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One morning at the coffeehouse, a stranger sees something in Jake no one else can. Something holy. Something divine. Something lucrative. By the time Jake realises he’s in over his head, it might be too late. “The Jesus Look” is an irreverent short story about finding salvation in the shadows of sanctity. Will Jake finally find his calling? Or will his calling find him? 1,500 words / 6 minutes of sardonic reading pleasure Keep scrolling to read online.
‘Follow your own star.’ Dante Alighieri STEFANO BOSCUTTITHE JESUS LOOKCopyright 2024 Stefano Boscutti
All Rights Reserved Jake doesn’t plan on becoming Jesus. The dirty-blonde shoulder-length hair and beard are just his way of rebelling against his Mormon parents in Provo, who send him weekly links to articles about BYU’s honour code and the virtues of clean-shaven faces. His father, a professor at the university, always sighs dramatically whenever Jake shows up for Sunday dinner. His mother tightens her lips and looks disappointed. His sister looks him up and down in his thrift store outfits and teases him for looking like a hipster Jesus. Behind his parent’s back, he mouths fuck you at her because actual swearing is considered soul-destroying. His sister mouths a blowjob right back at him. Jake has been avoiding doing missionary work because he still doesn’t know what to do with his life. Serving a two-year full-time mission doing community service, humanitarian aid, saving souls, and baptising converts to the celestial kingdom is a big ask. But everything changes the day he’s serving avocado on organic sourdough toast at the Rugged Grounds coffeehouse on Carson’s Corner, where he works the morning shift to barely cover his rent. A woman in her forties, clutching an iPad with a polished gold cross on the case, can’t stop staring at him. ‘You know you have a certain quality?’ she asks. Jake blushes as he puts down the plate of avocado toast. ‘And what quality would that be?’ The woman sizes him up. ‘Blessed, almost divine.’ ‘Well, we’re all children of God.’ The woman looks him up and down again, smiles. ‘Yes, although some of us more so than others.’ She opens her iPad and turns the screen towards him, scrolls through a series of ethereal photo shoots. ‘I’m a photographer specialising in religious portraits, and you have exactly the look I want’ Jake smiles a little embarrassed. ‘And what look is that?’ he asks. ‘The Jesus look.’ Jake glances down at the photos shot around the Great Salt Lake, backdrops that look like the ancient Sea of Galilee fringed with distant mountain ranges draped in glimmering light. There’s a photo with a model robed as Jesus, kneeling with two young children amongst wildflowers. Another with a model Jesus stoically carrying a large piece of weathered wood across his shoulders. One more with Jesus walking on water. ‘He’s not actually walking on water,’ the woman says. ‘I had to Photoshop that in.’ Jake looks up. ‘It’s a miracle.’ ‘Morning shoots are best because the light really is amazing.’ ‘I’m working here most mornings so I guess that counts me out.’ The woman smiles. ‘The modelling fee is two hundred dollars an hour.’ Jake blinks. ‘For standing around looking peaceful?’ he asks. ‘With a minimum call out of four hours Jake beams. ‘In that case, you can definitely count me in.’ Two hundred dollars an hour to stand around looking serene? He can finally afford to fix his dying Subaru. Buy some new clothes. Get a new laptop. ‘Where do I sign?’ he asks. ‘Actually, you just need to sign up.’ The woman slides a business card over to him. ‘On this website.’ Jake takes the card and nods as he reads the website address. The woman stands to leave. ‘One more thing,’ she says. Jake looks up. ‘You need to work on your smile.’ ‘Work? Like dental work.’ The woman shakes her head. ‘Just make it a little more beatific.’ That night, he creates a profile on the JesusModels.com website. Studies the smiles of various Jesuses depicted in Mormon artwork, particularly the “Come Follow Me” painting by Del Parson with Christ basking in golden light. The gentle smile suggests tranquility and compassion, invitation and understanding. After Jake uploads his profile picture, he adds a quick description: ‘Professional Jesus Look-alike - Available for Family Portraits, Wedding Photos, and Christmas Cards. Authentic Roman-style robes provided (dry-cleaned after every shoot). Historically accurate leather sandals. Works with children and animals.’ His inbox explodes. Mormon mothers want him to pose with their children in fields of wheat. Newly engaged couples request ethereal shots of him blessing their union in chapels. One family hires him to recreate the Last Supper for their dining room wall with their entire extended family as the disciples, which turns into a five-hour negotiation about who gets to be John, the beloved disciple. Easiest thousand dollars ever. Jake takes his role seriously, perhaps too seriously. He studies Jonathan Roumie’s portrayal in “The Chosen” television series frame by frame. Practices every version of his smile in the mirror. Jake learns to master the perfect balance between approachable and divine, develops a signature pose he calls “The Gentle Shepherd,” and perfects the art of making eye contact with the camera that conveys both infinite tenderness and mystical enchantment. He draws the line at carrying a wooden cross, though one enthusiastic client offers to pay double. ‘I’m a model, not the actual son of God,’ he explains gently. He also has to regularly remind clients that he can’t actually heal their sick relatives, though he’s happy to pray with them. His parents are oddly proud, in their own way. ‘He’s certainly striving to emulate the Saviour,’ his mother tells her scripture club, carefully omitting the part about modelling fees and payment. His father starts sending him academic papers with historical descriptions of Jesus’s appearance in first-century Judea. Bookings are booming until the fateful day he shows up for a dawn photoshoot at Fremont Island and finds himself face-to-face with another Jesus. And another. And another. The client, a wealthy real estate developer’s wife, had booked four Jesus models for the same shoot, unable to decide which one looks most honest-to-goodness like the real Jesus for her Christmas card. As they stand there awkwardly in their identical freshly-pressed, linen robes, comparing beard lengths and debating who has the kindest smile, the situation descends into an unseemly screaming match over who has seniority in the Utah Jesus modelling scene. One of them, a former BYU theatre major, insists he has the most experience so the job should be his. And he’s played Joseph twice in nativity scenes. That’s when Jake has his epiphany. While the others are arguing about whose sandals are more historically genuine, he rushes off to the twenty-four-hour Walgreens Pharmacy on the corner of State Street and Columbia Lane in Provo. He parks outside the front glass doors, dashes in and out in under thirty seconds, tosses the Walgreens shopping bag in the passenger seat and hurries to his apartment. Once inside he charges into the bathroom, opens the plastic bag and retrieves a Disposal At Home Self Ear Piercing Kit. Winces a little. Then reaches in deeper and pulls out a box of L’Oreal Paris Superior Preference Permanent Hair Color - Intense Dark Red. When Jake steps out of the bathroom forty minutes later, he’s almost unrecognisable. His swept-back hair and beard are a deep, rich red. There’s a small silver loop earring in his left earlobe. He takes out his phone and smiles as he takes a shot, eyes sparkling, earring glinting. He opens the JesusModels.com website and creates a new profile: ‘Professional Judas Lookalike - Perfect for Adding Drama to Your Biblical Reenactments. Specializes in Last Supper Tensions, Garden Betrayals, and Treacherous Kisses. Authentic Silver Coins from Tyre Included.’ Within a week, he doubles his rates. The same clients who had hired him as Jesus now want him as Judas, particularly for their upcoming Easter pageants and chapel shows. He finds himself in constant demand for recreations of the Last Supper, always seated in the shadows, tightly clutching a pouch of coins. Jake’s parents finally come around when he uses his earnings to pay for his father’s sabbatical research trip to Jerusalem. His mother still sends him articles about clean-shaven faces, but now she also includes historical essays about Judas’s possible appearance. In a market saturated with Jesuses, it turns out there’s only one Judas in town. Sometimes you have to step into the darkness to see the light. And his gentle smile? It works just as well for plotting betrayal as for blessing children.
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Copyright 2024 Stefano Boscutti All Rights Reserved
The moral rights of the author are asserted. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or copying and pasting, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing. No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems. Stefano Boscutti acknowledges the trademark owners of various products referenced in this work. The publication or use of these trademarks is not authorised or sponsored by the trademark owner. This is a work of fiction. While many of the characters portrayed here have counterparts in the life and times of Jesus Christ and others, the characterisations and incidents presented are totally the products of the author’s immaculate imagination. This work is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It should not be resold or given away. Thank you for your support. (Couldn’t do it without you.) Discover novels, screenplays, short stories and more by Stefano Boscutti at boscutti.com
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