The Spirit That Moves Mountains

Jeshua - Chapter 32

The gong rang before the sun peeked over the Dead Sea, and we stretched and moved around in the dark in silence. No one came to the tent to get us, but we could see a light glowing just outside, as someone waited to greet us.

Stepping outside we were met by a younger community member, Isaac, who had assignments prepared for each one of us. Apparently, the plan was to separate all of us and to make sure we were each paired with a different community member.

Mary and the women were huddled together and told to gather in a tent to prepare the morning meal, after they prayed separately from the men. We gave each other a warm kiss farewell, and I watched as she walked arm in arm with Isaah and Mariam.

Isaac began pointing each of our friends to different parts of the community. "Who are the ones called James and John?"

John and James exchanged sighs and then stepped forward.

Isaac turned and pointed to a small hut buried in the side of the rock. "Please go to the men in that hut. You will help them procure water for the community. It is one of the most important tasks, and you will see how we Essenes gather water in a way unlike any other community." Isaac looked very pleased with himself.

John shrugged at James. James waved, motioning for John to proceed, and then both men walked off in the direction of the hut.

The assignments were doled out until I was the last person left. I knew exactly who I was going to be paired up with, and I looked forward to the forgiveness opportunities that lay ahead with my brother Nicodemus.

"Rabbi Jeshua," Isaac said, turning toward me. "Elder Nicodemus would like you to assist with morning prayers and help with the blessing of the food. Will you please follow me?"

"I am all yours, brother." I bowed my head and followed Isaac toward the center of the community.

We arrived at a simple dwelling that I assumed was Nicodemus's home. We found him in a kneeling position but leaning back on his haunches, with his head bowed down in prayer. Isaac stopped short at the entrance of the home and bowed, extending his arm in front of my chest, and we waited.

Realizing this was Nicodemus's prayer time, I decided it was a wonderful opportunity to meditate and softly stepped inside the home. Isaac gave a start when he felt me move beside him. I sensed his uneasiness and could tell he wanted to say something like, "That's against the rules," but he chose not to.

I sat down off to the side of the entryway and crossed my legs. I closed my eyes, immediately joining with spirit in my mind. I let out a gentle sigh as I enjoyed the feeling of unity in my heart. It felt full and at peace. There was no worry or wondering how the day was to unfold. All that mattered was the peace of the present moment. From this place, I sent peace and healing to all of my brothers and sisters, which made the sense of unity and love in my heart swell to even greater depths.

I could feel Isaac shift uncomfortably next to me, and I sent peace from the mind of the Holy Spirit to him. I thought of the Essene community as a whole and offered up the minds of the people to the Holy Spirit as healed, whole, and forgiven with Father. I imagined that we were all one with Father in Heaven, and that is where I sat. With God.

"Your friends are in for a treat today," exclaimed Nicodemus.

I opened my eyes and smiled at him. "I'm sure we are, my brother."

"I can feel the presence of God coursing through me more than ever!" He looked around like a new babe. "Isaac, come and help me up."

Isaac quickly strode into the room and gently lifted Nicodemus up and onto his feet.

"Thank you, my boy. These old bones aren't what they used to be." He turned back to me. "Yes, indeed, Rabbi Jeshua. I think you will enjoy what I have in store for you today. But for now, let us do our duty and prepare for morning prayer and blessings of the food."

"As you wish, Rabbi." I followed Nicodemus and Isaac out of the dwelling, and we went about our duties for the morning.

There was nothing out of the ordinary that morning until it was time for Nicodemus to gather our group together so he could share the vision of the Essene way of achieving God. Nicodemus rounded up all of the men within one of their community tents. He was about to begin his lecture when I said, "Elder Nicodemus, I don't think we are ready to begin. We are missing the other part of our group."

Nicodemus looked confused. "Rabbi, all of your members are here. I don't understand." Isaac ran up and whispered into Nicodemus's ear. Nicodemus expressed a frown. "Not this again. Rabbi Jeshua, as we have discussed, scripture clearly has laid out the roles of men and women."

"My understanding was that the invitation we received from John the Baptist, which was an extension from this community, was for all of us. In the group I travel with and the God I commune with, all are equal in His eyes. Is there no way we can work out a compromise? Perhaps we can hear your words outside, where God can hear you better."

Nicodemus's eyes narrowed. He began tugging on his gray-and-black peppered beard. "I suppose the Word of God should be shared with nature and the beasts, and if the women have completed their tasks, they can listen."

We all nodded, and the group stood up to leave. I remained behind and let everyone file out as Nicodemus watched. He walked up next to me and grabbed my arm with surprising strength. "I can be reasonable, but if you continue to undermine my authority, you may not be welcome here much longer."

"Elder Nicodemus, my brother, I do not mean disrespect to you personally, but I will be up front to tell you that my personal knowledge and understanding of God will be different than yours, and I hope that as we discuss these things, we can help each other see sides of God that will further our love for each other."

He released my arm. "I will be watching you very closely." He hobbled out of the tent and into the morning sunlight.

We listened to Nicodemus speak for quite a while. He was very knowledgeable of scripture, and it was pleasurable to hear a community talk about their love of God. So many communities we visited usually spoke about law or talked around God. They would talk about praying, or that they followed the commandments, or they would say Him or would simply point up to the sky. The Essenes said the word God or Father a lot, which I really enjoyed.

They also had great intentions to simplify their lives so that they could focus their minds and energy on God. But that's where I felt they started to get a little extreme. The split mind can take a good idea and distort it to make the body real again.

In the case of the Essenes, they wanted to get closer to God, so they used the physical world as a way to create sacrifice and guilt to achieve this end. That is definitely not what God wants.

We sat in silence as Nicodemus talked for several hours. He was very graceful with his words, but after the first hour, he started to repeat himself and then got into attack mode by condemning the Romans, Pharisees, and gentiles.

Eventually, I raised my hand, interrupting Nicodemus.

"Yes, Rabbi Jeshua. What is it?"

"Thank you for the fascinating delivery, brother Nicodemus. With the vast layer of information you have delivered, I am sure several of my friends have some questions. Well, I know I do. Will there be time to ask questions?"

Awareness dawned on Nicodemus's face. "Oh, heavens forgive. I told you I felt the power of God running through me today. I have completely lost track of time!" He looked up at the sky and noticed it was well past midday. "Let us go and have our midday refreshments. Some water? Some meat and olives? We can ask questions there."

"Wonderful. Thank you, brother," James said as he blew out his breath. "That man sure can talk. I wonder if he even remembered we were here."

"Remember what I taught you?" I asked. "None of us is here." I laughed and slapped him on the back.

The rest of the afternoon was a careful game of challenging Nicodemus but backing off just before he boiled over in rage. I found the exchange to be fascinating. I wondered if Nicodemus would have the insight to reflect on our conversation in his prayers and notice any room for lightening up.