There he was, sandals and all, and he looked rough. He was too thin, and his hair fell in ragged clumps across his wind and sun burned face. My last favorite brother Yeshua. The half breed also known as Jesus Christ.

To be fair, I'd never met him before today, so my distaste could have been premature. I watched him for a bit before I approached to get an idea of what he was like. He was praying to Father, seeking guidance and wisdom. I couldn't help it; I scoffed out loud. He looked up at me with wide, startled eyes.

"Don't expect much of a reply from Him," I warned. "He's always listening, always plotting, but never explaining much of anything."

"Brother," he greeted me solemnly. "I knew you'd come."

"Did you now?" I asked. "Considering our lack of formal introduction, I must admit that's a bit of a surprise. I'm Lucifer."

"Yeshua." He inclined his head toward me respectfully. "Father told me you were coming."

"I'm sure," I sighed at him. "Leave it to Dad to only give clear instructions to the human infant." I was more than a little annoyed.

Yeshua stood from his spot and walked towards me. He wobbled a bit, and without thinking I reached out a hand to steady him. He looked awfully pale under the sun reddened cheeks.

"You need food, brother," I told him. "How long since you last ate?"

"30 days," he replied. "I am here to fast and pray and make ready. I do not return to the city for another 10 days. I will eat then."

"That is literally insane," I scolded him. "Humans need food to live." I looked around, trying to find some source of sustenance so that he wouldn't pass out before he could hear me out.

"Here, Father gave you the gift of miracles, right? Just turn one of these rocks into bread, and have something to eat. You're going to starve." I held up a large smooth stone for emphasis.

Yeshua shook his head. "I am not here to eat. It is my spirit that requires nourishment, not my body. Do the scriptures not teach us that 'Man does not live on bread alone, but rather by the word of God?'" He shook his head. "I am here to commune with Father, and I need to stay focused on Him."

"Suit yourself," I snipped, letting the rock tumble from my hand. "I'm not really here to convince you to eat. I'm here to tell you that you're a twat."

"Excuse me?" Yeshua stared at me open mouthed. I laughed.

"No one ever speak to the great Christ like that before? You too precious to hear what a remarkably giant tool you are?"

He shook his head. "Actually I've been hearing it my whole life, just never from family," he looked at me earnestly. "And I never expected it from someone with first hand knowledge of the divine and God's will."

"Ah yes," I retorted. "His will. And we mustn't ever act again His will, lest we be punished for it." I kicked a rock. "Sure, Father has a plan, but He never bothers to let us in on it, does He? And when He finally does break down and tell His new favorite about it, it's a shit plan."

"You question Him a lot, don't you?" he asked me plainly. "Has that brought you peace? Or suffering?"

"A Father," I spat, "who has to punish His children every time they question him, is no Father at all." I looked at him again. The hunger and the physical pain were evident on his features, and I pitied him.

I'd had centuries to realize that Dad wasn't worth looking up to. Yeshua had only been dealing with His bullshit for 30 plus years. "You don't have to do this just because He wants you to. You could make the choice to live."

"I am here to make ready," Yeshua stated simply. "I have made peace with my death, Father has promised me it will only be temporary, and I will live again."

I lost my temper at that. I scooped him up in my arms and in a blink I flew him to the top of the nearest temple I could find.

"You put such faith in Father's so called promises?" I turned him to face the view. "Then jump. Go on do it. To quote your precious scriptures 'He will send his angels to save and protect you. They will raise you up so that you do not so much as bruise your heel on a rock.' So prove that Father loves you enough to keep his word. Jump now and let one of our brothers save you!"

"The scriptures," he answered quietly, "also tell us not to test the Lord. I am not in a hurry to die, brother, just trying to prepare myself for the pain."

He looked so sad and frail. For one moment I was overcome with affection for the idiot. "Please, baby brother. Do not do this. I'm begging you. I've known Father a lot longer than you have, and I've seen what happens to His faithful: He treats them as disposable assets, nothing more."

Yeshua laid a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry you feel so wronged by Him brother. But He has given me an opportunity to save the souls of many with this gesture."

I rolled my eyes. "You know who decides who goes to Hell? The people. They send themselves with their guilt. You are preparing yourself to suffer and die for people who know they don't deserve peace."

He considered this information carefully before responding. "If my suffering can relieve theirs," Yeshua said, "then my death, my sacrifice, will not be in vain. Do not fret, brother. I will be alright."

"You are such a child!" I roared at him. "This is bigger than you and me! This is about Him," I gestured skyward, "and his incessant need to control and manipulate. He can't just let anyone live their own lives and make their own choices."

I whisked him away again to the top of a high mountain and swept my hand across the view. "Look, Yeshua. Look at all of this beauty and wonder. Why are you in such a hurry to throw your life away?"

I took a steadying breath and lowered my voice before I continued. "You are so young, brother. So very young." My eyes filled with tears in spite of my best efforts to curtail them. "You don't understand. Some day you will, and it will be too late."

I grabbed his face and forced him to look me in the eye. "He doesn't care about you, or me. The only thing Father cares about is humanity. Family be damned, literally in my case."

Yeshua embraced me then, and I let the tears fall.

When I had finished crying, he released me. "You are too good to be real, aren't you?" I asked, drying my face on my sleeve. "You even manage to find compassion for Satan. They don't deserve your sacrifice.

"I am asking you for a favor, brother," I said solemnly. "And I don't take favors lightly; if you know one thing about me it should be this."

Yeshua nodded his understanding. I went on, "I will repay this favor with literally anything you ask." I motioned again to the view. "All of this, I can give it to you, the whole world to be yours. I can do that. I can grant you any desire in your heart."

He gave me a speculative look. "And in return?" he asked, knowing the answer I would give.

"Just. Live. That's it. Don't let Him do this terrible, awful thing to you. He doesn't need it, He's God. He could snap His fingers and change the way things are done. If He really desires that humanity should be free of me, He could just speak the word." I looked Yeshua in the eye again.

"All of that He could do in an instant, but instead, He asks you, baby brother, to suffer needlessly and die painfully as a testament to His ego." My brother looked for the first time, uncertain. I leapt on the chance. "Don't give it to Him. Just live for me, and I will give you anything."

That spark of indecision flared out and died as I watched. He shook his head. "I don't pretend to know what Father's true intentions are. But I do know this: I am His son, His emissary and His lamb of sacrifice. I will do as He asks, not only because He asks, but also because humanity requires it."

He embraced me briefly, then said, "Please take me back to my fasting place. I love you, brother, but I must fulfill my purpose as Father intends, and I must finish preparing."

I sighed defeat, and flew us back to where we started. Before I left, I told him, "I'm sorry you cannot see reason around your blind faith. This is where we part ways, brother. I hope things go well for you, but I will not be around someone who so mindlessly follows our tyrant of a Father."

"I will always be here," he replied. "Seek me out when you learn to accept His love and live according to His plan."

I shook my head and flew away, leaving him starving, pained and alone in the desert. As I returned to my throne in Hell, I shed just one more tear for the stupid sap. Then I locked that part of my heart away forever.