RABBI JESUS.

RABBI JESUS INSISTED THAT HIS FOLLOWERS BE READY TO SUFFER AS HE DID, IF THEY TRULY WANTED TO SERVE GOD AND WALK ALONG THE PATH HE WALKED, TO ANGELIC STATUS AND EVERLASTING LIFE (MATTHEW 10:37-38; LUKE 14: 26-27):

"the one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and the one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever does not take his cross and follow behind me is not worthy of me".

JESUS TEACHING ABOUT SUFFERING CAME TO BE FUSED WITH FINAL EVENTS LEADING UP TO HIS DEATH THAT THE GOSPELS PRESENT HIS CRUCIFIXION, STEP BY STEP., AS DIVINELY ORDAINED. BUT WHAT WAS PROVIDENTIAL IN JESUS EXECUTION WAS NOT THAT IT WAS PREDETERMINED, BUT THAT IT BECAME THE VEHICLE  FOR AN UNCONQUERABLE VISION. THE "CROSS" HE EXPECTED TO CARRY, AND EXPECTED HIS FOLLOWERS TO CARRY, DID NOT REFER TO THE PARTICULAR SEQUENCE OF EVENTS THAT BROUGHT HIM TO HIS DEATH. IN LOSING HIS LIFE HE SAVED IT, CONSUMMATED HIS ANGELIC IDENTITY, WAS RESURRECTED, AND TOOK HIS PLACE BY THE THRONE WITH MOSES AND ELIJAH AT GOD'S SIDE.
HE WAS HEADED THAT WAY AS CAIAPHAS BAITED HIM AFTER HIS ARREST IN GETHSEMANE. "ARE YOU THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF THE BLESSED?" THE HIGH PRIEST ASKED. INSTEAD OF ANY DEMURRAL OR SILENCE, THERE CAME THE WORDS, "I AM, AND YOU WILL SEE THE ONE LIKE THE PERSON SITTING AT THE RIGHT OF THE POWER AN COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF THE HEAVEN.  JESUS REPLY SEALED HIS FATE. ( A LESSON TO REMEMBER:  HE ENDED HIS LIFE BY REMAINING FAITHFUL TO WHAT HE KNEW TO BE THE REALITY OF HIS VISION. THE FINAL CHOICE HE MADE, AFTER WHICH HE HAD NO CHOICES TO MAKE, REACHED DEEP INTO THE VISIONARY WORLD THAT HAD LONG SUSTAINED HIM. IN JEWISH THEOLOGY OF MARTYRDOM THAT SAW JESUS THROUGH HIS LAST HOURS, SUFFERING ENDURED FOR TRUTH:
 RABBI AQIBA DIED IN 135 C.E. UNDER ROMAN TORTURE WITH THE ANCIENT WORDS ON HIS LIPS, "HEAR, ISRAEL, THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE"  (DEUTERONOMY  6:4). THE TALMUD DEPICTS BOTH OF HIS AGONY AND OF HIS PROPHETIC REWARD: HE HELD ON THE WORD, "ONE," UNTIL HIS SOUL EXPIRED AS HE SAID THE WORD "ONE." AN ECHO CAME FROM HEAVEN:

 he held on to the word, "one,"  until his soul expired as he said the word one." an echo from heaven came forth and said, "happy are you, Rabbi Aqiba THAT YOUR SOUL EXPIRED WITH THE WORD 'ONE' "THE SERVING ANGELS SAID BEFORE THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE,
IS THIS TORAH AND THAT THE REWARD...?  HE SAID TO THEM, THEIR PORTION IS IN LIFE."  AN ECHO WENT FORTH AND PROCLAIMED, HAPPY ARE YOU, R .Aqiba, FOR YOU ARE SELECTED FOR THE "LIFE OF THE WORLD TO COME".

THE PRINCIPAL OF PROPHETIC MARTYRDOM NEITHER BEGAN WITH NOR ENDED WITH RABBI JESUS.
THE APOCALYPTIC SACRIFICE OF ZECHARIAH WAS UNFINISHED,  INCOMPLETE. BUT IN THE END HE HAD ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING MORE PROFOUND. HE HAD OPENED THE WAY FROM THIS WORLD TO THE REALM OF GOD FOR ALL WHO CHOSE TO TAKE UP THEIR DAILY CROSSES AND FOLLOW HIM. IN HIS FINAL HOURS, HE HAD CRIED OUT WITH HIS HEARTBREAKING PLEA (TAKEN FROM PSALM 22): "MY GOD MY GOD WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" (MATTHEW 27:46; MARK 15:34).  BUT PEOPLE ALSO REMEMBER HIS SAYING, "AMEN I SAY TO YOU, TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE!" (LUKE 23:43),  THE GARDEN WITHIN WHICH ACCORDING TO JEWISH THEOLOGY, THOSE WHO HAD ACCESS TO THE CHARIOT REJOICED. THE SAME PSALM THAT JESUS BEGAN TO RECITE ON THE CROSS CULMINATES IN ANTICIPATION OF ALL PEOPLE, IN A TRANSFORMED WORLD OFFERING SACRIFICE IN GOD'S KINGDOM  PSALM 22:27-28). IT WAS WITH THAT TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF THE MYSTICAL   GARDEN IN VIEW, THE PARADISE THAT ONCE HELD ADAM AND EVE AND NOW AWAITED THE ENLIGHTENED JUST, THAT JESUS BREATHED OUT THE LAST OF HIS SPIRIT WITH WHAT SOME GOSPELS PORTRAY AS A WORDLESS SHOUT (MATTHEW 27:50; MARK 15:37) AND WHICH LUKE AND JOHN WISELY INTERPRET AS THE RETURN
OF JESUS SPIRIT TO ITS SOURCE (LUKE 23:46; JOHN 19:30). THE PROGRESSION O VISIONS OF JESUS AFTER HIS DEATH FOLLOWED THE PATTERN SUGGESTED BY THE WHITE-ROBE ANGEL THE TWO MIRIAM'S ENCOUNTERED WITH THEIR COMPANION WITH THEIR BALM TO THE MOUTH OF JESUS TOMB ON T MORNING SHABBATH. " YOU SEEK YESHUA. THE CRUCIFIED NAZIRITE. HE IS RAISED, HE IS NOT HERE...DEPART, TELL HIS STUDENTS AND ROCK FOR PETER, THE SPIRIT THAT HAD ONCE BEEN ACTIVE  IN JESUS ALONE, AS GOD'S SON WAS POURED OUT ON HIS FOLLOWERS, COMMISSIONING  THEM TO FORGIVE AND HEAL ON HIS BEHALF. BUT FOR JAMES, JESUS SPECIALLY BECAME THE SAME ONE LIKE THE PERSON IN HEAVEN, ENVISAGED BY EZEKIEL AND DANIEL, OF WHOM JESUS HIMSELF HAD SO OFTEN SPOKEN.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PETER WITHIN THE EARLY CHURCH, PARTICULARLY AS A SOURCE OF FAITH IN JESUS RESURRECTION, HAS LEAD TO THE UNDERSTANDABLE BUT CARELESS CONCLUSION THAT SIMON PETER'S VISION IS THE ONLY REAL SOURCE OF THE BELIEF THAT JESUS WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD. BUT IT WAS JAMES WHO TOOK OVER JESUS MOVEMENT IN JERUSALEM. JAMES - ALWAYS MORE ASCETIC THAN HIS FAMOUSLY CAROUSING BROTHER- PRACTICED NAZARITE VOWS   OF PURITY IN A DEDICATION TO WORSHIP IN THE TEMPLE THAT MADE HIM A PARAGON AMONG JEWS AS A WHOLE, NOT ONLY IN THE LITTLE MOVEMENT THAT CAME TO BE CALLED "CHRISTIANITY". HEGESIPPUS, A SECOND-CENTURY HISTORIAN, RECOUNTS THAT JAMES "DRANK NO WINE OR STRONG DRINK, NOR DID HE EAT FLESH; NO RAZOR WENT UPON HIS HEAD; HE DID NOT ANOINT HIMSELF WITH OIL, HE DID NOT GO TO THE BATHS,"OI VEY.".. HE USED TO ENTER THE TEMPLE
"ALONE, I WONDER WHY? AND BE FOUND KNEELING AND PRAYING FOR FORGIVENESS FOR THE PEOPLE, SO HIS KNEES GREW SO HARD LIKE A CAMEL'S. IT WAS JAMES WITH CAMEL KNEES WHO PROMOTED WORSHIP IN THE TEMPLE AND REGULATED THE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IN THE HOLY CITY BEFORE HE WAS KILLED BY THE HIGH PRIEST ANANUS IN 62 c.e.  FOR PROCLAIMING THAT JESUS WAS BOTH THE ONE LIKE THE AND THE GATE WAY INTO HEAVEN. PERSON