The second story I’d like to share this month is called Gethsemane.
I’m a big fan of retellings of myths and gods and while I hate to use trigger warnings for my works this is a special case; if you think a retelling of a Judeo-Christo story is going to offend you, this is your queue to bow out. If you have strong feelings about any religion, that’s great but this is not the place for you to share them. This is a place for story telling which is what I believe in.
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For those still with me this story was born out of a university assignment. I grew up with Bible Stories, and my favourites were the often obscure ones that weren’t really for ‘children’…these were the epic battles between angels and demons and pissed off prophets calling down fire. These are still my favourites to be honest and I look forward to doing retellings of them in the future.
One thing I have gotten frustrated with over the years is this constant need to redo the cruxification story. Yeshua-Jesus to the West- did so many amazing, kick ass things in his life and yet it’s his murder that people want to keep retelling? Yes, it was horrific. Yes, it was unjust. Yes, to some it is a symbol of a covenant fulfilled. But people want to keep putting him back on the cross when it played a rather small part in his whole story. Perhaps this is why the stunning Anne Rice has had such a response to her Christ the Lord series, because it takes him down off that thing and shows him for what he was – a human.
Whether you believe he was divine or not is irrelevant. Yeshua was a real person, there is non-Christian texts to prove it (Flavius Josephus, Tacitus and Suetonius). He lived and breathed and taught and died. He was a guy who got up and worked the tough job of Near Eastern carpentry in a time of unrest in his country. He was a rebel of the times, one who taught love and tolerance to all races, sexes and religions. Don’t believe what the haters say. That was what he was teaching, anyone who says otherwise isn’t reading the message properly (I suggest trying here, here ,here and oh here). He was an amazing guy all things considered and yet it’s his death people want to focus on.
To me, his death isn’t even the most incredible thing about the crucifixion. Yeshua knew he was going to die and warned his followers about it on more than one occasion. On the night of his arrest he prayed that God (Elyon) would change his mind because he was afraid and didn’t want to have to do it (such a freaking human thing to do)..he prayed so hard that he sweated blood (gnarly as).
The thing that speaks the most to me is that even though he was afraid he still sucked it up and went to his death. That’s courage at its purest form. He died for what he believed in, he believed it so much he even healed the jerks that had come to kill him (I wouldn’t have been that nice).
This story is seen through the archangel Michael, a figure that I am writing a book about, who would’ve had to stand by and let it all play out. For those interested I’ve used The Tree of Life Messianic Bible as my primary source because its translation from historical texts is hardcore and being a research nut I like using the traditional names and titles of things.
I hope you all have a safe and happy Easter!
Find it here: Gethsemane.
Amy Kuivalainen 
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