. In barely a whisper she asked, “Oh my God, what am I going to do now?”

Mike quickly led her to the front door where her bags were waiting. “I was allowed to break the law’s of physics to give you a chance to fulfill your destiny. You must go now Jennifer, take the stairs and go out the back door of the building. There’s a cab out there waiting for you.”

Jennifer head was spinning, the image of the angry red against the white leather burned into her mind. She had almost come to accept this God that had given her these last few precious minutes. But now Goldberg was dead. Mike must have known the rabbi was in danger, yet he had been busy with her. She had been selfish. “Why didn’t you warn me earlier? You must have known the Rabbi was in danger. Why didn’t you save him?” she asked, confused.

“Everyone has a role to play and a lesson to learn. Goldberg gave his life pursuing a Messiah for his people. And in the end, he learned about sacrifice and faith. His was a very successful life. Sometimes you’ve just got to leave things up to the Powers That Be. Now Jennifer, you must go.” Mike said more insistent. “Take the cab to Reno. From there you can rent a car and drive somewhere safe, or better yet, fly somewhere.”

“What about Malone?”

“I’ll deal with him.”

She wanted to be held in his strong arms, cradling and protecting her. She wanted to talk to him about the baby, about being a father and being a mother. She wanted to ask him what she should do next. Or where she should go. Or why he was killed, or any of the million questions in her head. Their time had been so short! She started, “But . . . ”

Mike put his index finger to his lips. “I’ll be okay, Jennifer. I’m already dead so he can’t hurt me. We’ve got to go now. We are out of time.” Mike voice took on a commanding tone that stopped all of her questions. “I’ll go first. Wait until I signal, then run down the stairs to the taxi. Got it? Now let’s go.”

Jennifer stepped out into the hallway of her apartment, dragging her laptop and the suitcases. She looked up in panic as she heard the elevator ding. She saw Mike taking long strides down the hallway. He reached it just seconds before the doors opened. Dressed in a black suit and leather gloves, Malone stood framed by the door of the elevator, an ominous specter of evil. His training had prepared him for the unexpected. His movements were quick and smooth when he saw Mike and Jennifer in the hallway. He brandished his gun menacingly.

Mike stood defiantly in front of the elevator doors. His radiance increased until the whole hallway glowed with his presence. He held his palms up and turned his eyes up, the spitting image of Jesus Christ. He said, “Peace be with you. I am the risen Christ. He who believeth in me shall not perish.”

Malone’s eyes shifted from Jennifer to Mike. In his many years as a hired killer, he had learned to expect people to be afraid of him and the gun he held. His gun was power and ordinary people cowered away from it in fear, yet the man before him was not afraid. He was confronting him, defying him, and that made him feel insecure and even a little bit afraid. When Mike’s appearance and words sunk in–I am the risen Christ–the fear quickly gave way to wonderment and awe. He felt blessed to be in the presence of Christ, but even that feeling gave way to a different kind of fear: fear of judgment. He knew he had just killed a man. It wasn’t much of a sin, compared to his sordid past. It was just a non-believer, a Rabbi, and that made it okay, wasn’t it? Now he was on a mission to kill the woman, Jennifer, in order to save the world from evil and preserve God’s holy Catholic Church, but now Christ himself was stopping him. He suddenly wondered: was it wrong? Had he sinned? Would Christ condemn him to the fires of hell?

Mike said, “You’ve taken the wrong path, Mr. Malone. You have been misled by people who are blind to the truth. A wise man once said,” He quoted a Stratovarius song: “‘What kind of man kills because of ideology? What kind of God justifies violence?’ For the only path to God is the path of love and forgiveness.” Then he pointed at the floor.

Malone dropped his gun and sunk to his knees, saying, “Lord, have mercy.”

Mike waved his right hand in front of Malone’s eyes and said, “Behold: your next lesson is humility. Now you must earn your sight and learn to see again. For it is said: ‘The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away’.” Then the light around him grew in intensity and he vanished with a blinding flash.

Malone collapsed and brought his hands to his eyes, a reaction to the pain of the light flash. Mike’s face was the last thing he ever saw.

Excerpt from The Gospel According to Mike

Someone asked him, “What religion should we follow?”

He said, “Do not follow, lead. The only true religion is the one inside your heart, the one that cultivates the spiritual link between you and the Creator. Go to the church, synagogue, mosque or temple that carries you swiftest down the path of loving spirituality. Use the beliefs and rituals that strengthen your relationship with God. But do not let others tell you what to believe, and do not condemn another because they have chosen a path different from yours.”