ALIVE: Chapter 150 Echo of Exodus

After healing the poor blind and dumb boy Jesus and His men boldly went to the synagogue. I say boldly because that’s where the rude Pharisee also went, refusing to admit that he was wrong in announcing that Jesus operated with a demonic power.

The many people who had joined the group in their travels from Capernaum to Jerusalem, who were not of the 12 disciples, were still with them, but had to fend for themselves. They didn’t mind because the magnetism of Jesus was so powerful. Some wanted to be near Him to learn, others to see what would happen next, and others because they fell in love. There was some inexplicable attraction, like a compatible vibration that he or she could not resist, and saw no reason to resist. Love.

Often these people, and there were many, found refuge in the synagogues, or camped out, and from time to time one of them had a friend in a town and several were offered shelter. Of course some had to get back to their work and families and needed to leave the entourage with regret. Those who stayed prided themselves in keeping tabs on Jesus, who promised never to leave a town without telling Manessa and Ari who would be responsible to relay it to those who knew to keep in touch with one of them, and who would also be told when someone had to give up and leave. Group B knew to go to the synagogues as the most likely place in each town to find Jesus.

Indeed, on that day several of the larger group were there, praying and waiting when Jesus and His disciples came in. They were unaware of the incident outside.

Manessa asked Bartholomew when he spotted him, “What just happened out there? I saw a Pharisee come in, in a huff mumbling something about that unruly magician?” Bartholomew told him of the healing of the blind and dumb child and the Pharisee’s outbreak.

Manessa replied, “Blind and dumb? Interesting, aren’t most dumb people deaf, but not blind?”

Bartholomew replied, “Come to think of it, that’s true, but I think his ability to hear helped his recovery of speech. Who knows?”

Manessa smiled and pointed his finger up. The gesture meant that God could do anything, and didn’t need human reasoning. Then he said, “When do we leave Bethany, the people are asking.”

Just then Jesus approached. “Hello Manessa, how have you all been? We will get back on the road tomorrow morning. Is there anything you people need?”

“No, my Lord, we are are well taken care of. Okay, we will all be ready soon after daybreak.”

After the worship service, Jesus and His men went back to Martha’s house to let her know that they had been invited to dine at the house of the parents of a boy who was healed, and that they would be leaving for Jerusalem in the morning.

Martha, knowing the family, replied,  “Oh no, you can’t all go, she will never be able to feed all of you, four of you go and leave the rest here.”

The next morning, while Jesus was away, Lazarus loaded up two of his mules with supplies and food that his sisters had prepared for their best friends.  After Jesus returned from His morning prayer time, and after breakfast, Lazarus and his sisters went around and hugged each disciple, with longer hugs for Jesus to send them off to Jerusalem with as much heartfelt admiration and love as they could muster, both material and spiritual.

The disciples and Group B all gathered at the synagogue to begin their exodus from Bethany. Several of the young men joyously anticipated going to Jerusalem for the first time, their families being too poor to make the pilgrimage.

Jesus headed to Jerusalem in joyful anticipation of visiting His mother.

The group that left for Jerusalem that morning was larger than the one that had arrived. Even though they lost a few, they gained several more than had left. The Group B people made friends and those friends wanted to follow the Master and Wonderworker too.

To the angels above, the entourage looked like another Exodus; even women with their children joined them.  No longer could Jesus and His disciples travel by boat or caravan; the group was too big. Walking allowed them to buddy-up with various people  to learn about each other as they walked, their lives and their reasons for being part of the group.

To over tire the elderly or the weaker in the group, and knowing that they wanted to be with Him and learn from Him, Jesus stopped three to four times a day for what ended up being a four day walk to Jerusalem to teach and let them eat.

After the first three hours of walking, this is how it went. Jesus told John and Phillip to run down the line that the crowd formed to announce that they would be stopping so the Master could teach and they could worship together.

Jesus always began these stops by leading them in praying the Shema.

Jesus speaking as God recited what Moses speaking for God had composed, “Hear, O Israel: G‑d is our L‑rd, G‑d is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home, and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on your doorposts and on your gates.

If you will only heed His every commandment that I am commanding you today — loving the Lord your God, and serving Him with all your heart and with all your soul— then He will give you the rain for the land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine and your oil, and He will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you will eat your fill. Take care, or you will be seduced into turning away, serving other Gods and worshipping them, for the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will shut up the heavens, so there will be no rain and the land will yield no fruit; then you will perish quickly off the good land that He is giving you.

You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign in your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the Israelites and tell them to make fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations and to put a blue cord in the fringe at each corner. You have the fringe so that when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and not follow the lust of your own heart and your own eyes. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and you shall be holy to your God. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I am the Lord your God.”

Jesus recited these words with such authority to the group many of whom bowed their  heads and repeated the Shema that they all knew from childhood. Each man woman and child sensed that he or she was part of the river of the exodus generation. Hearing Him, Jesus could have been both Moses and the Lord God speaking directly to their generation. Little did they know that indeed, Jesus was true God of true God, who descended from the throne of God in heaven, to echo His words in Person to this generation. They couldn’t have known that until the crucifixion and resurrection, but the Father knew it and the attending angels knew it.

When He finished reciting the Shema, knowing that they were ready to be taught, Jesus said, knowing Beezlebub better than the ignorant and hostile Pharisee, “The unclean spirit, when it is gone out of the man, passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and not finding it. Then it says to itself, ‘I will return to my human, from where I was evicted.’ and when it goes back and finds it empty, swept, and garnished, it finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so shall it be also for this evil generation. You must be vigilant, not to rest in your spirit after prayer, but never to let your guard down, and never cease asking God to protect you from the evil one.”

The silence of His pause after that statement was interrupted by a woman’s loud proclamation, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that fed you.”

Jesus looked around to see who said that, finding her He replied in as loud a tone, “Yes, but rather, blessed are they those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”

Another in the crowd of fellow pilgrims, shouted, “Teacher, show us a sign.”

He answered, “An evil and adulterous generation just looks for signs and miracles; is this your entertainment? The most important sign I can give you is the sign of Jonah the prophet, for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”

The man who asked, bowed his head in shame, his heart embarrassed and contracting in his chest wished he could disappear.

Hearing that, the mass of people, even the disciples were confused. They had no idea why He was comparing Himself to Jonah, except that He meant to compare them to the people of Nineveh. But Jesus, knowing that they couldn’t have understood, didn’t stop. He continued by saying, “No man, when he lights a lamp, puts it in the cellar, or under a bushel, but he puts it on the stand, so that the light will allow the people in the room to see in the darkness of night.

Let’s move on. Give thanks to God and let’s go.” Jesus turned to John and His men who gave the nod to Manessa and Ari to get the people in formation to start walking again. They only had a half a day to go, but Jesus had plans to take them to the tomb of the prophets to pay their respects as their first stop. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were waiting for Him