Himalayan Jesus

The year was 1832. It was an unusually cold and brutal winter in Nepal. The crew, 20 men strong, was in its third week of a two month expedition. They had been traversing the treacherous terrain on the western slope of Kangchenjunga. Unbeknownst to them at the time, this was the third largest mountain in the world. To these poor souls, there was nothing that could have possibly been larger. It seemed to be its own world, strange and unyielding. The leader of this group was Rajashekhar. His name meant “king” but he never felt it appropriate. He insisted his men call him Raj. He held his hand up quickly and his men stopped in their tracks.

“What is it?” asked Talaan, his closest friend.

“I’m not sure”, said Raj. “I thought I saw something moving. Over there, by those boulders.”

“I don’t see anything.” Tal replied, a bit concerned. “What do you think it was? A bear? A wolf perhaps?

“No. I couldn’t have been a bear or a wolf. It was on two legs, like a man.”

“Bears have been know rise up on two legs, especially before they attack. If it’s a bear, we need to find it and kill it before it comes after us!” Tal’s voice cracked as he spoke. He cleared his throat in an attempt to hide his fear.

“No. It’s definitely not a bear.” said Raj. “Bears stand up on two legs, but they run on all fours. This was running on two legs, like a man.”

“Who else would be out here? We’ve seen no others since we left. Why would someone be hiding behind rocks? Are there thieves out here? Are there tribes that live on this part of the mountain?” Tal’s hands trembled as he began to unstrap his rifle. The whipping winds bit at his fingertips. He had removed his fox fur mittens to be able to quickly untie the bindings. His heart pounded as he fumbled around in his pack for his ammunition.

“I don’t think it was a man. It looked like an ape. It was tall and covered in dark hair. Didn’t you see it?” Raj had fear in his eyes and fear in his heart. He didn’t want to show it to the men, but his voice betrayed him. He was positively terrified and didn’t know what to do.

Tal’s stiff body relaxed a bit. He was able to breathe, if only for the moment.

“I didn’t see it but I have heard stories about strange creatures out here. It could have been the Bun Manchi. I’ve heard stories about them ever since I was a child. If what you saw was a Bun Manchi, then we have nothing to fear. They mean us no harm.” Tal took a deep breath and set his rifle down. “I think we need to set up camp here for the night. The weather is getting worse and you need to rest. We can set up a guard post and take shifts if it makes you feel better, but if what you saw was a Bun Manchi, we won’t be disturbed. They are curious creatures, but they have no malice in them.”

“How do you know that?” Raj asked. “How do you know what these things are capable of? You said you’ve only heard stories. I know what I saw. This is no story. How can we camp here tonight with a wild beast just outside our door?”

“Let’s get the tents up and I’ll tell you all about it. By the time I’ve finished, you’ll feel rather silly for being so afraid. Come, let’s hurry before this wind overtakes us and we freeze to death.”

The men, all working as a single unit, made quick work of setting up their camp. A couple of men had grabbed firewood from nearby and soon a fire was roaring. The wind blew strong, but with their tents circled around the fire, it remained burning strong. The dried fish was not a meal that any of them wanted, but its nourishment made up for the pungent odor and taste. The men settled in for the night, with Sejun taking the first shift as guard. Tal and Raj sat in their tent. Raj sat with an uneasy feeling as Tal sat beside him, smiling.

Tal put his hand on Raj’s shoulder.

“Relax, my old friend. What I am about to tell you is good news. It is a story as old as our ancestors. In fact, I am quite surprised you have never heard of it yourself. Although, where you are from, people tend to think of this story as a fairy tale. A myth. I am here to tell you the truth about our hairy friend outside. I was told this story by my father and he was told by his father… and so on.”

“Wait.” Raj interrupted. “How could you have heard about these creatures and yet I never have? How is that possible? ”

“Well,” said Tal. “Not everyone is open to the truth. Sometimes the truth can be right out in front of you and you miss it. But at some point, you will be confronted with truth. Just like you were today, when you saw for yourself, what my family has known for centuries.”

“But I’m not even sure what I saw. It was snowing hard and my eyes were half frozen shut. Maybe I saw something that wasn’t even there. I might have been mistaken.” Raj folded his arms and sat defiant and unbelieving.

“No,” said Tal. What you saw was real. I know these creatures are real because I was told by my father they were real. I don’t need to see one to know that. He once told me a story about how his grandfather encountered one of these creatures many years ago while out hunting in the mountains. He said it moved quick, like a flash and then was gone. But he was certain he saw it.”

“So your great grandfather thought he saw a creature like the one I may have seen today. How is that supposed to make me feel at ease? This thing could be a killer just waiting to attack. I won’t lie. I’m scared.”

Tal waited a moment. His smile returned to his face. He looked Raj straight in the eyes.

“What I am about to tell you will change your life.”

“I’m listening.”

“In the beginning of time, there were many creatures living here on earth. But the most powerful lived here in Nepal, on the mighty Kangchenjunga. There was a great race of these creatures that lived here long ago. They were called Bun Manchi by those who lived outside of the Sherpa communities. That’s why my family always called them that. We are descended from those people. Others call them by a different name; the Yeti.”

“Yes! I have heard of Yeti before. They are horrible creatures said to rip people from limb to limb! I had forgotten about them. I always thought they were just legends…” Raj paused for a moment and looked back at his friend.

“You don’t suppose they are real, do you, these abominable snowmen?”

“I believe the creatures are real, yes.” said Tal. “Not the Yeti though. Those are made-up, fictitious versions of these beautiful and loving animals. Let me explain…”

“Please, I still don’t underst…”

“Like I was saying, Raj, years ago there was a great race of these creatures who lived here. They still do live here, if only in smaller numbers. People are afraid of that which they do not understand and have killed off many of them. They have abilities we don’t possess. They have healing powers that are said to bring the dead back to life. They have the power to read our minds and even communicate to some of us. I have heard stories of some men back in the village who have spoken with them. These creatures are not from this earth. They were sent here from the great Bun Manchi who lives beyond the stars. He sent his children here to teach us things about life and how to please him. There was a great leader of the Bun Manchi, called Jai-Mithran which means Victory. He was also known as Ekadeva which means the only God. The great and powerful Loknadh (Lord of the universe) sent down Jai-Mithran to help us who lived on earth as we were so lost. He spoke to the people there and they understood his language as they could hear it clearly in their heads. He spoke of unity and how the great deceiver, Dhoku, tried to bring about the end of the world.”

“Seriously?” Raj asked, puzzled. “Ancient apes spoke telepathically to our ancestors and they tried to work together to stop the end of the world? Come now, you must be delirious from the expedition. You need rest.”

“Of course I am serious. Now stop interrupting. The great Bun Manchi from long ago took human form in order to gain the trust of the people. Many would not be so willing to join them if they looked like apes. The great Jai-Mithran was gaining many followers, but also drawing the attention of the village elders. They were losing their own followers and their power over the people was lessening. They conspired to have him killed. Though Jai-Mithran was only speaking truth and love, they accused him of speaking out against their own gods. They claimed blasphemy, when all he wanted to do was what he was sent here to do. He was sent to bring us closer to Loknadh. Many people agreed with the elders and had Jai-Mithran captured. He was tied to a stake and burned. He died and the world seemed a bit darker. But then, just a few days later, he appeared again to those who were loyal to him. They rejoiced and praised him and the one who sent him. He couldn’t stay though. Loknadh had more important things for Jai-Mithran to do and so he called him home. But all was not lost. He left behind a large group of Bun-Manchi to live amongst us. They don’t interfere with our lives, but they do watch us and protect us from afar. The fact that you saw one today just proves the story true, that we are being protected. We are being look after by one of the descendants of the great Jai-Mithran. We are in no danger. In fact, we are safer than ever.”

Raj sat with his face down for a long time. He rubbed the three week-old stubble on his chin. He then lifted his head and spoke slowly.

“Is it true?”

“Which part?” asked Tal.

“All of it. Is it true?”

“Of course it is.” Tal said confidently as he sat up straight.

“How do you know it’s true? Raj asked. “How do you know all of this? Is there any evidence that can prove that? How do you know it wasn’t all made up?”

“I know it’s true because my father told me it was true. Not one time in my life has he ever lied to me. Anything he’s ever said can be trusted completely. His father was the same way. They were noble men of the highest integrity. Do you doubt that they were telling the truth?”

“I believe that they believed what they said. But that doesn’t make their story true. Just because you believe something doesn’t make it true. What if they were told wrong and believed it anyway? What if your father told you what he believed and you trusted simply because he was your father? What if the story that keeps getting passed down was wrong from the start?”

“Do you remember what you saw today, Raj?” Tal asked calmly. “Do you remember seeing something that you could not explain?”

“Well yes, but…”

What you saw today was a creature that shouldn’t be here. Apes don’t live up in these mountains, yet you saw one today. It doesn’t make sense logically or naturally, but supernaturally it all adds up, doesn’t it?”

“I admit that logically these things couldn’t survive here, but does that mean the rest of the story is true too? How do you know? How can I know?”

“Raj, look in your heart. If what you are seeing doesn’t make sense in the natural world, it can only have a supernatural origin. Something that shouldn’t exist here, is here. Not only that, but it’s watching us, just like we were promised in the stories passed down from generation to generation. How do you explain that?”

Raj thought for a moment and his somber expression eased. A half smile formed on his lips. He looked as if a huge weight had been lifted from off of his shoulders.

“You know what, Tal?” He said. “I think you may be right. There is no logical, natural explanation for what is going on here. I know there is something more than ice and snow out here that doesn’t belong, yet it is here. It is watching us, protecting us and guiding us. Just like you said. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen what I saw. It may have only been a glimpse for a moment, but I know it was real. Why have I never been told this story before?”

“Well, Raj,” Tal said. “Some people are not ready to hear this story. Some people are blinded by the great deceiver, Dhoku. Our hearts are hardened and our eyes are blinded which is exactly what Dhoku wants. But those of us who have been taught this story have taken a sacred oath. We have sworn to share this story with those who are ready to receive it. Not all are ready but we need to be prepared for when they are. You had an experience today with trying to explain the unexplainable. It was the right place at the right time and that is no coincidence.”

“You mean…?”

“Yes. This was all ordained from above by Loknadh himself. You were chosen today to be a believer in a story much bigger than the one we’re in now.”

“But, they are creatures. They are just hairy animals, right?”

“Hairy animals that have no earthly business being in this location? Come now Raj, I thought you were smarter than that.”

Tal watched Raj intently and could not hold his smile back as Raj’s face lit up, bright enough to illuminate their tent in the night.

“Yes.” Said Raj. “You’re right. It must be true. All of it. I can’t explain it by any natural means yet I do believe it happened. If it happened outside of the natural world, it must be supernatural. This changes everything. I was scared before, walking blindly into the wilderness. But with a protector watching over me as I go, what is there to fear? Thank you my friend. Thank you for sharing this truth with me. I can see now that I was not ready before this. I was ill-equipped to accept this truth. But things are different now. So very different.”

“You are most welcome, my old friend,” said Tal, still beaming. “It is my duty as a believer to share this story, but it has also been my pleasure. We should get some sleep now. We’ve still got a long way to go and we start early. Goodnight Raj.”

“Goodnight Tal. They’re all going to be good nights from now on. ”

The story that I wrote above is obviously a fictitious story, but one that has some parallels to a story we still pass on from generation to generation. The Christian story is one that combines some truth, much fiction and a whole lot of blind trust. We are oftentimes confused or in awe at events in our world. We see things we cannot explain naturally so we look for a supernatural explanation, not always understanding that just because we don’t know an answer right away, it doesn’t mean the answer isn’t there. Just because something cannot be explained right away doesn’t mean God did it. And just because you feel that maybe there was a creator, it doesn’t mean that the “backstory” with characters and events that have no evidence is true. For example, you may believe that a creator made the earth and everything in it. Does that mean Jesus was real or that he lived and died for us? Does it mean that Peter, Matthew, Mark , Luke, John or Paul were real? What about Mary or Moses? There’s no evidence that they were real. But sometimes we conflate a belief in creation with the Biblical account.

Just as a man thought he saw a creature in the snow that seemed impossible, we can look at our existence and deem it impossible. Some of us have a hard time understanding and explaining how we came about by natural means, just as the man couldn’t explain how a yeti could be there by natural means. He was baffled at what he saw and tried to make sense of it. Someone else told him a story that had yetis in it and he connected dots that weren’t there. Have we done that with Christianity and a possible creation of the earth? Absolutely. An unspecified creator could possibly exist, though we have no proof of that. A yeti may or may not exist. What someone thinks they see and what is real are often two very different things. A yeti may possibly exist, but we cannot prove it. Without evidence of the creature actually existing, on what basis could we believe a made-up story about the history of it? How could we know names and supernatural events regarding the yeti, but cannot even prove it is real? How do we know names, places and events in the Bible regarding God yet we cannot prove God is real? God may be real, but without evidence we cannot be sure. Without any evidence, we can be sure of one thing though. The stories about God were created by us. If they were really true, we would have evidence of that and that would lead to evidence of God himself. We have no evidence of the creator and therefore no evidence of the creation. It’s simply not there.

I wanted to believe it all. I wanted to believe the story was all true, but we cannot even prove the main characters were ever real. If the characters in a book are trapped within its pages, why did I ever try to place them in the world outside of them? I wanted to believe. I really did. I wanted to believe God was everything the Bible says he was and what people I trusted told me he was. To me, God was once my everything. That’s gone because the truth has prevented me from believing any longer. If the god of the bible is to be believed in, we would need to have some evidence of his existence. He would need to be real…yeti’s not.