Maybe Ben can't see Jacob...

[cleantone]

Just a thought. He didn't hear what was said to Locke. Perhaps he cannot see or hear Jacob himself at all. Maybe he knows about Jacob somehow and has been sort of conning the others into thinking he could talk to Jacob. Furthermore perhaps it was
Annie who could actually communicate with Jacob. Perhaps that is how Ben learned about Jacob in the first place.

[John Burger]

I also thought he couldnt really hear Jacob--thats why he brought Locke. Because Jacob has turned on Ben(that why Ben got cancer).

I think Ben knew he was in the chair..but Jacob said nothing to Ben

But it still doesnt explain all the reasons Ben brought Locke to see him.

[Barrister]

This was my thought as well. I'm just going out on a limb here, but suppose there is a prophecy of a island-style messiah.

Ben may have been using this prophecy to lift his position among the "Others." Suppose that one of the elements of the prophecy is that the "chosen one" will kill his father. The hostiles could have used that prophecy as an inducement to get Ben to betray the Dharma folks.

Perhaps Ben has been riding this wave for years, and along comes Locke. Maybe Locke has fulfilled other aspects of the prophecy and Ben feels threatened. That could have been the basis of the otherwise bizarre scene where Ben tries to embarass Locke that he can't kill his father. I also think Ben secretly suspects that Locke is the chosen one.

Maybe that's also why Alpert is helping Locke. Alpert knows that Ben is a pretender, because Alpert is the one who fooled him into believing that he's the guy.

I think that when Ben found out that Locke could hear Jacob, it cemented it all in Ben's mind. Ben finally knew for sure that he was a pretender and that Locke was the chosen one. That's why he shot Locke - to protect his position with the Others.

Of course, this is all just wild conjecture. But, it's fun to guess.

[jasonsnell]

Agreed that Locke is basically usurping's Ben's role as the chosen one in the Others group. Whether there's a prophecy or not, Locke clearly is more in touch with the island than Ben, and it drives Ben nuts. I don't know whether Ben's a pretender or whether he's just lost touch, but clearly Locke is a threat because he's been healed, because he's looked into the face of the island... Also interesting to note that Locke castigates Ben for their adoption of the technology at the Dharma headquarters, and shortly thereafter everyone's in tents out in the jungle again. Locke's influence there too.