Arnaud Dumouch, 2005, http://eschatologie.free.fr

THE PHARISEE WHO WAS NOT JUSTIFIED

Translation: Alain Queneville

"Two people went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other." (Luke 18:10-14a).

“I met a Pharisee there. Phone me if you want hear the rest of this story. ”

I checked her return address and realized she didn’t live that far away from me, so I called her up an asked when would it be convenient to meet

She was 87 years old and had lived forever in her corner of the country. Before meeting her, I expected to find a country-worn, wrinkled old girl. What I found was a sharp, well-dressed dowager with an engaging personality.

So after some formalities and a bit of small talk, I asked Jeanne to tell me her story…I didn’t have to ask twice

“ I’m glad you came and you were right to believe me. I really saw hell. But it is so different from what I believed.”

“Tell me. I’m sure it will be interesting whatever the case may be. I’ll tell you after if it conforms to our faith. ”

“I was there twice. It’s my angel who took me there. He transported me into the future. There, our world didn’t exist any more and the resurrection had already taken place. I had the impression of an extremely long voyage, through an immense and a much more luminous world than ours. Everywhere, I saw sparks, like sparks from a campfire, untold thousands of saints, circulating here and there, alone, in pairs, or in groups traversing the universe at the speed of a thought leaving comets tail of light and joy in their wake

But my angel didn’t want that to delay our trip by me soaking in this fantastic spectacle. He took us further into this gigantic galaxy.

“I was instructed to have you meet one of the damned he told me. This galaxy here is their world. I’ll leave you alone with him because he doesn’t want to be anywhere near me, and I respect his wish.”

This world of the damned was huge and splendid: I guessed the number of stars to be in the billions, all more and more beautiful, surrounded by planets. My angel led me towards a red planet, isolated and sterile. And I found him, my contact in a cave, at the foot of a mountain.

- How it is that your living here in this cave, like a spider. It was told everything here belongs to you!

- Listen. I see what I see. You have suns; planets, gardens and you live here in the dark!

- It is the only way of having peace and quiet. You saw them, all these “tourists”. They go everywhere.

- Don’t ever talk to me about them ever! It is a rotten shame. They have no dignity. They wallow in sordid joy. Never stop their meetings…Humph… showing off the suffering they endured, telling each other how they were forgiven; and I can feel them… they gadabout everywhere throughout the universe. I can’t stand them. They’re everywhere.

- You’re hiding so you don’t have to see them? Then you aren’t free. Does God lock you up in hell?

- Hell no! I’m not in hell; Hell was to frighten people on earth. There is no hell. I am free. And God respects my freedom. You want the proof of it: look at this glorious body that HE gave me on the day of my resurrection. I’m immortal. I can move anywhere I want. Nothing can hurt me. I don’t need to eat anymore. You believe that God would have done this if I were in hell?

- Get out!! I don’t want to see you any more. You came to torment me. Tell God that I don’t need anybody. I’m doing fine on my own.”

I woke up faster than a light could be turned on. I sat in my bed realizing this really hadn’t been a dream. It was real. I thought a lot about this experience. I thought if my angel sought me out again, I’d have to be a little more circumspect with this poor soul. You know I’m a pretty spunky lady so I told myself, no sense in cheesing him off.

I asked: “You weren’t afraid? I was terrified when he had one of his outbursts.

-However I have in mind the vision of his body. It was luminous. It is a splendid but pitiful body. Splendid because it oozed power and immortality. Pitiful because I had had a clear unencumbered view of his heart. He was a hard & stubborn man.

- Yes, two months later. My angel came back and we retraced our steps back to that red planet. I realized that hell and paradise were in the same universe. I found that lost soul once again. He hadn’t moved an inch. So he said to me:

“Simplest way to proceed is we get right to the point. You want to know who I was and why I chose my freedom?

“I am one of the best Jewish theologists of my time. I was circumcised as of the eighth day. I am an Israelite, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew son of Hebrews; as for the Law, I am a Pharisee; as a dispenser of justice, I was irreproachable.”

- Listen. If your going to rail at me each time I open my mouth, then to do it now and get it over with right now! But lets get one thing straight here: if God chose me to interview you, it’s because He has His reasons. If He didn’t He would have taken a person less talkative than me. So… make an effort.”

- Ok then… Ok!! Lets get it over with! In any event, I don’t seem to have much choice. But I’ll ask you for one thing only: NEVER… ever speak to me, about the Queen. That’s all I ask.

Ok promise I said at once. Only too glad to have diverted his attention from saint Paul. I understood right away that the queen he was referring to could only be the Virgin Mary.

I told myself, when I finish the interview though, I’ll try, all the same, to slip in a few indirect questions about Mary. Although I have a fair idea what’s going to happen if I do…it’ll be interesting to see his reaction.

- If I agreed to speak to you it’s because I can finally make the rationality of my choice known to man; and induce them to give up their childish notions about my preference. I always served God… He had given us the Law, via Moses. I followed it to the letter. I spent my life conforming to the law to every least details of the regulations. And I succeeded. I loved the sense of order the Law gave. Every thing is regulated there in minute detail. But hear me out here! Don’t take to me for a meticulous dullard. I was, on the contrary, an excellent theologian. I defended the concept of the resurrection in the tradition of my ancestors the Maccabees. And as you can see it wasn’t in vain. I’m the living proof that I was right.

- We are not in revolt. Nobody can revolt against him. God isn’t the problem here it’s His project. He’s completely lost it, He’s in total contradiction with Himself. Wasn’t it Him who gave us the Moses’ law?

- Then the Law was simple. It taught with precision the need for the virtue. If a woman committed adultery, she had to be put to death. It’s a question of human dignity and a way to its perfection. And then all of a sudden, He starts to teach the reverse. It is as if HE regretted His own laws. There was this Jesus, who came to preach…

- You want to know? OK then...! I even voted his death. I was there when he turned God’s words over for his profit. Once we had brought an adulteress to him. He played with people’s sensitivities and she was released.

- He said: “Cast the first stone… which ever one of you is free of sin, cast the first stone”. You didn’t throw the first stone? You could of thrown it. You were faithful to the Laws weren’t you? You’ve never sinned…have you?

- What do you mean here? Are you trying to say that I committed adultery? And that’s the reason I didn’t throw the first stone? That’s definitively not the problem. The stones should have been thrown but it became impossible because Jesus had garnered a lot of support. It is a question of what is right, about justice it’s about honour.

- You’re changing subject. You didn’t throw the first stone. So did you or didn’t you commit adultery?

- Ok! Ok! Take it easy! I’ll stop. But tell me. If you voted for Jesus’ death, hadn't you see some of his miracles?

- His miracles couldn’t be from God. It’s impossible. He taught the opposite of Moses ‘Law.

- But now, can’t you darn well see He has power over the world no? Doesn't that come from God?

- It’s impossible. Never. He can’t be from God! Its obvious God got caught in a trap! And its the reason of our revolt. And we are numerous and powerful. We will never yield. To God will eventually understand. He will do right by us. He will recognize one day that we are the true servants of his Power, and of his dignity as Creator.

- But you saw Jesus in his glory all the same? You saw Him at the hour of your death, and at the end of the world, with the Virgin Mary and all the saints!

- Never! Never shall I yield! They are liars. N He’s not God. He’s insane. He gave himself the world, to the most miserable of creatures. Get out! Get out! Don’t ever, ever come back. I knew it! You came here to torment me.

I awoke. I was back in my bed. I was still shaking from his terrible anger, his rage. Never in my lifetime had I seen so much hate and powerlessness, tied to so much determination… it was pathetic.

- I’m sure he is. Only it’s much deeper and more painful than I can ever imagined it. Its something that touches his whole being.

- I’m pretty sure he admits his failure. But he’s not crazy. However, he never he will admit that God raises up those who are humble. He’s too proud for that.

- I was able to see his heart and read his soul. The adultery he committed was in the secrecy of his thoughts. And I saw that the true nature of his heart at the time of his death. He refused to admit that he was but a poor sinner all of us. All his life, he had built himself up with a treasure of what he perceived to be pious achievements: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.”