Yes, I meant to leave off the ‘K’.

I gotta tell you, I’ve always hated this theory that Christian Shepherd might be Jacob. And I guess it’s because well… that goofy little theory’s been floating around ever since Jacob was first mentioned. Back then, there was no one else that really fit the bill. So to me, it just seemed way too obvious. And as the seasons progressed and the Jacob mystery got more dense and complex… the idea that the most enigmatic character we’ve never seen is actually the same person in the role of the most enigmatic character we have seen… well, that… that was just too simple. And if Lost is anything… it’s NOT simple.

And at the end of last season when Locke confronts Christian in the cabin, he asks him, point blank, “are you Jacob?”. To which Christian says no, only that he can speak for Jacob.

I was like, “Thank you! Enough with the Jack’s dad is Jacob thing! It’s over, he’s not Jacob!” And I thought that was that.

But since then, people have occasionally asked me about it. Here at my blog, twitter, randomly on the street. They ask me what I think, and I’m always like, “Pfft! Um… no… he said he wasn’t. Remember? Last season? Can we move on?”

And last night, I got another one of those. @caass19 asked me this. To which I promptly answered this.

And then I started getting ready to see Star Trek.

I don’t know exactly what happened. But at some point while I was brushing my teeth, I thought, “Dude, have you done any research into who Jacob even is?”

Then I thought, “I don’t need to. They’re prolly gonna tell us this week, and I know one thing, it’s not gonna be Christian Shephard.”

Then I thought, “No dude, have you ever done any research into the biblical Jacob? Do you know who that is, Mr. I love everything Ancient on the show?”

I thought, “Um… yes… he was an old testament guy.”

Then I thought, “Yeah, but do you know anything about that ‘old testament guy’?'”

I was like, “One of… God’s children.”

“Sure, one of God’s children. According to the Bible we’re all God’s friggin children. Do you know what he did for a living?”

“Carpenter?”

“No”

“Baker.”

“Baker?!”

“They had bakers.”

“No.”

“Was he a wiseman?”

“Have you ever read the Bible?”

“I’ve read some parts… on my iPhone.”

“Okay, well, why don’t you use that iPhone to look it up.”

So I did. I googled ‘Jacob’s Occupation Bible’. And the first page that popped up said:

Jacob was a quiet (mg.) stay-at-home lad and followed the occupation of a…

“Shepherd?”

“That’s right, he was a Shepherd.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not falling for this.”

“Falling for what?”

“You’re trying to get me to buy that stupid theory that Christian Shephard might be Jacob… why?! Cause he was a ‘Christian Shepherd’? Please.”

“Well technically Judeo-Christian Shepherd.”

“Whatever, it’s a red herring. It’s, it’s…”

“He’s not the only Shepherd on the show you know.”

“Of course I know that. I watch the show, okay. Jack is a Shep-……”

“…”

“…”

“You wanna consult your iPhone?”

“… Do you mind?”

“Not at all. But you better hurry, Star Trek starts in an hour.”

So I wiki’ed it. Sat on the edge of the tub. Toothbrush in my mouth. Gums burning like you wouldn’t believe. And I read. Oh boy did I read.

There was a lot in there, but basically what I learned was this: Jacob was really stubborn. He didn’t really trust others much. And he like to wrestle against God. This particular section was a standout:

Jacob then transported his family and flocks across the ford Jabbok by night, then recrossed back to send over his possessions, being left alone in communion with God. There, a mysterious being appeared (“man”, Genesis 32:24, 28; or “God”, Genesis 32:28, 30, Hosea 12:3, 5; or “angel”, Hosea 12:4), and the two wrestled until daybreak. When the being saw that he did not overpower Jacob, he touched Jacob on the sinew of his thigh (the gid hanasheh, גיד הנשה), and as a result, Jacob developed a limp (Genesis 32:31).

And then after that incident, Jacob was given a different name by God or this Angel thing. He was called Israel… and he suddenly got really cool with God.

“Wait a second wait a second wait a second… are you trying to say… that you think Jack is Jacob?”

“Am I trying to say?!”

“I mean, am I trying to say that Jack is Jacob?”

“I don’t know, are you?”

“Well….. Jack is pretty stubborn.”

“That he is.”

“He’s always wrestling against Locke’s spiritual juju.”

“Yeah, that too.”

“But the sinew of his thigh thing! That sounds like Locke! Not Jack! And that quick shot of Jacob in the cabin in Season 3… that was Terry O’Quinn. I’ve looked at the screen caps. That’s definitely Terry O’Friggin Quinn.”

“Okay, it’s Terry O’Quinn.”

“…”

“…”

“…….. but maybe it is Jack. Wait a sec… have we ever seen Jack spell his own name? Does he even spell it with a K?

“You’re asking me?”

“I can’t remember.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

“But wow, this, uh… this changes things…..”

“I’d say so.”

“But it’s not Christian, though! I mean, pfft!… that’s for sure… we can agree on that right?”

“Oh yeah… of course not… couldn’t be Christian.”

“Totally.”

“Not with all the time traveling going on. Couldn’t possibly be Jack’s dad. Never.”

“Time…. Traveling?……………………. wait a second. What if….?”

“What?”

“What if Christian and Jack are the same person?”

“Continue.”

“What if the Shepherd is the guide? What if the Shepherd is the compass? What if those two are stuck in a loop?”

“Slow down!”

” What if Jack ends up raising a younger version of himself and changes his name?”

“To Israel?”

“No to Christian! Raises his younger self and calls himself Christian. Jack stays in 1977. Leaves the Island. Continues as a surgeon. Continues drinking. Pressures his son into the same profession. Sets everything up for his son to fulfill the same course of events in 2003.”

“Would they try to pull off a different actor as the same person, though?”

“What are you talking about, dude?! Clearly YOU haven’t watched the show. They do that all the friggin time! With Eloise Hawking, Widmore… and… Miles.”

“But that would mean you have to concede that some of these other theorists, @caass19′s brother included, might be right. That the idea of Jacob begin Christian might not be as simple as you think.”

“Damnit!!”

“It’s okay, other people can be right, John. You don’t have to get so pissed every time someone proves you wrong.”

“No, not that, damnit! The movie starts in like 20 minutes! I’m gonna be late! Errrrr! All I wanted to do tonight was unwind with a good old rock’em sock’em action movie. And now you got my head all wrapped up in this time travel nonsense.”

“Well enjoy the movie.”

“I friggin will!”

Anyway, it ended up being a really good movie. You should go see it.

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