Faith

The second thief

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Did you see what is going on in China?

Coco thought he would offer two different perspectives on the day which we call Good Friday. Please grant him an indulgence for this first one. The second perspective has been inspired by events at the focus of the Sinospheric regions. He shall come to that shortly.

They knew it was not just to be a normal day, but a mood of gloom had spread over the hosts of angels which was, if it could be, even deeper than the gloom which rested upon the earth1. They thought it would never end. Gabriel was in his office, he really did not know what to do. They saw what was going on, but did not understand it at all. They knew it was very serious, they had heard someone say in Egypt2: the gods must be very angry about something. He looked at the throne. He could not approach it, God was clearly angry, very angry. Gabriel had never seen this sort of anger before.

Just a twenty four hours earlier they had had instructions to prepare and twelve thousand angels had spent several hours polishing their armour and sharpening their swords, for it was not known whether they would be called upon or not3. But the call to arms did not come. What had happened? One of their number had been sent to a garden, but had not returned with a message to send more4. They were in limbo (not that there is a limbo of course, but you understand Coco’s meaning).

They knew of course what was happening on earth. They had seen it before the thick darkness fell. Three men had been taken to a hill to be crucified, and one of them was their lord, the other two were thieves. Why had they not been sent to rescue him? They had not been short in their preparation. But now the darkness had fallen, they could not see through it, this was the kind of darkness that they had never seen before. Even though they knew that when light shines in the darkness the darkness cannot overcome it5, this darkness seemed to be even darker than that and had all the appearance of being able to prevail.

Just when Gabriel thought it could not get any worse, a large shipment of cloth arrived. Gabriel was not unused to this, red, blue and gold cloth6 were not uncommon as they were used for the priestly garments, but this was different. It was fine white linen. Gabriel could not think of a use for it (He should have remembered what one of his co-workers had done when Joshua appeared before the throne7). Where was he going to store it? He had no idea, and even if he did none of the others had at that time any motivation to be able to do anything. Then a note came giving instructions on what to do with it. They were to make garments out of it, and quickly as one set would be needed within the next hour.

Gabriel was almost at his wits end. How could he do this? No-one had a heart to work, and he had no pattern to use, and even if he did, he did not know what size would be required. Just as he was pondering this, there was a knock on his office door and an angel burst in.

“Gabriel,” he said, “something big is happening. There is an enormous commotion over by the gate, and we cannot control it. The gates, you know they are normally quite sedentary, but they are moving, not only that they are lifting up the doors. Another group of angels is singing8 to them: ‘Lift up your heads, O you gates! Be lifted up you everlasting doors.’ What was going on? Can you tell us?“

Then Gabriel remembered the words of David in Psalm 249, and asked: “Has the darkness gone?” The message quickly went out to the others, they all looked. “Yes!” they shouted back, “The darkness on the earth has gone.” “Then we had better get ready quickly, the King is coming back. David spoke about it9: ‘Lift up your heads, O you gates, be lifted up you everlasting doors and the King of Glory shall come in.’ Quickly, everyone go to your posts! We must welcome our lord, he is coming home.” Then another angel shouted out: “I heard him cry out: ‘It is finished‘10, just before the darkness went.”

Gabriel went to the gates, they had now stopped moving. They were ready, they had lifted up their heads and lifted up the doors, and were waiting.

Then a man appeared, it was one of the two thieves who had been crucified that day. ‘What is he doing here?11‘ they thought. He was filthy, he looked as if he had been running around the street all night and was very much the worse for wear, he needed a good wash and new clothes. They were aghast. An angel stepped forward to bar the way12 of the man. The thief gave him a slip of paper, which was passed to another angel to give to Gabriel. It simply said, ‘Put clean clothes of fine linen on him.’ Gabriel then remembered what the prophet Zechariah had said13 and understood why the fine white linen had arrived. In the earlier commotion he had forgotten about the linen and the instructions, and was about to be embarrassed by the lack of a fine linen tunic, when another angel stepped forward and placed one in his hands. One of the deputies had seen the instructions which Gabriel had left behind and several of the angels had already started work. This was the first item, which had only been sent over as a sample for approval. Gabriel went over to the thief and placed the fine linen tunic on him, at which point the old clothes and all of the filth was washed away.

A second man then walked through the gates, he too was bruised, battered, covered in his own blood, with fresh wounds in his hands, feet and side14, but he was glorious in appearance15. The angels fell on their faces and worshipped him as he walked over to the former thief, and said to him: “I told you, today! Come, let me show you to your room and then let us go to the Father16, 17 & 18. Then I must leave you, for I have more work to do.“

Coco Spring 2019

Of course this is an entirely fantastic (lit.) story, but Coco hopes to have given you enough references to see it is not entirely implausible. Perhaps the biggest error here is that Coco has attributed human limitations to the angels, but as Coco does not know any angels yet, he does not know what the limitations are that should be placed upon them, though we can see some of them in God’s word, so he hopes you will be indulgent towards him.

The real point here is that two men were crucified with Jesus19. One of them said to the other one: “We deserve to be here, but [Jesus] does not.” Then he bowed the knee (not that when you are nailed to a cross you can do that literally, but he did so in the way that matters – he submitted his heart and mind to the Lord) to Jesus and said: “Lord, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied: “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

The other thief continued to blaspheme and was lost.

There are only two possible endings, a good one and a bad one. One thief knew that Jesus was the Christ, but did nothing with it. The other thief appeared to know but a little about Jesus, but he took what he did know and went to Jesus with it. Take what you know about him to him, and ask him to show you what you do not know, and get to know him as Saviour and Lord.

Please bear with me. There have been many cæsars who have not cared for the king of kings. It was on a day like today that the representative of one such cæsar asked a man: ‘Are you a king then?‘ Only to be told that though he was a king, his kingdom is not of this world. And so, we may understand, that if his kingdom is not of this world then it is no threat to the kings of this world. Indeed, where his subjects live in another kingdom they bring great benefit to that kingdom. ‘What am I to do with these Christians?‘ Pliny wrote to Cæsar20, ‘They don’t do any harm, indeed they do good to everyone in the city‘ (I paraphrase Pliny). Now you must remember that these cæsars were originally a bit like the chairman of the senate, it took a little while for them to attain a godlike status in the empire.

But the kings of the earth cannot bear to think that they have a rival. The meetings of the subjects of the king of kings are treated as politically subversive, seeking to overturn the established social order, without actually considering that the king himself taught that his subjects are like the yeast which fills the whole of the dough and makes the bread bread21. In practice they were to be subject to the earthly kings22 & 23 and indeed to pray for them24.

So, these cæsars required men to come into line. They demanded from men what was not fitting or proper either for men to give to them or for men to receive. They wanted to be worshipped as gods themselves. All you had to do was say ‘Cæsar is lord‘ and burn a little incense. This has continued to this day. It is still within living memory that one king gave up his claim to divinity, but this view that cæsars have of themselves seems to have made a resurgence in other places.

This resurgence however has made for some interesting apposition. If anyone was going to report on this it had to be an Australian source25, who would get there first after the original post.

In the photograph we see a picture of a cross on a hill flanked by the photographs of two gentlemen the heads and shoulders of whom are placed, perhaps auspiciously, at the same level as the head and shoulders of the one who would have been on the empty cross. It is strangely reminiscent of another occasion when an empty cross (I presume that because Jesus was already dead, he was taken down before the two thieves were taken down) was flanked by two other men: ὅπου αὐτὸν ἐσταύρωσαν, καὶ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἄλλους δύο ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν, μέσον δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν26. For those who like Coco cannot read Greek this is broadly understood to read: In that place him they crucified, and with him others two side and side, in the middle Jesus. We read that both of these two men mocked and blasphemed Jesus, as did most of the crowd who were gathered there to watch27, but as time went on28 one of the thieves saw something that the other did not. As the first railed at Jesus, saying: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” the second replied to him: “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same condemnation? We are getting what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then this second one turned to Jesus and said to him: “Lord, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.”

One of the two men had suggested that revolution does not come in quietly like a well-beloved, courteous and welcome friend, but it is troublesome and harsh. The other seems to show the same sort of concern that the recipient of Pliny’s letter showed. He did not want any subversion of the current social order, and people who thought in a different way were perceived to be such a threat. It is strange that the cæsars of this world are all pretty much the same. Can they not learn from history? The history of the Roman Cæsars shows that they cannot overcome the kingdom which is not of this world. Eventually one of their number joined that kingdom and the persecutions ceased. Coco shall make no further comment here on the consequences of that capitulation.

Let us come back to the present, do you remember the promise Jesus made to the second thief? ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise.’ he said.

Only one of the men flanking the cross of Jesus joined the kingdom which is not of this world. Only one of the thieves entered Paradise. Only one of the men flanking the empty cross in our picture is alive today. Only one of them can join the kingdom. Only one can enter Paradise. Will he do so?

‘Therefore I urge first of all that that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made…for kings and all who are in authority‘29… Paul, a servant of the king in his first letter to Timothy.

1 Matthew 27:45 From noon until three, darkness came over all the land.
2 Someone spoke in Egypt and here: Phlegon, Thallus, and others
3 Matthew 26:53 Do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions of angels right now?
4 Luke 22:43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to [Jesus] and strengthened him.
5 John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not [overcome] it.
6 Exodus 39:1-5 From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for serving in the sanctuary; they made holy garments that were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. They hammered the gold into thin sheets and cut it into narrow strips to weave them into the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and into the fine linen, the work of an artistic designer. They made shoulder pieces for it, attached to two of its corners, so it could be joined together. The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that was on it was like it, of one piece with it, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
7 Zechariah 3:5 So they put a clean turban on [Joshua’s] head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood nearby.
8 Psalm 24:7 Look up, you gates! Rise up, you eternal doors!
9 Psalm 24:7-10 Look up, you gates! Rise up, you eternal doors! Then the majestic king will enter! Who is this majestic king? The Lord who is strong and mighty! The Lord who is mighty in battle! Look up, you gates! Rise up, you eternal doors! Then the majestic king will enter! Who is this majestic king? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies! He is the majestic king!
10 John 19:30 When he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, It is [finished]! Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
11 Song of songs 6:10 Who is this who appears like the dawn? Beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awe-inspiring as the stars in procession?
12 Numbers 22:22 Then God’s anger was kindled because [Balaam] went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, so the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field.
13 Zechariah 3:3-5 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood there before the angel. The angel spoke up to those standing all around, Remove his filthy clothes. Then he said to Joshua, I have freely forgiven your iniquity and will dress you in fine clothing. Then I spoke up, Let a clean turban be put on his head. So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood nearby.
14 Revelation 5:6 Then I[, John,] saw standing in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
15 Song of songs 5:10-16 My beloved is dazzling and ruddy; he stands out in comparison to all other men. His head is like the purest gold. His hair is curly black like a raven. His eyes are like doves by streams of water, washed in milk, mounted like jewels. His cheeks are like garden beds full of balsam trees yielding perfume. His lips are like lilies dripping with drops of myrrh. His arms are like rods of gold set with chrysolite. His abdomen is like polished ivory inlaid with sapphires. His legs are like pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars. His mouth is very sweet; he is totally desirable. This is my beloved! This is my companion, O maidens of Jerusalem!
16 Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him: I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.
17 John 14:2 There are many dwelling places in my Father’s house.
18 Isaiah 8:18 Look, I and the sons whom the Lord has given me are reminders and object lessons in Israel, sent from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who lives on Mount Zion.
19 Luke 23:39-43 One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at [Jesus], saying, Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other rebuked him, saying, Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we rightly so, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said, Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.
20 Pliny to Cæsar Tiberius
21 Luke 13:20-21 Again [Jesus] said, To what should I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.
22 Romans 13:1-5 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation because it is God’s servant for your well-being. But be afraid if you do wrong because government does not bear the sword for nothing. It is God’s servant to administer punishment on the person who does wrong. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities but also because of your conscience.
23 Titus 3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.
24 1 Timothy 2:1-2 First of all, then, I[, Paul,] urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
25 25/09/2018 article: China cracks down on religion, crosses burned at Christian churches, Xi Jinping photos installed.
26 John 19:18 There [the authorities] crucified [Jesus] along with two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.
27 Mark 15:31 Those who passed by defamed [Jesus], shaking their heads and saying, Aha! You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself and come down from the cross! In the same way even the chief priests together with the experts in the law were mocking him among themselves: He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, that we may see and believe! Those who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him.
28 Luke 23:39 One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at him, saying, Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other rebuked him, saying, Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we rightly so, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said, Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.
29 1 Timothy 2:1-2 First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
30 Apologies to anyone whose copyrights Coco may have inadvertently infringed.
Minor alterations, denoted by words in brackets, have been made to the scripture quotations, which have been quoted without their context, in order to provide the correct contextual meaning.
Scripture quoted by permission. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2018 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Bill and Ben

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When Faith could..

Coco heard the other day about Bill and Ben, not the famous flower pot men, but a pair of mountaineering brothers, indeed twins, and their little sister. They were well known by all for their many adventures. They did everything together, and would only ever climb if they were both in the team.

Although they were twins, the two brothers were very different. Bill was tall and lanky, a head and shoulders above anyone else. Ben was quite short and stocky. Whilst Bill was able to reach out to the hold that no one else could reach, Ben could scramble across anything. So by working together no mountain side was outside their capabilities; it was really little wonder that the club were always very glad when they were able to join the expeditions. Faith, who being ten years younger was still but a child always came along to help. She was not allowed to climb, but she did not care about that. She was quite happy to sit in the Gelato parlour or play in the park whilst they battled with the mountain. Even better, she thought, that Bill and Ben had to pay for her.

It was much like that at home too. Contrary to expectations, Bill was no tenor, but he had a voice so deep that even Rachmaninoff had not written anything that could do justice to his lowest notes which we were quite as strong as your or my middle C. On the other hand Ben had an exquisite tenor range which really only began beyond where any baritone would be embarrassed to go. When the family sang together at home, Ben led them from above, Bill supported them from below and mother, father and little Faith just filled in the middle as best they could.

Now whilst Bill and Ben loved their little sister, Faith was always up to tricks with them. She teased them mercilessly. There was an occasion when, knowing how much common sense they lacked she took advantage of it. They were a little younger then, shall we say immature? at the time. Whenever they went away, their mother made sure that Bill and Ben each had their names stitched into every item of clothing that they had. Was this for their benefit or to let others know whose cllothes they were in mother’s mind? Well little Faith was quite sure that the boys were so lacking in common sense it was to make sure that they wore their own clothes not each others. So one night whilst on camp she crept into their room, stole away all of their clothes and took them to her own room where she proceeded to carefully unpick every label and stitch them back into the other brother’s clothes.

She did not believe it would work as well as it did. The following morning, she was up early for breakfast much to the astonishment of her parents who had learned that she really did prefer to lie in the hot bath than to eat, but despite the lack of sleep, she did not want to miss anything that might happen that morning. Suddenly the breakfast hall fell into fits. Bill had arrived in what could have been a pair of shorts, followed by Ben who appeared to be wearing the bellows of an accordian on his legs when you caught a glimpse of them peeping out from underneath a rather long and tight Jersey jumper. There were hoots and whistles from their fellow campers which did not seem to perturb them until they were taken across to a mirror. How embarrassed they became, especially when Faith asked: Did you not realise the labels were the wrong way round? She had caught them once again.

She never ceased to plan little tricks like this, and Bill and Ben had to be constantly on the watch for the next one, but they would never be without her. As she grew the tricks became more elaborate, she waited to catch them out when they were not expecting it. Well, she was now a young woman and she had planned this one for years. She knew that she would only be able to do it once, and she also had to get it exactly right otherwise the consequences might be, as she put it, somewhat unfortunate. So she waited for the right opportunity. It would come she said to herself.

But she needed to practice somewhere first to ensure she would get it right, so the previous summer she had gone to Iceland on her own. It was most unusual. She never went out on the mountains to climb with her brothers so they wondered whether she had met someone but didn’t want any one to know at the time. She explored the interior, not the usual tourist spots, which was of great concern to them as Iceland is geologically active, and whilst she was there there were reports of some irregular geologic activity. But all was well, and after she returned try as they would they could not get anything out of her. They had to think that whatever it was, it had all come to nothing.

This year the boys had planned to go with their club up the face of a little climbed mountain in Switzerland. There was only one route and so she would know exactly where they all were and when they would come back down. They walked together down the main street in the pretty little Swiss village. She was rather out of place in her prim white blouse, dark skirt, white gloves and delicate hat, when everyone else either wore mountaineering kit or Lederhosen. The boys left her as she made her way into a very neat Italian coffee shop.

A few hours or so later, ‘This is it’, she thought to herself as she supped her Gelato and espresso in the quaint little parlour at the foot of the mountain. She was now a young woman and had discovered the joys of Gelato and coffee. Everything, she mused, was ready. One of the awful things about her tricks on them was that she was often not around to see the expressions on their faces when it was pulled off. She had to listen afterwards to their own remonstrations with her, as they tried to justify their own ridiculous behaviour, as in the switched clothes episode, or themselves, and listen also to the reports and corrections of other people who were there and saw it all. Oh! how she giggled as she remembered how often she had caught them out, but felt a little sad that she was never there to see it. ‘Ah, well, at least the other club members will give me an accurate report’, she said to herself.

On the mountain, they were all well underway. They were about ten thousand feet above the coffee shop where their little sister sat eating her gelato and Bill, who, by reason of his height, had just enabled them to move across a particularly tricky part far more quickly than anyone had expected, turned his mind to her as Ben was away moving across the scree like a gazelle leading a long rope behind him that the others could use to cross more easily. It was perhaps not, or maybe it was the right time to turn your minds to your little sister. He crossed the scree on Ben’s rope. To his astonishment, Ben said to him: ‘Do you remember that morning at camp, Bill? Do you think there is something wrong with Sissy? She has left us alone ever since she came back from Iceland’. Just then there was a crack, not an unfamiliar sound to mountaineers. Rocks move, and when they do so they crack. But this crack was different. It was loud. It was impossibly loud.

Later, when she heard about it, the only thing the other members of the club could remember after that were the words screaming from the lips of Ben, as only a tenor could scream them, simultaneously with the deepest roar from Bill that any auditor had ever heard, which were:

Faith! Put the mountain back!

Statues

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If you don’t want the name, give the money back – isn’t it as easy as that?

Charities are minded to understand that if the source of the funds offered to them is questionable, they should refuse the offer.

And, as a tax professional, Coco would welcome the opportunity to refresh his estate duty knowledge as it is tracked how the Codrington Library building and contents would have passed through all of the generations of his family, and calculate the amount of estate duty due on each death, and he would also assume IHT, would now become payable – a very welcome windfall to be sure.

How do you decide when a statue must fall?

How do you decide when a statue must fall?

We name buildings after people, or put up statues to them, because we respect them. But what if we discover they did wrong?

Saul

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The recent events, yes in France but also elsewhere, reminded Coco of something. Before he was crucified that the Lord, Jesus Christ, spoke to his disciples and having told them that he was leaving them he went on to say: I have told you this beforehand so that you are not discouraged. They will throw you out of their synagogues, yes, and the hour will come that everyone who kills you will think that by doing so he brings a service to God. And this they will do, because they know neither the Father nor me. But I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I told you. I did not tell you this at the beginning because I was with you [but now I am leaving you]. (ref 1)

There was one man, among many, who believed these words and he became a persecutor of the followers of Jesus Christ. This man thought that he could serve God and if anyone qualified for heaven then he did. He described himself as circumcised on the 8th day, an Israeli of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law a Pharisee [not our modern understanding of that word, but a genuinely good man, who sought to do what was right – good words can be corrupted over time. He wanted to do what was right. He wanted to keep the law. He wanted to please God.], concerning zeal a persecutor of the called [the followers of Jesus], concerning righteousness before the law, blameless. (ref 2)

His name was Saul. Some people think they have something in terms of religion to boast about. Saul had far more. He pursued his own righteousness – or perhaps better expressed in terms that are understood more easily today, he sought to please God by what he did. There are people now in this world who think in the same way. They are pursuing their own righteousness by the works that they do, and they think killing is one of those good things to do.

But do you know? Saul changed. The Lord Jesus met him. Luke’s record in Acts chapter 9 opens with these fearful words – I love Luther’s words: Saulus aber schnaubte noch mit Drohen und Morden. It is so much more emphatic than the English: Then Saul, still breathing out threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, … You may read the rest yourself. (ref 3)

Years later he reflected upon his earlier attitude and writing then under the name of Paul, he expressed himself in a very different way in his letter to the Roman believers: I encourage you brethren in the light of the mercy of God to bring your bodies as living sacrifices, holy, well-pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. (ref 4)

He was wrong once and he knew it. In this short encouragement he uses the same word that the Lord used when speaking with his disciples. It is service (λατρειαν – if you want to know). Was he thinking about those words which Jesus spoke? Well we have more than one reason to think that he had heard Jesus preaching. It is also not unreasonable to think that Saul may even have spoken with the Lord. It is as if he is saying here: Look, I was wrong. It is not service to offer their dead bodies to God, but to offer yourselves as living sacrifices – therefore, he says, that is your reasonable, that is your logical service. That is what you must conclude having read so much in this letter to the Romans about the mercy of God, you must now reach this conclusion that this is your reasonable service to offer your bodies as living sacrifices.

Is this not wonderful? There are people around today who think in just the same way that Saul once did. They think that they offer service to God by killing the servants of Jesus Christ, but the wonderful thing is that God no longer wants dead sacrifices – sheep, goats and the like – he wants you a living sacrifice to live your life out to the glory of his name by the power of the Holy Spirit in name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now that sacrifice is something worth living for. And if a man like Saul can see it, so can they and so can you.

Refs:

  1. John 16:1-4
  2. Philippians 3:5-6
  3. Acts 9 Luther 1964 revision
  4. Romans 12:1

You may read more elsewhere here of Saul the Pharisee! and about Living Sacrifice.

One wonders why

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It was the appearance of this in the local press that left me wondering whether statisticians have become disembodied heads.

It was the appearance of this in the local press that left me wondering whether statisticians have become disembodied heads.

Whilst Coco has every sympathy for those who suffer from the disease of the body which we know as diabetes, Coco has little sympathy for those statisticians who though they are irrefragable in the use of the art to which they are devoted, show little or perhaps even no common sense.

The reporter who brought this matter to his attention does however at least stand one step of contempt above the reporter who recently published an article about the discovery of a decapitated head. Well, Coco has never seen nor even heard of such a thing, have you? Decapitated bodies are not uncommon, as are perhaps dismembered ones, but decapitated heads? It seems as unlikely as a dismembered arm. Perhaps the real intention was to say scalped head, you might ask, but no, the find was of a head, a whole head. One can however understand the dilemma of the reporter, this was clearly a head alone, not attached to any body, but to call it a disembodied head would hardly have conveyed the right impression, and in any event, a disembodied something would be rather difficult to find, given that that which is disembodied no longer has a material presence in this universe. Perhaps they really meant decapacitated, but shied away from a word which may only have reflected back upon themselves.

Coco was unable to find a complete copy of the article online, but you may read the article for yourself here:

One can hardly blame the reporter, poor chap, what does a reporter know about statistics? That question is rhetorical, in case it needs to be said. Coco is not unaware that there may be reporters who have had a good, and far better than Coco’s, grounding in such. But one is left wondering whether or not common sense has been applied.

It does not take much effort to see that the statistical result of two and a half times more likely is incorrect, whatever the results of the statistical analysis might yield. Coco would like to suggest that the answer is really much more like one hundred percent more likely, which is to say almost certainly going to be the case, if not actually in reality, without even the need to apply any statistical analysis at all. For it seems so very clear to Coco that although most young people die old, and many young people have died young, it is impossible that anyone who is old shall die young. Old people always die old. So then, let us read again what the article suggested: The risk of early death was 2,5 times greater for those diagnosed before 40 compared with those diagnosed after 60.

That is a wonderfully incredible statement. Please allow Coco to break it apart. In order to be able to say that one thing is greater than another we need to know, if not the absolute magnitude of the two things, the relative magnitude. In this case we are talking about a comparison of the level of risk. So we should have some idea of the level of risk faced by the two gorups, those who are under forty and those who are over sixty. Now perhaps first we should simplify the examination by removing from it the complicating factor of type 2 diabetes, and we shall adjust, if necessary, our findings later for that omission. We shall add a more general comment about mortality also.

So then we must determine what is the risk of dying young for a forty year old and for a sixty year old? Now Coco is not skilled in the arts of the actuary, but it does not seem unlikely to think that although a forty year old may die young, a sixty year old will never die young. Though if someone thinks that a sixty year old may die young, then it is likely that they have discovered the elixir of life for which the alchemists of yore vainly sought for centuries. Perhaps they would care to share their secret with Coco, or at least publish their results subject to peer review and set up production and marketing companies for the benefit of wider mankind. Oh, Coco apologises, you may have noticed, the mention of statistics does rather cause Coco to stray and indulge in flights of fantasy, unlike Leonardo of course who was the precursor of our own* Wright brothers..

So then, back to the point, for the sake of clarity and being able to do some calculations, without suggesting that the numbers are correct, let us say that the risk of dying young at age forty is 1% of 4‰. We have already said that there is no risk that a person diagnosed at age sixty will die young, such a thing is impossible, therefore the risk of dying young for this group is 0% of 4‰. We may then restate the point in the article as The risk of early death was 1%/0% times greater for those diagnosed before 40 compared with those diagnosed after 60.

Now all we need is a mathematician who can tell us how we can reduce the ratio 1:0 to a number that we shall understand. Coco thinks that it means this: The risk of early death was infinitely greater for those diagnosed before 40 compared with those diagnosed after 60.

This can be put in an even more blunt manner that the research suggested that it was certain that those who were diagnosed before 40 would succumb to an early death, whereas those who were diagnosed after age sixty would die, as expected, old. Coco remains unconvinced of the veracity of this argument, as it is clear that not all who are disagnosed before forty die young, some will die old. However, the mathematics suggests it, and incidently it would make no difference what the actual level of risk was for a forty year old (and we therefore do not need to enter a correction for the diagnosis or otherwise of the condition of type 2 diabetes), the result would always be certain, just as the statistics suggests that the ratio is 2.4.

Coco suggests that one should perhaps also note on the matter of increasing mortality with age, that if at age sixty you are discovered to have a condition which reduced life expectancy to about twenty years then at sixty when life expectancy is less than twenty years, it is perhaps of no great concern. You are likely to have been taken before the condition takes you. If however you are discovered to have this condition when you are only forty years of age, when your life expectancy may have been up to forty years, then you would view the condition in a different way and perhaps feel more threatened by it. The discovery of the condition for a forty year old increases the expectation of mortality significantly, but in a sixty year old hardly at all.

Given the uncertainty that this all provides, should we not be glad that there is one who knows all things and declares to us: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he die shall live’ John 11:25. Those who trust the Lord Jesus Christ need not fear. Diabetes may shorten your life on this earth now, but he will raise us up again at the last day to live on a new earth in new bodies where there shall be no more death, from any cause, nor crying, nor tears, but all shall live in love and harmony with him and with one another.

*Much like Formosa, we are waiting for the colonies on the mainland of the American continent to acknowledge their lawful and ancestral ruler.
No doubt the erudite and skilled shall find much worthy of contempt in this the article of Coco, but Coco would wish to remind such that erudition, skill and facts should not be allowed to spoil a good story as long as it is properly recognised that it is indeed a good story.

Living sacrifice

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Thinking about what Paul had said the other day…

I was thinking one day about what Paul had said in his letter to the Romans in the section we call chapter 12, which may be read at Bible Gateway:

I encourage you brethren in the light of the mercy of God to bring your bodies as living sacrifices, holy, well-pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

I was puzzling over the translation of the words reasonable service, which some translate as spiritual worship. How could they get this translation out of the words that Paul used? Apparently it is all down to Chrysostom, who lived much closer to Paul than we do of course, but I still fail to see it. I must confess however that on the surface it appears to be a better thing to say than reasonable service. Who would not want to offer to God spiritual worship? After all, did not Jesus say to the woman at the well in Samaria: the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24 NKJV

Paul was very careful with his words and not unwilling to coin his own where the meaning would be exact and, literally here, quite cutting: κατατομην, so when he used λογικην λατρειαν was he also not being precise? There are other perfectly good words for spirit (πνευμα) and worship (προσκυνεω), which Paul did not use. Why then would we think to ourselves that he meant otherwise than he actually said?.

So then coming back, worship (προσκυνεω) is not the word Paul uses. He uses a different word: λατρειαν. This is nothing to do with what you might think – that is a Latin word, this one is Greek. I looked it up. The Lord used the same word when speaking to his disciples: whoever kills you will think that he offers God service John 16:2 – or he brings a service to God. Surely, that word must have cut Paul, for he used to think in that way himself. Did he indeed have those words of the Lord in mind when he wrote this? Look, he says, I was wrong. It is not service to offer their dead bodies to God, but to offer yourselves as living sacrifices – THEREFORE, he says, that is your reasonable, that is your logical service. That is what you must conclude having read so much in this letter to the Romans, you must now reach this conclusion that this is your reasonable service. But note, it is not worship. This same word is used in Revelation 7:15 of those who serve before the throne of God day and night. In Old Testament terms these are those who do all of the ‘ordinary’ jobs around the temple in order that the temple may function as a temple. When they fall to worship the other word proskuneo is used (Rev 4:10). The word used here in Romans 12:1, which some of our translations render worship in fact only refers to the service, the acts, the deeds, the things we do which are a part of worship.

Is this not wonderful? There are people around today who think in just the same way that Saul did. They think that they offer service to God by killing the servants of Jesus Christ. Just as an aside, surely if their god were not impotent he would not need their help to do this? But to come back to the point, the wonderful thing is that God no longer wants dead sacrifices – sheep, goats and the like – he wants you a living sacrifice to live your life out to the glory of his name by the power of the Holy Spirit in name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that is something worth living for.

There was something else interesting about Paul which I had not noticed. Perhaps a failure to put two and two together on my part. Our pastor was speaking on the words from the same letter to the Romans: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Romans 7:7-12 NKJV

Here Paul tells us that the sin that caught him out was covetousness. He was able to say, and I am quite sure that there were enough people who knew him who would not let him get away with it if it were not true that he was concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Philippians 3:6.

Now a young man once came to Jesus and went away with a very heavy heart. This young man wanted to know how to obtain eternal life: ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honour your father and your mother and you shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Matthew 19:16-22 NKJV

Jesus deliberately left out ‘you shall not covet‘. You see although the young man was rich, and he had no need of anything, he coveted what he had. You can see from his response that he was not willing to share it. He coveted it for himself. Is it any wonder that such a young man would not many years later be found persecuting the followers of Jesus Christ. He wanted to establish his own righteousness by keeping the law, but the harder he tried the more the command ‘you shall not covet‘ stuck in his throat and like a rabid dog it would not leave him alone. He railed against it. He wanted his own righteousness, but he could not get it. And he hated those who claimed that Jesus had offered himself as a sacrifice to fulfill and replace all of the law. Now they talked about Jesus having fulfilled the law for them. Saul would have none of it. It was in his mind blasphemy, but in reality he knew. He could not avoid the force of the commandment which said ‘you shall not covet‘.

Then one day the Lord met him. Instead of offering service to God by forcing the followers of Jesus Christ to apostacise, he offered himself as a living sacrifice to God and discovered what reasonable service to God was.

May you also discover what it is to serve the Lord as Paul did.

Think about it.

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, ‘Ananias.’And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ So the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.’ Then Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.’ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.’

And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. Acts 9:1-20 NKJV

The use of the rainbow

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saw that the rainbow had become quite popular…

I noticed a rainbow and remembered what the Lord had said to Noah (you can read about more it here or at Bible Gateway):

I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

The rainbow is a sign of great comfort to us, for God says that when he sees it he will remember his covenant, and we may know that he will not destroy the world again by water, but it is also a sign of great terror, for as Peter reminds us in his second letter we forget that the earth of old was destroyed by the flood. The rainbow reminds us of this, and tells us that our Lord Jesus is coming again, and that though this world will not be destroyed by a flood, it will perish in fire. He will keep his promise to come back. In the meantime we must yield to him, who, like the ark that Noah built was the only thing that could save from the flood, he is the only one who can save us from this fire.

So think about it.

⁸Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: ⁹And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, ¹⁰and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. ¹¹Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.

¹²And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. ¹⁷And God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.

UnFree

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A curious miscarriage

Not free to go

It was Monday morning, the weekend had been longer and more tedious than usual, and Norbert was preparing to leave for the office, when there was a knock at the door. Norbert was surprised to find Jeremy the local bobby outside.

Good morning, Jerry. What brings you here today?

I am very sorry, sir, but I must take you away to a place of confinement where you will remain for an indefinite period.

I don’t understand, are you saying that you are taking me to gaol?

Yes, sir, that is what I must do. You were condemned by the Court yesterday, and I have been instructed to escort you to the lawful place of confinement.

I know you must do your work, Jerry, but perhaps you would enlighten me. For what have I been condemned?

I have not been told, sir. I am aware that your statement was presented to the court, one witness was called and then came the judgement, but I was not permitted to enter to courtroom.

May I have a few moments to pack a bag? Please come in and take a seat. I shall not be long.

As he packed, Norbert reflected upon the situation. He had been called into the station several weeks ago to give an account of his movements on a particular day in December. He thought carefully about what he had said in that document. He had been out of town all of that week on business, and could think of nothing in it that could give rise to what was now taking place. He mused thoughtfully, as the absurdity of the situation pressed home upon him. Here he was about to be committed to a place of confinement on the judgement of a court at a hearing of which he had no knowledge. He supposed that had he troubled himself to go to the court every day, he would have seen his name on the list of cases to be heard: Person or persons unknown v Norbert Smith Defendant 1230 Room B, he imagined to himself. What had been said about him? Why had he not received a call to attend the hearing and reply to his accusers?

He resigned himself to his fate. He remembered that the wise man said: the first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him. (Proverbs 18:17)

Coco © 2015

Coco wonders how many of us feel a little bit like Norbert. There are flaws in many processes which would not be permitted in the legal process in a liberal state. And if you wonder why Coco wrote this, it is quite simple, there are two reasons. Firstly, the document, which claims to be an assessment, appears to be empty. Nothing has been said, so there is nothing to which a reply can be given. And secondly, there has been no process meeting with the preparer of the document, but only an informal chat with the one who has been interposed between Coco and the Assessor. It is of course nothing less than is expected to happen or not happen however you may wish to look at it.

[Coco attempts to make some changes and add comments to the document, and then having second thoughts to remove them.]

“Ah, but how strange, it seems not to be possible to remove comments, even draft comments, after they have been saved….ah well I shall post the whole thing again with the correction…”

[It is for this reason that the first related tale finds its way into the document. Then there is a question to which an answer must be given, but the only answer available is not the answer which Coco either wished to give or would have been true if given]

“It would seem that there is only one possible answer to the question. HMRC require non trading partnerships who wish to file on-line and also to complete the additional information box, which is intended only for trade use, to pretend that they are trading partnerships (ie to lie) and to declare that the type of trade is NO TRADE. In the light of this and in the same spirit I have selected the only option available.“

[Coco is left as perplexed as Norbert was at the process which led to his gaoling, but without having to face the same consequences.]

Taxology?

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If you are a taxologist, or even if you are not
then this will appeal to your sense of injustice.
Do not forget to do your research first…..read the story below.

Before Coco makes any, as perhaps some would interpret it, apositive comments, do not think that Coco is not unaware that languages change in their construction, grammar and syntax, and that words change their meaning, a phenomena to which many of the so-called false cousins of the European languages will be very willing to attest. So his comments may be understood to be quite miserable, but they are certainly, Coco says with not with unalloyed hope, but not hype, not intended to be misérable. For this reason it is very important that we have a proper understanding of words and their use, it is for this reason that every one of us carries within him a taxonomy by which we classify words so that we know which set of words are appropriate at any particular time. Parts of our taxonomic classification, if that is not a tautological repetition of the same conceptual idea, will indicate to us that certain classes of words are appropriate in one circumstance; for example, language may not be used in the discussions that take place in the nursery between a mother and her child, which would not be out of place in the context of seeking a negotiated settlement of certain difficulties which may have arisen as a consequence of a perceived, or perhaps even putative, breach of contract, even though the purpose of the use of the language in both cases is propitiatory, which is to say that in its intention it seeks to bring about the reconciliation of two estranged parties.

So to come to the point of my post, if it were not for its progeny Coco would not have believed it possible for this to have been suggested by R*****s. Now although Webster’s is not his favourite dictionary, it behoves Coco to avoid, or should that be evade, perhaps even eschew the use of a British dictionary in this context, and Coco does happen to have a copy of an authorised British printing of the 1924 edition, which rather helpfully warns him that should it be found in his possession after emigrating to Australia it will be liable to confiscation.

Turning to page 2118 in the second volume we find in the footnotes this entry

The main entry on the following page then provides a clear definition of the word under discussion.

Coco is not entirely sure how well the photographs will turn out here, so here is a transcription for the two root words:

tax-ol´o-gy (tăk-sŏl´ṓ-jĭ),n. [Gr. τάξις arrangement + -logy.] Taxonomy.

tax-on´o-my ({tăk-sŏn´ṓ}-mĭ), n. [Gr. τάξις arrangement, order + νομος a law.] Classification; esp., classification of animals and plants according to their natural relationships; also, the laws and principles of such classification.

The meanings of the derived terms; taxonomist, taxonomic, taxonomical, taxonomically, and those derived from the synonym taxology, need no further explanation.

Coco will draw no conclusion, but rather leave the reader to draw his own.

By the way Coco too is a taxologist in the way that he thinks about and understands tax, but his taxological understanding and methods do not end there. The use of taxology is important in our approach to many different aspects of knowledge without which we would remain in extreme ignorance of the world around us. So, taxology is important to us in our understanding of who God is, the universe, life and everything. Of course, taxology is not itself a substitute for these things. It merely provides a framework for us within which we may build our understanding and hope to build up our understanding of these things.

The Story

{A} monumental discovery became evident after plenty of sleuthing. A senior director of marketing for the corporate business, and her team recruited countless players: leaders across the industry, numerous accounting firms, and even the IRS. Persona work cut through a jungle of questions. Suddenly the uncertainty dissipated. What remained was a clear gap in the market…and the team seized upon this opportunity to address the need for a personality.

We fill that gap as the industry’s trusted partner in tax technology. {The} team knew it was time to take ownership of our prestigious status and create a campaign with which the customers identified.

And the Taxologist was born.

Taxologist noun [taks-ol-uh-jist]: a tax professional that excels in the use of technology to maximize tax function effectiveness.

How does one identify this breed of professional? It’s simple, really: they are typically tax managers or directors, engineers of change that operate as a driving force for new tax technology. By challenging the status quo of the tax department, they have moved away from Excel and toward total management of their professional skillsets using the utmost technological efficiency.

The big word in the Taxologist campaign is {Taxological}. {Taxology} transforms today’s tax professionals into Taxologists. It empowers them – which, as eye-opening persona work reveals, is important for this customer.

“[The campaign] has a personal feel to it. [The customers] are unique characters,” A said.

Her team’s extensive persona work greatly shaped the Taxologist campaign. By analyzing the buyers’ behavio[u]rs(sic!) and psychology, they gained eye-opening results that helped them better anticipate the content they desire to see and better understand their current situation. The team learned that these customers sometimes don’t hear enough accolades though they’re essential operators of tax processes. They often work as behind-the-scenes players in the company, but their work is crucial to their business. The Taxologist campaign is a personal way to reward them and make them feel special. Now we’re speaking their language.

{Taxology} noun [wuhn-sohrs]: the art, science, and skill of combining tax with technology to gain efficiency across the tax lifecycle. It transforms today’s tax professionals into Taxologists.

Taxology is the tool that fills the gap in the industry for a tax technology leader. The Taxologist campaign is what we’ve crafted to get the customers excited about the technology they utilize and their pivotal roles in the industry. With this identity, they can feel confident about the change they’re enacting. It is okay to embrace technology and we are their partner in that.

The Taxologist campaign will invade and conquer using a broad range of materials. Currently….

Advertising campaign by {name redacted} media group

Names have been redacted both to protect the innocent and to not promote the advertising further.

Freedom

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What is freedom?

Is this freedom?

Free to go

“Apologies, but yes, you are free to go.” barked the sergeant from behind the almost closed door, whose covering of paint did nothing to hide the rich golden orange varnish which had at the first been applied to its timber and thus betrayed the not so humble origins of the previous inhabitants of the house.

“Ah! those words! ‘You are free to go.'” They echoed briefly in the large, otherwise empty, room, and hung for a moment high in the air. Then came the devastating, crushing silence once more.

“But where shall I go?”

After twenty seven years and 198 days and seven hours and fifty minutes in Trudovoy Lager #3, Alexis Vertinskya had lost all sense of what it was proper to do in the place to which he was now free to go. Forty three of those latest minutes had been spent on the other side of the door from the sergeant waiting for an answer to his question, whether then, after he had served in full the sentence that had been handed down to him, it might be considered possible, just possible you must understand, that they might be considering when he may be allowed to leave.

He walked slowly along what he remembered as a once cobbled road, but which now was strangely covered in a thin layer of poor quality tar scarcely disguising the rough stones which lay beneath. After 24 paces, exactly 22.5 metres – he had spent much of his time perfecting the techniques of measurement, the carefully measured step mixed with counting to subdivide each pace into pacim (‘1 pace = 10 pacim’ he whispered to himself as if he might have forgotten it) in the Lager #3. He knew how long each corridor was, the dimensions of each room, the width of each gallery, and even where the hidden doors were, whose presence could not be detected except by inference from putting together in his mind a plan of the whole building. He had confirmed the presence of three of these doors to himself, two more remained undetected, but he knew where to look – and now exactly 22.5 metres down the lane he turned around. The open door beckoned to him…