FRANK MIELE

Last week, I wrote about the New York Times' crusade to uncover and publish top-secret information and made the case that secrecy is in fact oftentimes a good thing, not something to be rooted out and destroyed.

That column generated quite a few comments from people who were worried that I was advocating torture. I didn't actually, but I do advocate whatever is necessary, including a little secrecy, to keep us safe and to help us prevail in our war against Islamic terrorists.

Some people say this is not Christian, that it just promotes "us against them" thinking. Apparently they didn't get the memo about the wheat and the chaff. In fact, Christian thinking is all about "us vs. them," except that Christ was trying to increase the "us" and decrease the "them" by persuading people to "repent and sin no more."

Interestingly, Christ is perhaps the best example in history of how important secrecy is - not just in private life, but also public life. Probably, when the "whistleblower" Judas leaked inside information about the Jesus movement to the Sanhedrin, he intended to shed light on what he thought were misguided policies, but can't we all agree that, in that case at least, a little more secrecy would have been a good thing?

Indeed, as any student of the Bible could tell you, the New Testament is filled with examples of how important secrecy is. Starting in the Gospel of Mark, the earliest of the Gospels, there is a recognized "secrecy theme" which exhibits itself in a variety of ways. Whenever Jesus heals the lame or blind, for instance, he warns them not to tell anyone else what has happened. You might say that Jesus was hoping to avoid the paparazzi, and since paparazzi literally means swarming flies, you would not be far wrong. He probably thought he could work best in an intimate setting, without a bunch of gawkers trying to get a glimpse of him.

Of course, we know that did not work. People were climbing on rooftops to see him, clinging to tree branches, and reaching out to touch the hem of his garment. They all wanted the same thing - to know his secret.

But Jesus wasn't always talking - at least openly. Many times, he preferred to preach in parables. Over and over, he would walk amidst the people and tell them stories that seemed to make no sense. Even his very disciples were puzzled by them. Jesus was not swayed to change his approach, however; he actually taunted those in the crowd who were unable to comprehend his words: "Let those who have ears to hear, hear!" he shouted. He then huddled with his disciples and told them what the parables really meant, probably infuriating the crowd.

In a similar setting today, there would have been people holding up signs complaining, "The parables are for everyone, not just a few!" and "Jesus unfair to mentally challenged!"

If the New York Times had been there, 2,000 years ago, reporting on the ministry of Jesus Christ in Israel, perhaps we would have gotten a story something like this:

JERUSALEM - Jesus of Nazareth, an itinerant preacher from Galilee, has secretly told his private council that he is planning for full-scale war against the forces of evil, and that deaths could number in the hundreds of thousands, yea millions.

Jesus would not respond to numerous questions from the crowds on this matter, but he has actively begun to plan for his ascension to the throne of David, sources close to the rabbi told the Times.

Although Jesus commonly calls for blessings on the peace-makers, he is reportedly working behind the scenes to envelope the world in a stormy conflagration similar to that worked in Sodom and Gomorrah in years past.

Asked whether he was the messiah foretold in ancient scripture, Jesus dodged the question, responding only "Whom do men say that I am?"

The rabbi has been careful not to identify himself as the messiah, perhaps to avoid prosecution for blasphemy, but sources say that he has repeatedly used various code words to signal his followers about his "true identity."

Reportedly, one of his disciples known as Simon Peter did confront Jesus at one point while they were on a fund-raising tour through the towns of Caesarea Philippi, saying "Thou art the Christ."

According to at least one source present, Jesus told Peter and the others within earshot that they were never to repeat this again to anyone. Some of those gathered with Jesus at the time said they felt threatened and harassed, and believe that they were being warned not to testify against Jesus in a court of law.

Most of Jesus' followers say that he has a secret teaching, which is only available to a few, whom he calls the Chosen Ones. Although he does preach regularly about salvation and a coming day of judgment, Jesus is withholding from the public certain useful information said to be written in a book he carries. This Book of Life supposedly contains a record of all the deeds and misdeeds of those on Earth, with an appendix indicating the place of habitation for each in the next life.

The publishers of the Times have confirmed that they will file a Freedom of Information lawsuit with the Sanhedrin to force Jesus to hand over the Book of Life and any and all related papers, documents and scrolls such as would be necessary to decipher said Book, along with an accounting of any war plans that have been made in secret with his council.

xxx

And so it goes. If it were not for the New York Times, I suppose we might never get to the bottom of that story either. Let those who have eyes to see, see.

xxx

Frank Miele is managing editor of the Daily Inter Lake. E-mail responses may be sent to edit@dailyinterlake.com.