03/05/2004: "Holy John"

By Carol J. Warren

High up, far above most mountaintops in the area there stood a plateau. To get to the top of it you had to be a mountain climber. There were no paths and mainly straight sheer cliffs leading to the top. It seemed to be a place where only eagles could live but unknown to most people; eagles were not the only things living there.

High on top of the great plateau were two great fields lined with trees, a small brook that bubbled up through the rocks and a large cave. If you looked a little closer you might be able to see one lone man standing on top of that rocky crag. He was big and tall, rugged looking with a long beard and long hair braided from the shoulders down. He had piercing blue eyes and though he was only 30 he already had deep lines in his face from working in harsh and extreme weather conditions so much. His skin had the look of someone that is outdoors a lot. His hands were rough and strong. He stood alone looking down into the distant valley.

His clothes were very odd indeed, certainly nothing you would see in a store. They had been hand made from hand woven, home grown fibers. His shoes were made of rough leather strapped to his legs and feet. Around his neck on a silver chain he wore a long thin whistle. It was the only thing even vaguely resembling an ornament or decoration on anything. Everything was extremely plain.

Who was this lone man? How had he come to live on top of this tall chimney like plateau all alone? Well, his name was John. He was born and raised on that same plateau. In fact he had never been down in the valley or anywhere else at all. Life on the plateau was all he had ever known. His dad had been born there as well and his mom. But then they had died some time back.

It all started almost 75 years ago when John’s grandfather, Uriah had decided that people in the area had become too sinful to raise his family around them. Uriah was a Quaker. Their religion was very strict. He could not abide the loose morals of the 1920’s that surrounded him. Short skirts, bobbed hair, and evil dancing and music were more than he could tolerate. He had just taken a wife and he knew soon they would have children, so he began to search for a solution to keep his family from being contaminated by this spreading evil. He traveled a few times only to return with the news that the pagan life styles he had encountered seemed to be everywhere. He was really discouraged when his close friend Jeremiah suggested they do some mountain climbing to get their minds off things. Perhaps climbing to the higher places would clear their mind and bring them closer to the Lord and His answers to their problems so they could live a pure and separated life unto Him.

It was then that they decided to first climb the tall round cliff like mountain called Chimney Rock. It was rough going but when they reached the top much to their surprise, instead of finding a barren frozen waste, they found two beautiful sunlit meadows and a babbling brook. They felt that surely this was a sign from the Lord that they were to move their families to the top of this mountain to live the separated life.
Uriah did not waste any time carefully planning out everything they would need to survive, from sheep and goats for milk and clothing, to wheat and vegetables to plant. Uriah and Jeremiah rigged a series of ropes and rope ladders. They carefully moved all of their belongings up to the mountain, harnessing the animals and hoisting them from ledge to ledge. It took a while but they finally accomplished it. Then carefully he harnessed the women folk and helped them to the top. They set up house in a large cave. It would keep them warm in the winter and protected from the harsh winds that blew up that high.

They had their first worship service at a small lookout point. Eventually they built a rock wall around it so they could meet there no matter what the weather was. Uriah did most of the preaching and as you might imagine he preached loud fiery sermons on the need to live a holy life. Uriah had two sons, and one daughter. Which worked out well because Jeremiah had two daughters and one son. Jeremiah’s children married Uriah’s children and their little community was started. One of the grandchildren from those marriages was John. But harsh winters and bad crops had taken their toll many died; both Uriah and Jeremiah were getting old and then one year when John was only10 they both died.

Over the next few years all of the first settlers died, then when John was 20 a bad sickness hit the plateau. All but John, his sister and one uncle died. It was hard to face but they knew there must be a reason. God is faithful and He is fair. By the time John was 25 his sister had died; then just two years ago his uncle passed on as well. Now it was just John. The vision of keeping the family pure had died with the family. When John’s uncle was still alive they had talked about going down into the valley. There was no one for John to marry on the mountain but there was also no way down the mountain. The climbing ropes had long since rotted and the equipment was no longer any good. They were trapped on top of the mountain with no way down.

Now John was on the top of the mountain all alone, not that he didn’t think about finding a way down he did. He prayed about it a lot. But there was no answer. The whistle around his neck was for John’s pet eagle. When John noticed that the baby eagle’s mother never returned John took over and raised the eagle from a hatchling. It was John’s only friend and constant companion. But now John had a new problem, the little brook that bubbled up through the mountain was going dry. There wasn’t enough water to live on. Soon the few sheep and goats that were left died and John knew if he didn’t come up with a way to get down from this mountain soon, he would be next.

One day as he watched his eagle soaring on the wind currents he got an idea. He could build something like a giant kite, a kite big enough for him to hold onto. He would use it to glide on the wind currents down into the valley. He wasn’t sure it would work, he wasn’t sure at all but it was the only chance he had to survive. So he set out to make the giant kite. He studied how his friend the eagle moved on the wind currents so he would know how to shift his weight when the time came. Finally the water was completely gone, it was now or never. He packed all of the belongings he could carry into a sack and strapped it to his back.

John lifted the frame of the kite up off the ground, instantly he could feel the wind begin to catch it. He pointed the nose down and moved it closer to the edge. He strapped himself to the crossbars and prayed for God’s help. Then standing on the edge of the cliff he said, “God’s will be done.” And jumped. It felt like his stomach was in his throat as that sensation of falling took over. At first he just fell and fell and fell. He thought he was going to die. Then a gust of wind caught the kite and lifted John back up.

John hung in midair for a moment and then started to mount higher and higher. Before he realized it he was far above even the top of the mountain where he had started. It was exciting and exhilarating but it was not his desire to go higher, he was suppose to be going down but he wasn’t sure how to accomplish that. As though guessing his need the eagle flew in close and began to point down and glide downward showing John what to do. John also pointed the top of his kite down but he pointed it down too much and began to fall too quickly. Pulling against the force of the wind John forced the top of the kite back some so the breeze could hit it again. As he began to get the hang of controlling the kite he began a long slow steady decent. He found he could steer the kite by moving the weight of his body to the right or left and moving the point of the kite up or down. He steered for the thin silver thread he knew was the river. As he drew closer to the ground he steered away from the trees to a large open spot next to the water. Soon he was close enough to the ground to touch it but the kite kept lifting him back up and then down and back up. Finally John cut the strap that held him in and dropped to the ground. A few bruises but he was ok. The kite however banged along the ground until it fell into a broken heap.

John walked over and looked at the broken kite. It was not repairable. It gave John an eerie feeling looking at his last link with home lying there all broken and useless. He looked around him. So this is down in the valley. He had heard so many tales of sin and heathens that John was unsure of what he would encounter. He ran to the edge of the river and drank deep. He had been without water for a while so the river was a welcome site. John had never seen so much water. They had always rationed water on the mountaintop. He had also never seen so much land spread out before him. All he had ever walked was the two meadows on the mountaintop. He knew them by heart. But now a vast and endless expanse was before him that seemed to have no end.

John followed the river until he came to some strange man made structures. He was sure that these were what his grandfather had called houses. He himself having only lived in a cave found them curious. He walked over to a path that was as hard as rock and as wide as a cave. Why would anyone need a walking path so wide and hard? They must have lots of people walking this path John thought. He knelt down to look at the path closer. It seemed not to be one rock but many small rocks held together with something. Then suddenly something whizzed by him making a loud obnoxious noise. John was knocked down as it brushed past him. He sat there stupefied. What in the world had that been?

Then another of the strange things came at him with great speed, faster than an antelope. It also made the same awful sound only this time a person stuck their head out of the contraption and yelled at him to get out of the road. John did not know why this person seemed to be so angry and what was this road he was to get out of? He sat there puzzling over it, when another of the strange contraptions came and pulled to the side of the path and stopped. There were people in it as well. How did it move? John wondered. It has no animal to pull it. Some young men and one young woman came out of the contraption to talk to John.

“Dude are you ok?” One of the young men asked.

John was not sure what a dude was but the young man seemed to be addressing him. “It is well with me friend and how art thou this fine day that the Lord has provided for our pilgrimage here on earth?” John returned as friendly as he could.

“Dude, what did he say?” one young man asked the other puzzled.

“I don’t know man but it sounded totally rad.” The other replied. “Look at those knarly clothes man. They’re the bomb.”

John was further confused by there conversation. He could not seem to understand them. “Pray thee, what art thou about friends?” John asked.

‘Huh?” They responded. Then the leader replied slowly and loudly as though talking to someone hard of hearing, “Uh we dudes thought you were maybe hurt or something you know, I mean like why else would you be sitting in the road man.”

“Dude!” the others nodded and agreed.

“Pray thee tell me of this word road, what does it mean?” John asked standing to his feet. Just about that time a large semi truck came whizzing by. John leaped out of the way to the side of the road for safety.

John was in shock, “What demon from hell is this that glides along the earth like water in a river seeking the souls of men.”

“Wow, that’s not a demon, is it man?” one asked another.

“No, dude I’m pretty sure it was just a truck.” The other answered. With this last bit of excitement the young lady came out from behind the car and approached John to see if she could help explain things. She was wearing short cut off blue jean shorts and a tube top. John quickly turned his head and covered his eyes.

“Thy maiden is not attired friend, cover her quickly.” John cried

“Hey, what’s that suppose to mean.” The young girl asked her friends unsure if she should take offense or not.

“Dude I’m not sure but I think he’s like saying your naked or something.” One of the young men piped up.

“Woah, is this guy like from another planet or something? I’m not naked! What’s up with that?” She asked.

John still did not turn around but asked over his shoulder. “This is thy custom and the custom of thy people?”

“Yes. It’s ok it’s the way people dress here.” One of the young men said. “Look I have an idea. This guy is like a Neanderthal or something right and we don’t know what to do with him or how to talk to him, so let’s take him to my grandfather, he’ll know how to talk to him.”

“Gnarly idea man.” his friends agreed.

“Dude, we want to take you to my grandfather house ok? So you come with us?” one of the young men said shouting at John as he opened the car door and pointed inside.

It seemed agreeable to John, he didn’t know what else to do. He carefully looked at the car and the door, which seemed to open of itself with little effort from the young man, a long time before slowly crawling inside. When the car took off John grabbed the back of the seat in front of him in terror. “How is it that your wagon moves so fast?” he said a little pale from the shock of it.

“Dude this isn’t a wagon, no man this is a hatch back.” One of the young men replied.

They pulled into a farm with a white two-story farmhouse on it. An old man sat on the front porch in a rocking chair. The grandson got out of the car and ran to the porch quickly explaining the situation to his grandfather of how they found this man sitting in the middle of the road. He didn’t seem to know what a road was or a car and he talked real funny like Grandpa’s old Bible.

Something flickered in Grandpa’s eyes, as though remembering something. “Bring him here.” His grandpa said.

John was trying to figure out how to open the door when the young man walked over and pulled the handle to let him out. “Amazing!” John said as the young man led him over to his grandpa, John all the while studying everything along the way.

“Welcome.” Said Grandpa simply.

“Greetings friend, how art thou this fine day that the Lord has provided for our pilgrimage here on earth.” John replied in a friendly tone.

Grandpa’s ears perked up. He knew this way of talking, he had heard it many times before when he was young. It was the way Quakers talked. “I am fine friend. Come sit with me this fine day. I would like ask you a few questions if you don’t mind.” Grandpa said.

“I mind not, prithee ask on.” John said

The young men couldn’t figure out what he meant but Grandpa knew. “Are you from the tall mountain called Chimney Rock my friend?” Grandpa asked

John felt much relieved, that this man seemed to understand. “Yes indeed tis true my friend, and how hast thou come to know this to be?”

Grandpa got a far away look in his eyes, “You are too young to be Uriah are you then his son?”

“Thou knowest my Grandfather Uriah?” John asked.

“I was just a small boy when he and his family went to live on the top of the mountain. But when we didn’t hear from them year after year we thought they all died.” Grandpa said

“Tis true death has stalked us and only thy servant is left of all those who lived on the mountain top. The water source became dry, so thy servant made a kite and glided it down to the valley with the help of God.” Said John

“I am sorry to hear about your family son. I am sure things here seem very strange to you.” Grandpa said

“Strange and dangerous,” John said thinking of the truck, “thy maiden’s attire is shocking to say the least. It is as Grandfather Uriah said evil has spread over the land like a disease.” John said sadly.

Grandpa smiled, “Evil is not what is around you my friend, evil is what you let into your own heart.”

It was a saying John would long remember and that would help him cope with all the new things that lay ahead for him. Grandpa started slowly and began to teach John about life in the world as it is today. To John it seemed that every time he thought he would never see anything more spectacular or shocking he would discover something else. Grandpa was very patient. He got some books from the local school and began to catch John up on history and science. He taught John how to drive his tractor and then his car. He even taught John how to work on them both. John was a fast learner but there was so much to learn and so much to see. He didn’t think he would ever get used to the way women dressed now.

Television was more than John could cope with, all the scantily clad young ladies and bizarre graphics upset John so they just left it off for now. He could not get over how fast everyone went and yet with all the speed and conveniences, no one seemed to have any time for other people any more. He couldn’t help but wonder what could be so important?

One night Grandpa went looking for John. John had been staying with him the most part of a year now and Grandpa had come to appreciate the friendship and integrity of this young man. He finally found him sitting on the top of the barn, the tallest place around. He could tell from the look on John’s face he was feeling lonely and lost. He slowly climbed the ladder and sat next to him. Neither of them talked for a long time, then finally Grandpa said, “It’s hard not to belong isn’t it?”

John nodded slowly, “Will I ever feel like I belong here?” John asked.

“It will get better,” Grandpa said, “But it will never go away completely.”

John appreciated his honesty. “Hast thou heard the people laugh at me and make fun of my speech?” John asked looking down. “Dost thou not know they have deemed me crazy?”

Grandpa waited until John looked up, then he smiled, “It is a small thing to worry about what people think. Their opinion is temporary at best. What do you think the Lord thinks of you?”

It was a sobering question that made John think and though he didn’t answer he understood. Only what God thinks about us is really important. He created us and only what He wants matters.

The next day Grandpa told John he was going to take him to the city as part of his re-education so to speak. They took the long drive down the mountains across the bridge into the city. John immediately began to feel fear grip him as he began to feel boxed in but he fought it off. But when they got out of the car and onto the sidewalks with hundreds of people crowding around him, John began to feel like he couldn’t breath. A panic seized him. He had never been around more than a few people and this was more than he could stand. Suddenly he started running to get away, but the people were everywhere, there seemed to be no end to this ocean of people. He had no idea where to run but he couldn’t seem to stop running. He was just running blindly. Finally Grandpa found him in the corner of a lobby under the stairs like a frightened child.

Grandpa didn’t say a word for a few minutes; he just sat down next to him for a while before he spoke. “It’s scary all those people in one place isn’t it?”

John nodded. “It is unnatural for there to be so many so close together.”

“You would think so.” Grandpa said, “But it is like that in many places all around the world.”

John looked at him and sadly shook his head. “No wonder there is so much sin when there are so many people all living on top of each other like that.”

“It’s not for me that’s for sure.” Grandpa said getting up. “But I would like to show one more thing if you think you can handle walking through the crowds.”

At the thought of the crowds John could feel the fear knotting up in his stomach again. John was usually not a fearful person but this was different. If Grandpa thought it was important he would a least try it. Grandpa took his hand and led the way. He thought John was going to squeeze his hand right off his arm before they got to the building he wanted to show him. It was the tallest building around. John got into the elevator; he didn’t like being boxed in and the ride up reminded John of the feeling in his stomach when he took the first step into the air off his mountain.

But when he got to the top of the building he felt different. He stood on the edge by the guardrail looking out at everything so small below. Just for a moment it was a feeling of home. But it wasn’t home was it? He would never be home again. He didn’t belong there all alone and he didn’t belong here either. His head swirled with confusion. Was there no place on earth for him to feel home again. He looked out over the vast expanse praying in his heart. “Oh Lord help me. Only you can.”

He began to feel the presence of the Lord wrap around him like a warm blanket making him feel safe. All at once he realized how foolish he had been. Home isn’t a place as he had thought; home is where you are loved. Then right there in front of everyone John stretched his big hands in the air out to God and began to pray his voice loud and strong. He was totally unaware such things are just not done. “Oh Lord God forgive thou me for being so foolish and fearful. I was looking at everything through only my own eyes and of course then everything would seem wrong. For I was not made to be alone nor was I made only for myself.”

People began to gather around to listen to this huge odd-looking man. I must admit he did make quite a site with his long bushy beard and his long hair braided from the shoulder down. He was so tall and big and though he now wore jeans and a tee shirt and his favorite of the new clothes he had discovered tennis shoes, you could tell he was not like everyone else. It was more than the way he looked and dressed, it was more than the way he talked and how big he was, it was the simple honest Godly heart that attracted them as he prayed.

Soon people began to gather from inside the building but John didn’t notice he stood there with his eyes closed and his arms outstretched praying to God. “Truly God you have made me and shaped me as I am inside and out. Shall I say to you that you have shaped me wrong? That you did not know what you were doing when you made me? Perhaps it is I that need your help to comprehend why Thou hast made me to be different? For dost thou not have a purpose in all that you do; indeed I know that thou dost. For it is Thee that makes one small and one big, that makes one dark and one light, and forms the hearts to differ one from another.”

The crowd listened as though mesmerized, as though he were somehow speaking to God for them. There were people of several different nationalities and ethnic groups, some looked poor and some rich, one was in a wheel chair, one was very old and one was yet a child. Some you could tell had been angry and resentful, and others just confused, they all needed to hear John talk to God about being different because they all felt different and like perhaps God had messed up when He made them, for some reason that they couldn’t understand.

But as John talked it became clear to them all. “I was not and then Thou dids’t breath out from the depths of Thy heart and then I was formed in my mothers womb. Though she was unaware or had not planned it, surely Thou was’t not surprised. I was then, made from You; it is no wonder that my soul craves You as it does seeing I am still part of You. Indeed I never could stop being part of You even though I deny it to myself. Would I no longer be my mother’s son simply because I chose to deny it? Would I cease to be an extension of her because I refused to know her? No it is not possible. And so it is not possible for me to stop being a part of You my God and my Father, though I be unaware of thee yet my inmost being craves again to be a part of who you are. I was not made to be separate from Thee. No wonder I feel alone and like I do not belong in the world. Tis true, I do not belong here and never will; I am only passing through. My true home then is with Thee. I belong only in Thy heart.”

Some in the crowd were mouthing their own prayers now, while others watched expectantly hoping to catch this knowledge of God for themselves; each one lonely and hungry for home; each one feeling different and like for one reason or another they don’t belong. A few were weeping softly as John seemed to reach them in the secret place where they hide inside themselves.

John sank to his knees his eyes still closed. “Dear Lord God I was made from Thee and for Thee, why would I then try to decide the least of things for myself. I seek Thy will and Thy face my Lord. But Thou knowest if Thou should leave me to myself I will altogether fail, for there is no good thing in this flesh but of Thee. Leave me not to myself but plant Thy will within me and let me only fulfill Thy purposes. Thou who knowest all things hast put me on the earth for such a time as this. You made me different for a reason, let me discover that reason that I may yield to it and not be found to fight against it.”

Anyone could see John’s heart was breaking. His words were like blood flowing from the depths of his heart. He could not humble himself enough before his God. So he flung himself face down on the floor and with his face to the floor he continued. “Why would Thou make me? Why would Thou make any thing so frail as flesh to hold a piece of Thee? Is it not for the same reason I crave to belong my Lord? It is not because Thou dost want someone like Thee that holds part of Thee to love Thee, just as we also crave to be loved and understood? Teach me then how to love Thee with all that I am and fulfill my roll of being Thy son by spending my life being about Thy business and Thy will for me. For all the love and acceptance I desire is truly in Thee and none other and in Thee and Thee only will I ever find the fullness of this life I live, for it was made to be Thine. As the sun brings light and it must because for this purpose it was made, so I must live in fellowship and love with Thee every day of my life because I was made for Thee. I love Thee Lord.”

John got up slowly and noticed the people gathered around him. But this time he didn’t feel afraid of them, he felt a deep compassion for them as he saw the same questioning look in their eyes he knew they too hungered to know more. “Tis true friends, I have no reason to lie against the truth. God has made thee from Himself He has taken thee and given thee life and your life craves to be joined to Him once again. If it were not possible to live with Him and be with Him while here on earth He would not have created us to crave it as we do. For even though we deny Him He is still our Father and desires us as only a good and loving Father could. It is why Jesus came to die for our sins, so we could have restored fellowship with the Father. If it is important enough for Jesus to leave heaven and to die for, it must be important enough for us to live for. We can all love Him and be with Him and receive Him through Jesus Christ His son. But it is not enough to agree or even to receive what Jesus died to give us. I now see we must live with Him and walk with Him daily to truly fulfill our purpose.”

He turned to Grandpa and said, “I will never feel lost and alone again. I belong no matter where I am, because I belong to the Lord.”

At the mention of Jesus some left, others prayed and accepted him but one by one the crowd finally thinned out except for one frail looking woman and her little girl. The little girl looked to be about four or five years old. She ran up and grabbed John around the leg. “Hi my name is Ana and I want to never be alone again, I want to know Jesus too.”

John picked her up and told her that she needed to repent of her sins and ask Jesus Christ to come live in her heart. Then He would be with her forever and she would be able to talk to God and come to know Him. The little girl prayed and John bowed his head in respect. John set her down but she still clung to his leg. “I want to live with you.” She said in a determined voice, “forever and ever.”

Her mother Rena came to pull her away but the excitement was too much for her and she fainted. John was deeply concerned though all the others just ignored her. He rushed to her side and picked her up. She came too and thanked John but said she was ok and that she could leave now. But John wouldn’t put her down. He was very worried about her. Grandpa began to ask the little girl when they had eaten last. The little girl indicated it had been a long time but even longer for her mother. They had brought a sack lunch with them for their trip to the city. Grandpa now took it out and gave their sandwiches to the lady and the little girl. They ate them hungrily and thanking them started to leave.

“Where do you live?” Grandpa asked the little girl.

“Well we don’t really live anywhere.” The little girl said. That is when John and Grandpa discovered they were homeless and living on the streets.

“Why doesn’t someone just take you in?” John asked assuming that was the logical thing to do. But he found out it just doesn’t happen that way.

“Grandpa took me in when I didn’t have anywhere to live.” John said, “and he still has yet two other rooms with beds in the house.” John looked at Grandpa and Grandpa gave a nod. “Then it is settled you both will come live with us.”

“We couldn’t just impose on you that way.” The lady protested.

But John would not hear of it. It was simply the right thing to do and that’s what they were going to do. It worked out well because Grandpa was not the best cook and housekeeper, so Rena took over the cooking and cleaning. Ana now had a wonderful Grandpa that just loved to spend time with her and Grandpa had purpose for living. Before John came he had been feeling old and useless but now he felt alive and needed again.

John plowed the garden and worked the farm. He loved the farm work it made him feel so close to God by being close to His creation. Eventually Rena and John married. They had 4 boys and Ana loved them dearly. They all attended a small church in the valley. John would even speak on occasion and eventually became assistant Pastor. But that wasn’t John’s real purpose for living, Oh no. You could see him walking out in the yard on a moonlit night talking with His God, loving on Him. That was his purpose, to share his life with God and let God share His life with him. He never lost site of that and really neither should we.