Beacon of Love
As I'm seeing videos in YouTube about Judas Iscariot, the Judas/Love Tree (Cersis Siliquastrum), the Field of Blood (Akeldama) and the Gehenna Valley (Hell on Earth), I came with a thought.
To anyone who studied the Holy Books or at least know a bit of Hebrew History, Gehenna have quite a violent background (with wars and human sacrifices on the area) and even Jesus himself called this place as Hell on Earth (hence the name). So, we could say even in a holy city as Jerusalem, it took a dark part of history in this very valley.
As for Judas Iscariot, we know that after betraying Jesus, he was fill with horror, regret and sorrow. He tried to give back the coins to the priests, and they refused that. Throw the coins and ran to the place where he died.
The legend said that the tree he picked for his demise, originally had white flowers. Then when Judas committed suicide, the whole tree changed. The flowers turn white to pink/purplish color. It said it was because of Judas' blood or out of shame. Even the whole tree has detail about Judas himself. The buds where the seeds are placed looked like a hanged man. And the round leaves when fell to the ground and dry out, turn a bit of a silvery color. Reminds of the silver pieces.
This tree became the Judas Tree (Cersis siliquastrum) for the rest of history.
But also, it became a symbol beauty and romantic love. The tree is also known as the Love Tree. Also in Arabic, it means "Bride of the Forest", A very romantic symbolism for a tree where Judas Iscariot hanged himself, no?
In my honest opinion, after seeing lots of interpretations about the real reasons of Judas' actions (either in popular culture or Biblical study), could be beyond just accepting coins.
According to the Gospel of Judas, Jesus himself asked him to betray him, as Judas was especially close to him, his most devoted disciple. Surely, he could actually be the Beloved Disciple called in the Gospel of John (and people mistake this disciple as John, not Judas). Also, the fact that instead of giving any other signal, Judas kissed Jesus. That could be a possibility that Judas' feelings for Jesus was beyond a just a devotion of an apostle to their Rabbi.
Maybe romantic love.
But we know that homosexual love wasn't accepted in those times, so Judas had to hide his true feelings somehow, only expressing those when he and Jesus were alone.
If Judas' love was that intense that even transforms a whole tree... I mean, something so strong as love could even overcome any other negative feelings such a shame. There's no grief without love, and Judas grieved because he loved Jesus dearly.
As for Akeldama, the silver coins were used to purchase the area where all the unknown and non-Jew could have a resting area. A graveyard. And despite the name of Field of Blood, it became a resting place for all souls who needed somewhere to be buried properly. A place of respect and prayers. The Field of Blood became a sacred area.
And finally, Akeldama is located in the Gehenna Valley, the hellish place named in the Bible.
Maybe even in the most desperate and darkest places, there could be a beacon of light somehow?
For example, in the ending of the Comic of Judas, after accepting his new mission as the Shepeard of the lost and grieving souls in hell, he on his own became a beacon of light, of hope and love for all those who needs comfort. And Judas Iscariot became the symbol of light and divine comfort they needed in that hopeless world.
The existence of Judas, the Judas/Love Tree and Akeldama became a Beacon of Love in Gehenna on Earth.
Just as Judas Iscariot himself became the Beacon of Love in Hell for all the dammed souls trapped there.
So, even in the darkest place one could even imagine, there's still some light somewhere. Where hope and love are still possible.
Judas Iscariot became the Tree and Shepeard of Love on Earth and in Hell, to show that his intense romantic love and devotion for Jesus Christ, still resonates. And it's up to us to open arms and accepting his message of hope, forgiveness and the most beautiful feeling the universe could had ever created.
Love
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Financial Fumbles: Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail – Avoid Debt, Budget Smart, and Secure Your Retirement!
Let’s dive into the ocean of financial challenges. Yep, we’re talking about managing debt, budgeting like a boss, saving for retirement (hello, golden years!), and handling those sneaky unexpected expenses that seem to pop up when you least expect them. First off, let’s tackle the beast known as debt. It’s like that stubborn stain on […]
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samdean having the same blood type is so important to me like icb we never saw them giving each other blood transfusions.
it would’ve been john’s idea at first… sam gets a serious injury on one of his first hunts and he’s losing blood but they’re in the woods and john— calm, ignoring the obvious horror and self-blame on dean’s face— orders dean to the car, go get the first aid kit. dean’s out of breath when he gets back, silently taking over putting pressure on sam’s wound, entire focus on keeping him awake, you’re okay sammy, just look at me. he barely takes notice of john until he’s pulling dean’s left hand off sam, pushing up his sleeve. dean doesn’t even glance at him until he feels something stick in his forearm. that’s when he looks, seeing plastic tubing and needles. he makes brief eye contact with his father, understanding despite never going to a doctor before, and turns back to sam. sam barely reacts to the needle in his arm, just a weak flutter of eyelids, and dean sits there in shock until john smacks him on the side of the head, ordering him to stand up. dean obeys, already a good soldier at 17. he stands over sam like a guardian angel, watching his blood travel down the tube into sam’s veins as john sews the hole in his abdomen shut.
john knows from looking at him that he must be lightheaded, but dean still insists on helping sammy back to the car, sticking close to him like he’ll die if he lets go.
both boys in the backseat, pale from blood loss, but alive. sam’s head is on dean’s shoulder, and deans arm is around him, blood-stained fingers dragging up and down his arm slowly, soothing.
john doesn’t even argue about them sharing a bed that night; he’s too tired. dean refuses to leave sam’s side for a moment, washing the blood and grime off sam’s face, hands and stomach without doing the same for himself. they fall asleep with sam’s face almost against dean’s chest and dean’s arms tight around him, feeling him breathing.
once they know they can, they do it a lot. dean offering when it’s really not necessary, and sam letting him, both pretending they don’t just enjoy sharing everything about themselves.
and Maybe when they get a drop of blood on their hands they just lick it off instead of dirtying their clothes and Maybe that’s where sam got his taste for blood from but who am i to say
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An Evening Coffee
pairing: Edward Nashton/gn!reader
warnings: stalking, obsession, swearing, implied kidnapping? the riddler is just a silly goose
word count: 1.0k
part one
synopsis: Edward's obsession only grows stronger the more you pull away from him.
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a/n: thank you for the love on the previous fic <;3 also don't forget my requests are open teehee
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After Edward had left your apartment you were quick to draw all the curtains, triple checking that the front door was locked. To be extra safe, you heaved the coffee table in front of the door to barricade yourself in.
He knew where you lived.
The hairs on your arm stood up straight, alert. The air in your apartment weighed on your shoulders, unable to escape the feeling of dread that surrounded you. You drowned in fear. How did he know where you lived? Had he been here before? Was he still here now?
You didn't have a second of peace, your brain swarming with questions. Everything began to make sense. The feeling of being watched and followed, and of course, the card.
You wanted to move apartment, to run away and hide where he could never find you, but there was one small problem. Edward still had your laptop.
You stayed awake all night, forcing yourself to keep your eyes open. Caffeine and anxiety fuelled you as you stalked from room to room, unable to sit still, frantically checking that you were alone in the apartment. Was it even worth informing the police? You had no physical proof that Edward had done anything and the Gotham police were useless. They would just tell you, "we'll look into it," then you would never hear from them again.
The alarm from your phone blared in your ear. You don't remember falling asleep. You shot straight up, eyes snapping open as you scanned around your room. It was time for you to go to work.
Each time a customer came through the door a shiver ran down your spine, anticipating Edward's arrival. The night dragged. You anxiously stared at the clock, watching as the seconds ticked by all too slowly.
"Evening," Edward greeted you as he came through the door, the bell chiming behind him. You tried your best to keep a straight face, to keep the fear at bay.
"Evening."
He gently sets your laptop down on the counter. "I'll just have a coffee tonight," a kind smile adorned his lips as he spoke to you. How could he look you in the eyes and act like nothing was wrong? You couldn't help the shaking in your hands as your poured his coffee. "Well, I was able to get the virus off your laptop. Like you said, it was just something you got from a dodgy site."
You nodded, mumbling a thank you as your grabbed your laptop to put it away. Had Edward been the one to mess with your laptop? Part of you knew that would make sense, that is was the logical thing to think, but the way he looked at you almost had you convinced otherwise. Almost.
"You should be more careful, you know," Edward advised. "Try not to use those sites in the future. You never know what could happen. There's some dangerous people out there." His clear glasses gleamed in the light.
He wouldn't leave fast enough. Edward took his sweet time, sipping his coffee and scribbling his answers in a crossword puzzle. You watched him cautiously from across the diner, avoiding eye contact whenever he would glance your way. When Edward finally left, you let out a sigh of relief. A weight was lifted from your shoulders, not having to worry about him for the rest of your shift.
You scurried home, eager to get out of the dark and into the safety of your apartment. The illusion of safety, at least. Before you went to bed that night you messaged your manager, begging to be switched to the day shift. It would be too hard to find a new job on such short notice, so changing your shifts would be the quickest way to deter Edward. It was hard to fall asleep. No position seemed comfortable or safe. On your side, it left your back exposed, vulnerable to the world. You tossed and turned for the rest of the night, every little noise of the city waking you from your sleep.
You thought the switch to day shift kept Edward at bay. Aside from the feeling of being watched, you had not seen or heard from him. You asked your co-worker who took over the night shift if she had seen him, brown hair and clear frames, you described. Nothing.
Even your laptop was completely fine. The black screen and flashing question mark never appeared again but you still felt a level of unease using it, covering up your webcam with tape, just in case.
After a long day, all you wanted to do was rot in bed. One of your co-workers called out last minute, leaving you to cover them until someone else could come in. The rest of the evening you had spent running errands. Hauling all of your groceries onto the subway was no easy task.
You shuffled into your dark apartment, unable to flick on the light just yet as you carried your bags into the kitchen. They smacked onto the countertop with a loud thud. Your bedroom light was still on. Odd, you thought. You could've sworn you had turned it off. Electricity isn't cheap after all.
As you entered your bedroom, someone sprung out from the darkness, making you jump with fright. You hadn't spotted Edward in the corner, shrouded in the shadows. He towered over you, his eyes obscured by his glasses. You slowly backed away from him, until you were pressed up against the wall. He stood inches away from you.
"I missed you," Edward cooed. "You stopped working the night shift."
Your bottom lip trembled, fists balled against your sides as you stared up into his green eyes. Before you could utter a word, he spoke again.
"I just wanted to see you. You caught onto me hacking your laptop pretty quickly. You're a smart one." So he was the one who tampered with your computer.
"Please just leave me alone," your voice trembled as you spoke. For someone who used to seem so meek, Edward was making you shake with fear. His hand came up to cup your face, his thumb running across your bottom lip. You swallowed. He leaned down, his face centimetres yours.
"Don't think you can get away from me that easily."
You were his.
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