The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman Page A

when he was commanded to sacrifice his son?' said the angel then.
    Christ was silent.
    'He said nothing,' he said finally.
    'And do you remember what happened when he lifted the knife?'
    'An angel told him not to harm the boy. And then he saw the ram caught in the thicket.'
    The angel stood up to leave.
    'Take your time, my dear Christ,' he said. 'Consider everything. When you're ready, come to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest.'

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
    Christ at the Pool of Bethesda
    Christ meant to stay in his room and think about the ram in the thicket: did the angel mean that something would happen at the last minute to save his brother? What else could he have meant?
    But the room was small and stuffy, and Christ needed fresh air. He wrapped his cloak around himself and went out into the streets. He walked towards the temple, and then away again; he walked towards the Damascus gate, and then turned to one side, whether left or right he didn't know; and presently he found himself at the pool of Bethesda. This was a place where invalids of every kind came in the hope of being healed. The pool was surrounded by a colonnade under which some of the sick slept all night, though they were supposed to come only during the hours of daylight.
    Christ made his way quietly under the colonnade and sat on the steps that led down to the pool. The moon was nearly full, but clouds covered the sky, and Christ could not see much apart from the pale stone and the dark water. He hadn't been there for more than a minute when he heard a shuffling sound, and turned in alarm to see something coming towards him: a man whose legs were paralysed pulling himself laboriously over the stone pavement.
    Christ got up, ready to move away, but the man said, 'Wait, sir, wait for me.'
    Christ sat down again. He wanted to be alone, but he remembered the angel's description of the good work that would be done by that church they both wanted to see; could he possibly turn away from this poor man? Or could the beggar in some unimaginable way be the ram that would be sacrificed instead of Jesus?
    'How can I help you?' Christ said quietly.
    'Just stay and talk to me for a minute or two, sir. That's all I want.'
    The crippled man pulled himself up next to Christ and lay there breathing heavily.
    'How long have you been waiting for a cure?' said Christ.
    'Twelve years, sir.'
    'Will no one help you to the water? Shall I help you now?'
    'No good now, sir. What happens is that an angel comes every so often and stirs the water up, and the first one in the pool afterwards gets cured. I can't move so quickly, as you may have noticed.'
    'How do you live? What do you eat? Have you got friends or a family to look after you?'
    'There's some people who come along sometimes and give us a bit of food.'
    'Why do they do that? Who are they?'
    'I don't know who they are. They do it because . . . I don't know why they do it. Maybe they're just good.'
    'Don't be stupid,' said another voice in the darkness. 'No one's good. It's not natural to be good. They do it so's other people will think more highly of them. They wouldn't do it otherwise.'
    'You don't know nothing,' said a third voice from under the colonnade. 'People can earn high opinions in quicker ways than doing good. They do it because they're frightened.'
    'Frightened of what?' said the second voice.
    'Frightened of hell, you blind fool. They think they can buy their way out of it by doing good.'
    'Doesn't matter why they do it,' said the lame man, 'as long as they do it. Anyway, some people are just good.'
    'Some people are just soft, like you, you worm,' said the third voice. 'Why's no one helped you down to the water in twelve years? Eh? Because you're filthy, that's why. You stink, like we all do. They'll throw a bit of bread your way, but they won't touch you. That's how good they are. You know what real charity would be? It wouldn't be bread. They don't miss bread. They can buy more bread