The Magical Bible: I See What You Did There!

"The Magical Bible" cartoon by nakedpastor David Hayward

OWN A PRINT OF THIS CARTOON

THE CRUCIFICTION: I used to go to this restaurant on Friday nights because for entertainment they had a magician. He would walk around the tables and perform his tricks. He was simply amazing. He would pull things out of the air, make things disappear, and perform tricks that drew gasps from the patrons. Including me! Now, I must be clear‚ I never really believed in magic. But he was certainly magical. His routine was unbelievable. I was really drawn to it. Of course or I wouldn't have gone every Friday night for months. But, I think it was the fifth time when he began to recognize me as a regular. It was around the same time I started to catch on to what he was doing. I caught the slight of hand. I noticed the lump in his sleeve there, the distraction of his left hand there, and the way he made people guess something he'd already prepared them to make. It was genius! One time when he was performing for our table, I actually mouthed, ‚ÄúI see what you did there!‚Äù The look on his face clearly communicated his discomfort. I don't think he wanted me to leave, but he certainly wanted me to keep my mouth shut. So I did. I went along with the program. So my interest shifted from curiosity in his magic to the gullibility of his audience. I loved watching them get duped time and time again. If anyone else became a regular, they played along too, just like I did. Eventually Maestro moved on (that was his stage name). But I learned some huge lessons. For instance, people love magic. We are a superstitious lot! We like to be fooled. We also, even once¬†we realize we've been gamed, will play along just for the illusion of miracle it provides. We all collude in the illusion of magic because it makes us feel good. Even when we know it isn't true, we will hang on every magical motion and every superstitious word. We will suspend reality for as long as we can to sustain the sense of the supernatural and live in our make-believe world indefinitely. I could tell you more, but I have to get ready for church.