ALIVE: Chapter 167, Before

After walking for several hours the group reached a village near Jerusalem, dusty, exhausted, and hungry. Many other people from all over Judea and Galilee were also on the pilgrimage for the feast of the Passover. One young Greek from Bethsaida in Galilee recognized Phillip and with his friends approached him.

Galilee was very different from Judea.  Galilee was inhabited by people who over the centuries gravitated there for the sea. The Greeks were particularly significant people because of their rich culture, philosophy and heritage. Alexander the Great in his 30 short years spread Hellenism throughout that world. He and Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Homer, Hippocrates and many other Greeks were non-Jews who were instruments of the one true God in preparation for His incarnation. Plato even dared to speak of One God to his pagan world.

“Sir,” he said to Phillip with his companions behind him nodding in agreement, “we would like to see Jesus.” Phillip, recognizing him replied, “Hey there! How are you? Hold on, let me see if I can get Him for you.”

Phillip spotted Andrew nearby and asked him if an acquaintance of his could speak with Jesus. “I don’t know;” answered Andrew, “let’s go ask Him.”

Andrew and Phillip looked around for Jesus and finding Him approached Him carefully. Because of the recent escalation of danger, they weren’t sure if He would be willing to talk with the foreigner. He didn’t ask for healing; he simply wanted to talk. The Greeks followed Phillip to Andrew and then on to Jesus.

Andrew spoke up, “Sir, we have some Greeks here from Bethsaida who want to speak to you.” Jesus looked behind Andrew at the men.

When Jesus saw them He knew instantly that these men, representing the greater Hellenistic world, was another sign to Him that the end was near. It signified the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham that he would become the father of many nations and through his son Isaac would have more children than there are stars in the sky. The old covenant being fulfilled, the new covenant between the Creator God and humankind was ready to be established.

In response to that revelation, Jesus gave a most awkward and unusual response to Andrew loud enough for the men hear. He said, “Anyone who loves his life will lose it, while anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Jesus paused, looked over at the Greeks and then added, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me.” Then He looked up into the heavens and said, “Father, glorify Your name!”

That announcement, shaking up the disciples, but especially the Greeks would have been shocking enough, but it was suddenly followed by a Voice from heaven saying, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

The Greeks were astounded. They didn’t ask any questions; didn’t even greet Him, but were given an explosion of enigmatic information. Phillip and Andrew were perplexed. Phillip looked over at his acquaintance for his reaction and drew a shocked blank.

The others who didn’t know about this encounter between the Greeks and Jesus, thought that the sound was just thunder. Phillip thought it was an angel speaking. Andrew knew it was the Father. Chills went down his spine on this hot Judean day.

Jesus continued, “Now my soul is troubled, and what should I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.”

Aware of the confusion about the sound from heaven, Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people (even Greeks) to Myself.” He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.

The Greeks were frozen in awe of Jesus. He obviously intuited the gist of what they wanted to ask Him which was “Who are You? Why are You?” They were speechless and looked up into the heavens for the source of the voice, which they expected to see.

A Jew who also happened to be near them mustered up his courage and said, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up. Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

Jesus replied enigmatically, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light. That’s enough.” Without acknowledging the Greeks at all Jesus walked away weaving Himself through the people and hid. That scene was as intense for Jesus as it was for the others. The Greeks came to give Him a message by their presence. He needed to be alone with His Father. The Greek meekly said good-bye to Phillip who reached out his hand, and he  walked away with his companions.

The disciples were often amazed by Jesus’ ability to escape the crowds and hide when He needed to. Peter said to Andrew. “Where did He go? Have you seen Him?”

Andrew replied, “Yes, I was just introducing Him to those Greeks. Then I turned my head to look at the size of the crowd, but now I don’t know where He went. I know He said that He wanted to visit His mother. Maybe that’s where He went. Should we go there to find Him?”

Andrew replied, “No. Leave Him alone. Let’s go into the city and find some food. I’m starving. He will turn up when He wants us.”

Peter chuckled, “Truer words were never spoken. Okay, let’s try to find the guys. Tell everyone to meet at that sycamore tree.”

All twelve disciples enjoyed the night off. They scattered and agreed to meet at the synagogue in the morning where they would probably find Jesus. They ate well, found a place to sleep well, and forgot about the intensity that had weighed on them for the last week or so.

In one’s and twos the disciples arrived at the temple the next day, only to see Jesus creating a scene. “Oh no! Just what we don’t need!” thought Thomas and Matthew. He was overturning the tables of the money changers. Doves were squawking in their cages. Jesus was yelling at them something about them making the temple a den of robbers. He was furious.

Peter didn’t dare approach Him to let Him know they had arrived. Jesus even yelled at a man who was carrying a vessel through the temple. “How dare you!!” He hollered.”Is this the marketplace or is this the House of God! Shame on you for not being aware of where you are! Get out of here! Do you hear me?” He yelled even louder, “GO!!! Get out NOW! Take your rubbish and never come back!” Then he spotted another man carrying a vessel through the temple, and focused His ire on him. “What are you DOING? Get out of here with that! This is not the marketplace! Get out!”

Jesus tried to compose Himself as people were flying out to escape His ire. In a strong voice Jesus bellowed as they were either leaving or picking up their goods.  “The Lord’s house is a house of prayer for all the nations! You have made it a den of thieves.”

Andrew watched in awe and turned to his brother Peter and said, “He is really asking for it now!” Peter remembered the scripture that read, “Zeal for Thy house shall eat me up.”

Two women, huddled in the dark corner of the room, were watching in awe. Rachel asked her friend, “Who is that Man?” Sarah replied, “That’s the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.”

“Oh!” said Rachel, “I heard that He was a kind and gentle man.”

Sarah replied, “Just Iike all of us, I guess He’s both.”

“Yeah.”

While the merchants  were busy picking up their goods from the floor and packing up to go…for the day, Jesus, followed by His men, proceeded deeper into the temple. Inside were the blind and lame, who came day after day because there was nothing else for them to do except pray for a healing. These invalids typically gathered in one section of the room.

“Look! Isn’t that Jesus, the prophet who heals people?”

A blind man perked up and said, “Really! Tell Him to come here!”

Jesus walked over to that section.

When they saw Jesus going over to heal the blind and lame, a gaggle of boys ran over too. When they arrived just as Jesus reached them, they exclaimed with joy, “Hosanna to the son of David! Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!”

The chief priest snickered, nudged a scribe standing beside him and said, “Do you hear what these foolish children are saying?”

Hearing that, Jesus looked at the boys with a grateful smile and turned to the priest and said, “Didn’t you read, Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings Thou has perfected praise?”

“Hrumff.”

The priest pulled the scribe aside where Jesus couldn’t hear and in a low voice he said, "That’s it! We really have to do something about this guy.”

“You keep saying that, but we can’t; look at all these people clinging to Him. How can we harm their idol? They will riot, then the Romans will step in and then who knows what will happen to us and our authority!”

The shrewd scribe said, “Look, once we destroy Him, sure, they will be upset for a while. But they will get over it and everything will go back to normal. As for the Romans, we just have to get them involved. Make them think it was their idea.”

“We can try.”

While the fools were plotting against Him, Jesus reached over and laid His hands on the head of a blind man, then a lame man, then another and another each time bowing His head and praying for healing. One after another raised their heads after bowing them too. The blind lifted their eyes and saw for the first time. They saw Jesus looking at them with an expression of knowing satisfaction on their faces. The lame slowly tried out their new legs, and gradually walked.

“My Lord!!! Thank you, thank you! Glory to God!” A syncopated chorus of gratitude filled the temple for all to hear.

Jesus replied, “Thank God! Stay here and pray, then go to your homes and tell them what Yahweh did for you today. Prepare your thank offerings and return. Don’t delay.”

In unison the healed said, “We will! We promise, my Lord!” The formerly blind eyes sparkled with life. Looking upon Jesus as their first sight sent waves of tingling and quivering through their bodies. The lame stood up straight like soldiers of the Lord ready to sacrifice the rest of their lives in gratitude for the love of God. The habit of their former complaints and fears, their misery and suffering melted away. Their new erect bodies were ready for work.

In Himself Jesus felt their joy and His own in the victory of healing, of restoration, of new life. This was His mission, and to all of those who were ready and able to receive, He felt like a bottomless well for the giving. This was a perfect day.

The disciples, mesmerized by the contrast, followed Jesus walking out of the temple and down the street. All eyes were on the Man Who violently dared to disrupt the business of the temple, and then bestowed new life on the outcasts.

Jesus’ head bowed in contemplation walked away from the hubbub of the city. When they had reached the outskirts, John dared to speak to Him.

“Where are we going now?”

“The sun is about to set, let’s go back to Bethany.”

“Terrific!” said John to the relief of the rest who were not ready for more of what Jerusalem had in store for them with all the hostility and threats of the entrenched establishment.

As they walked back to Bethany Jesus became hungry. He spotted a fig tree in the distance and walked over to it. The men followed, as they were hungry too. When Jesus reached the tree He looked all over it for fruit, but found only leaves. He was so disappointed that He said, “Let there be no fruit from you ever again.” Then He kept walking to Bethany. No one bothered at the time to look back to see the fig tree withering as if on command, but most of them remembered that it was not the season for figs and were confused.

The next morning, on their way back to Jerusalem, the disciples noticed that the fig tree that Jesus cursed had withered away from its roots.

Peter said, “Rabbi, look! Isn’t that the fig tree you cursed yesterday? It’s all withered! How did that happen?!”

“Look at that!” echoed Bartholomew and Simon.

“Maybe it’s a different one.” added Judas.

Jesus said, “Have faith in God. I mean it! Whosoever says to that mountain over there, “Get up! I will cast you into the sea! If you don’t doubt in your heart, but believe that, what you said will come true, it will! Believe Me. Whatsoever things you pray and ask for, believe that you receive them, and you will.  However, when you are praying, forgive everything against any one who has insulted you; that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. This power is generated by a clean heart. Come on let’s just walk and pray. I want to get back there before noon.”

The rest of the trek back to Jerusalem that morning was done in silent contemplation. Disciple minds spinning, Jesus was focused, preparing himself for more battles with His enemies, and forgiving them in His own heart.

Indeed they arrived in Jerusalem as the sun was directly overhead.

As He entered the temple, He was spotted by several men He recognized, chief priests, scribes, and a few distinguished elders.

“Look! There He is!”

“I think He knows we are plotting against Him and still He had the nerve to walk right in here!”

“Especially after the scene He caused yesterday. That guy doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything.”

“Or He is a genuine fool.”

“Let’s go talk to Him.” And so this group of distinguished powerful leaders approached Jesus and His men.

The chief of the chief priests spoke. “By what authority do You do what you do, turning over the tables?! Healing people? Who gave You this authority to do these things?”

Jesus replied, “Do you really want to know? Can’t you surmise this with your own wisdom? Okay, but first I’ll ask you one question. When you answer me, I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? answer me.”

The men huddled to hear the chief of chief’s, “If I say, From heaven; He will say, Why then did you not believe him? But if I say, From men, the people who hear me here will protest because they believed John to be a prophet, and John said that Jesus was greater than he was.”

“So, what’s our answer?”

The chief of chiefs broke away from his huddle, looked over at Jesus who was patiently waiting for the answer and said with an ironic sound of confidence and arrogance, “We don’t know.

Jesus replied “In that case, I will also not tell you where My authority to do these things comes from. Excuse us gentlemen, we have come to worship.” And Jesus and His men walked away.

Several Pharisees overheard that exchange and became indignant. Said one of them, “Listen, if we want the Romans to go after Him for us, we need to get Him to say something against Caesar.” Looking beyond his colleagues at their disciples standing nearby, he called out, “Hey you! Come here.”

When two young men approached he said, “Listen, go up to that Jesus over there and ask Him if we should give tribute to Caesar or not. Ask it loudly for everyone to hear so He will answer loudly too. Go!”

The Pharisee in training, happy to be given such an important task, confidently wound his way through the congregation until he and his friend, and a few Herodians in tow reached Jesus who was praying.

He said loudly, not minding that he was disturbing prayer, “Excuse me, Jesus. Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God in truth, and that you care not for any one because you do not regard the person of men.”

Jesus looked up and said, “How can I help you?”

“Please tell me and my friends here, do you think it is lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?”

Jesus, perceiving that it was a trap replied just as loudly, “I get it, this is a trap. You don’t want to know the answer because you are a hypocrite. Show me the tribute money.”

The speaker turned to his buddies and said, “Who has a denarius?”

One of them scurried off to the treasury and quickly brought one back.

“Here you go.” he said and handed the coin to the junior Pharisee who handed it to Jesus.

Jesus took the coin looked at both sides and said loudly, “Whose image is this and what does it read?”

The young man said, “Caesar’s.”

Jesus replied, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”

Both the disciples of Jesus and the disciples of the Pharisees and all the people in the temple that day smiled and nodded at such a good answer. They left confident that they could worship and serve God and still obey the authority that God gave the government.”

One elder was heard saying to his friend, “What a marvelous answer!”

The spokesman thanked Jesus for the answer and went straight to his teacher and said, “Did you hear that?”

The full fledged Pharisee replied, “Yes. You may be excused.”

ALIVE: Chapter 166, The Royal Donkey

It was a difficult parting. Lazarus didn’t want to leave his sisters, his homeland, but he had to obey Jesus. Meanwhile, he still feared what Jesus would encounter in Jerusalem. As he made his journey east, he felt as if he was literally being torn away from Mary and Martha. Without his sisters and their chatter, being alone for the first time since he went to hades, the memories of that experience percolated into his consciousness until it became a flood. It was so horrible, so dark, so purposeless. The destiny of mankind. Being away from its Maker, away from the beautiful earth brimming with life. Souls were wandering aimlessly with nothing to look forward to, not even relief. Nothingness. He thought of what Moses said about what the world was like before Creation, formless and void. He shuddered to think of having to go back there again. Then, as if the gift of a cool breeze on a blazing hot day, he remembered Jesus and all the miracles, especially when He called him out of there. How did that happen? Would He call others out too?

Lazarus hiked across the country. He was glad to be alive, to breathe in the aroma of the olive and fig tree leaves, to sleep and wake up every morning with the sun. The sun. He wondered if anyone else on earth appreciated the quality of light of the sun when it lands on an object. The brightness is like a kiss, warm and loving. Beauty.

When he finally arrived at the shore days later, he had to find the harbor. But not right away. First, he walked to the shore and peered out across the Mediterranean Sea squinting his eyes to look for an island. Nothing but water, but such a clear massive sea. Lazarus had never seen that royal blue color before in his life, never. It amazed him how rich it was. He spotted a man nearby with a bright friendly face and asked for directions to boats going to Cyprus. The man, pointed north.

Once on the boat en route, resting with nothing ahead but time and sea, Lazarus fell back into his haunting memories of the dark misery of hades. For the first time since his return, a buried memory started to surface. He wasn’t sure if it was a memory or a thought. Did I see John the Baptist there? Jesus told me about the baptizer, but I had never met him, how would I know if that was him, except intuition. Ridiculous. I still don’t understand why Jesus didn’t come with me to escape. If they want to kill me, they certainly want to kill Him. It doesn’t make sense. With what power did Jesus call me out of hades? Was He more powerful than death? I remember Mary telling me how he even resurrected a young man, the only son of a widow, who was dead. I really was dead! For four days! How could that young man and I could be called back from death? Damned Eve, damned Adam! The curse is so horrible.

Then it hit him.

Could it be that Jesus went to Jerusalem  because He…. No, perish the thought. The thought lost no steam. Does He want to be killed? Why? He is human, He too will just die some day. Why does He want to go to that prison of doom so soon? He is still young, with plenty of years and healings ahead. If He too is captured in hades, how can He let Himself out? At that moment his head jerked up and hit against a hard object. Ouch!!  Lazarus closed his eyes looking for relief from the pain and possibly answers, and received neither.

Lazarus was beside himself, and there was no one around to talk to.

So he kept talking to himself in his mind. Wait; it’s coming back to me now! That man who I saw in hades who I thought was John the baptizer. He was gaunt, scraggly, but there was something about him, something different. That man John looked at me with joy. That was the strange thing. He was the only one there who smiled! He must have been waiting for Jesus to arrive to free them, and he knew when he saw me it would be soon! Wait! Wait! Did I hear John announcing that Jesus was coming to release them from hades!! No one believed him, they were so miserable, and thought he was crazy, especially the people who had been there for centuries. The new ones had some hope, but no sense of time. But now, this minute I am the only one who knows that John was speaking the truth! Jesus wanted to die, so He could go to hades and release everyone!!!

Lazarus drew a deep breath of shock. His body trembled, goose pimples popped up, he suddenly felt chilly.

Lazarus forced himself to stop thinking. It was too much. He stood up, and walked around the boat, looking at the sea, catching his balance when it rocked, and went up the stairs, looked around, no. Went down two flights, and walked around until he found a dark secluded place. He stopped and when he felt safe, he didn’t weep, he wailed, he cried, undulating wailing and crying as quietly as possible while his face was getting drenched and tears poured out of eyes and nose. He must have cried for an hour before the intensity of the hades death experience, and that Jesus’ saved him, to intentionally irritate his enemies. And his escape from Judea, and the thought of the relief of the salvation of all of those miserable prisoners in hades from the beginning of time, and his ignorance and thoughts of his spiritual poverty. Poor Lazarus all alone  with these revelations. He was exhausted from the intensity of it all and he couldn’t go back and tell his sisters. He didn’t know where or when, but he hoped to meet John the Baptist again. But what will death be like when hades is destroyed? The train of his thoughts hit a concrete wall.

…

Meanwhile, once he was sure that Lazarus was safe, Jesus and His disciples started for Jerusalem. Everyone was quiet. There was nothing to talk about. They were mostly alert waiting to see what would happen to them or to Jesus. This trek to Jerusalem felt more like a funeral March. Several days passed in silence. Even setting up camp was a solemn affair.

When they arrived at Bethphage, near the mount of Olives, Jesus sent Phillip and Bartholomew to the nearest village. His reputation preceded Him. The news spread fast about the raising of Lazarus making Jesus more famous than ever. He told Phillip, “When you get there you will find a donkey tied next to a colt, untie them both and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, say, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them to Me right away.”

Everything was done according to prophecy. Remember the long night when Jesus stayed inside the tomb of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi? He didn’t sleep. They were meeting. The spirit of Zechariah reminded Him that night of what he had prophesied five centuries earlier. Zechariah said, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is He, humble and riding on the colt of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9)

Jesus knew that His disciples needed a lift and He knew it was coming. They had to stop focusing on the sadness that is temporary and fix their gaze on that which is ultimate and lasting.

Phillip and Bartholomew went to the nearest village as directed. “Look! There they are!” Bartholomew looked over at where Phillip was pointing and added, “Why am I ever surprised? Let’s go!” It went exactly as Jesus described. Phillip was surprised that the man let the animals go so easily. When they returned to Jesus, He was delighted to see them. He approached the animals and petted them and spoke to them. The donkey nodded his head up and down in response as if he understood exactly what Jesus was telling him and agreed. Bartholomew said, “Here, let’s put my cloak on him and then you can get up.”

Jesus hoisted himself on the donkey tethered to its colt tagging behind. By then many of the townsfolk had gathered to see what was going on. A young man recognized Jesus and told everyone He was there! It was a day of celebration for Bethphage, to be able to welcome this Celebrity to their small town. Women poured out of their homes untying their aprons. Everyone wanted to join in the merriment.

The disciples were confused by the people’s joy and their own anxiety all mixed up together. Some men and women even removed their outer garments and laid them on the path of the donkey carrying the King of Israel, like a red carpet for the dignitary. Others cut palm branches from the trees and spread them along the way. James thought he had never seen such a welcome before and was in awe of the exuberance. The contrast between the enmity of the Pharisees and the honor from these people, both resided in his mind together, not in conflict, but surprisingly in harmony which astounded him. How could that be? Maybe he shouldn’t have raised Lazarus from the dead; that was the last straw of those jealous Pharisees. It was never about Jesus breaking the law, he thought, the truth came out. It was about keeping their system alive and with it, their precious position over the common people. James stopped thinking; there was too much going on around him.

As Jesus passed with James and His other disciples walking close behind, the people they passed joined the procession. Everyone, on the side and behind them chanted together “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” Over and over again they heard this refrain as they paraded out of Bethphage .

As usual, there were a couple of Pharisees in the crowd who were also on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. The one said to his friend, “See that. We’re losing; the world is going after Him.”

The procession went all the way to the village where Phillip and Bartholomew had picked up the animals. The owner saw the procession and Jesus in front riding on his donkey. People were still cutting palm tree branches and laying them on the road. The donkey raised its head up high, for this was truly the most important day of its life and she knew it. The colt on the other hand was oblivious and looking for milk. It had been a long walk for the baby.

Jesus dismounted and thanked the owner, who graciously received the lead. The donkey’s owner did not know what to think of what happened because he hadn’t heard about the raising of Lazarus.

John exclaimed, “That was fun!

Jesus then turned to the crowd and thanked them for their recognition. “We are on our way to Jerusalem for Passover now. I thank you for your kindness. Perhaps we will see you again in Jerusalem for the Passover. Shalom.”

The people dispersed going back to their villages and to their work.

The twelve disciples formed a circle enclosing Jesus in the middle to protect him, like a team huddle  waiting for instructions from the quarterback, or coach, all eyes on their Master and hearts filled with apprehension again, Jesus said with firmness and bravery, “Let’s head for Jerusalem.”

They kept formation with Jesus in the center of the moving group like an amoeba floating down stream until they reached the outskirts of the village where few people were. The group walked in silence. There was nothing to say. Jesus was deep in thought.

It wasn’t far to go from the Mount of Olives into the City. When they could see the city walls Jesus stopped and gazed upon the sight. Suddenly the men noticed that Jesus had grown melancholy and seemed to be weeping. He said quietly as if to Himself and the whole world at the same time, “If you had known true peace O Jerusalem, what that is, but now peace is hidden from your eyes.The  days will come upon you, when your enemies will hem you in, and compass you around, and hold you tight in their grasp on every side, and they will  dash you to the ground, and your children within you; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another; because you didn’t know the time when God visited you.” Jesus was truly sad about the ignorance and hubris of man, and what enormous joy and peace mankind deprived himself of because of it. The fall of Jerusalem happened ten weeks of years later.

Not all the disciples could hear what Jesus was saying. Instead they all sat and stared at the sight of Jerusalem, with all its life and death, with its power and meekness within. It had always been a destination for feasting and worship, but it seemed as if a cloud caste a shadow over Jerusalem while Jesus was talking.

After a while of contemplation filled silence, Jesus lifted His head and said, “Come on, let’s go. I want to see my mother. You men find yourselves places to stay and we will connect tomorrow at the temple.”

ALIVE: Chapter 165, Warm and Overcast Days

Recognizing the effect of the shock of His announcement on His disciples who for three years had protected Him, cared for Him, listened and learned from Him, Jesus decided to tarry before diving headlong into the flames of Jerusalem. The detour would give them more time together, and besides He was also timing His entrance with Passover.

When He returned that morning, He said, “Let’s go back to Jericho..and then Bethany, I want to see how Lazarus is doing? I thought he was to go to Greece, but it seems that he hasn’t left yet.”

Thomas said, “How do you know that?”

In response, Jesus shot an expression that clearly said, “Do you really have to ask me that?”

Andrew looked on and chuckled while rolling up his blanket to shove it into his knapsack.

The hike to Jericho was unlike any other. Thoughts of the impending arrest filled everyone from Andrew to Thomas with apprehension and anxiety. The contradiction of Jesus’ power, yet surrender to evil was palpable. Absurd, ridiculous, impossible. Unless it was His plan.

That first evening, James and John approached Jesus together while the others were setting up camp and preparing supper. They walked Him away from the center of activity to a remote place where they could speak privately. Jesus went along and stopped sooner than the men would have wanted for maximum privacy. Nevertheless, James being the elder spoke, “Teacher, don’t You agree that You should do for us whatsoever we ask?” Not bothering to add “because we are so close to you all this time through thick and thin.”

Jesus casually replied, “What do you want?”

Again James said, “When you are killed and come in Your Glory, allow us, who saw You transformed into light on Mount Tabor, to sit one on Your right hand, and one on Your left hand.” John nodded meekly.

Jesus was quiet for a few moments then replied, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink? or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

John and James eagerly nodded and replied in unison “Yes, we are able.”

To the dismay of James and John, Jesus answered loud enough to be heard by the others, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism that I am baptized you will  be baptized, but to sit on My right hand or on My left hand is not mine to give; but it is for them for whom it has been prepared.”

“Hey!” shouted Peter while the rest who were just as indignant grumbled.

Jesus looked over and said to the others, “Come here.” When they came close, a few flashed sneers at embarrassed but not ashamed, James and John.

“You know that those who rule over the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them. But that’s not how it has been with you, My disciples. Whoever would become great among you should also be their counselor and whosoever would be first among you, should be servant of all. I did not come to be coddled and cared for, but rather to give My life as a ransom for others. Come, let’s eat and go to sleep.”

Some disciples were still angry at James and John, others silently, and intentionally allowed no thoughts, but simply went to their bedrolls to sleep.

Early the next morning, they continued their trek to Jericho, figuring that they would arrive in the afternoon. Jesus didn’t plan on staying at Hannah’s house this time; He just wanted to be in Jericho for what He knew would be the last time. Ahhhh! Jericho! What a simple but powerful place on earth, nestled majestically in and on the mountain linking the heavens to the earth.

Because Jesus was familiar to the people of Jericho, as they approached a growing crowd assembled around Him to be with Him and if possible to talk to Him. As they were passing through, a short rich man named Zacchaeus; who was a chief publican, was trying to see Jesus but he couldn’t because he was so short so he scurried on around and ahead of the crowd and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him. When He was nearing the distant tree Jesus looked up and called out to Zacchaeus, “Hurry up and come down out of that tree. I will come to your house.”

Zacchaeus grinned and said, “Wonderful!” And descended carefully but as quickly as he could so Jesus wouldn’t be impatient and change His mind.

Jesus waited. When Zacchaeus finally landed he shook Jesus’ hand joyfully, and said “Come follow me. Thank you Master.”

The townsfolk who knew Zacchaeus well murmured, saying, “Why would Jesus go to that guy’s home? He’s a cheater and a liar!”

Zacchaeus  heard their snide remarks and to show that he was repentant, and how much he esteemed Jesus, he said loud enough for his critics to hear, “Behold Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wrongfully charged any man, I will restore fourfold.”

Impressed, Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation comes to your house, forasmuch as you too are a son of Abraham. As the Son of man, I came to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Zacchaeus straightened his shoulders and proudly lead his honored guest to his home. Entering, his wife was surprised to see Jesus and His men in her home, but welcomed them warmly and offered the washing water bowl. “Gentlemen, please make yourself comfortable, and we will prepare supper. Rest and relax, my home is your home.”

Jesus replied, “Thank you.” The disciples collapsed on the sofas and divans in the large room.

The evening was restful and pleasant and in the morning Jesus and His disciples were ready to continue their trek to Bethany. A crowd was already standing at the entrance to Zacchaeus’s house waiting for Jesus to emerge. They walked with Jesus to the outskirts of Jericho.

As the crowd approached the son of Timaeus, named Bartimaeus, who was a blind beggar sitting by the way side, he heard and sensed that it was Jesus the Nazarene. Seizing the opportunity, he cried out as loud as he could, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” The familiar townsfolk rebuked him to  hold his peace: but he cried out even louder. “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped and said, “Bring that man to Me!”

A brother (cousin) of Bartimaeus went over to him and said, “Come! The Master wants to see you!”

Bartimaeus excitedly sprang up, threw off his garment, and latching on to his brother, together they  squirreled their way though the crowd until they reached Jesus Who was patiently waiting for them.

“What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man answered , “Rabboni, please oh please give me my sight!”

Jesus said, “Go, your faith has made you whole.”

And it did! It was truly a miracle, the darkness faded, gradually, light entered his old hazy eyes and went straight to his soul. The first thing he saw was the face of Jesus. He never forgot that beaming face until the day he died decades later. Bartimaeus fell at Jesus’ feet and kissed them. Jesus held out His hand to help him up. They hugged and Jesus said, “We must be going.” Bartimaeus joined the group that attached themselves to Jesus and the disciples and walked with them until they reached some steep rocks, and he and his brother decided to go back to tell their families what happened. They said good bye and returned to their blessed town in the mountains.

Peter was feeling very nostalgic as they hiked down the mountain. After what Jesus had announced, and especially after the raising of Lazarus, the report of which went straight to their enemies, Peter knew that these days of watching Jesus’s miraculous healings and joyful people like Bartimaeus would soon be ending. He even wondered if he had just seen the last healing by Jesus. In fact everyone was more quiet and thoughtful than usual. They didn’t know what to expect, but they all sensed a major change in the air.

They approached Bethany just as the sun was about to set on the horizon. Jesus pointed and said, “That’s the house of Simon the leper, let’s go there.” Indeed, Simon’s house was on the outskirts of Bethany and most convenient since it was dark. Jesus knocked on the door. When Simon opened it he was thrilled to see Him.

“Come in! Come in my Friend!” Jesus had healed Simon, but he was and would always be known as Simon the leper. He didn’t mind; he was used to it; as long as the symptoms were gone he was happy and grateful. In fact, Simon wasn’t alone, others were visiting that day. He opened the door wide and in poured Jesus with His 12 disciples exhausted from the long walk and more than ready for deep sleep. But first they had to be sociable. They entered the large room and sat comfortably on the divans there. A servant walked around the room with a tray of meats and falafel. As they were making small talk to stay awake and be sociable, a young beautiful woman approached Jesus with an alabaster pot of exceedingly precious liquid ointment. She demurely approached Jesus and without asking gently poured the serum on His head. But when Judas and a few others saw it, they became disgruntled. Judas voiced his anger and said, “What a waste! Why are you doing lady? You could, you SHOULD have sold that ointment and given the money to the poor!”

Jesus stepped in disagreeing with Judas saying, “Don’t offend this woman. She is honoring me and I appreciate it. You will always have the poor with you. She did it to prepare Me for burial.” The room of people were stunned to hear Jesus talk of His burial.  He continued, “In fact, what this woman has done, will be known throughout the ages. She will always be remembered and regarded highly for this kind act as a memorial to her.  “Thank you My dear!”

The lovely young lady bowed her head and walked backwards so as not to turn her back on Jesus, and carefully slipped away into another room. As she lay down to sleep, her heart was full. Yes, she knew that her angel prompted her to spend her precious ointment on Jesus. In fact, when she saw Him walk in the door, she knew immediately why she even purchased it. Her heart was brimming with sadness too at the thought of Jesus’s burial?

Peter who was already feeling nostalgic now became somber. Fortunately, the group broke up when several local people stood to go home, and Simon realized that his guests were probably very tired from their journey and had his servants orchestrate where everyone would sleep that night.

In the morning, after everyone woke up, Jesus thanked Simon for the shelter and food. He looked around for the young lady, but she still hid herself feeling too shy to approach Him again. As brave as she had been, she had become equally shy, which was her true angelic nature.

The next morning, after thanking Simon, they headed straight to Mary and Martha’s house to check in on Lazarus.

Martha opened the door and was full of joy seeing Jesus.

“Come in, come in!”

“Hello Martha, I was in town and thought I would come by and see how Lazarus is doing. Is he still here?” teased Jesus with His formality.

“Yes, he is here and feeling normal again! Lazarus!” she shouted.”Look Who’s here!”

Lazarus immediately entered the room. Welcome brother!” And gave Jesus a big bear hug.

“I thought I told you to leave town!”

“I will, I promise. I feel much stronger now.”

By then there were more knocks on the door of people who, because Jesus was there felt bold enough to come and see Lazarus. Until that day they were afraid to barge in on the dead man. But seeing Jesus, the public figure, they had more reason to go there.

“I will leave as soon as you do brother, I promise. Martha, pack my bags!” shouted Lazarus to his sister.

Jesus said, “They want to kill you, and they will if you don’t escape.”

Judas Iscariot heard that and thought, “They want to kill You too Jesus, and raising Lazarus is the reason. You can’t undo that by sending him away. Now even more people will follow You. Where will it end? It’s not smart to become more popular than the political and religious leaders, just not smart. Jealousy will kill You.”

Lazarus kept his promise and left for Greece the next morning.

“Jesus, come with me. They will want to know about you in Greece and there are plenty of people to heal there too?”

Jesus smiled at the thought and replied, “Their time will come. I need to go to Jerusalem.”

“Why would You do that?”

“I have My reasons, and someday you will understand. Someday the whole world will understand?” replied Jesus.

Lazarus was ready to leave and didn’t have time to decipher what He was saying.

ALIVE: Chapter 164, Shock and Ignorance

In the morning Lazarus was not yet ready to travel, so he decided to stay home for a little while longer. The sisters were glad.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem the chief priests and the Pharisees came together to discuss the increasingly threatening situation of Jesus. The rising of Lazarus increased their irritation to dangerous levels. Raising a dead man was so much more than working on the Sabbath, what broken law could they use against Him for this?

“What are we going to do about this? We have to do something! If we don’t, everyone will believe in this guy.” barked Reuben.

Asa added, “The Romans will not stand for anyone usurping their power over us.”

“True. They won’t stand for it and they will stop respecting us, we will lose our authority, and they may even decide to disperse us and destroy our nation. It will be like having to go to Babylon all over again!” cried Dan.

“Right, we will lose our homes, our sheep, we will become nomads again.” agreed Reuben.

A chorus of “God forbid!” followed.

Listening patiently to all this hysteria, the high priest, Caiaphas could take no more. He said. “You men know nothing at all. Didn’t you learn from Scripture that it is better that one man should die for the nation, rather than the whole nation perish.”

“Isn’t that what I’ve been saying?” echoed Asher.

“That settles it. We need to put an end to this threat, by putting an end to that man Jesus.”

“So, how do you propose we do this? We can’t kill him!”

“True, but the Romans can!” exclaimed Jude.

“Brilliant;” replied Asa, “we will let our enemy do away with our enemy!”

“Exactly.”

“Okay, how?”

“We’ll figure it out.”

“First, we have to find him. He goes all over the place. No one ever knows where He will turn up.”

Knowing that the Pharisees were plotting to murder him, because He provoked them to do exactly that, but because the timing wasn’t perfect yet, Jesus lead His men away from Judea and Jerusalem and went out into the country, near a wilderness where there was a town called Ephraim.

One characteristic of God is His precision. God’s precision is evident in the Creation, in the placement of the planets, and in the construction of the cell. Likewise, His timing is precise. When Jesus and His disciples were in Ephraim, there was purpose and precision in going there and in how long they remained there.

How He filled this time is His secret, but what was apparent was that it had to do with the Passover. Passover, the zenith of God’s relationship with His control group, otherwise known as His people Israel, when the angel of death passed over the homes of those who painted the blood of the sacrificed lamb on the entrances of their homes to save their families from the tragedy that was to befall their oppressors. Passover was like the key that opens prison cells, foreshadowing the release from Hades. At Passover the death of the lamb, from its blood, trampled upon death (i.e.  it resisted the angel of death) to restore freedom (i.e., rebirth) to the slaves.

Passover was closely followed by the other epic historical event, the crossing of the Red Sea, which was meant to remind them of when Noah and his holy family, the seeds of humanity, passed through the days of massive death-by-water. Likewise, those released during the Passover survived what would have been certain drowning death. Back-to-back miracles revealed to thinkers the power of God’s sacrificial lamb’s blood, not only for extinguishing sin, but for it’s power over death, so much power that even the waters which signified human-death since the flood, stepped aside.

God in Jesus was preparing for the new Passover, by the timing of it, like the timing of the revolution of the sun and moon, the great and the small lights so precise that they give humanity the concept of time, even to the second and the millisecond. To recognize God’s timing is the vitamin of faith.

While Jesus and His disciples lingered in Ephraim, the people who had gone to Jerusalem for Passover to cleanse themselves looked for the healer Jesus. They went to the temple every day hoping He would be there. While His followers and admirers yearned for Him, so did His enemies. The chief priests and Pharisees put out the call, that if anyone should spot Jesus, they were to report back to headquarters, so He could be arrested.

…

A woman named Rebecca who was visiting her sister in Ephraim recognized Jesus. “Oh my! I can’t believe I am seeing you again! You changed my life!” said Rebecca when she approached Jesus in the town square.

“Greetings Rebecca, how are you? Are you hungry?” chuckled Jesus because He knew that she was among the crowd that years before was miraculously fed the loaves and fishes that Jesus served them.

"You remembered! I am so happy to see You again! Can I hug You?”

“Of course you can. How are you?”

“I am well! I have a family now and all is well. I stopped to see my sister on our way to Jerusalem for the Passover.”

“Yes,” said Jesus, “We are going there too. In fact we will leave here in the morning.”

“Wonderful, hopefully, we can walk together on the road.” said Rebecca.

“God be with you!” said Jesus.

“He always is! Thank you again and again, for the bread, the fish and most especially for your teachings. You gave me a whole new outlook on life, and it has never faded. All glory to God!” With that Rebecca fell into Jesus’ open arms and they hugged a warm and unifying hug.

“So long, until we meet again! My sister is watching the children while I went to get our bread out of the ovens. Ha! What a coincidence.”

Jesus chuckled, “So long Rebecca.”

When the disciples overheard that they would be leaving for Jerusalem in the morning they grew nervous.

Peter was the spokesman for their concerns when he said, “Jesus, do you think this is a good idea? You know they want to hurt you. We’re afraid.”

“Let’s talk back at the camp.” Jesus led them back to their camp in silence where the fire-pit was ready to be ignited. The sun was going down as rapidly as the flames grew to illuminate the area and warm the men.

Jesus broke the silence when everyone was situated around the roaring fire.

He said, “Listen, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles: and they will mock Him, and spit upon Him, and will scourge Him, and they will kill Him; and after three days He will rise again.”

Every one of the twelve gasped.

"My Lord! NO!” cried little John.

“Yes John. For this I was born, for this I came to you.”

The disciples were shocked. If Jesus hadn’t said these things, they would not believe it. Why? Oh Why does the Messiah have to be treated so unjustly? These were fishermen, not scholars. They had not studied scripture but only knew what they heard in the synagogue from the Rabbi.

Silence. No one knew what to say. The fire crackled and the wild animals in the distance chirped, howled, and rattled, making the only sounds around.  Jesus had nothing more to say at that time. Everyone was left to their own thoughts as they peered into the fire, watching the wood turn red and be slowly dissolved by the ravenous flame.

John had a flashback of the evening when they were in the boat and there was a great storm. It had been dark and Jesus was not with them. A strong wind blew and the waters were choppy. The boat rocked fiercely and rowing was extremely difficult for Bartholomew and Andrew and the others with oars. Their faces were blood red and sweat poured out from their scalps. John was terrified. He will never as long as he lives forget that night. As they were nearing the middle of the sea he spotted Jesus walking on the water! Waking on the turbulent water towards them! How was that possible? But it happened! He saw it with his own eyes! Jesus walked right up to the boat and said, “It is Me! Don’t be afraid. Thomas reached out his arm, while holding on to Peter who stood like a rock clutching the mast pole. Jesus grabbed Thomas’ hand who pulled Him into the boat. All eyes were on Jesus and Thomas. Once He was safely in the boat, they found themselves at their destination! How did that happen? By what or by Whose command of nature and of time and space did that happen? They had been miles from the shore!

And now here was John who had never fully understood what happened or why that happened, confronted with his Master and Lord, Who was telling them that He was going to yield to the hostile self-righteous whims of the Pharisees, His enemies. The Man for Whom the roaring seas had no affect at all, who contradicted all the laws of nature, told them that He was about to be scourged and murdered by egotistical sinners. Or was He really the victim? He was too smart and too powerful to not use such injustice for His own purpose. But what could that be? John’s mind had to stop there. He suddenly felt very sleepy and decided to take his body and his thoughts to his bedroll.

One by one every disciple retreated into sleep, as if the news was a sleeping potion, or so great a shock, that they had to shut it off hoping that in the morning they would find it had been a nightmare.

Laying in his bedroll, mind racing, James wondered why Jesus had spoken in the third person, as if he was talking about someone else. What was He going to do in the time between when He was killed and when He comes back? When He returns will He be like Lazarus who came back from the dead and continued to live his life? There were too many questions that James couldn’t answer. It was apparent that Jesus was not going to spell it out. He, James, was going to have to be strong and faithful. He had no choice but to trust Jesus, to trust His Father God that this was to be a big, world changing event. Maybe even bigger than Passover for them.

In the morning as one by one as each disciple woke up, he noticed that Jesus hadn’t returned from His time with His Father. No one wanted to chat about what they heard the night before, to put words to their fears. It was too flabbergasting to discuss.

When Jesus returned, He knew how His men felt, so He decided that the next few days, before entering Jerusalem should be as normal for them as possible. They would heal people and leave it at that.

ALIVE: Chapter 163, Lazarus Alive

There was such a hubbub around Lazarus and his sisters that even the angels quaked. Shock, joy, fear, curiosity.

Once Lazarus was completely unwrapped and the friends had gotten past the shock, the people wanted to know what he felt? Did he go to Hades? Who else was there? What was it like to be dead?

The crowd surrounding Lazarus and Jesus needed to be dispersed. There was nothing to say yet. Besides, the shock of the event superseded words.

Peter took control.

“Everyone needs to go home now! Please. This man needs to be washed and go home too.” He shouted to the people. “Please, Lazarus needs to go home and we will see you in the synagogue tomorrow or the next day. Please, go home and pray about what you witnessed asking for wisdom from our Lord! Thank you, please, GO HOME.”

Most of the witnesses agreed on many fronts and quietly walked away, heads bowed down, knowing that the sisters and Lazarus needed to be alone and talk to Jesus about what just happened. It was all too fresh to be comprehended on any level.

But three neighbor-men went directly to Jerusalem to tell the Pharisees who were as shocked as if they had been present and immediately called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

The disciples went into formation, surrounding Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and Jesus to allow them to walk back to their home in peace and quiet. The sisters patiently waited to be in the comfort of their home. Jesus was calm as if what just happened wasn’t as shocking as it was to everyone else, however, of all the miracles He had performed, bringing Lazarus back from Hades was by far the most astounding. He knew that it would raise the ire of His enemies, but that one of the reasons He did it. Also, raising Lazarus showed the people what He meant when He said that He was the resurrection and the life. Those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death have no light in themselves. In fact, the light hurts their eyes, so to speak. They recoil from the light. That was the reaction of those who went to the Pharisees and a few of the neighbors. The eyes of their dark unbelieving souls hurt with shock and confusion. The hurt quickly turned to outrage to pacify their egos.

When the family reached their home, and they entered it, there were five people still there waiting for the sisters to return. When Lazarus walked in, one lady fainted. They were flabbergasted. Lazarus said, “Excuse me, I must get dressed.” And went into the bedroom to find his tunic.

Martha rushed up to the fainted woman with a wet cloth for her forehead to wake her up. “It’s okay, my brother lives! The Lord God raised him from the dead! Jesus has power over the dead!”

The others stood up and  went over to touch Lazarus, who was sweaty and sticky, but he didn’t smell bad. “I’m okay, but please don’t touch me.”

Once her patient had recovered Martha asked the guests to go home and thank God. “Please leave us.” said Martha.

They took one good long look at Lazarus, then at Jesus and then at the sisters and nodded compliance, leaving the home was what they wanted very much to do; it was too intense in there. “Good bye.”

One man kept mumbling “amazing” over and over to himself as he left the house without saying good bye.

Finally alone with the disciples and Mary Magdalene outside guarding the doors, Jesus sat down with Mary. Mary stared at Him in wonder. She flashed back to the day she poured perfume on Him and wiped His feet with her hair. How could she love Him more than that? What more could she do for Him to expressed her admiration and now her awe. Jesus closed His eyes. Mary wondered if He was simply resting or seeking guidance from His Father. She too was drained from all the emotion of the day. She also felt ashamed for her doubt.

Jesus knew how the Pharisees would react. Giving life to Lazarus was the equivalent of taking an ax to the religious system they had built for themselves over the centuries, using the law when it supported their finely built power structure that had less to do with truth and faith and more to do with hubris. Jesus had just put a spear in the eye of the dragon and it would certainly lash out.

Martha ushered her brother into the bedroom and gave him a bowl of water to bathe and dress. Lazarus was obviously weak but gradually getting stronger. He looked around his home as if for the first time. He wondered if he was dreaming. “How could this have happened? I’m actually alive again! And I am healed!” But he wasn’t happy. He was more perplexed. So overwhelming, so shocking was the experience of death. He had just seen so many dead people that he knew, even his grandparents, and everyone of them was miserable. It was as if they were all in a dim prison. Spirits like holograms wandering around but recognizable, expressionless, or with severe pain of regret in their ever-living consciousness. This wasn’t sleep. This was something else. It was to be alert, but not on earth with its nature and all manner of animal life. There was no life anywhere at all, just consciousness, sorrow, regret, some of the spirits were angry, others afraid, others melancholy. Lazarus shuddered at the memories that flooded his mind while he was dressing. Fully dressed and hair combed, Lazarus walked back into the parlor to see Jesus.

“How do you feel brother?” asked Jesus.

Lazarus replied, “Do you know where I was?”

Jesus said, “Yes and no. Yes, I know what befalls man in death. I know because My Father created Hades as the place of death, just as He created this living planet. But neither My Father, nor I can be there, I will go there someday, because and only because I am human. I was born and I must know death. That’s all I can say now.” Jesus looked deeply into Lazarus green eyes and said “Are you okay?”

Before he could answer Mary asked, “Where did you go? What did you see?”

Lazarus replied, “It was truly frightening. There were spirits of people. No bodies, but I could distinguish one soul from another by a spirit form, like an impression of who they were.”

Martha asked, “Did you see anyone you knew? Did you see Mama and Ababa?”

“Yes, but no one was talking, everyone was somber or miserable there. It was horrible. I guess that’s what God meant when He told Adam and Eve that they would surely die. Death is not sleeping. It is horrible. Then all of a sudden, I heard Jesus call me, and so I floated to the sound of His voice, and I found my body! So I entered it again, without thinking, it was almost natural that I would do that. Then I had to make it move, so I could obey Jesus. At first, I could only move in my mind. I couldn’t make my body move. Then slowly, very gradually I gained the strength to move my body. Here I am. I never want to go back there again. It was wretched.”

Jesus looked at Lazarus and said, “You won’t have to, my brother.”

Lazarus looked back at Him curiously? “How is that possible? I must die again, I know that.”

Jesus replied, “I am the resurrection and the life. Let’s just leave it at that for now. But I have to warn you, we have enemies. The people are amazed and happy now to have seen you alive again, but it won’t last. You need to leave Judea, go as far away as you can. Go to Greece.”

“What are You going to do?” replied Lazarus.

“Don’t worry about Me. I have my own mission.”

“Jesus, I’ll never forget what I saw.” whispered Lazarus loud enough only for Jesus to hear.

“You will. Trust Me.”

Mary and Martha listened to this conversation with mixed emotions of fear about what Lazarus described, concern for Jesus, and lamenting that their brother had to go away again. Martha, who couldn’t take the intense conversation any more, stood up. “Lazarus, you must be hungry, you haven’t eaten in days. Let me prepare a meal for you men. Mary, come and help me.”

“Thank you,” said Jesus. “Can you send something out to My men too?”

“Oh! I forgot that we have guards. Yes, of course. We have plenty of food from the funeral still.” replied Martha, suddenly realizing how strange that sounded.

Mary stood up and shot a sorrowful expression at both Jesus and Lazarus. She knew that she just had to trust God, no matter what would happen next.

Lazarus said, “What should we do? We have to face the people again.”

Jesus thought for a moment and replied. “First we will announce a community feast to celebrate your return. At the feast you will announce that you must go away to tell the world what God did for you. But you mustn’t linger. You should leave within a few days. Go to Cyprus; it isn’t far and after two years God will send someone to tell the people about your resurrection and mine.”

“Yours?”

“Never mind.”

The people of Bethany will understand, and send you off with plenty for your journey. In fact, they will be glad to see you go. The story will be enough to hold them for the rest of their lives. Having you here will be too much of a reminder of death for them, they will hound you and never let you rest. But more, the Pharisees will want to kill you.”

“Okay. Not my will but God’s will be done.” replied Lazarus.

Meanwhile, outside the home flocks of villagers stood waiting to speak with Lazarus. They were desperate to know what death was like. The disciples formed a barricade at the front door which the people respected. Every once in a while a person would ask one of the disciples to go inside and see if Lazarus will be coming out. After an hour or so, Andrew relented and knocked on the door.

Martha opened it ajar to see who it was. When she saw Andrew, she let him in. He said to Martha, “The people are getting restless, will Lazarus and Jesus ever come out to speak with them?”

Jesus heard Andrew and Martha and said, “Tell them to go back and prepare a feast for tomorrow. Cook two or three lambs tonight, and tomorrow we will gather to pray and thank God, and Lazarus will be ready to speak to you.

Martha nodded, then shut the door and turn back into the quiet room.

Lazarus was still reeling from the experience. Jesus sensed it and said, “My brother, you have been given a great gift. Let’s thank our Father.”

Lazarus nodded and bowed his head. He knew that prayer was his only refuge and calm.  Mary and Martha drew near to the men and started chanting softly which reminded Jesus of his mother’s chanting, so melodic and beautiful. Surely, the Father would be pleased to receive such a heartfelt gift of song. At that moment the Father, was glad He made man and man made music. The angels enjoyed the chanting too. The little group spent the rest of the day and evening with very few words and much wordless prayer and communion with the Father God, and He with them. It was an evening that Jesus would cherish well into His most painful and unjust days on earth. It was truly His best day, before His Passion.

…

After the feast where Lazarus described to the people the lifelessness of Hades, the hopelessness and misery of the people, he announced that he would be going on a journey and would probably never see them again. The women cried, the men who understood why, agreed that it was for the best for everyone, and the children were oblivious.

Martha spent that evening washing Lazarus’ second tunic and packing his favorite food and a few items her brother would would need. She was losing him again, but this time she consoled herself to know that he was alive and that Jesus indeed loved him and would send an army of angels to protect him for the rest of his life.

…

A few years later Lazarus met Paul of Taurus and Barnabas on the island of Cyprus where Lazarus settled. In Cyprus, he learned from Paul about Jesus crucifixion, the people from Hades walking around Jerusalem and Jesus’ amazing resurrection. Not until then did he understand what Jesus meant about never having to go to Hades again.

After that, Lazarus taught the Cypriots about Jesus, Whom he never saw on earth again. They were amazed at the story of Lazarus and Jesus. They believed his story, and in the One True God who revealed Himself to each person in a personal way after Pentecost. They put away all their idols, who never really helped them anyway. It was always a one way relationship with those statues.

And yet, Lazarus never laughed again because what his soul had seen in Hades was so horrific. From what Lazarus learned, and for the following eighteen years of his life, Lazarus looked forward to dying, to be able to see and talk with His best friend and Savior, Jesus the Messiah again, in paradise.

ALIVE: Chapter 162, Death, the False Illusion

Instead of going into the heart of the walled city of Jerusalem, Jesus lead His men to the Jordan River. This time not to travel north but He took them back to the spot where He was baptized by John. Yes, baptism in the Jordan, like the dead rising out of the sea to the refuge of the Ark which is, was, and always will be the loving Father’s waiting arms. Like running on a track and reaching the beginning at the end, it was important for Jesus to return to His Baptismal font to talk with His men about the essential need for baptism. For a similar reason they had gone to Jericho. He wanted to close the loop that began during the intense 40 days alone with His Father when He was first told about His mission, when He relied only on the food and drink of the Spirit, and when He disregarded the pathetic offers of the devil.

It didn’t take long for the spiritually hungry people to find Jesus and His disciples at the Jordan River. Many of them had also been baptized by John there. Yet, of all the souls who repented and were reborn in baptism, none were as transformed as Jesus whose baptism marked His transformation from a young carpenter to a healer, miracle worker and itinerant rabbi. It was like the blossoming of a spiritual rosebud. For John the Baptist there was no healing of the eyes or ears, no paralytics walking, or lepers growing new faces; there was only surfacing from the river of death. The invisible repentance that brought each one a personal resurrection.

Esther, one who had been baptized by John too spotted Jesus and told her husband, “Hiram! Look there’s Jesus, the one who heals! The friend of Mary and Martha! Let’s go talk to Him!”

Hiram thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered something that sent shivers down his spine. “Esther?”

“Yes dear, what is it?”

“Remember the day we were baptized here?”

“Of course, how can I forget? That’s why we came back; to remember.”

“But, do you remember the sound of a voice from heaven, which sounded like, “This is My Son.”

“Yes.”

“Well, that was probably this Jesus! We didn’t know Him at the time. It was strange, and then He slipped away, but now I am putting it all together.”

“Oh my Hiram. You’re right! Could Martha’s friend, the One who heals be….” Esther couldn’t even say it, so Hiram boldly finished her sentence.

“The Son of God! The Messiah!”

Esther and Hiram look over at Jesus in the distance in awe. He seemed so normal, so human. He was not just a good teacher; He was a miracle worker, maybe because …He was…the Messiah!!!

Esther and Hiram walked over to Jesus and introduced themselves as Mary, Martha and Lazarus’ friend from Bethany.

“Nice to meet you. Yes, I love those people.’ said Jesus. “What brings you here?”

“It is our wedding anniversary and we wanted to renew our vows to God and to each other. So we made this short pilgrimage. It is refreshing to be by the river, isn’t it?”

They didn’t mention the Voice, but closed their introduction by saying, “We must be going. It was so good to meet you. God be with You.”

“And with you.” Jesus shook Hiram’s hand and the couple left Jesus with the multitude who also wanted to speak with Him.

Esther said, “He seems so normal, so human.” Hiram didn’t respond. He didn’t agree. He felt something in His presence that he couldn’t understand.

Esther and her husband returned to their home in nearby Bethany to tell their neighbors about Jesus. The first thing she did after settling down in her home was to go to visit Mary and Martha, to tell them about seeing Jesus, and to report to the ladies how well He looked. She didn’t dare mention their revelation; it was too outrageous.

“Come in! How are you Esther?” said Mary in a quiet and solemn voice.

Overlooking the tone, Esther replied excitedly, “Oh Mary, it was wonderful. The river looked so clear; I’ve never seen it so clean, and we saw Jesus there!  He was so calm. I gave Him your love.”

“Thank you,” replied Mary, “but things aren’t so good here. My brother Lazarus isn’t well. We aren’t sure what’s wrong with him. He coughs up blood! I am worried.”

“Oh my! I’m so sorry to hear that. I can send my husband back to Jesus to tell him to come here right away!”

“Oh Esther, would you? I mean do you think your husband would do that for us? Martha and I can’t leave him for a minute.”

“Of course, said Esther, I’ll tell him right now. Don’t worry, just pray my dear.” Esther gave Mary a quick hug, turned and quickly left the house to tell her husband.

Filled with panic Esther rushed home; being the Sabbath, Hiram was there relaxing when his wife rushed in.

“Hiram! Quick, you must return to where we saw Jesus. Hopefully He will still be there. Our friend Lazarus is very ill. He is coughing up blood and I’m afraid he will die unless Jesus comes to heal him! Will you go?”

Hiram, listening to Esther’s tone, didn’t dare refuse. “Okay, get me ready and I will go.”

“Take the ass, there’s no time for anything else.”

“No, I will see if Jacob will let me take his camel, that will be faster. I should get there by nightfall.”

“I just pray that Jesus is still where we saw Him.”

“Do you dare fret my dear? Stop that! Did Jesus teach you nothing about trusting the Lord?”

Esther ignored or didn’t hear Hiram’s rebuke while preparing a satchel for him to take.

The couple was so well synchronized that it wasn’t long before Hiram was on the road bobbing up and down on Jacob’s camel.

…

Hiram arrived in the dark, but spotted the campfire in the distance and people all around. It was familiar since he had only left the place two days earlier. When he got close, he slid off the tall camel, tied the reigns tightly to a tree, and rushed over to the fire, “Excuse me, excuse me, I must tell Jesus something important. Sorry, did I step on you? I’m sorry.”

Hiram weaved his way through the sitting people to the blazing fire near where Jesus was standing and teaching. He looked up at Hiram coming toward Him in great distress. “What is it brother? Calm down and tell Me.”

“Master, the sisters, Mary and Martha whom You love have sent me. They are in great distress. Lord, their brother, you know Lazarus?”

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “I know him very well. He is a great guy; we have had many good times together.”

“Well, sir, I have come to tell you that he is sick. Very sick! His sisters have sent me to let You know and ask You to come back with me and heal him. Will You? They think he will die if You don’t.”

Jesus listened attentively to Hiram, and then to the voice of His Father in His heart to understand the full story. After a few moments Jesus looked up at Hiram and said, “This sickness is not for death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified.”

“Well? Are you coming?” asked Hiram.

“Go back and tell them that you gave Me the message and to trust God.”

Hiram looked perplexed, but didn’t dare challenge Jesus.  “I will go in the morning.”

It was very dark and time to get the bedrolls out and sleep.

Simon, who overheard Hiram’s message, asked Jesus before they went yo sleep, “Well, are we going to Bethany in the morning?”

Jesus replied, “No.” in such an affirmative way that Simon didn’t dare question Him.

When Hiram woke up the next morning Jesus was no where to be found, so Hiram assumed that perhaps He had left for Bethany after all, so, he fed and watered the camel and headed back too, wondering how Jesus traveled since he thought He could ride on the camel with him.”

When Hiram arrived in Bethany, after dropping off the camel, he went straight to Martha’s house. Martha opened the door and was obviously quite distressed. “Where is He, did you find Jesus and tell Him?”

Hiram replied, “I thought He would be here. When I woke up, He was gone already. I told Him! I swear! He just told me to come back and trust God.”

Mary overheard and started to weep. She was exhausted from staying up most of the night putting cool compresses of water on the forehead of her brother to try to bring down the high fever.

“I’m sorry,” said Hiram, “there is nothing else I can do. Are you sure He isn’t here?”

Martha thanked Hiram and shut the door behind him. Then she turned to look at her sister in despair. Mary’s face was wet with tears and flushed. The sisters went back to the bed of Lazarus. Martha said, “Maybe there was nothing else Jesus could do too.”

The little family had another rough day together, napping in spurts while Lazarus moaned.

At dawn, Mary woke up in the chair where she fell asleep beside her beloved brother, to the fearful sound of his death rattle. She wailed and woke Martha up who was in the bed in the next room. Martha quickly sat up and went over to her brother and sister. She glared at the scene as if it wasn’t real, a nightmare perhaps. Lazarus was still and whiter than he had ever been. Mary was leaning over his body crying and crying. “Why oh why did this happen? He was so young and so strong, and so kind. How could he leave us? Who will provide for us, and take care of us? How I will miss taking care of him.” The looming feeling of abandonment and loneliness crushed her soul.

Martha was more practical in her reaction. She didn’t nurture such thoughts. She only knew that they must prepare for the burial. How fortuitous that they had all day to prepare before sunset.

Martha went to her sister and pulled her up close to hug her. Their hug was a stark contrast to the stillness of their dead brother on the bed.

Martha released Mary and said, “You start washing him, and I will go get the rabbi and let him know to prepare for the burial.”

Snapping out of her gloom, Mary nodded and went to get the bowl of water.

Martha quickly dressed, washed her face and headed out.

….

Most everyone in Bethany had attended the funeral. The ladies made food, and afterwards his best friends, strong and humble lads, laid poor young Lazarus in the tomb and rolled the stone in front. They all prayed and chanted and cried, then they went back to the family home to comfort the sisters and enjoy life together in his honor. It had been a intense day of fear, mourning, and love exposed.

Mary and Martha went to sleep that night with their heads spinning, not knowing why or what. “If only Jesus had been here. If only Jesus had been here. Why didn’t He come? Where is He? What was more important?” Neither Mary nor Martha, voiced these questions, but both thought them equally. They believed He loved them as much as they loved Him, and that He had the ability to heal their brother. Their minds ricocheted between grief and those haunting questions like a frenetic pin ball. The sisters fell asleep together in the bed where their brother’s warm and ailing body had passed away that morning. They wanted to feel as close to his previously warm living body as they could.

…..

Two mornings later, after Jesus returned from His time with His Father, He said to His men who were collecting wood, starting up the campfire, and packing their bedrolls, “Let’s head back into Judea today.”

Andrew was confused by that and said aloud, “Rabbi, the Jews over there were just trying to stone You. Remember how You escaped? Do You think You should go back there again…so soon?”

Jesus answered casually, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” and then went back to packing.

Andrew looked over at Peter who was near him with a furrowed brow and said in a low voice, “What does that mean? And what does that have to do with marching into the lion’s den?”

Peter answered, “I don’t know, let’s just get ready to go.”

Overhearing Andrew and Peter, Matthew spoke up. “I think it has something to do with when He said He is the light of the world. Maybe it was His way of saying that He knows what He’s doing, He isn’t walking in the dark. It’s okay.”

Andrew said, “Yeah, that makes sense. Well, okay, we’ll just see what happens.”

After everyone was packed and ready for their hike, Jesus came up with another surprising statement. He said, “Men, we are going to Bethany first. Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, and I need to go to wake him up.”

Thomas replied, “Master, ummm If Lazarus is sleeping won’t he wake up by himself. Why does he need us?”

A few chuckles echoed Thomas’ reply.

Jesus said plainly, “Lazarus is dead. I am glad for your sakes that I wasn’t there. I want you men to see the power of My Father, our God and His power over death. Now let’s go to Bethany.” Jesus didn’t say anymore, and by heading out, He conveyed that He wasn’t going to take any more questions.

Before Jesus got very far, Thomas spoke up, not about waking up Lazarus, but about returning to Jerusalem. He shouted, “Let’s also go, so we can be stoned too and die with Him.”

John said, “That wasn’t funny Thomas.”

With scant glances at each other for signs of their opinions over going to Lazarus and going back to Jerusalem, the men went into formation, walking in twos and threes and some on their own. There was no talking, just walking, praying and thinking.

By around high noon the following day the troop reached the outskirts of Bethany and was heading straight for Martha and Mary’s home. When they were a few miles away, Mary Magdalene spotted Martha in the distance coming towards them. “Look! There’s Martha!”

The men looked up and sure enough, Martha must have gotten the word that they were coming, so they picked up their pace as did Martha who was walking fast towards them.

When they met, Martha went straight to Jesus who gave her a consoling hug.

With a face drenched in tears from grief and also from the relief that His presence gave her, Martha cried, “Lord, if you had only come sooner, my brother would not have died.” Also implying by the tone in her grief stricken voice which said, “What kept you so long? Where have you been?” But for fear of offending Him again, she added, “Even now, I know that whatever You ask of God, He will give You.”

Jesus replied matter-of-factly, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus looked directly into Martha’s emerald green eyes and spoke to her soul, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in Me, even though he dies, yet he will live.”

Martha wiped her face with her billowy gown and looked back at him with an expression that at the same time expressed her love, her faith, and her confusion. Such words were beyond her imagination.

After a pause to acknowledge her expression, Jesus continued, “Whoever lives and believes in Me will never die…. Do you believe this Martha?”

Fully recovered from crying, Martha pulled herself together and answered, “Yes Lord, I believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God Who came into the world. I will go back and tell Mary that You’re here. Thank You!” Martha turned to hurry back containing the newly lit flame of hope in her heart. Mary Magdalene caught up and went with her.

“I love you Martha!” called Jesus as Martha was scurrying  back to her home so she could get Mary and the visitors prepared for His arrival. Walking as fast as she could while still appearing respectable Martha managed to get to her home in about a half an hour. She needed to tell Mary and then tidy up. Fortunately, since people kept bringing food to the house she had plenty to serve Jesus and His followers.

Martha arrive somewhat out of breath, “Mary, Mary! It was true! I saw Jesus and He is heading this way!”

Mary looked up expressionless, noticing Mary Magdalene behind her,  deeply grieved and disappointed that Jesus came too late. She said, “That’s nice.”

“NO! It’s really nice! Come here.” Martha led her sister to a place away from all the visitors who had come to console them because she didn’t want anyone to hear what she was about to say.

“I think Jesus can bring Lazarus back to life! Don’t you see! He came late on purpose to show us how we must have even more faith than we thought we had, and that we must be patient and TRUST. Our patience will be rewarded with an even bigger miracle than we hoped for Mary! He asked for you, come let’s go back and meet Him on the road!”

The other Mary added, “Trust Him.” and smiled warmly.

The two Marys and Martha walked out of the house, and a few of their guests followed assuming that they were going to the tomb to grieve more. Instead they walked briskly down the road that comes into their village. Martha noticed that they were walking farther than she thought they would have to. In fact, the more they walked, the closer they were getting to where she met Him before. Could He have stayed and waited for Mary to come?

“There He is!” exclaimed Martha who was the first to spot Jesus. When the sisters approached Him,  Mary fell down at his feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Jesus saw her weeping, and behind her the Jews who came with her, also weeping. The sight of their deep grief over the loss of someone He too loved touched Him deeply so that Jesus groaned inwardly and was obviously upset.

When He composed Himself, He said, “Where have you laid him?”

One of the guests spoke up for the sisters who were weeping again when they saw how much He loved Lazarus too. He said, “Lord, come and see.” Martha led everyone to the tomb.

While they were walking to the tomb, one of the women nudged her companion and said in a low voice, “Couldn’t this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, have healed Lazarus too?” The other lady shrugged her shoulders.

Several minutes later, the group spotted the tomb and walked reverently to it.

Jesus looked at the tomb as He too approached His friend deep inside and He groaned. The tomb was a cave, with a large stone leaning against its opening.

Jesus stopped and said to Peter, “Move the stone out of the way.”

Hearing that Martha said, “Lord, by this time the body is decaying! He has been dead four days!”

Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

Peter said to his brother Andrew and Simon, “Come here and help me.” The men struggled to move the large rock.

The crowd looked into the dark cave, and took shallow breaths to prepare themselves for the stench.

Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You heard Me. I know that You  hear Me always: but for these people here I say this so that they will know that You sent Me.” Then Jesus shut His eyes to sense His Father, opened them again, and in a strong masterful voice, a sound, like the bellow of a bass trumpet, called, “Lazarus, come forth!”

All eyes were glued to the mouth of the cave, some in skepticism, others in expectation.

He only said it once.

Several minutes passed in utter stillness while all eyes were fixed on the dark opening. Even the birds overhead perched on branches waiting in reverence.

The first sound was that of a child giving voice to his breath in awe. Eyes wide to take it all in. The birds started chirping a song.

A tall man wrapped in cloth grave clothes, bound hand and foot; and his face too was bound with a napkin, hopped out of the deep darkness.

Two young ladies fainted and no one bothered to revive them. The witnesses were all paralyzed. What they saw with their eyes was unbelievable.

Martha and Mary standing beside Jesus, rushed up to their brother simultaneously in terror and delight. .

Jesus said, “Loose him, and let him go.”

The sisters and Mary Magdalene gently unwrapped him, his face first, speaking words of love. “Oh my dear brother, you are alive!” weeped Mary. The face that appeared under the cloth was beaming with surprise and relief.

“Give him water.” A young boy rushed over to the well, happy to have something busy to do.

Even the disciples were shocked. Jesus knew how important it was for them to witness this unveiled expression of the power of life over death. After that event there could be no doubt of the power of Jesus. He was who He said He was. The Son of God, Creator of heaven and earth. He was the Messiah.

And yet, this experience only baffled most of the witnesses.

In that crowd, most of the residents of Bethany, were like the Jews who after crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, having been delivered from centuries of tyrants, nevertheless found it in their hardened hearts to complain to God about food and water.

Many of those same people of Bethany who observed Lazarus rising from the dead also went to Jerusalem to observe the crucifixion with great expectation that once again Jesus would perform the impossible, they wanted to watch Him survive a crucifixion.

ALIVE: Chapter 161, Stupid Stones

“Do you have to leave again so soon? You just got here?” said Peter’s wife that night while in bed before they fell asleep when he told her that they were going back to Judea. Peter rolled over and hugged her and gave her a long warm heartfelt kiss. “My dear, “He is my Master. I can’t love you unless I love Him. I can’t be true to you unless I am true to Him. He shows us what it means to be sons of God. I don’t know why we have to go back so soon. That doesn’t matter.”

“Well, I’m going to miss you again. We need you here too.”

“I know. You’ll be fine. You don’t need me, you just want me. The Lord is taking good care of you and your mother and my father. Let me go with peace in your heart, this is your chance to show the same devotion and sacrifice that all of us show. But you can stay in this comfortable home. Be grateful.”

“Yes, I guess you’re right. I don’t know why, I feel a little scared this time.”

“I do too. Be brave and trust God. Now, let’s go to sleep.”

She cuddled up to him, nesting her head on the hollow between his shoulder and rib cage , listening to his heartbeat and quickly fell asleep. Peter didn’t sleep so soon, but thought about why he felt uneasy. It was probably because there was more hostility lately than when Jesus was healing more often and everyone was so amazed and grateful, but now He is making Himself out to be a special son of God, and rousing so much hostility. He keeps saying that they want to kill Him. He needs defense. Peter knew without a doubt, because of all that he had seen and heard for almost three years, that Jesus was who He said He was. Peter knew that he needed to be a faithful servant, no matter what happens. There was no other life for him.

He woke up the next morning, feeling like a new man, like the night before he had been elevated in rank from Sargent to Lieutenant. Peter felt stronger, surer in his role as a disciple which had become more tense. Oh for the days when Jesus turned water into wine, or calmed the raging sea! Now that He was bolder, turning tables of the money changers, proclaiming God to be His own father and calling Pharisees sons of the devil, Peter knew that they too had to step up. He was sure that he would never ever leave or forsake Jesus.  There was no where else to go. There was no turning back. Peter felt strong and determined to be faithful.

After a hearty breakfast all the disciples who weren’t staying at Peter’s house met Jesus there to head back to Judea by sea. John thought how grateful he was that the Lord God had provided the Jordan River in the middle of their arid country to ease their travel north and south through the long narrow land.

They arrived just before nightfall. Jesus and His disciples disembarked. They camped there and headed for Jericho in the morning.

“Let’s go back to Hadessah’s house. She can put us up for a few days.” said Jesus.

The disciples remembered her and were glad for her rich hospitality. By then the locals in Judea recognized Jesus and His disciples as they walked the road in their familiar large group.

“Jesus! It’s so good to see you again! Please come to my home and let us give you a meal. Bring your men. What is a dozen more?!”

‘We would be happy to. Thank you.” replied Jesus knowing that they would tell the neighbors to bring their ill for healing, which is exactly what happened. As usual, the disciples managed the crowd. The ill people lined up to be healed and to be blessed while the meal was being prepared. Jesus truly enjoyed healing people. He loved to see the transformation from illness to wellness and He loved sharing their joy and receiving their hugs.

After almost a week with Hadessah and her husband in Jericho, Jesus, knowing that the end was near, was fortified more than ever by His early morning time with His Father on the nearby mountaintop and the strength He received with the healings. He was getting ready as He steadfastly set His face to Jerusalem.

“Must you leave so soon?” asked Hadessah in a motherly voice.

“Yes, thank you very much as usual for your hospitality.” replied Jesus.

Not all the disciples were as intuitive about this trip to Jerusalem as was Peter.

No sooner had the troupe arrived on the outskirts of Jerusalem than a pack of Pharisees spotted them and approached Jesus.

“Welcome rabbi.” said one sounding sarcastic when he said rabbi.

“Can I help you?” replied Jesus.

“My colleagues and I were discussing divorce. Maybe you could call it an argument. How fortunate that You appeared. Please tell us, is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?”

Jesus, knowing that they were setting Him up to say what people did not want to hear answered, “What did Moses command you?”

The same Pharisee quickly replied to show his knowledge of the law, “ Moses said to write a bill of divorcement, and send her away for any reason, or for no reason.”

Jesus, not afraid of the corner He was painted into said to them, “ For your hardness of heart Moses said that. But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female so that a man should leave his father and mother, and shall be just as bound to his wife as he had been to his parents, and the two would become one flesh: so that they are no more two, but one flesh.”

After one of His familiar pauses, Jesus added, “What God has joined together, no one should separate for any reason, except adultery.”

A different Pharisee spoke up to defend the common practice of divorce. “How can You say that?! People have been divorcing as long as we can remember. It is natural that when a man is tired of his wife, perhaps she nags him, corrects him to much, or she has grown old and unbecoming, or her cooking is terrible, how can he be expected to endure this?”

Unafraid of conveying the truth of God’s intentions and commandments, no matter how unpopular, Jesus replied in a matter-of-fact tone of voice to the charged question, “Whoever divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery against his wife. The same goes with the woman, if she sends her husband out of the home for being cruel or for whatever reason or for no reason, just because she is tired of him, and marries another, she is committing adultery.” God knows that loyalty and commitment, patience and love, endurance and humility are the characteristics essential of a citizen of the kingdom of God. No one who cannot develop these qualities is fit for the happier immortal life. The marriage relationship shows God who would be a welcome citizen of His Kingdom, and who would not.

The Pharisees all either chuckled or sneered at what they considered an absurd statement. They were glad to hear such an unpopular reply hoping to turn the crowd, and maybe even His disciplines against Him.

When Jesus knew that He had given them what they wanted and had no more to say about that, and that the Pharisees had no more questions, having received their ammunition, Jesus said, “We must be going, please excuse us.”

“Gladly.” said the Pharisee who asked the question and the two groups parted even though they were both heading for Jerusalem.

It was hard for Jesus and His disciples to go very far these days when they were so easily recognized. Besides the suffering ill, parents were bringing their children to be blessed with a touch by Jesus, hoping the blessing would protect the vulnerable babes.

Judas and Bartholomew tried to shoo away the parents who were following Jesus as He was trying to move on, and told them, “The Master has more important things to do! Go home; we must be going.”

Jesus heard that, stopped and became furious with them saying, ”Hey! Let the little children come to Me! Do not send them away!” And to confirm His seriousness He said, “To people as innocent, and as pure as children belongs the Kingdom of God. In fact, I tell you that whoever does not try to approach  the Kingdom of God as a little child, shall not be able to enter.” Then He picked up a cute little 3 year old boy with big blue eyes and full red cheeks; He blessed the boy by saying a silent prayer for him. When He set the boy down, He gently placed His two hands on the heads of two children, and gently moved His hands to two other children, one hand here the other there and on and on until all the children around him had been blessed. The children giggled, all with beaming faces looking up at Jesus, and waiting for their bop on the head. Jesus chuckled too.

Judas and Bartholomew stood corrected along with all the rest of the crowd who learned one more important lesson that day. Some mothers giggled too, sensing the joy of their children and feeling their own blessing through the holy touch.

“Now we really must be moving on. Excuse us.” said Jesus and continued to walk. He didn’t get very far when one young man ran in front of Him and fell to his knees, creating an obstacle on His path. He looked up at Jesus and asked, “Good Teacher, what should I do that I can inherit eternal life?”

Jesus answered matter-of-factly, “Why call Me good? No one is good except God.  You know the commandments. Do not kill. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father and mother. God gave you the commandments to follow, so you can be like Him who is only Good.”

“Teacher, I have been following all the commandments to the best of my ability, and when I fail, I sacrifice an animal. I have done these all my life.”

Jesus looked down at him lovingly and stretched out His hand to lift the man off his knees and   and said to him, “One thing you lack: go, sell all your possession, give to the poor, so you may  have treasure in heaven: and then come and follow Me.”

Standing in front of Jesus, the young man lowered his head to think through what was being  asked of him. The crowd and the disciples looked on. “Thank you, I will try. Thank you.” The young man turned in sorrow and walked back to his ranch and his horses and his big home housing all his treasures with a lot on his mind.

Jesus watched him walk away with a heavy heart and said, “How hard it is to have riches and be able to enter into the kingdom of God!”

Hearing that, Thomas looked at Bartholomew in disbelief. Bartholomew shrugged his shoulders as of to say, “Let’s ask Him to explain this later.”

Jesus repeated Himself and added, “Yes, children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom.’

Andrew spoke up and said, “Well, then who can be saved?”

Jesus replied, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Peter said, “ We have left everything to follow you Master.”

Jesus responded, “To tell you the truth, there is no man that has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for My sake, and for the sake of the good news that I will bring. Such a person,” looking straight at Peter, “will receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.”

Most of the disciples, the ones paying attention, admitted to themselves that they were confused by this. If it was impossible to be rich and enter the Kingdom, then why would God give those who sacrificed an hundredfold in this life houses and lands? After that, they walked in silence over to the temple thinking and not thinking about that exchange.

It was Hanukkah, the commemoration of the dedication of the second temple. The people, surrounded by cold air, and in woolen jackets were teaming with preparations for the eight-day celebration of the Festival of Lights. Small contained fires were scattered around the streets to warm the people in their travels throughout the city. Jesus and Hisndisciples were walking on the eastern side of the temple in the colonnade known as Solomon’s porch, about to enter the building when four men who were also about to enter the temple recognized Him.

“Look! Isn’t that Jesus the rabbi and healer over there?” said Asa excitedly to his friends.

“Yes! I’m sure of it, I saw Him recently, let’s go talk to Him!”

The men rushed over to Jesus before He could enter calling to slow Him down, “Hey Jesus, hey!”

Jesus turned to see who was calling Him. His men looked to see if they were friends or foes.

“Can I ask You a question?” said Asa loudly.

Jesus stopped to wait for the men to approach, and when they did He said, “Yes. Of course. How can I help you?”

Asa had been thinking about this question for weeks and was very excited that he was given this opportunity, as if God orchestrated this assignation for him. He asked, “How long will You hold us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered Asa and his friends who looked just as curious, “I already told you, and you people don’t believe Me. If you did, you wouldn’t have to ask. Okay, don’t believe my words. Pay attention to My works. The works I do, the healings, I do these in My Father’s name; these bear witness of Me. But you don’t believe Me because you are not one of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give them eternal life. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of His hand.” Jesus paused to let those bold words sink in. Then He gave them no doubt about the meaning, when He said, “I and the Father are one.”

Jesus watched as, not Asa, but others around him looked down at the ground for stones to throw at Him.

Jesus wasn’t afraid. He didn’t try to escape, instead He continued because He knew that they wouldn’t find any stones on that ground that could hurt Him. He said loud and clear so even the young guys busy looking for stones could hear, “Many works that have I shown you are actually from the Father; for which of those works do you want to stone Me?”

One irate man pulled himself looked up from his search for stones and shouted, “We aren’t going to stone You for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God. How dare You?!” His face was turning red in anger for that young man loved God, the God he thought he knew, the God he had prayed to and sacrificed to and humbled himself before. This Jesus, even though He was able to do marvelous things, He was only a man. The anger was from confusion from an inability to translate his knowledge of God and scripture with the Person before him. And it wasn’t just this bold young man, but most of those who had tarried over to the scene out of curiosity to hear the hubbub. These people weren’t just ignorant, they were insensible. Their rational minds overwhelmed their spiritual sensibilities.

So, to try to speak to their intellect in hopes that they would take in the meaning of His words, the power of them, Jesus answered, “Isn’t it written in your law, “I said, you are gods? If God called them gods, from whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken), how can you say of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world that I am blaspheming because I said, I am the Son of God? If I don’t do the works of My Father, then don’t believe Me. But if I do them, then fine, don’t believe My words, but believe the works that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”

They heard with open ears but closed hearts, not perceiving truth. The effect was that many of the men wanted to grab Him and take Him to the chief priests for punishment, but the Spirit would not allow His abduction. It wasn’t time yet. In the fray of the men trying to organize among inner confusion Jesus stealthily slipped away.

These two thousand years later, it is only the works that lasted. And new works continue to occur all the time; not stories, but living works, millions of people who experience first hand the miracles, the healings, the uncanny timing of blessings the awareness of the Holy Spirit in their lives. People in every generation, around the earth, of every position in the world and away from the world. These works cannot be denied. Such denial would be another betrayal. They would be blindness and hardness of heart. For aware people there is not a scintilla of doubt that the Messiah lived on earth and is still as Alive as ever.

ALIVE: Chapter 160 I AM Aloud

It was time to leave Jerusalem again. It was harder to break away from the crowd that day; the thirsty ones who wanted to cling to His teachings and know more and more enveloped Him absorbing every word that they could. Five of them felt as if they were listening to Moses who had just come down from Mt. Sinai.

Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

One cocky man shouted, “We are Abraham’s seed, and we have never been in bondage to any man. So, how can You say, you will be made free?”

Jesus answered him, “I’ll tell you the truth. Every one that commits sin is the slave of sin. He or she doesn’t want to sin, but they do, because they are obeying sin, like a slave obeys its master unthinkingly. But remember this: a slave can’t live in the house forever. Some day he or she will be sent away when they are old and useless to the slave-master. But the son or daughter will live there forever. They are family, they will never be tossed, no matter how old they are. If therefore the Son frees you from the slave-master (that is sin) then you are no longer a slave to sin. You have the authority over the sin, YOU become the master because of your power not to sin. That, My friends frees you.

When you become the master over the sin or over the demon tempter that wants to destroy you, then and only then can you be free indeed.” Jesus paused to let the concept sink in. He knew that it was complex and that each person, who chose to, would need to apply the message in a personal way, remembering a recent time when he or she allowed anger or ego to take over, perhaps against their better judgment. He waited. The crowd for the most part appreciated the pause and thought, while a few rudely murmured.

After a short while, Jesus continued with a shocking statement. “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for My word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

The cocky man, fuming, responded, “Abraham is our father.” Several people were seen nodding in agreement. Those were the ones who couldn’t comprehend what Jesus had just said to them about sin. Their pride created a shield to keep them from accepting Wisdom.

Nevertheless, Jesus continued, for the sake of the humble, the open-minded, the open-hearted students. “If you were Abraham’s children,” He said, “then you would do what Abraham did. He trusted God, he humbled himself. But not you. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did NOT ignore or suppress the direction that God was giving him. You are doing the works of your own father.”

Another cocky man taking up the argument protested saying, “We are not illegitimate children. The only Father we have is God himself.”

Jesus replied equally loud, “If God was your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own; God sent me. Why is what I am telling you not clear and obvious? I’ll tell you. Because you are not able to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet, because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God, hears what God says. The reason you don’t hear is that you don’t belong to God.”

A brash man, Jude, who loved himself for being good, fasting, going to synagogue daily, having one wife decided that it was his duty to defend his people and their religion by yelling out to Jesus, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?”

Patiently, with all the self composure He could muster after having taught so much, and conveyed a treasure trove of truth, Jesus answered loudly, but without shouting, simply and truthfully describing not hubris, but reality, “I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor Me. I am not looking to glorify Myself. The one God seeks and judges. This is the truth, listen to Me! If a man keeps My word, he shall never see death.”

What?!!!!! Jude responded to what he considered proof of his original accusation by yelling out to the crowd, turning his head left and right to blanket them with his words, as if speaking for everyone, Jude said, “Now we know that this man has a demon.” Then facing Jesus with his fury added, “Abraham died, and the prophets; and You dare say that if a man keeps YOUR word, he shall never taste of death!” Then building on his outrage he shouted directly at the face of Jesus, “Are you greater than our father Abraham, who DIED? and the prophets DIED! What are You making of Yourself?!” Jude was confident that he won that argument, and felt very good about himself, like a warrior king.

Jesus answered calmly, relying on nothing but the simple truth for His shield from the man’s ignorance, insensitivity, and insolence, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing: it is my Father Who glorifies Me, whom you call your God.  You don’t know your God, you have never known Him. But I know Him. If I should say, I don’t known Him, I would be like you, a liar: but I do know Him, and I keep His word.”

Jude was awestruck. He didn’t know how to respond to such an outrageous statement. The expression on his face was contorted with anger and malice.

After a brief pause, Jesus continued, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad.”

Then Hiram standing near the overwhelmed Jude took up the baton and shouted, “You aren’t even fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?!”

Jesus answered, “Yes, that’s  right. Before Abraham was born, I am.” [I am the great I am.]

That was the last straw, Jude and Hiram, joined by others went outside to gather stones to throw at the guy who claimed such unconscionable things. Because the truth was that they didn’t know God. They only knew what the Scribes and Pharisee told them, like one who spends all his adult years listening to broadcast propaganda. Students of the wicked, beware. Look for the fruit of the Holy Spirit coming from your teachers, run from hostility and fear mongering.

While they were gathering stones to form their militia, Jesus slipped out of the temple.

Out of respect, as difficult as it was, the confused crowd push into each other to open a path for Jesus to slip through and watched Him leave out a side door, while others were still gathering stones out the front door or those inside, murmuring from nervousness.

Jesus took a circuitous path down empty back streets to reach His mother’s house to tell her His plans and for some privacy. James, John, Peter and Andrew, observing what was going on left from the front of the temple and headed to Mary’s home where they suspected He would go. They were right because when they arrived, they saw Him approaching but seeing Him safe and sound, they went their separate way, agreeing to allow Him personal time with His mother.

“My beloved! Come in!” greeted Mother Mary.

Jesus gave His mother a respectful peck on the cheek and a quick hug and then entered the home and plopped down on the divan. “It’s time for Me to leave Jerusalem mother.”

“I understand my dear. When will you go?”

“This time I will  look for a boat to take us up river; there is no time to waste.”

“What does that mean, there is no time to waste?” She inquired both with intense serious expressions shining a subdued holy light toward each other. That evening was a quiet one. Very little conversation. Mary put out supper and they dined in silence. Mary sensed the weight on her Son. Speaking the truth with ferocious response and threats of stoning was never something to be taken lightly. Not because there was ever any concern for His own safety. He knew that His life was fully protected until the time of His sacrifice, but deep sorrow over the spiritual ignorance of the angry disillusioned people was painful to be exposed to. He felt as if He was in a room of the deaf and blind, like broken machines pretending to work but unable to actually function, only to make sounds and motion, only to mimic life. Their anger and their threats revealed deep inner sickness, the kind that can’t be treated because it is ignored, it is not recognized. They can only attempt to function in a anti-life manner.

There are two worlds of humankind sharing this planet; one is awake and struggling through the hostile energy emitted by the other who are steered by demons and their own egos and ignorance, which is like a wind, sometimes they are able to withstand the wind, other times one can only lower his head and push through or just stand until it passes. That is what Jesus did when He escaped the stoning in the temple. He needed quiet time to recover from that and that is what He did that evening at His mother’s house. Someday, He knew, that He would get through the worst of their venom and rise above the worst hatred, the worst, ignorance, blindness to prevail through death. That day in the temple was only another exercise to prepare Him for the ultimate day of wrath against Him.

The next morning the disciples returned to His mother’s house.

“Come in gentlemen. Yes, He is here.”

The men came in and were offered tea and fresh bread.

Jesus went to the door to greet them and after they sat and started to eat He said, “Brothers, it’s time to go back to Galilee, but this time let’s take a boat up the river. There isn’t much time to spend walking and I know what I want to do there.”

Young John loved the idea of being on the water and perked up inside. John was troubled by all the resistance His Master was getting. He couldn’t understand how so many people could be so hard hearted and ignorant. And he didn’t understand what Jesus meant by saying that there wasn’t much time.

Meanwhile, Mary was busy preparing and packing food for their trip.

After breakfast, it was time to go. Jesus gave His mother a good long hug that brought tears to her eyes, which she wiped as soon as she was released from the hug so He wouldn’t see. “I’ll be back mama.”

“Of course you will, now Go!” replied Mary.

They walked to the river which took a few hours, but when they reached the dock, the timing was perfect. There was a fishing boat heading back up to Galilee looking for passengers.

Jesus and His men boarded the boat. The disciples could tell that Jesus had a lot on His mind and left Him alone while they enjoyed the breeze. For the most part, they too we’re getting nervous about the how bold Jesus was being to proclaim His relationship with God, Yahweh, the Creator of heaven and earth, and the ferocity of the response from the hierarchy and even the people. But if they had learned anything in the last couple of years, it was to trust Jesus. They too had to trust God, His Father, even as Abraham trusted God. The disciples had to become blind to the circumstances and natural response which may have told them to run for cover, go back and catch fish again.

A day and a half on the boat was infinitely more pleasurable and quicker than walking back to Galilee. It was around noon on another sunny day when they all disembarked at the Sea of Galilee and got on a bigger barge to Capernaum. The men were glad to be home again and felt safer than in Jerusalem. They enjoyed a fish lunch in the village before boarding the barge.

By the time they arrived in Capernaum everyone was feeling refreshed and safer, that is until the following day when after a good meal and a night’s rest inside Peter’s home, they went out to the town square. Unlike Jerusalem which was fully Jewish and controlled by the Jews, Galilee was a more eclectic region with Greeks, Lebanese, and other pagans. Jesus went back there as going into the world of the Gentiles where He grew up.

He was well known in Capernaum and many familiar faces were glad to see Him and His men back in town so they gathered around Jesus to hear what He had to say and to see if there would be any miraculous healing that day.

Jesus did not disappoint, He never did as He proclaimed loud enough for all pagans and Jews about Him to hear,

“Listen to me friends, Gentiles and Jews, I am here to warn you. Whoever does not enter through the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, is a thief and a robber. But he who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

When he brings his sheep out, he goes in front of the pack, and his sheep follow him, because they know him, they know his voice and his smell.  They will not follow a stranger, but instead the sheep will run away from the stranger. They can tell from his voice that he is a stranger.”

Hearing that, Asa nudged his neighbor Gregory and said, “Um, why is He talking about sheep?”

“I don’t know. Shhhh.”

They both shrugged their shoulders, among many of the others who were thinking the same thing.

Intuiting their confusion Jesus continued, “I am the door of the sheep. All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy. I came that My sheep may have life, and may have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. Be aware! The wolf is coming. The hired man will run away and leave the sheep behind for the wolves to snatch. And of course the wolves will snatch them and the sheep will run and be scattered. The hired man ran to save his own life, he didn’t care about the sheep.”

Asa and Gregory looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders again, partially understanding, but not really.

Jesus continued, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me. Even as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; I must bring them in, and they will hear My voice and all My sheep will become will one flock of one Shepherd.

The Father, our God Yahweh, loves Me, because I will lay down My life, so that I may take it up again. No one will take my life away from Me, but I will lay it down of Myself. I have the power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it up again. My Father, Yahweh, commanded Me to do this.”

Asa and Gregory heard many of the people around them fuming at that. Hiram, Gregory’s coworker yelled out, “This man is mad! Don’t listen to him. He has a demon! Let’s get away from him!” Hiram turned and pushed through the crowd to leave hoping others would follow him. And many did. Some of them because they agreed, and others just because they were followers and had not thought through what was going on.

Rachel and Sarah, two beautiful young sisters with crystal blue eyes and raven black hair looked at each other in defiance of Hiram’s outburst. Sarah said, “Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? I saw Jesus do this the last time He was here. It was amazing. That old man had been blind from birth! How can He have a demon? Those people are wrong.”

The disciples who hadn’t gone to the feast and heard the bold statements that Jesus made in Jerusalem were also surprised. But they knew He was right and had a reason to proclaim His identity, although Bartholomew was concerned hearing about laying down He life. He knew Jesus has been indicating such, but he hated hearing it, and telling the people!  Well, He must have a reason.”

Having accomplished what He set out to by exposing Himself as God’s shepherd, it was time to return to Judea. This was a quick trip that also allowed Peter to check in with his family and the business. It may have been Jesus last time spent in Galilee.

ALIVE: Chapter 159. The Reveal

Jesus had managed to escape the clutches of the priests, Pharisees, and the officer, because as He said, it wasn’t time. That was not how it was supposed to end. But it was a turning point. Jesus’s message to the people became increasingly bold.

It was the last day of the feast. Jesus was back out speaking and teaching the crowds that grew around Him like neonatal cells rapidly multiplying to become a whole new person, His Bride. On that day, before the majority of people would leave the feast in Jerusalem for their own villages and cities, Jesus made the boldest statement ever spoken by a human being from Adam to eternity.

The children closest to Him looked up in awe, their mothers and fathers and aunts and uncles nearby. Many of them came from as far as northern Tiberius to southern Aqaba. They had heard about this celebrity; some were curious and thirsty for knowledge that would bring relief from their fears and pains, while others, the naturally skeptical and critical looked for fodder to feed their arrogance.

Jesus did not disappoint either when He said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.” He paused to give them time to absorb the images and try to understand what He was saying. Jesus knew He was speaking to people who lived in very arid lands, for whom water was the most precious element of life. Being thirsty was common, even dangerous, as dehydration meant death. To say Living Water is as redundant as to say Sun-Light.

Hannah heard that statement and struggled to understand it, grateful for the pause. “Water, precious water. I need it. When I’m thirsty I even get a headache. What kind of water is Jesus offering? Does He mean that we should drink His words, to understand them? Rivers of living water? Does that help me? Is He saying that the water He offers is alive and can grow? Oh! I’m so confused, I don’t understand what He’s saying. Oh! He’s talking. Stop thinking and listen!”

Rachel standing beside Hannah cupped her hand over Hannah’s ear and said, “This Man is a true prophet! I feel like Elijah is standing here speaking!” Hannah turned her head, nodded and smiled but didn’t dare speak over Jesus. She turned back to stare at Him, wanting desperately to imbed His image in her mind.

At the same time Ari announced loudly, “This is the Messiah!”

Ephraim heard that and said, “Can’t be. Does the Messiah come out of Galilee? The scripture says that the Messiah comes from the seed of David, and from Bethlehem. This guy is an imposter. Listen to how boastful he is? Let’s go.”

The crowd was divided. It is always that way. Individual freedom of thought is the essence of humanity. Freedom is a reflection of man’s likeness to his Creator, who made man to depict the infinitely magnificent image of Himself in miniature upon the earth. Freedom of opinion is a necessary consequence of the purpose of mankind’s  origin and creation. * The many others who agreed with Ephraim wanted to grab and arrest Him, but no one had the nerve. The crowds that gathered around Jesus continued to be a mixture of devotees and enemies.

In that crowd on that day were two Roman officers who went to hear what the celebrity was telling the people. They heard and immediately left the crowd to go directly to the office of the chief priests where the men were meeting with some Pharisees. When the officers entered the room, a Pharisee looked up and said, “Did you arrest Him yet? Where is He?”

One of the officers answered, “We’ve never heard a man speak with such power and authority. I, we didn’t dare arrest Him in front of all those people who were looking at Him as if He were the Messiah. One guy even shouted that out! How could we arrest Him after that?”

To that, Lev, a priest, said to the officer, “Are you also taken in by this imposter? Have any of us or the government rulers believed Him or has any one of these Pharisees here. Listen to me, those people in that crowd are ignorant. They don’t know enough of the law which is why they stick to Him the way they do.”

Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees in the room spoke up. “Does our law judge a man, before he first hears from him speak in his own defense and knows what or why he is doing what he did?”

The chief priest quickly spoke up and answered Nicodemus “Are you also from Galilee? You should know better. You know that no prophet is coming out of Galilee.”

The two officers looked at each other to say, “Let’s get out of here. This isn’t a Roman problem. Talking about prophets and messiahs.” And the one said, “We must be going, goodbye gentlemen.”

“Go.” replied the chief priest and whisked him away with a brush of his hand.

Nicodemus said, “I need to go home too.”

….

Although Jesus and the disciples who were with Him at the time, they stayed at His mother’s home along with the Mary’s who were happy to be with her and care for the menfolk, His mother decided not to go out with Him. She sensed the tension in the air and became increasingly concerned for His safety.

Safety was exactly what Jesus was not concerned about. He knew what His mission was and provoking the authorities and causing division was exactly what He was aiming for.

Amidst the hubbub and controversy, Jesus managed to slip away from the temple and walked over to the Mount of Olives. He had this miraculous way of being unseen or unrecognized when He wanted to. It was His way of protecting Himself and maneuvering through the world. I suspect my reader won’t believe this and think I am taking poetic license, but the absolute truth is that He could. This is proven by the fact that there are and have been saints, images of Christ on earth, who levitate, like St Francis, and who can transport themselves to be in two different faraway places at once. In fact, the Scriptures say that after the resurrection they didn’t recognize Him; well that wasn’t just because He was risen, He could do that all along. No one wrote about it because it wasn’t obvious to anyone like it was after the resurrection when He wanted to be revealed.

Back to the story. Jesus spent that night up on the Mt. of Olives alone, communing with His Father. Early the next morning He returned to the temple. The word got out that He was there and the temple soon filled with locals. He sat down and taught them about the law, about their history, the prophets and what God expects from them. While He was talking, the people looked over at the doors to see four men, what looked to be Pharisees and scribes two of which were clutching the arms of a beautiful woman and nearly dragging her into the temple.

The tallest one said, “This woman was taken early this morning in the very act of adultery. A sullen man who was following her said, “She was, I mean she is, my wife. She didn’t come home last night and these men helped me find her.”

The men released her arms and said again to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was found in the very act! Now the law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. What do You say about her, what should be done?” As much as they wanted to see this woman stoned in public to teach all the women a lesson, they also wanted to test this itinerant teacher who frequently broke the law of the Sabbath, to see if He would break other laws.

Jesus stood up and pensively sized up the situation looking at the woman whose head was bowed down looking only at the ground in fear and embarrassment. Then Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote symbols on the ground.

“WELL? What do you say Master?” said the tall Pharisee emphasizing the word Master. Everyone’s whose eyes were focused on the shamed lady looked over at Jesus. He stood up again, looked around the room at the curious and the arrogant and answered, “Whoever is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

Then He stooped down and went back to writing on the dusty ground with His finger,

One by one, starting with the wise elders, then the scribes, and the husband, then the young bucks who would have wanted to have this loose woman for themselves suddenly remembered that it was time to go to work. Only Jesus was left there with the woman. He stood up and looked around at the empty room and down at what He wrote on the ground.

Then eye to eye, He said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no man condemn you?”

She replied, “No man, Lord.”

Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. “Go on, get out of here; go back to your husband and sincerely ask for forgiveness and never ever for the rest of your life do that again.”

“I promise Master; thank you, oh thank you, I won’t.” With tears of relief, not even daring to touch Him, she briskly walked out of the cool dark temple into the bright sunny day to go home. Facing her husband was going to be hard. He would probably dismiss her and she had no where else to go. She was determined to try and save her marriage feeling that she was given a new chapter in her life.

Seeing the woman leaving the temple, some people started filing back in. Some to find a cool place, others to hear what Jesus had to say. When the temple was fairly full again, Jesus stood up and proclaimed , “I am the light of the world: he that follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

“What does He mean by the light of life?” whispered Hannah.

Rachel replied, “I think He is saying that His interpretation of the law shines light on the laws so we can understand them and please God who gives us life. I don’t know. What do you say?”

The returning Pharisee who had brought the woman in, not happy with his loss shouted, “You can’t boast about Yourself like that. Your own witness is not proof.”

Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness of Myself, My witness is true; for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you do not know not where I come from, or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no man.  But if I judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, I am always with the Father that sent Me.”

Then He paused, not backing down one inch. He was bold, He was brash, but most importantly, He spoke the truth.

After the pause, He continued, “In your law it is written that the witness of two men is true. I bear witness of myself, ONE, and the Father, TWO, that sent me bears witness of Me. There, you have it. I give you two witnesses.”

An elder called out, “Where is this Father of yours? I don’t see Him.”

Jesus answered, “You know neither Me, nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would know my Father also.”

This time, no one tried to arrest Him for blasphemy.

He continued,  “I will go away, and you will look for Me. You will die in your sin. Where: I go, you cannot come.”

The Jews murmured to each other saying to the effect, “Will He kill himself? What does He mean by that?”

He continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. You will die in your sins, unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. Everything that I have told you from the beginning. I have many things to tell you  and to judge concerning you. He that sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I tell the world.”

These statements were very enigmatic and confusing to this congregation. But they were remembered and passed on, in fact they were passed on for an hundred years, even though at the time no one perceived that Jesus, this young Master in the temple was talking to them about the Creator of the universe, who was His Father. And that made all the difference. But the fact that the message lived and was believed by hundreds of people who were not in the temple that day, that the power and the truth of those words outlived physical bodies for generations provided the multitude of witnesses required. Not the words only, but the proof, the supernatural evidence of the truth gave witness that Jesus’ bold and brash statements illuminated a path, the yellow brick road glistening in the forest to a place of peace and unending life.

Back to the temple, before leaving that day, with a strong authoritative voice Jesus closed with, “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself, but as the Father taught Me, I speak these things. And that He that sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone; for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

As phantasmagoric as these words sounded, to that group of people many believed them, and those anonymous men and women started the golden links that carried the message from above to below through the ages.

Jesus said to those special people that had believed him specifically, “If you abide in My word, if you live as in the luminous bubble of truth that I describe and show you through the healings and the teachings, in this dark world then are you are truly My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will  make you free.”

One man, a non believer taking the side of the arrogant but powerful Pharisee, shouted, “We are Abraham’s seed, and have never been in bondage to any man: how can you say, You will be made free?”

Jesus answered, “Every one that commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not live in the house for ever. Only the son lives in the Father’s house for ever. If therefore the Son frees you, the slave of sin, you will be free indeed.”

But when we sin master. We can’t help it. We do it out of ignorance, out of self indulgence, out of pride. How can we ever be set free?

Someday you will know. Keep that question in your mind and in your heart, and don’t forget it. When you become free, you will know the difference. We will rejoice together. Now I must be going. Shalom.”

*read testimonies from Saint Paisios of Mt. Athos by Hiermonk Lev

*Saint Nectarios Kefalas

ALIVE: Chapter 158, Boldness Personified

Meanwhile, with the excitement of the healing of the leper still resonating in their minds and hearts, the holy group continued on their route to Jerusalem. Walking in silence, praying, thinking, hardly any talking but rather like a moving window into another world for all stationary life to see and contemplate Jesus and His followers floated slowly en masse, southward toward the City of David, the holiest place on earth. Like a homing pigeon Jesus was focused on the Temple Mount where Abraham was told to sacrifice his son Isaac and both were prepared to obey. Where since that day hundreds of thousands sacrifices for sins and thanksgiving were being made to reenact the humility of Father Abraham.

Three days later the Holy Window arrived in Bethlehem where many of them had friends and family to stay with. Mary was happy to have the chance to visit and stay with her cousin Salome, the daughter of her mother Anne’s sister. Salome not only invited the three Mary’s to stay with her, but she arranged for a village feast to fete their guests. The fatted calf, plenty of cured olives, and falafel, and plenty of wine united foreigners and locals in jubilation. That welcome of Mary and Jesus was an event long remembered.

As it turned out Bethlehem was also host to several Pharisees who were traveling north from Jerusalem. They sat at the long table with Jesus and several of His disciples. One Pharisee, a short chubby younger Pharisee  with curly golden hair from head to toe, from a wealthy family, sincere and faithful, who was sitting on the right side of Jesus turned to Him and asked, “Rabbi, tell me, when will the kingdom of God come?”

Jesus answered, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation. No one will say, ‘Look here! or, there! for the kingdom of God is within you.”

Hearing that, the young Pharisee looked at Jesus in awe and confusion. All his life he had been waiting for salvation from heaven to relieve the Jews from the oppression of Rome. He prayed for it, he cried for it. Often in the morning, he wondered if that would be the day that his world changed. And here this Man told him that the rule of God that he yearned for was within him all along. He grabbed a piece of bread from the nearby basket and and thought about that, and how it sounded so simple. A person’s soul can contain the Kingdom of God, everyone, and no one can capture it from him, unless the person allows it. Rome could dictate his moves, it could take his earnings, but it could not take his awareness of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob from him, nor his faith or his inner worship. He liked this guy, Jesus. He could tell that He was wise.

Just as the chubby young Pharisee was feeling comfortable in himself and with Jesus, Jesus who also finished a piece of bread, said something that confused him again and shocked him.

He said, “And as during the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. In those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. Then, one day, when God directed Noah, he and his family entered the ark. It rained, it poured. The people on the outside of the ark who laughed and criticized Noah building a boat miles away from and shore, dealt with the rain, and then tired of the rain, then were frightened by the rain, and then were drowned by the rains that never stopped. It was as if an ocean was propelled from heaven onto the earth. Where could all that water have come from?” Jesus paused to give the nearby people who were listening to him time to visualize the magnitude of the situation in those days, when the lives within each of the doomed had been nothing but strife and merriment, of gluttony and lusts.

“Then suddenly, one by one each person succumbed to the shock of drowning. No one knew how to swim, and even if they had known, there was no place to rest. There was no longer air to breathe, only water to fill their lungs with and it was over. All theirs fears and passions suddenly stopped and they awoke in the prison of hades.” Jesus paused again, and concluded, “So will be the coming of the Son of man.”

The chubby Pharisee, with dropped jaw and raised eyebrows looked at Jesus in fear, and asked, “Who is this Son of man, and what will He do?”

Jesus replied calmly, “You will find out. Just remember that the kingdom of God was perceived and nourished in the heart of Noah and his family. He become a dwelling worthy to receive the immense God who ruled in him, and he listened and obeyed. Noah was given many tests before the rains came and qualified himself in spite of the fact that the society all around him was vile, seeking only their own pleasures and warring with each other, clashing egos making unbearable dissonance to God’s ears. Yet, of all mankind, Noah maintained aloofness. He lived in a pure interior world, quiet, calm, distinct from natural man. That world was the kingdom that ruled him and saved him and ultimately all human life on earth.”

Hearing that, the chubby Pharisee bowed before Jesus, having been filled with the spirit of His words. The chubby man had been starved for such purity of heart and isolation from the attitudes, the fears, and hatred of his associates, which was why he often ate too much.

Knowing his thoughts Jesus added, “You may want to find a place of solitude my friend and discover what you crave. It is waiting for you there.”

The chubby Pharisee looked up to reveal his wet cheeks and simply nodded because he couldn’t speak. Jesus reached out His hand for his and they shook hands before the Pharisee got up from his seat and walked away with an inner healing.

……

After dropping His mother off in Jerusalem, Jesus and His disciples, and His entourage returned to Galilee, with people peeling off as they neared their homes, full of wisdom and peace in their hearts, ready to live as good Jews who knew their God better than ever before, they felt like unraveled yarn.

Sensing that the Jews sought to kill Him, He decided to stay in Galilee. Judea was too unsafe. He wasn’t ready. There were many more broken people to fix.

As the feast of the tabernacles was approaching, and they were sitting comfortably in Peter’s home talking after a big delicious supper where three of his cousins had come from Nazareth to visit, one of His cousins said, “Why don’t you go down to Judea to celebrate the feast? I’ve heard that there are many in those parts who still don’t know about Your powers. Let them see You. No man does anything in secret if he wants to be known openly, and You obvious want to be known openly, my cousin. Since You do these things, show the world!”

Several of His disciples hearing this cynical cousin started murmuring among themselves saying, “Who is this guy, and what is he doing here? He obviously doesn’t believe.”

Jesus replied calmly, “My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but Me it hates, because I testify of it, that its works are evil. You go down to the feast, not Me because my time is not yet fulfilled.”

The cousin answered with the same cynical and challenging tone of voice, ‘Fulfilled? What does that mean?”

Jesus answered, “You’ll find out. Now, it’s time for Me to rest. Please excuse Me, I’m going to bed.”

Jesus passed Bartholomew, Phillip and Andrew on His way to the bedroom. Phillip stopped Him and asked, “Do you mind if a few of us go to the feast with them?”

“No.” replied Jesus, “Go, and have a good time.”

“Thank you. We may leave in the morning but we’ll be back, will you stay here?”

Jesus said, “We will find each other. Good night.”

“Good night.”

When His disciples left the next morning and Jesus was in prayer with His Father, He was told to go to the feast after all, but secretly, so no one knew Him. Somehow, He managed to disguise Himself in the caravan.

Jesus arrived in Jerusalem just as the feast was about to begin and the city was packed with visitors. While He was walking through the crowd He heard people murmuring about Him. They were looking for Him, assuming He would be there. “Where is He?” Where is He?” “Have you seen Him? No?”  “Have you seen Him? No?”

“He is such a good man! I hope I find Him.”

“Me too, I’ve met Him before. I saw him heal a deaf person! It was amazing! I want to see a miracle again!”

A cynical man said, “Don’t be ridiculous! He is just a magician. He has demons, that’s how he does those things! He is deceiving the people and making them want the wrong things. He is leading them astray, but not me. I know his number!”

“How can you say that?”

All these murmurings among the people passed through the crowds like a spring breeze. The conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees and Scribes was well known. It was a subtle war; no one among the people wanted to add fuel to the fire. They were afraid of the Jews.

“If I defend him openly,” thought Asa, “I may not be given my seat in the synagogue.”.

“If I criticize Him openly, the healed people and His defenders many try to stone me.” thought Asher.

So the majority of the people, being cowards, kept silent as if God was not in their midst. As if they were mere trees standing still with deep roots in the earth, oblivious to the myriad of mammals that moved from place to place, from shade to sunshine. Instead, the massive tree simply endures whatever weather affects it, even hurricanes, and if it falls and is uprooted, so be it.

Meanwhile, Jesus exposed Himself at the feast, neither cowering at the threats of the elite, nor keeping His distance from His enemies. He boldly walked into the temple and taught.

The local Jews who regularly went to the temple to pray to the God of faithful Abraham, trusting Isaac, and Jacob, the patient father of all the tribes of Israel, therefore marveled having found Him, and then murmured to each other saying, “How does this man know so much about God when He was never even schooled?”

Jesus, without hearing their words nevertheless intuited them and replied by answering for Himself saying, “My teaching is not Mine, but His that sent Me. If any man chooses to do His will, He too will know whether My teaching is of God, or whether I speak from Myself. The man that speaks from himself seeks his own glory: but he that wants only to Glorify God, Who sent him, speaks truth, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

Among the fifty or so people listening to Him speaking in the temple there were the sincerely curious, the reverent, the humble who went through this earthly life absorbing as much wisdom as possible, to give meaning and purpose to their lives, and there were the haughty who looked for and of course, found fault in whatever any teacher was saying, always thinking that they knew best.

Speaking to both the high and the humble, Jesus confidently said, “Didn’t Moses give you the law to follow, to be the people of God that He wants you to be, and yet none of you obeys the law?” Yes, that was an insult, but it was a true statement because the law was deep and rich, specific and high. So high that no one could reach it. The Pharisees and Scribes thought they were reaching it by pulling it down to a reachable level, as when they accused Jesus of breaking the law by healing on the Sabbath. They had convinced themselves that they had come down from Mount Sinai with Moses, when instead they were as impatient and self-centered as the those at the foot of the mountain, fashioning the golden calf.

Without hesitating after that bold statement, because He knew that those He was speaking to were not capable of considering the accusation, went on to say, “Why do you want to kill me?”

Asher replied out loud what most of the people were thinking, “You are crazy, you must have a demons! Who wants to kill you?”

Jesus replied, “I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses gave you circumcision; actually circumcision did not originate with Moses, but from Abraham; and on the sabbath you circumcise a man. Well then, If a man is circumcised on the sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken; why are you angry with Me, when I make a man whole on the sabbath? Judge not according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Saying that, Jesus challenged those who had free ears to hear, and minds to think, to study and understand righteousness. He wanted the people to stop accepting the false interpretation of Sabbath rest, to become aware of the institutional hypocrisy. Jesus was speaking directly to the Pharisees who were out to get rid of Him.

Hearing that, Asa turned to Simon standing beside him and said, “Is this the man they want to kill?”

Simon replied, “I think so, and I can see why.”

Asa said, “But look, He is speaking openly here in the temple and look over there at those Pharisees, they aren’t even defending their position. Do they have no defense, or do you think the rulers know that He is the Messiah?”

Simon was surprised at the notion that this cocky Man could be the Messiah. Simon couldn’t accept such an outrageous concept so he replied, “This man is from Galilee, He has a mother and father. When the Messiah comes, no one will know where He came from. He will probably come down from heaven. Right?”

Again, intuiting that sentiment from Simon and probably from several others in that group, Jesus said loud enough for most people to hear, “You know Me, and most of you know where I came from. What you don’t know is that I did not come from Myself, but from He that sent me. He is True, and you don’t know Him.

Asher heard that and was shocked.

Jesus continued, “I know Him; because I am from Him, and He sent me.”

Asher said, “Come on this man is speaking blasphemy, let’s get him! We can’t stand to hear these things that He is saying.”

Meanwhile, in the same group there were others, men and women, young and old, who sensed that Jesus could be the Messiah. Those were the followers in the crowd who had seen and heard Him heal people and do many supernatural things that they could not do. He was always honoring God, so He could not be a magician.

Sarah turned to her friend Debra and said in a low voice, “When the Messiah comes, will He do more signs than those which you and I have seen this Man do?” Debra replied, “I know. Shhhh.” Both ladies were perplexed and feared the angry men among them.

Meanwhile, Asher tried to rally some men to his side and capture Jesus and send him to  be tried by the chief priest. But, as much as he wanted to, he had to hold back. No one else was willing to capture Jesus in that mixed crowd, because His hour had not come. The Father would not allow it then.

Amidst the hubbub of chatter of opinions about Him, Jesus slipped away.

Two Pharisees slipped out as well and went to the chief priest’s quarters. When they found him, their spokesman said, “We must do something about this man called Jesus! We can’t go on like this. He is disrupting our whole system. People don’t know what to believe. He calls God His Father. He claims that He speaks for God! There will be nothing left of us and our religion if we allow Him to continue like this. Too many people even believe He is the Messiah. We must put an end to it. To Him!”

The tall bald chief priest listened in agreement and replied, “I know. You’re right. Let’s get the Roman officers to arrest Him. Let’s go now while He is still in town.” The Pharisees along with two chief priests left their temple quarters and walked through the village to the magistrate’s office. Finding an officer at his desk they said, “We want you to arrest the man who calls himself Jesus for violating the laws of Moses, and for blasphemy.”

The officer knew that he could not arrest Jesus on those grounds, but to pacify the Jewish leaders he said he would go and look for Jesus.

“Thank you, let’s go.” said the angriest of the Pharisees who first went back into the temple, and not finding him there went into the streets to look for Jesus.

Oddly enough, they spotted Him not far from the magistrate’s office.

“Hey you!” shouted the angriest Pharisee to Jesus.

Jesus turned to see who was calling Him and replied, “Yes?”

The tall priest took over and replied loudly, “We found you. Now we want to talk with you, come here.

Jesus approached the hostile men. The officer not knowing exactly what to do, since Jesus had not broken any Roman law, just stood there trying to look official. He said, “Where are you going? We need to know your whereabouts while you are here.

Jesus replied, “Yet a little while am I with you, and I go to Him that sent me. You will seek me, and will not find me: and where I am, you cannot come.”

Another chief priest murmured, “Where can this Man go that we cannot not find Him?”

The Pharisee replied with another question, “Will he go out into the Diaspora among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?” The priest said, “What can He mean by ‘You will seek Me, and not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come?”

The officer decided to step in and put an end to this petty strife. “Look mister,” he said looking Jesus in the eyes, “I think it is best that you leave town. I don’t care where you go, just go.”

The two frustrated angry Pharisees had to accept a loss.

“Thank you officer.” He said looking at the officer, then turning to the Pharisees and the priests, He said, “Gentlemen, excuse me, I’ll be on my way. Good day.” And He turned and walked toward the sunset, smiling to Himself.

The following day was the last day of the feast and Jesus boldly went to the center of the city square. His disciples were surprised to see Him there. In all the crowds they somehow hadn’t seen Him all week.

Where Jesus stood His personal power was so strong that it created a clearing around Him. He cried aloud, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He that believes in Me, as the scripture says, ‘From within him shall flow rivers of living water.”

Reader, Jesus was speaking this of the Spirit, which they that believed in Him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Again the crowd was mixed. Some were in awe and wonder, while others ridiculed such a dramatic statement. But here we are, almost two thousand years later, and isn’t it the same? Some people are ridiculing or ignoring Him, the same man Jesus, while others indeed have living rivers flowing from within them.

ALIVE: Chapter 157, Another Mystical Day on the Road

After a deep sleep under the stars Jesus woke up feeling refreshed. He decided that it was time to take His mother back to her home. She had seen enough and He wanted her to be comfortable.

After His morning tête-à-tête with His Father, when He went back to camp, the first thing He did was to look for her.

“Good morning mama, I found you.”

“My Son, I was never lost!” she teased.

“Come, let’s walk over there where we can talk.” Jesus led her to a large marble ledge away from the campers. They climbed up on it as if it was an enormous throne made for them and sat on it together comfortably.

“Mama, it’s time to take you home to Jerusalem.”

Mary knew not to disagree with Him. “Alright, but I have enjoyed being with you and your friends. These people are so kind and so dedicated to You. I feel that I’ve known Mary Magdalene all my life. She is such a dear. I think she loves you as much as I do!”

“We will come back to Jerusalem from time to time, and you can come out with us again. Besides, it will take several days to get there.”

To take advantage of this precious time alone together, His mother thought for a moment about what she wanted to say, and whether to mention it, and then just to keep His attention, she came out and said it.  “I admit it was awkward to hear You tell the people that they should hate their mothers, in front of me. I felt a lot of eyes on me and I didn’t know what to do.” She paused to search His face for a reaction, then said, “But I understand, that You needed to exaggerate a bit to get the point across.”

“Mama, what do you think the point was?” He asked her out of curiosity.

Mary thought for a few moments, while Jesus patiently waited for her reply and then she said, “I think you were describing a supernatural relationship. It is natural to love your family, but it is supernatural to love God and obey Him more, different than, anyone else on earth. That love and obedience to God should dwarf love of family, so much that a person should be willing to erase everything. It is a full commitment, not one of many commitments.”

Jesus heard that and reached his hand over, and so His mother took it in hers and He squeezed her hand and said, “You get it, that’s why I love you so much.

But let Me explain it this way,” He added releasing her hand. “It is natural to love your family, nature has rules and laws, but humans are free, above nature because of free will. This freedom is what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God. To love God above the natural love of family, is therefore an act of free will…..because it is the love that rises above nature with its laws.  To obey our Father, willingly, requires self sacrifice, the antithesis of self indulgence, which is also above nature. Do you understand?”

She answered, “Maybe I get it, but I can’t hate you my Son, I never will.”

He replied, “You don’t have to, since you were My disciple before I was born. You are in a unique position.”

She said, “What a relief. I’m only a little sorry that I can’t go to the extent that you tell the people to go to…to be your disciple.”

He replied, “Don’t worry about that My mother, you will be required to go beyond that when I am lifted up.

Mary furrowed her brow in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

At that moment John broke into into their tête-à-tête and announced, “Okay we are all packed up and ready to bug out. Where are we going?”

Jesus told him that they were going to take His mother back to Jerusalem and then they could head up to Galilee, to Peter’s house. Peter had been mentioning a desire to check in on his wife and father for a while.

Jesus and Mary slid off the rock and stood up to follow John back to camp for breakfast.

“Yes sir!” said John cheerfully. He loved being by the sea and eating fresh fish. There is only so much arid land, day after day, that he could take considering he was a Galilean.

When they reached the morning campfire, a man named Silas approached Jesus to say, “Excuse me Master, may I ask you something?” Silas was a middle aged prematurely gray haired man with emerald green eyes and a ruddy face who had been with them since Jericho, “I don’t know what to do; this guy, Hiram, has been driving me crazy. He keeps berating me in front of the others and I don’t know how to defend myself from his attacks, and then he takes my hair brush and I spot him stealing it; when I ask for it back he lies to me! I’ve been telling him to give me my brush back and he refuses, saying it’s his!”

Jesus replied, “You may never be able to control him, so control yourself. Simply rebuke him, without anger or hostility. If he begins to see his fault and is sorry, then forgive him, it’s over!”

“I do that my Lord! I rebuke him. Of course I do. And after listening to you, I suppose his conscience wakes up and sometimes he even asks me to forgive him. And I do, but then he does it again!”

“Well, then it’s on you. You can’t keep him from behaving that way, but as many times as he asks for forgiveness, you must give it, even if he insults you seven times a day.”

Silas lowered his head to think about that, and realized that it was the only way to keep the peace, to allow the insults and appreciate his repentance, no matter how brief it may be. Silas suddenly realized that God must feel the same about him.

Jesus said, “Now let’s get out of here. We are going back to Jerusalem.”

A few of the veterans in the crowd looked at each other to say, “So soon?” And then shrugged their shoulders.

To get the group moving Jesus was the first to be packed up and start walking away from the camp. His mother found her friends, the two other Marys packing their satchels and told them that the group was going back to Jerusalem to take her home. Both ladies were disappointed that she would leave the group, and one after the other gave her a hug. Mary appreciated their hugs and was sorry to leave them too, but they had a few more days together. Mary said, “Let’s look on the bright side ladies, we can stay at my house together, maybe more than one night, and we can go shopping and cook together!” Mary Magdalene smiled at how easily His mother accepted whatever He said.

The ladies hurriedly finished packing and went to catch up with Jesus. They saw the people heading out and quickly joined them being among the last. They were glad for the smooth flat path that lead away from the campsite. The stragglers quickly cleaned up the campsite to catch up so they wouldn’t be left behind.

Close behind Jesus at the head of the train each person wanted to be as near to Him as possible to hear what He may be saying to others or in case a question came to mind.

Usually the children were the closest because they were spry and small and could more easily weave their way through the crowds.

Thomas, Bartholomew, and Phillip caught up with Jesus too. Being roughly the same height as He, they had no trouble talking to Him while walking, whereas the young boys didn’t even hope to get His attention. They just wanted to be near Him.

Thomas said to Jesus somewhat confidentially, “My Lord, yesterday when I was in town, a young man came up to me with his sister who has demons. She was in bad shape and he asked me to cast them out. I tried, I really did, but nothing happened. I had to apologize. It was awful. I was so embarrassed and so sorry for her.”

Bartholomew and Phillip confessed that they were there too and also prayed in vain.

“Why could not we cast them out?” the three men said in unison, then looked at each other and chuckled at the harmony as if they were singing of their woe.

To the surprise of the disciples, Jesus replied, “Because of your little faith. I tell you that if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to a mountain, ‘Go over there!’ and it will! I tell you men, nothing but nothing will be impossible for you.”

Thomas was still flummoxed; he thought he had faith. But Jesus must be right, so he needed to search deep within, to understand the difference between the faith that he thought he had and the faith that it would take to heal and have authority over demons. All three men searched their hearts for what they lacked in faith….and why. Thomas was the most sad and confused.

Reading Thomas’ heart, Jesus said while slowing down to think and walk simultaneously, and to be heard  on the smooth straight path, (please note, dear reader how perfectly the Father God ordered their every step, to have even given them the smooth straight path at that moment to be able to walk and teach at the same time.)

Jesus said to the three, “Are you servants of God, or do you just want to be servants of God, or just think you are?”

The disciples listened most attentively for they were desperate to be able to relieve the pain and suffering of those who asked them to. Not only to avoid the shame, or was that the reason for their lack of faith?  Did pride keep them from being able to have the quality of faith they needed to be able to heal? Bartholomew set that thought aside to be alert to what Jesus would say.

Jesus paused to allow the men to complete their shallow rooted thoughts, and then said, “ Who is there of you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come and sit down, we have meat for supper tonight, relax!’? No. that’s not how a servant is treated. Instead, when the servant comes in from the field you say, ‘It’s about time! I’m hungry, get my supper ready. Clean yourself up and serve me. After I finish my supper, then you can eat and drink.’ Does he thank his servant because he did the things that were commanded?”

The disciples, being accustomed to the relationship between servants and masters had to admit that servants had no control over their time or their own their lives but instead were at the beck and call of their masters day and night. Phillip realized soonest that their shame over not being able to heal may have been linked to the pride of healing, rather than the humility required of being God’s servant. Only God and humble servants can heal and command demons because as God’s truly humble servants, they are both above nature and demons and pride. Being pure and true servants they can serve Him in overcoming natural illness, and ruling demons.

Jesus verbalized what Phillip realized when He closed the subject by saying, “As servants of the One True God, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, be fully prepared to go the second mile, work harder than you thought you would have had to, sacrifice more, and even then, say to yourself, ‘I am an unprofitable servant who has only done my duty.’ Don’t look for reward or even gratitude. Don’t expect payment or admiration. This is the key to your failure. Faith must come with humility, not pride.” Jesus said that hoping that His men could grasp it. He knew that humility came naturally with His own condescension from the throne of God, and how unless human beings were fully aware of the great chasm between God and man, they would have a hard time maintaining humility.

After that exchange the three disciples slowed down their pace, falling behind Jesus in the march to Jerusalem to think about that intense lesson. At that point on the way to Jerusalem, passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee, they arrived at a village. Ten lepers stood in awe as the mass of people walked toward them. One of the lepers said to his companions, “Look, isn’t that that healer coming towards us?”

The other said, “How could it not be? Who else travels with such a crowd? As Jesus came within hearing range, in unison the ten men yelled as loudly as they could to be heard above the drone of their footsteps, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

Being about 100 feet away, Jesus heard them calling to Him. He stopped, and so did his entourage stop suddenly, with some people bumping into others, some falling. Then, from the distance He shouted back at them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”

The lepers looked at each other. Conferred about what they should do, shrugged their shoulders in agreement that they might as well do what the man said. The one who first noticed Jesus lifted his arm and waved to agree. Then all ten of them turned to go to the village synagogue to find the priest. One of the lepers complained saying, “You know the priest will just banish us. What’s the point of this? More humiliation? I think He was just trying to get rid of us.” But the others kept walking in silence, figuring that someone may feel sorry for them and toss them some food. The synagogue was a good half hour walk away. The ten lepers walked in pairs and a few walked alone, deep in thought. As they were walking very gradually their skin was being transformed. One by one, a leper noticed that he could see better. He looked over at his friend and saw that his skin glowed with health. “STOP!” yelled one of them. They all stopped and grouped together. “Look! I think we are healed! How do you feel?”

Another said, “I can’t believe this!” I can’t see myself so well, but I feel different, and I see you and you. You, you men look ….healthy, you look normal!”

The group of former lepers rejoiced together. Two men started to dance together.

“I can’t wait to go home and show my mother! Good bye!”

“Wait, I’m going with you.” said another.

“I am going to show the priest so it doesn’t go away.” Another shouted, “I’m coming!” Followed by the echo of the others.

One man disagreed and said, “I am going back to thank the healer! Good bye. May we never meet again!”

His friend chuckled because he knew that indeed the lepers would never meet again as lepers. “Good-bye. I’m going home too.”

The one who said he was going back to thank Jesus walked alone in silence. His gratitude growing in his heart like bread dough rising higher and higher until it spills over the bowl. All he could think about was his gratitude. He was a sensitive man who had suffered so much from the disdain and repulsion he caused in others who saw him. Mostly, he sat alone in his cave because the sun hurt his eyes. His days had been spent in misery and prayer. God, to Whom he was praying knew how much suffering increases the joy of the sufferer whose prayers are answered. Suffering can either yield exhilaration and praise or bitterness from the faithless and inpatient.  Finally this man saw the familiar crowd in the distance. He picked up his pace and when he got close enough, he shouted, “Jesus, where are you?”

Jesus looked up to see who was calling him and noticed the man. “Here I am, come.”

The healed man shouted as he approached Jesus, “Glory to God! Glory to God! Look at me! I’m healed! Alleluia! Glory to God!”  The crowd around Jesus moved back to make a path for the healed man. When He reached the inner circle the man fell on his face at the feet of Jesus. By then his face was drenched in tears of joy. All he could say, over and over again was “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Jesus looked down and offered his hand to help the man to his feet. He studied the man’s new face and noticed that he had the features of a Samaritan. He said, “Arise. Were not all ten of you cleansed? So, where are the other nine? Didn’t any of the others want to returned to give glory to God, except this stranger?”

The grateful man looked around and humbly shrugged his shoulders. He said, “some went to show themselves to the priest as You told us to, and others, in their joy went to their homes.” Jesus said to him, “Now go and stay grateful to God. Your faith made you whole.”

The man who hadn’t touched another person in ten years hugged Jesus who hugged him back. When released from the hug, he turned to go to his village and to the priest who knew him from childhood and had had pity on him.

As he passed, the crowd marveled because many of them had noticed the ten lepers and how changed this one man was. His mother Mary was beaming with joy to see how happy this man was. She was sure the other lepers were happy too, but she was glad that he returned for all the crowd to see. In her wisdom, she knew that even though her Son had told them to show themselves to the priest it was important that this foreigner returned to the source of his healing. The priest needed to see the healing of the lepers. But this group too benefitted by observing the wellspring of gratitude.

……..

In the nearby village, the priest was standing at the door to look for a person who had scheduled a visit and spotted the men walking toward him. He squinted his eyes to see if he recognized any one of them, and then waited for them to come closer.

“Welcome, what can I do for you?” said the priest.

"The man, Jesus, healed us! Remember us, we were lepers and now we aren’t!” said their spokesman. The other men nodded joyfully. One of them added, “He told us to show ourselves you you.God is great!”

“You are right my sons to give the glory to God. Now go get your thank offerings and come back, and we will sacrifice them to the Lord. I will go back inside and offer the prayers of thanksgiving for you.

The men thanked the priest and turned to find the best lambs that they could to offer in thanksgiving. Each man, his own lamb. The men were glad to do something so tangible in thanks. It is one thing to feel happy, the feeling of gratitude but to manifest that joy with the effort that the burnt sacrifice required, and then the eating of the lamb was such a fulfilling act of gratitude.

Indeed, the priest returned to the altar and wept silently that he was blessed to see the manifestation of God’s love and power on that day. Memories of the ones he knew from childhood rushed to his mind and the deep grief of their parents when they became lepers flooded the priest’s heart as he prayed. At that moment he also gave thanks to God that he had become a priest, and not a shepherd or a shoemaker.

ALIVE: Chapter 156, Hard Lessons

For the next few days young John could not stop thinking about why Herod wanted to kill Jesus, and that they were all targets by relationship. How was it possible that someone so wise and so compassionate and powerful enough to heal people of terrible maladies would want to be annihilated by anyone? John’s naïveté was beautiful. His loving nature couldn’t understand anything different. Jesus told them to be shrewd as a serpent but he just didn’t know how…yet. He was young and attracted only to the good which was why he was so drawn to Jesus, and why he was so beloved of the Master.

Mama Mary as they came to call her to distinguish her from Mary Magdalene and recently another Mary, the mother of Joses, who joined them; Mother Mary loved John as her own son. How she enjoyed reminiscing with him about the days when Jesus was John’s age, when He was home, working with Joseph and she had a family to cook for and care for. Bliss.

On the walks from village to village John and Mary often paired up, typically John catching up to be with her. They enjoyed each other’s conversation. Mary liked to hear about John’s own family and when and how he came to follow her Son. John especially liked to hear the story over and over, about when Jesus stayed behind at the Temple and Mary and Joseph thought they lost him. John thought that story was funny and always chuckled at it. Every time she told it, there was a new element to the story. How she felt and the family’s conversation as they were going home. To imagine his Master as a young boy, oblivious to his parent’s absence for days and nights, and to compare that to how alert He became to everything and every person surrounding Him endeared Jesus to young John even more, as if that was possible.

On evenings after supper the nomadic group sat around the campfire to listen to Jesus’ teaching as usual. Typically, curious people from the towns and villages sought out the campsite of the itinerant preacher and His followers; some just came to visit, bringing food for them, others brought their bedrolls to spend the night under the stars with them.

The message was always different, as if Jesus was a bottomless well of Wisdom. Priscilla, a regular, thought that if only she could become the person Jesus described in His teachings, she would be strong and healthy and happy enough to live forever whether in the body or out of the body. Priscilla was young and and beautiful with flowing wavy black hair that shined with health and skin as white as milk; eyes as blue as the azure sky. She never wanted to marry although she was given many offers. Once when she was much younger, she was spoiled and that memory haunted her with disgust. Instead, she was an adventurous young lady who wanted to never stop learning in her quest for holiness. That is what attracted her to Jesus, and what kept her near. He was different, loving but not seeking His own. He was, dare she think, somehow perfect in her eyes. She couldn’t leave Him, there would be nowhere else to go.

When He stood up to speak the chattering subsided and Jesus began, “When you go to a feast, do not grab the chief seat, or else the host may come and ask you to move so a special friend can sit there.  You will be embarrassed in front of everyone; instead, go down the line; look for the lowest seat left near odd unfriendly people, sit there and if you are worthy of a better place, you may be called to come up, and feel honored. The honor from others is truer than what you give yourself. For every one that exalts himself will be humbled; and he that humbles himself will be exalted.”

Priscilla thought about that, and why it was true. But Jesus kept speaking and she didn’t want to miss a word to stop and contemplate it. So, she carefully placed her unprocessed thoughts in a corner of her mind to fetch them one night when all was quiet under the stars, except for the few wild animals far away. No one ever wondered why the wild animals never attacked them, except Jesus who forbade them to hurt His people.

Jesus stayed with the theme of gatherings and said, “When you make a dinner party, don’t invite your friends, or your relatives, or your rich neighbors who all will want to pay you back with invitations to their homes. Instead, invite the poor and maimed and lame; invite the blind and then you will be blessed even more because they cannot pay you back. Instead, your reward will be given to you at the resurrection of the just.”

Priscilla listened carefully and thought that as there are laws of nature and the commandments, Jesus seemed to be talking about laws of another sort; laws of the spirit, of God. As if beside human Justice there is a different divine Justice. As if there is a different universe within this one. Jesus wasn’t telling people not to want Justice, or honor, or rewards, but to reach for the stars instead of the low hanging fruit. Make God the one you want to please more than yourself or your friends or your relatives. That kind of ambition takes trust, another kind of trust, more spiritual and yet more real and lasting. Then Priscilla thought, maybe she didn’t have to wait until night time, until she realized that she had just missed precious minutes of His message.

Mama Mary took her eyes off her Son to look around. She noticed that the crowd had swelled. More and more people had come to listen to Him. They left their homes and fields, corralled their livestock, set down their tools and shut their doors. They heard about miracles, but even without the miracles many were drawn by the crowd to the crowd. No one wanted to miss his or her own direct experience and have to rely on hearsay. This young teacher preacher, healer went beyond politics, He didn’t want to have power over them, He didn’t want their money, but rather He only conveyed wisdom, like Solomon. And that was refreshing. He spoke of self control of their inner lives, control of their attitudes, which was so much more important than fretting about those who wanted to govern them. He was giving them the way to better their lives and asked for nothing tangible in return.

Saul and Manasseh looked at each other and smiled with a nod of agreement when they heard Jesus say, “If any man comes to Me, and does not hate his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”

Saul knew that statement would shock many people, especially the mothers whose love for their children was as much a part of them as the color of their own eyes, but there it was. Hate. Saul and Manasseh had been following Jesus for such a long time that they learned to accept everything He said, no matter how outrageous. To hear that to be a disciple, like Peter and James they had to hate their family, was affirming to them who sometimes wondered if abandoning their families to follow Jesus had been the right thing to do.

Of those who knew her, many looked over at His mother, who, feeling so many eyes on her, simply focused on her Son speaking, as if to guide those piercing eyes to the right place.

Along with every other shocking statement Jesus made that day in His description of a very different world, cutting ties with relatives seemed to fit for Saul and Manasseh. He didn’t say to hate, but rather He spoke of the exceptionally high standard, the sacrifice was required to be His disciple, His full time student, His protege, His apprentice.

Believing that Jesus was always right, Priscilla thought about what He just said too. She figured that He must be speaking of degrees of love that exceed one’s love for his father or mother, or wife or children or brother or sister. “What kind of love can that be?” she wondered. “What kind of love can turn the love of your own flesh and blood people who you have known all your life, maybe to a child you birthed and nurtured throughout childhood, day in and day out raising them in the best way you could with all the pressures of the outside world, how could such love and devotion be so small, as to be regarded as hatred in comparison with the devotion required of discipleship? Maybe,” thought Priscilla, “maybe Jesus was only speaking to the men.”

Priscilla was trying hard to understand that concept; she thought of how much she loved her father. “How could that be hatred compared to what was required of a true disciple?” She fervently wanted to be a disciple, even though she was a woman, but the cost was so high. She wondered how to achieve that?

After telling them to hate their families, Jesus noticed several people from the crowd walking away to go to sleep at their homes, but He continued speaking. He said, “Whoever does not accept his suffering, and cling to Me cannot be my disciple. For which of you who sets out to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to determine if he can afford the time, the money, the energy to finish the tower? After all, if he can’t do more than lay the foundation, and is not able to finish, his neighbors will ridicule him for leaving a useless foundation in the ground.

Or what king, when he sets out to combat another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel with his generals to consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that comes at him with twenty thousand heavily armed combatants?”

Saul and Manasseh heard that and looked at each other with the same thought. Saul said it first, “Did you hear what He said about hating our family?”

“Yes.” replied Manasseh hesitatingly because the statement demanded a response. He knew that after all these weeks with Jesus, he couldn’t let the message pass, like a burp or a hiccup, but that the commitment he was making, that he wanted to make, required real sacrifice, not just the sacrifice of discomfort walking throughout Galilee and Judea, but rather a sacrifice of his whole being, his soul, his spirit, his mind. He had to give everything of himself.

Manasseh continued, “Saul, as much as I want to, I will not go back home, ever again. I won’t see my parents or my brothers and sisters. I want to be His disciple, even more than I want the love of my family, and I suppose the love I have for my family, I must transfer to this man, Jesus, who I believe to be the Messiah.”

Saul was quiet. He knew what an enormous decision that was. He also knew that Manasseh would never break that vow. The same thought was in his own mind at the moment that they looked at each other. Saul decided to lighten up the weight of the moment and said, “Manasseh, you took the words right out of my mouth. I know that I can’t go back home either. To receive the love of my mother or father, would be to accept less and not more, it would be to reject my commitment to Jesus. I-I-I can’t do that. God help me.”

The two men felt as if they had just walked together through a great filagree iron gate into a new world, that they were new men, without a past, but only with a future. It was as if they left earth and would soon enter heaven, never to look back like Lot’s wife. There was no more to say to each other, Jesus was still talking and they wanted to listen.

Jesus bellowed for all to hear and to impress upon them the formidable contract between He and His disciples. He continued as if oblivious to the cacophony of thoughts vibrating through the air.

“Or else, while the powerful army is still far away, the general sends an ambassador to him to ask for the conditions of peace. So therefore whosoever of you that doesn’t renounce all that he has, he cannot be My disciple.”

Saul heard that and was astonished. It was as if he and Manasseh hadn’t missed a word while they were committing themselves to Jesus discipleship, with its great cost, it’s high qualifying bar. Saul didn’t realize that it would be the first of many instances in his life when he would experience the mastery of spirit over matter, as intended at the beginning of time. Such awareness and ability sealed the commitment. “Manasseh, do you realize what just happened?” Manasseh did, and nodded quickly with a blank face as if he was still processing it.

Teaching among the thoughts and whispers, Jesus continued, “He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. If therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will trust you with the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?

No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve and be devoted to both God and wealth. Know this, wealth when it becomes an object of devotion, being an illusion, will have an evil influence on you.”

Jesus looked straight at two Pharisees in the crowd who were elbowing each other snickering and scoffing at that statement which they disagreed with as if not true at all. Both men loved their wealth for all that it did for them, pleasure, safety, protection, indulgence.

Reading them, Jesus said directly to the two men scoffing at His words, “You two are justifying yourselves in the sight of men because you think you are right, but God knows your hearts. Your reasons for being devoted to your wealth, while it is true that men will honor and exalt you for it, is an abomination in the sight of God.”

After belittling love of family and wealth in favor of total devotion to God, turning the world inside out, Jesus continued, by affirming the preeminence of the Law, something He was too often accused of violating. He said, “The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man enters violently into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tittle of the law to fall.”

Yet, He couldn’t end there, for the law was too often misinterpreted and with that His Father’s will. They accused Him of violating the law by healing on Sabbath, and not performing the ceremonial washing before eating, so He went on to reveal the meaning of laws that most people misinterpreted, and by doing so were actually violating the law themselves. He said something that pierced the well healed consciences of scores of people in that very crowd, while giving others an opening to feel superior.

He said, “Whosoever sends his wife away, except for fornication, and if she goes and marries another, she is committing adultery and the man that marries her is also committing adultery.” Jesus wanted the people to understand the absolute need for loyalty, even in the face of the conflicts of marriage, the bitter words, the difficulties they must share. The response to suffering together by disregarding the mystical union of husband and wife was shortsighted and repugnant to God and the people needed to know that. They needed to know that healing on the Sabbath, or not washing before a meal, even not fasting was as nothing compared to more serious violations of the laws of God as handed down by Moses.

He was all over the map, bringing up one situation after another but with one thread that joined them together and that was that God’s will and ways are the true plumb. He was describing the very narrow constricted gate that He said one had to force one’s way through to enter the Kingdom. God’s new world. The perfect world. The peaceful, abundant world. The reward for sacrifice and learning. Real life as God intended life to be.

Then, looking over at gaggle of children playing under the light of the starry sky, He ended His talk by saying, “It is impossible not to stumble, but woe to him who trips his brother along the path! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung about his neck, and he was thrown into the sea rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.”

The laughter of the children energized Him. His joyful heart broke into a smile, with the fleeting thought of how much fun they were having with each other.

After a fleeting daydream, Jesus continued , “Pay attention! Be alert and don’t allow serious sins to pass. If your  brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. I’ve said enough, let’s go to sleep. Go to back to your homes and think of all that I told you.”

Jesus sat down to give the crowd time to disband. No one dared to approach Him. Instead the crowd thinned as even His own troupe went to their bedrolls.

ALIVE: Chapter 155, Busy Sabbaths

After they met in Jerusalem, the Marys and Susana slept at Mary’s house. Jesus and his disciples went to the hotel where his grandparents used to stay when visiting His mother at school. He took the room where His grandparents Joachim and Anna slept. He could hear echos of their presence in that room where they slept so often and with so much love for their daughter, His kind mother.

The next morning, after His time with His Father, which He enjoyed in His room alone, Jesus went to His mother’s home to tell the ladies that they would be traveling again. It was time to leave Jerusalem but that they would be back. He explained to His mother that they could not stay too long in one place because there were so many others who needed to hear, to heal their souls with teaching, and to be healed physically.

Mary understood and agreed. She asked if she could please join them on the trip. Mary Magdalene and Susana promised that they would take care of her. Jesus smiled at being outnumbered by the ladies, who took such good care of Him and agreed, and then bid them good bye to go and meet with His men. Mother that she was, before He left, Mary asked Jesus to send her the laundry of the disciples. And they would take care of that too. Fresh start while they could.

The ladies cheerfully spent the following day shopping, then preparing food to bring for the journey; washing clothes, and packing. They needed another day, so Mary told little neighbor-boy Jack, to go and find her Son and tell Him that they needed another day to be ready. She gave the boy a loaf of bread that had just come out of the oven and so Jack diligently went to carry out his task while happily munching on his warm bread, leaving the ladies to their work.

On the morning of their departure, Jesus and His men, including Manasseh and little Lev from the crowd that followed them from Nazareth all gathered outside Mary’s home.  Several men hauled the baskets of food and clean clothes for the journey loading up three donkeys for the trip.

Mary, watching the men loading up the donkeys looked over at her new friends and said, “Moving with the masses is such an ordeal! It’s a wonder that you do this all the time!”

Mary Magdalene chuckled and said, “All the food we cooked and the clean clothes will be a real treat for everyone. We usually just have our own satchels and fend for ourselves when we can. Mary, you have made us feel rich!”

"Oh!” replied Mary. Then she went back to point out what needed to go.

Meanwhile, Jesus was conferring with His disciples about where they were heading and the route they would take. Matthew and Thomas, being most familiar with Jerusalem would lead the mass out of Mary’s neighborhood and to the outskirts of Jerusalem, and then Bartholomew and Judas would take over and lead the crowd to the first stop which would be Bethlehem and then on to Hebron.

…

Mary hardly minded sleeping outside on her first night of camping where they set up near a well. The air was thin and clean and it’s temperature, still warm. The breeze that wafted over the crowd from time to time reminded them of how comfortable they were. Night-time brought a refreshing coolness to the air.

The ladies took care of the men, at first unpacking the food they brought, and days later when that was gone, some men would hunt or forage, or when there was a nearby village, they would see if there was any food to buy or to barter with labor. Men and women took turns cooking to feed their community, like holy gypsies they served Christ and His roving theological university and hospital.

Some of these vagabonds filled with healthy wisdom sensed that it was time to go home. They were prepared to tell their own villages of what they learned and saw, so they peeled off; while new people joined for a time.

Jesus and His followers went to village after village, town after town to spread the good news that God had come, neither from Bethlehem nor from Nazareth but from heaven to guide His people, the Jews, not out the tyranny of Pharaoh in Egypt, but out of the wrong mindset of the  Pharisees, Scribes and Lawyers who distorted the commandments, even the Torah, and defiled their own circumcision from pride, desire for power, or simply from ignorance. It’s the same story with a different color scheme. Innocent ignorance is as vile as intentional ignorance and just as destructive.

Jesus attracted the people with His uncanny command of nature; the power and authority that in the beginning belonged to Adam and Eve. Once drawn into His Holy bubble, Jesus taught. He illuminated their dark minds. Once the people saw the light, they yearned to remain in the light, which was the hard part. As can be expected, His teachings came with the need to chide the rabbi, the Pharisee, the scribe and the lawyer for spreading error. The unpleasant arguments one after another were necessary.  He had to illuminate the narrow path to show how it differs from the well traveled path to oblivion.

On one typical sabbath, Jesus was teaching for the first time in a particular synagogue. Out of the corner of His eye, he noticed a woman hunched over standing in a dark corner of the hallowed room. He perceived that it was a spirit of infirmity that was the source of her suffering. Jesus watched her struggle to lift herself up and called to her, saying, “Woman, do you want to be loosened from your infirmity? Hearing His voice directed to her, she painfully ratcheted up her neck to show her face, revealing beautiful blue eyes sparkling with the hope of relief. “Yes, Master! Oh yes. I have been this way for eighteen painful years. Help me! All I ever see is dirty ground. I yearn to see faces and the beautiful sky!”

Jesus walked over to her. When He was near, He laid His hands on her shoulders and soon she was able to straighten her back as she slowly, but confidently erected herself as if she had only just picked up a nut that fell on the ground! And without pain! A huge smile brightened her whole face as she exclaimed, “Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! Look! Thank You Lord, what a great and magnificent God You are! Thank you Lord! Thank you God. Glory to You my God, Glory to You. Thank You, oh thank You Master!” Tears spilled from her eyes and trickled down the rosy cheeks that no one had seen since she was a young girl.

A dignified man with his intricately embroidered robe rushed over to the scene saying louder than necessary for Jesus to hear, “What's this! In my synagogue you dare heal on the Sabbath!Who do you think you are transgressing the law!? There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and heal and be healed, but NOT on the day of the sabbath!” His ire went from the woman first then to Jesus, daring the crowd to indulge in the joy of the miracle.

There followed a low din of agreement from sectors of the crowd who chose to always be on the side of the authority.

Jesus thundered back, “You hypocrites, doesn’t each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox

or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, for the past eighteen years, to have been loosed from Satan’s bond on the day of the sabbath?” As He said these things, the rabbi and all but a handful of people were confused by the logic, and didn’t bother to think it through while their consciences dinged them with a sense of shame. He looked severely at Jesus, who returned his gaze with authority. Then he turned around and walked away.

The healed woman grabbed the hand of Jesus and kissed it repeatedly. Her joy spread through the crowd as the keystone of the moment. Suffering ceased. There was no argument strong enough to combat that. With the man gone, a young girl suddenly clapped her hands, and then another and another until the room was loud with clapping and rejoicing over the miracle.

When the clapping died down Jesus turned to the crowd to continue teaching, He said, “Enter into God’s will, into the Kingdom of Heaven by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many are they that choose that seemingly easy way and go in only to be surprised by disappointment. I tell you, that the gate is very narrow and straight that leads to life here and in the immortal life to come, and few are they who find it.”

Having healed the woman’s body, it was necessary to remind the crowd that each of them were riddled with the infirmity of their souls. Spiritual illness was much more difficult to treat because typically it wasn’t recognized and because with no pain or outward malady the spiritually ill person had to want to be well. It required, as John the Baptist said, “REPENTANCE”. Lest His audience, just by listening to Him and observing miracles believe that they had been perfected by proximity, or by observing and hearing, they needed to be reminded that to enter heaven required their own action. It wasn’t enough to go to the synagogue and hear. The prayers needed to come from their heart and to be followed by their actions and attitudes toward God and others.

To convey this Jesus shouted, “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by Your name, and by Your name cast out demons, and do many mighty works?”

He paused for each normal person to introspect or even imagine that they could prophesy, or cast out demons or perform miracles, for there were no prophets in the crowd. But even the suggestion puffed up the listener like a hen who becomes twice her size, only to deflate her by adding, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”

Menassah and several others who listened most attentively were truly shocked by that statement. Did Jesus just make Himself out to be God at the judgment? Was it possible for God to come to earth in human form? Mary Magdalene looked over at her new friend, Mary, His mother, in wonder and confusion. What did she see? A glow around the woman’s head! She rubbed her eyes in case it was formed by a film of dried tears, but no. It was still there, a warm halo. Mary Magdalene wondered how other people couldn’t see it, because if they had there would be a stir, but everyone else just focused on what Jesus was saying, trying to understand what was impossible for them to understand.

Before anyone of those most alert people could think it through, certain Pharisees entered the synagogue and recognizing Jesus, forced their way through the crowd and the strongest one said in a loud warning tone, “Jesus you had better get out of here quickly. I suggest you go far away because I’ve heard that Herod wants you killed.”

Jesus replied calmly and confidently (which surprised more than a few people), “Go and say to that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I am perfected. Nevertheless I must go on my way to-day and to-morrow and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.”

Appreciating the warning, Jesus then excused himself to the crowd. His mother and her friends were most disturbed by the warning. The disciples, like protective secret service men stepped up and encircled Jesus to create a path through the crowd for Him to exit the building.

The helpful Pharisee who warned Jesus and saw Him leaving the crowded building waited for him to come outside.  When he saw Jesus and His disciples he said, “Come to my house where it is quiet. We have fresh bread.”

“I will.” replied Jesus and followed him with His men. Everyone else, the ladies and all His other followers knew to go back to camp, and the locals back to their homes for it was sabbath and no one worked on that day.

The house was near and when He entered Jesus noticed a servant in there who had dropsy, his legs were swollen from excess fluid and he appeared quite uncomfortable. This servant ushered the guests into the sitting room in which soft seating created a comfortable arena. Jesus took His seat, but couldn’t take his eyes off the uncomfortable servant.

When everyone was seated, Jesus was the first to speak to everyone saying, “Let me ask you, if it is lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?”

Silence. No one dared say anything because they knew that coming from Jesus, it was a rhetorical question, asked to provoke argument or discussion.

Everyone held their peace.

Jesus then spoke directly to the servant with dropsy (edema) who was standing in the zone between discomfort and pain, ready to serve when needed.

Jesus stood up with everyone’s eyes on Him, and said to the servant, “Come here may man.”

He took him by the shoulders, laid hands on him and prayed, healed him, and let him go. No one else had even noticed the man’s swollen legs or his obvious discomfort. He never asked for healing. This man suffered quietly and nobly, and only Jesus knew that. The man felt the swelling subside as if a faucet in his toes was opened and the fluids that so distressed him ran out like a stream rushing downhill. He felt comfort for the first time since he could remember. His toes tingled with joy. All he could do was to fall onto his knees in gratitude and relief. He couldn’t even speak, and abhorred the attention, but was forced by his relief to ignore that. After several moments the servant got up off his knees and took Jesus’ hand and kissed it several times. Then he turned and quickly left the room to be alone in a quiet place to thank God.

Jesus turned to the people sitting comfortably, watching the incident and said to them, “Which of you whose ass or ox that falls into a well will not rush to draw him up, even on a sabbath day?”

No one dared to answer.

“Now where is that fresh bread you offered!” asked Jesus, breaking the silence and sitting back in His seat, glancing over at little John who had a huge grin on his face.

ALIVE: Chapter 154, Golden Insults

Mary saw what she came to see in the synagogue. She was surprised that the men she had respected from childhood in the Temple would treat her Son with such rancor. Why? What did He do to upset them so much? He taught and He healed the sick and lame. She thought of the day He turned the vats of water into wine at the wedding. He didn’t want to do something so showy, but most of the people didn’t even know that it was a miracle, and it was a very kind thing to do, considering the spot the host was in.

Mary stood quietly and attentively beside her new friend from Magdalene as her Son was being grilled, “Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?” shouted one Pharisee a little too loud, betraying his malice. “They don’t even wash their hands when they eat bread, I saw it with my own eyes. You can’t lie to me and say that they do young man!”

Jesus shot back, “Let me ask you, why do you also transgress the commandment of God? For God said, Honor your father and your mother: and, He that speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death. But you say that whosoever says to his father or his mother, ‘whatever I may have given to you, I will give to God instead’ (to embellish the temple).

Do you call that honoring your father or mother?”

Hearing that, many of the elders in the congregation felt a passing breeze of guilt, which they forced away like a broom sweeps out of the door unwanted leaves and dirt.

“You have voided the word of God and you justify yourselves by calling it your tradition. You hypocrites!” Jesus shouted angrily. He could not tolerate hypocrisy, for the same reason He could not tolerate lies. Lies and hypocrisy distort. They take reality, they take wisdom, and like a wet clay mask, with untalented hands make it ugly. And then sell it as if it were still beautiful. The liars and the hypocrites think they are fooling others, when in reality, they are committing suicide.

Jesus went on, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me! In vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.”

Saul, another Pharisee, stung by Jesus’ statement, dared to work his way through the crowd up to Him, tugged at His toga and said, “Jesus, calm down. He didn’t mean to upset you so.”

Jesus looked at Saul wondering what he hoped to gain by attempting to erase His ire. Would it make the truth vanish?

Saul bravely continued, “Please, it’s lunchtime, come to my house, my wife prepared a delicious stew this morning. I can smell it from here. Come and dine with me and a few of my friends.”

Jesus decided to accept if only to spare those who did not deserve such admonitions. “Okay, let’s go.” Then He looked for His mother in the crowd. She caught His eye and nodded as if to say that she had a friend and would be fine.

The crowded synagogue gradually filled with increasingly loud chatter after Jesus stopped speaking. The rabbi  had withdrawn before Jesus spoke seizing the opportunity to be replaced. His headache had magnified, and his stomach was unsettled. He wanted to rest until the discomfort passed.

In ones and twos the people left the synagogue to go to work to tend their chickens or lambs or to their homes for lunch and a nap.

Saul said to Jesus, “Follow me.” Jesus tapped James and Peter who were within reach, “Come with me, Andrew, tell my people that we will meet back here at sunset, okay?”

“Yes Master,” replied Andrew.

Saul and the other Pharisees who were going to Saul’s house too were anxious to get away from the crowds. “Come! Are You ready?”

“I’m coming, thank you.” replied Jesus.

When they arrived at Saul’s house, his wife greeted her guests. The aroma of the stew filled the room with warm welcome.

The washing station was surrounded by the guests some waiting in line while others washing before sitting down at table. Meanwhile, Jesus went directly to the seat He chose for Himself perpendicular to Saul at the head who was seated and waiting for his guests to fill the seats. James and Peter managed to find available seats farther from Jesus than they wanted.

While waiting for the seats to be filled, Saul marveled and said in an arrogant tone to Jesus, “Are you so anxious to sit with me that you don’t find it necessary to obey the need to wash yourself first?”

The Lord Jesus, turning the insult back to Saul at the speed of a  bat hitting a home run said, “Dare you talk about clean! You pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup; but your inside, your mind and your hearts are full of extortion and wickedness. Fools. Didn’t God who made your hands and bodies make your minds and hearts too? Deeds of love towards people, giving alms, helping others, these acts clean the inside. Such a clean inside renders all things clean to you. I am not unclean.”

Jesus let out a loud deep sigh of frustration over Saul’s arrogance and his ignorance.  It’s not good, but understandable, to be arrogant if you are right and frustrated, but arrogance from the wrong and stupid is maddening.

Rather than drop the conflict, Jesus seized the opportunity to teach. Speaking down the table filled, Jesus said aloud, “Woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over justice and the love of God: but these you should have done, and not to leave the other undone! Woe to you Pharisees! for you love the chief seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces. Woe to you! for you are as the unmarked graves that men walk over who don’t even know they are walking on corpses!”

Listening to His tirade, a lawyer down table decided to speak up to make sure that he was okay. He said load and clear for all to hear, “Teacher, in saying this I don’t believe you mean to reproach lawyers also, correct?” holding his breath for the answer.

Jesus responded, “Woe to you lawyers also! for you load men with heavy burdens, that you won’t even try to lift with one of your fingers!”

The lawyer’s face turned red with anger and embarrassment.

“You lawyers build the tombs of the prophets, who your fathers killed! This makes you witnesses and consenting  to the works of your fathers: for they killed them, and you build their tombs!

Therefore, it is written, “I will send them prophets and apostles; and some of them they will kill and persecute. The blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, will be required of this generation; from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary: I tell you that it shall be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! You took away the key of knowledge. You refused to learn, and instead you hindered others from learning.”

At that, Jesus stood up and looked at His host, with an expression that seemed to say, “Why did you invite me here?” Then, searching for James and Peter, He looked down the table and said, “We must be going, excuse us.”

Several other guests joined Jesus, following the three out of the house with a nod to Saul, leaving the table half full.

Paul’s wife heard that as she was telling her servants to serve the meal. She was alarmed and embarrassed. She had heard the Master speak often when He was calmer; she saw Him heal people and felt that her husband was terribly disrespectful to their important guest. She didn’t know what to do to amend the situation, so she just froze as Jesus, Peter, and James left her home. Saul didn’t even stand up when they left.

Instead, Saul looked down the long table while the servants were distributing the plates. He said, “Shall we pray? ‘Baruch atah adonai elokeinu melech haolam, boreh pri haadamah, shehakol nihyeh bidvaro, hamotzi lechem min haaretz. Let’s eat, my friends.” Clanging plates and small chatter, slurping, and chewing out loud replaced the admonishment of the Master in the air.

Catching up with Jesus, a few other pharisees and scribes who had been present at the scene would not let Jesus have the last word, but rather insisted that their logic was stronger, and that they could catch Him in a bigger error than than not washing before the meal.

“Wait up!” said Asher. "I have something to say!”

Jesus stopped and turned around spotting the rest of His disciples approaching.

The crowd that had followed Jesus to Saul’s house from the synagogue and who were waiting outside for Him to emerge, were rewarded for their patience. They began pressing on Him. Some of them were also scribes, lying in wait for Him, who wanted to provoke Him and catch Him in error. Of course, Jesus intuited this and was prepared. He knew that He was speaking to a mixed crowd of the humble and the haughty.

The crowd grew and grew as passersby, the curious and the casual ones, stopped for the drama that usually accompanied this teacher by either miracle or argument.

Jesus did not disappoint them. He preempted the Pharisees by saying loudly for all to hear, “Beware of the leaven of the pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against Me, the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever criticizes the Holy Spirit, will never be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.”

Then He added, “When they lead you to judgment, and deliver you up, don’t be anxious beforehand what you will say because the Spirit of God will tell you what to say; He will speak on His own behalf for you.”

No one understood what Jesus meant by that, because until then no one had been arrested because of their faith in Jesus. Nevertheless, it was written down for future generations to hear and to read. It was a prophesy, a powerful one for hundreds of people that would be tortured and slain for their faith. Jesus knew that He was speaking to future martyrs.

All the while the two Mary’s, Mama and Mary from Magdalene were still strolling around Jerusalem. Mary who knew the city very well also took her new friend  to her mother’s garden where they sat on the bench and got to know each other. The ladies were bonding nicely. Mary Magdalene said, “Oh Mary, I want you to meet Susanna who also travels with us. You’ll love her, she is so kind and generous.”

Mary replied, “I’d love to.” feeling increasingly comfortable with the idea of traveling with her Son and His followers. “You know, I have a home here, so while you are in Jerusalem, you and the other ladies must stay at my house!”

“Lovely!” replied Mary Magdalene, admittedly getting tired of camping so much. Mary was impressed by His mother’s kindness  and her beauty.

As the ladies strolled around the city, they came to the crowd surrounding Jesus. Mary exclaimed, “Look, there He is, my Son, with such a crowd around Him!”

Mary Magdalene smiled, because this was a scene she saw every day. “Yes, let’s get close so we can hear what He is telling the people today.” They walked faster, not to miss another word. When they got close enough the two Mary’s heard someone from the crowd shouting a request, “Teacher, will you tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” With the young man’s father being recently deceased, he needed some authority to convince his brother to share.

To his disappointment, Jesus replied, “Man, who made me a judge over you? Listen to Me; keep yourself from all covetousness: for a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of the things that he possesses. Don’t be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; or for your body, what you will wear. Your life needs more than food, and your body needs more than clothing. Look at the birds of the heavens, that they don’t sow or reap, or gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add even one more day to his life?”

The young man bowed his head. It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, and yet he sensed a burden lifting from his chest. Jesus had gotten to the root of his desire for an inheritance, and told him that the security he craved was already his, if only he would be aware of God’s providence. Faith, which He inferred was in his control suddenly solved the argument with his brother. The Maker of humankind would provide for His children as even birds provide for theirs. He was given a challenge, something to think about in bed that night.

Jesus wasn’t done trying to convince him, and the rest of the crowd, of His Father’s providence. Mary and Mary wounded their way through the throng of people to be able to hear clearly without being seen by Jesus. Neither woman wanted to distract Him.

Jesus, caught the eyes of the young man as he raised his head from contemplation and looked at Jesus’ face which he saw  radiating with light! He wondered if others saw it too, but couldn’t stop staring at the vision. He suddenly had the sensation that he and Jesus were alone together. He felt that this omen was worth twice the inheritance his brother received from their father. Jesus said aloud, but strangely the young man heard it quietly as meant only for him, “And why are you anxious about what you will wear? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they don’t work at it, yet I tell you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Hearing that, two tears of relief trickled down the young man’s cheek.

Jesus kept speaking to him, “Even atheists, godless people want security, but you who come to the synagogue to worship the Creator, He who is My father and yours, you must see that He knows what you need. Seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things will flow from there. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Live one day at a time.”

Suddenly the young man felt even more pressure lifting off his chest. It was as if his worries were escaping from his body, being forced out by the power of the words of this Teacher, more than a teacher, this was a healing for a condition he thought to be normal, when in truth it was a disease. He was free! Free to praise God for loving him and taking good care of him. He had never been more grateful in his whole life.

“Rather than accumulate, sell what you have, buy food for the infirm and handicapped who can’t provide for themselves. Make yourself an invisible purse that won’t get old and ragged. Store the treasure, which is your trust in God to provide for you, in a place where no thief can get to it, or where no moth can eat it away. What you value, your treasure, your true gold, safely stored in your heart, can never be stolen from you.”

Jesus wanted more than anything for the people to rest in their trust in God.

“Watch therefore: for you don’t know the day that Yahweh will come for you. Know this, that if the master of the house had known the time the thief was coming, he would have put up barriers, called the guards, prepared weapons against him so his house would not be broken into! Likewise, be ready; for as surprising as the time of the thief’s arrival, is the moment that you don’t expect Yahweh to come for your soul.”

Jesus paused to allow the message to percolate into each person’s mind and gently sink into his or her soul. He was not speaking to the crowd, but to every unique and complex person individually. He valued the individual who came to listen, who went to be baptized, whom He awakened to the awareness of the extreme value of his days on earth. Too many ignorant people were consumed by fears and woes.

No one dared speak. Each man, woman and child knew instinctively to masticate the words to get to the rich meaning from them.

When it was time to speak again, He turned from the perspective of men to the perspective of His Father and what He will gain.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing. I tell you the truth, that he will set him over all that he has. But if that evil servant says in his heart, My master won’t come for a long time; and he begins to beat his fellow-servants, and he eats and drinks with the drunkards; the master of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect him, and in an hour and shall caste him out, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”

Then Jesus said something that shocked many. He said, “Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law: and a man’s foes shall be those of his own household.”

There is a continual war on this peaceful looking earth. The paradox between the peaceful beauty of nature and the storminess of the spirit world is stunning. It is the inside of the cup, it is the war that has been raging since the beginning between angels of the Lord God and angels of Satan who crave to usurp the Creator; His power and His majesty. What is there to gain? Slaves? Vainglory? Temporary power? Every evil person knows he will die, it is only the evil spirit of Satan, driving these ignorant people for its own immortal war with God.

The opposite of what The Creator strives for, who humbled Himself to become human, and heal, teach, and suffer; who gives humanity the complete freedom to serve either Him or His enemies. Who will ultimately win, the creator or the usurper?

It was time to close the teaching. Jesus surveyed the group, with His eyes studying them and having compassion for those who left their duties to venture out and listen. For some, the regulars, who couldn’t get enough and followed him for days at a time, and for the first and only timers, He said,  “When it is evening, you say, It will be fair weather: for the heaven is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day: for the heaven is red and lowering. You know how to discern the face of the heaven; but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him in the way; lest haply the adversary delivers you to the judge, and the judge delivers you to the officer, and you are misjudged and cast into prison. I tell you the truth, you will by no means come out of that prison until you have paid the last cent demanded of your life.”

Jesus being all too aware of worldly injustice, needed to warn His students to force peace and thus sidestep injustice, while depending only on Divine Justice. It was a lesson that echoes through the ages. Practical, shrewd, yet strong.

“Go to your homes or follow me for evening prayers.”

Mary Magdalene felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see her friend Susanna. “Hello! Where have you been?” Susanna explained that she went to visit a sick friend in the city and added, “What did I miss?”

ALIVE: Chapter 153, Mother and Son Reunion

Jesus and His mother Mary basked in the glow of that golden evening. Jesus regretted Time, for its demise of beautiful moments that characterize it. Would that such beauty could last forever like a masterpiece painting that whispers, “Look at me as long as you want. I will never change, I will never leave you. You will leave me.” Yet, the gift of memory, memory of beautiful moments in life is the souvenir to be cherished.

Mary felt as if her Son had transported her to heaven. Just the two of them, alone together talking, eating, laughing sometimes, weeping at other times; the bliss of love and being in each other’s presence, sitting side by side on the divan. Pure joy.

Jesus took the opportunity, and perhaps this was the reason for this special time together, to tell her about the hostility of the Pharisees and the Scribes.

“Oh mama, these men are like whitewashed tombs. They have the garb and the position rightfully due holy men, servants of My Father, but they are imposters to their outward appearances. They try to challenge me at every step. If only their questions were sincere; if only they wanted to learn. But for the most part they are arrogant, self-righteous fools.”

“My Dear, Your antagonists may simply want to be certain of who You are. Or, they feel threatened.”

“I’m afraid it’s the latter mamma. They think they know the law, but since Moses handed them the law, they have used it to serve themselves and not our God. I’m afraid that the Law alone is not  forming humble and holy children of God. At least not on the scale We want.”

“You antagonize them my dear.”

“Mother, they want to be rid of Me.”

“Oh, don’t say that! How can they?”

“Mother, they can.”

She looked upon her beautiful Son with a furrowed brow. Her powerful Son.”

“Mother,” He took her hand, looked directly into her big brown eyes, and said what He came to say. “They will.”

Mary gasped.  Yet, she had been prepared for this. How her life was like a golden goblet tossed in the most unlikely scenes, a school for girls, an arranged marriage to an old man, an embarrassing pregnancy that she had to explain, traveling for days on a donkey in full pregnancy, giving birth in a cold and dusty barn full of animals, exile in Egypt. “Yes, indeed,” she thought to herself, “I must be ready for anything.” She continued to listen attentively and quietly, as she sensed that what her Son had to tell her was of utmost importance.

“Mother, I have made strong enemies. I have done this intentionally.”

“But why, my Dear. Why do you want to provoke the powerful? Won’t our God deliver You from evil?”

Mother, I’ve never told you what I heard from My Father after My baptism when I went out to the desert at Jericho for 40 days. But you need to know, that no matter what happens and what you see, just know that it is temporary. Let them have their success. Their success will be their demise. Life will prevail. Mother, I love you. Your grief will last but for a moment, but your joy will be forever. Trust Me.” at that He leaned over and gave His mother a long hug. She could feel His heartbeat.

Being released from the golden embrace, Mary’s face looked down with a knowing smile at those words. If she didn’t trust God, her Son, she never could have endured so many offenses to her own malleable will. “God’s will be done. I’ll be fine my dear. But may I ask one thing?”

“What is it mama?”

“May I come out and travel with You and Your followers?”

Jesus replied, “Don’t Sarah and little Lev need you?”

Mary said, “Actually, all the neighbor women chip in. It was just my turn today. I promise not to be any trouble.”

“Okay, but just while while I am in Judaea. Then I will bring you home. It’s not easy to sleep out all the time and walk so much.”

“I am strong and healthy!” she exclaimed rejecting any notion of weakness in her.

“Of course you are; you’re My mother. But I care for you and want you to be comfortable.”

“I want to see what you go through. I want to hear You teach the people. Do you remember when we lived in Egypt? You were so young, but perhaps old enough before we left, to remember our neighbor who adored You.”

“Yes I do. She was a lovely woman, the first besides you to cherish Me. As if I was her own first born. Oh Egypt! What a role you played.”

“Such a good woman, she was lonely and she gave us a home to dwell in when we were hiding. What was her name?”

Bringing the conversation back to its purpose Jesus said, “Mother I must die so that she too can live with My Father forever.”

“Really, even a non Jew?”

“Yes, mother,” said Jesus with a chuckle, “this was the plan from the beginning of time. But it took time and many experiences of humanity. My Father wanted to see how humans would react to their special position as His chosen people in the midst of foreigners, how they would react to oppression, exile, slavery.”

“How did we do? Not so well, eh.” said Mary with a smile.

“Not so well. The Torah could only do so much. But it was important to let it play out so humankind could experience it all and look back. Should I have come as a Greek philosopher? Or a Roman ruler? Would anyone seek salvation from wealth and comfort?”

Then with enthusiasm Jesus added, “Let me tell you about my night in the Cave of the prophets. Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi! This is where I took My followers when we first arrived in Jerusalem. They were exuberant to see Me. Although in Hades they knew I was in their midst and I sensed how they rejoiced.”

Mary asked solemnly, “They rejoiced when they knew of your upcoming sacrifice? How will I be able to endure this my love?”

“You will mama. My Father, our Father, will give you the strength.”

“Oh my Dear.”

“Mama. Peace. It will end. My sacrifice won’t be the last. I will be the first. After me will flow brothers and sisters who will be tortured even more than I had been and for longer. They will be My witnesses to the living world that My sacrifice was as fruitful on earth as it will be in heaven.”

“Will I be tortured too?” asked Mary in order to prepare herself emotionally.

“Oh my dear mother, just witnessing My sacrifice will be torture enough for My Queen. They will call you the Mother of God, and you will be a liaison between the Father and the people. You will be a very important and busy lady. Prepare for that My dear Mother!”

Mary was too humble and shy to think of such responsibility, so she set it aside, as she had learned to do with so many other revelations through the years.

Jesus said, “I’m sleepy. Let’s go to sleep. Come to the Temple with me in the morning.”

“I’d love to. Good night my Dear. You sleep in your grandfather, Joachim’s bed. How blessed he is, to know that his seed is in the Son of God. I want to stay here and sleep on the divan; it reminds me of my youth. And of my mother.”

“Are you sure?” said Jesus as He stood up to go over to the double bed.

“Yes, of course I am, go to the bed and let’s get some sleep. I am tired after such an eventful day.”

Jesus stood up and walked over to the bed. It looked so inviting and comfortable. He hadn’t experienced so much comfort in weeks. He slipped under the blankets, and before nodding off said, “Goodnight Mama. I love you.”

“Of course You do my dear. Now let’s sleep!”

Never before or since on earth had Mary slept so soundly and woken up so joyfully, instantly remembering that her beloved Son was under her roof. She was ready to meet life facing forward, refusing to think about the topic of their conversation.

They awoke at dawn. This was not a day for wondering off. Jesus laid in bed awake and waited for His mother to get up.

Mary opened her eyes and sat up to look at the bed with her Son in it. She then flopped back down and thanked God for the moment. “Good morning!” she said with a little song in her voice.

“Good morning mama.” And because He knew she would want to hear this He said, “What’s for breakfast?”

After praying together, which was always a thrill for Mary, whose chanting Jesus adored. They enjoyed a breakfast of eggs and toast with cheese, and a cup of tea with honey. Mary went all out, as if they were celebrating, which they were actually, celebrating life on earth together, celebrating their particular love for each other and for the Creator.

“Mama, leave the dishes, we need to go, I sense that my people are waiting for us.”

“Okay beloved, I can clean later. Will I have time to gather a few things before we go?” Mary looked forward to going on the road.

“Of course Mama, I will make sure of that.”

When they arrived at theTemple, Jesus waited His turn, but others recognizing Him looked eager to hear what the now famous Rabbi had to say.

The teaching started with a certain scribe who Jesus recognized after he said, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

Jesus answered, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but 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.

Mary heard those bold statements and flinched inside. “My! she thought, He was right when He said that He provokes these officials intentionally.” But she didn’t understand exactly what He meant about comparing himself to Jonah in the belly of a whale? The sea has always been such a foreboding symbol, reminding everyone of the death of all except those in Noah’s ark. Her Jesus kept speaking, so Mary stopped her rumination.

He seemed to change the subject, when He said, “No man, when he hath lighted a lamp, places it in a cellar, or under the bushel, but on the stand, that they which enter in may see everything in the light.

The lamp of the body is your eye: when your eye is single, by this I mean with one mind turned toward our God, not hypocritical, doubtful, or double-minded, then your whole body also is full of light; but when it is evil, your body also is full of darkness. Look therefore that the light is in you; or see the sin of darkness is in you and repent. If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it shall be wholly full of light, as when the shining lamp gives you light.”

Mary was so proud of her Son. A woman standing near her recognized her from when she came out of her home to greet the people. After the homily she approach her. “Greetings mother, I am Mary of Magdalene. I have been traveling with your Son for months. He changed my life. It was as if he took me out of the gutter and lifted me up high. I love Him so much and will never leave Him.”

Mary, feeling proud smiled at this beautiful young woman and replied, “I know what you mean. I will be traveling with you all for a while.”

“Wonderful” replied Mary of Magdalene “we can become good friends. I can’t wait to hear about when He was a little boy!”

ALIVE: Chapter 152, Jerusalem in Love

The crowd and the disciples slept soundly under the starry night sky warmed by blanket-bedrolls and their neighbor’s body heat. Tired from the trek and teaming with thoughts about the prophecies, the nighttime was rich, like creamy dark chocolate, like a powerful good king on his throne amidst his prosperous, grateful and diligent subjects, like the mother of a newborn whose difficult birthing was over as she rests with the sleeping infant beside her, content, joyous to the core.

On this day, instead of going away to pray to His Father, Jesus stayed in the cave. He had been with His Father and the prophets all night. The disciples stood guard at the mouth of the cave. The people woke up one at a time in a certain rhythm that only the angels above discerned. 1- the first person, then 8 simultaneously, 50, 5, then 20 and so on. It was entertaining to the angels and archangels to watch the rhythm of awakening.

The newly awakened people chatted with delight. Manasseh woke up remembering instantly that this was the day he would visit Jerusalem. If he had wings, he would have flown the short distance, so anxious was he to visit The Temple. He felt like he was going to visit God there and could barely contain himself. Hampered by his feet as his only mode of transportation and worse yet, by having to wait for all the others, Manessah decided to distract himself with prayer. He walked away from the crowd and thanked the Lord with every fiber of his being. He recited the Shema and morning prayers, and Psalm 5. “In the morning You shall hear my voice in the morning…” then asked for patience, which he was granted with distraction when young Lev fetched him for breakfast.

“Brothers and sisters,” announced Jesus as He emerged from the cave. “Thank you for your patience. Have you eaten?”

Saul answered, while heads nodded, “Yes Master, we are ready to go to Jerusalem.”

“Good, little Lev, do you want to walk with Me? Together we will lead the way.”

Excited to be called out young Lev scurried up to Jesus. The crowd got into formation to enter the city lead by those who started the journey in Capernaum weeks before, with Jesus and His twelve.

The crowd arrived at The Temple within an hour filling the space that already had plenty of pilgrims within its hallowed walls. The rabbi wondered why the Temple was so full and tried to think of a holiday that he missed, until he spotted Jesus in the crowd and immediately understood with arrogance, “That vagabond, I hope He doesn’t cause a commotion this morning. I’m not up for that. Let’s just get this service over with so I can rest. I have a headache this morning.” Meanwhile, it was a somewhat rare occasion when Jesus was merely worshipping with the people and not teaching or healing.

After the service ended, Jesus told Peter and Andrew, who were standing next to Him, that He wanted to go to His mother’s house.

“Well what should we do with your crowd?” asked Andrew.

Jesus replied. “Tell them, and the rest of you, that I am going to visit My mother, and that they can explore the city. We will meet up at the Temple tomorrow morning.”

At that announcement Manasseh was the first to break away followed by about 1/2 of the crowd, but the rest refused to leave. Those were the curious ones, mostly the women and children, who wanted to meet the mother of Jesus.

……

Meanwhile, Mary was babysitting a 3-year old boy for her neighbor Sarah who had just given birth and needed help. As her own Son Jesus was walking with the smaller entourage toward her home, she was playing with him. Little Lev was so bright and loving. His big brown eyes and curly hair, his open face always wearing a smile endeared Lev to her and reminded her of Jesus when He was that young. Oh, the happy days of His youth before she had to share Him with the world. As Mary was playing and day dreaming, she heard a wrap on the door. She quickly stood up and before she reached the door her heart leapt  for joy. She opened the door quickly to see her beloved Son as she sensed she would.

“My darling! You’re here. Oh bless my heart!”

“Greetings Mama.” said Jesus before reaching over to give her a kiss on the cheek and a big bear hug. He knew how much His mother loved a good hug and so did He.

Mary looked beyond her Son at all the people behind Him looking at her. She flashed a questioning expression at her Son, that conveyed her thought. “Who are these people?”

Jesus answered her expression saying, “These are My friends who want to meet you.”

Mary looked at the crowd to measure them up and then at Her Son and said, but there is not enough room in our home for all these people!”

“That’s okay Mama; just come out and greet them. That will be enough, then I’ll come in.” Then Jesus spotted little Lev who had been hiding behind and clutching Mary’s gown with one little hand, while he sucked his thumb with the other.

Feeling the little tug on her gown Mary looked down to see Lev straining his neck to look up at her. Suddenly remembering Lev, she said, “I have a little boy here. He is shy.” Lev plucked his thumb out of his mouth and clutched her gown with that hand too while peeking out from his hiding hiding place to see the big man who intruded on his visit.

Jesus looked down at Lev and exclaimed with delight at the surprise of seeing this child, “Oh! hello little one! What is your name?”

Instead of replying, Lev re-inserted his little thumb in his mouth to plug it up. He didn’t know this Man who hugged his babysitter.

Mary looked down and said gently, “Lev, this is my Son! His name is Jesus. He used to be a little boy just like you. Say hello to Him.”

“Come little Lev, I want you to meet my friends. There is another boy, bigger than you, named Lev too! May I pick you up so you can see them?”

Lev thought about it for a moment, and looked up at Mary who smiled warmly and nodded her approval.

Then little Lev pulled his thumb out of his mouth and lifted both arms up to Jesus.

Mary said, “He is normally so shy with strangers, but look how he opens up to You!”

Jesus easily lifted Lev with His strong arms as if he was as light as a puppy. Then the three of them went out to meet the crowd.

Seeing Jesus carrying a little boy, the older Lev meandered his way through the crowd to reach Jesus and the little boy He was carrying. The older Lev looked at the oblivious little boy to size him up. “Hi! My name is Lev, who are you?”

The little boy in Jesus arms looked down and replied, “Lev.” At that point the older Lev’s mother reached him and took his arm and said, “Don’t bother the Master Lev.” And to Mary she said, “I am very pleased to meet you mother.” Mary smiled and greeted Lev’s mother.

Then she ventured off her doorstep to greet the rest of her Son’s friends.

John was the first familiar face she spotted and said,  “John, how good to see you again! How have you been?” John accepted her outstretched hand and said “Well, mother.” and reached over to kiss Mary on her cheek. She received his peck.

The pilgrims, about three persons deep and a block long were quiet and respectful. They just came to see the Master’s mother.

When Mary reached her, Arielle exclaimed, “Oh mother, I am so blessed to meet you! Will you pray for me? I want to please the Lord, but I don’t know exactly how to.”

Arielle reminded Mary of herself when she was much younger and replied, “Of course I will. What is your name?”

“I am Arielle from Bethany. Your Son is amazing!”

Mary smiled at the understatement. “Thank you, I know, and I will.” She thought, “Imagine that!She wants me to pray for her; first time someone asked me that since my school days.”

Mary continued down the line recognizing one disciple after another who greeted her with reverence and honor. Mary was taken aback by the honor these people bestowed on her. She wasn’t used to that. She had been a simple girl, a student and even after the angel Gabriel appeared and she was pregnant with her Holy Child, she was humbled by the adversities, giving birth in the stable, living in Egypt. Her happiest days were back in Nazareth with her amazing little boy and Joseph. No one honored her. She was just another young mother. Her friends and neighbors shared food and gossip sometimes. When she moved to the big city, she became anonymous like most city people. Anyway, she thanked the people who loved her Son so much that they would follow Him like this, sleeping outside, walking all day. What people will do to see miracles, and to be healed! Mary to herself, ‘this is an awkward experience for me.’ Mary, betraying her discomfort smiled and thanked the people for their kind words. As she reached the end of the line of followers, Mary excused herself. She felt so shy having all those eyes on her. She was ready to get back into her home. Jesus was still carrying little Lev who enjoyed being so high up.

“Come Mother, let’s go inside.” said Jesus.

To the people He said, “Enjoy the city, meet Me tomorrow morning in the Temple.”

When they went inside Jesus put Lev down; he started running around the house being filled with energy and excitement.

Mary pulled herself back together; she wondered how her sweet Son dealt with those crowds, day after day. No wonder He was glad to be home alone with her. She cherished that moment more than ever.  “My dear, can I make you some tea? I have honey! And there is fresh water in the bowl for you to wash yourself.”

“Ahh! Home!” exclaimed Jesus. It felt so good to be in His grandmother’s home alone with His mother, and being cared for. She was so beautiful inside and out;  she had a young tender heart. Jesus thought to himself that His Father, God, chose His mother well.

“Tea?” asked Mary, cutting into His thoughts.

“Oh! I, sorry mother. Yes, tea would be good. I’m famished!”

They heard a knock on the door. “I’ll get it” said Mary.

“Greetings!” said Sarah. “Thank you so much for watching Lev for me! Lev! Sweetheart, come; it’s time to go home. Your father is waiting for us.” called out Sarah.

At the sound of his mother, little Lev hid behind the divan where he managed to squirrel himself into a good hiding place. He didn’t want to leave.

“Lev! Come! Where did you go?”

While scanning the room for her son Sarah noticed Jesus. “Oh! Hello! Who have we here?”

Mary smiled, “Oh, I’m sorry. This is my Son who I told you about. Jesus, this is my neighbor Sarah, Lev’s mother.”

Jesus stood up and extended His hand. “It is good to meet you Sarah. You have a lovely boy there.”

“Thank you Jesus, we’ll keep him.” she teased. “Lev!!! Come out NOW! We have to go!”

At that, Lev started to crawl out of his hiding place and found that he couldn’t! “Help!” he whimpered.

Jesus went over and moved the divan to help Lev escape. Then He picked the child up one more time and gave him a hug and handed him to his mother saying, “Here you go Sarah, not a scratch.” Lev didn’t want to get down. He grabbed Jesus with his two little arms and hugged His neck. Then he gave Jesus a big kiss on the cheek. Jesus hugged the boy. “Thank you Lev, I love you too.  Now you have to go home with your mama.” Then Jesus gently pulled Lev away from His neck and set him down by his mother.

“Thank you Jesus, will you stay for long?”

“I am afraid not. But I hope to see you and little Lev again. I come to Jerusalem often.”

“Where do you live?”  she inquired.

Mary interjected, “Thank you for bringing Lev, we enjoyed him so much.”

“Thank YOU.” replied Sarah and taking Lev’s hand, they left, and little Lev turned back and waved goodbye.

Alone at last! The sun cast a warm but waning light on the cozy room. Grandmother’s chair, a dresser that Joseph had made for Mary, Joachim’s scrolls, oil lamps with flickering lights.

“My, I don’t know what to make you for supper. Do you have any requests my dear?” asked Mary.

“Mama, you have already given Me everything I could ever ask for.” replied Jesus as He went over and patted her in the back.

“Well, you have to eat! I will make you a lamb stew. I just happen to have a nice lamb leg that a kind man brought me yesterday. Now wash up and rest while I cook.”

“Okay.”

Jesus was content alone with His mother. Such a visit hadn’t happened in a long time, maybe a year. All alone, with no disciples and no crowds. “What golden hours these are.” He thought.

Mary suddenly had a flashback of when He was born in the cold stable, and how the lambs and goats kept them warm. How the only sounds she heard was the breathing and neighing of the animals, and the sweet quiet breaths of her baby…and Joseph’s snoring. The memory choked her up and nearly brought a tear to her eye. Here He is, all grown up, a man. A man of God always surrounded by people who cling to His words and begged for His healings.

Jesus wasn’t just hers any more, and never would be again. But that day, and that evening He would be. What a joy.

Mary’s daydream was interrupted by the loud sound of her Son who was snoring on the bed that her papa, Joachim, passed away on so many years before. She wondered what her parents were doing and if they had any sense of her from Hades.

Jesus slept all afternoon and up until sunset. He woke up just as the stew was ready and the table set.

ALIVE: Chapter 151, His Presence Pays Respect to the Prophets

“Let’s move on. Give thanks to God and go.” Jesus turned to John and His men who gave the nod to Manasseh 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 first take them to the tomb of the prophets to pay their respects. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were waiting for Him.

Hours later Manasseh shouted, “Look! I think that’s the holy city! I see it! I see it!” Manasseh had a reason to be so excited since this was the first time he  had been to Jerusalem. It was a dream come true. He knew so much about the City and its walls that in his dreams he imagined he was there walking in the footsteps of King David, Solomon and the prophets, Habakuk and all the others. What his ancestors went through! It was overwhelming. What a place of refuge for his people, like David’s gift to Father Abraham, a holy city in his Promised Land.

“In front of my very eyes! Glory to God! Thank you for this moment!”  Manasseh was choked up with teary joy.

Jesus said, “Manasseh, peace, there is time to enter Jerusalem. First we go to the Tomb of the Prophets near Mt Olive. Follow Me.”

Jesus, at the head of His very large entourage was the first to spot His destination. As He approached the holy tomb there was a quake in Hades.  Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi whose dry bones had been buried for over five centuries sensed the footsteps of the Lord on the earth near them. Yet, there was nothing they could do to greet and hail Him. They lay there with hearts ablaze as Jesus approached followed by a crowd.

Aware in His spirit of their delight, Jesus too was pleased to bring these people to this holy ground, so long abandoned, to visit and to honor these men of vision, these servants of the Lord who when they walked on this earth, like holy antennae received the prophecies of God to give His people hope and guidance. Jesus came to connect those visions with their fulfillment, in their sight, and in the sight of the people and in the sight of His Father.

To the prophets the sound of the approaching crowd was like that of an army holding candles instead of swords. This place so deserted, yet so near the hubbub of the big city suddenly was the scene of tremendous activity, spiritual and material.

Jesus was the first to reverently approach the mouth of the tomb. The chattering of the crowd gradually lessened as if a volume knob turned down and then to the off position. The golden goblet of silence gradually filled with thoughts and prayers. The air was dense with angels who wanted to be present at the reunion of the God-man with the prophets who had heard His Holy Spirit in their breathing days.

While you and I live here and now. We see the birds migrating south in a massive array with stragglers, and acrobats; we eat our meals when hungry, wait for the bell. While the here and now, the physical world, contains at its core the virtue of solidity and trust, there are men and women with foresight. Their antennae are alert to a wavelength that  comes from the future where the timeless God lives. “I knew you were coming!” “I was just thinking about you.” “Funny to run into you here.” Most people get a glimpse of that, while the select few, the qualified, see the future as clearly as we see the room around us. They know everything about you from the first meeting, “How is your wife Alexandra since the operation?” You reply, “How do you know me; I’ve never even met you before, and I don’t know anyone who has?”

Haggai was a visionary who foresaw the second temple and then helped make it happen. In 538 BC, newly crowned King Cyrus had been inspired to publish a decree allowing the captive Jews to return to Palestine, encouraging them to rebuild their temple at Jerusalem. Yet, nothing happened for another two decades, while God was giving the Jews time to consider this second Exodus from captivity.

During the reign of the next king, Darius, in his second year, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month to be specific, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai who said to Zerubbabel, who was then the governor of Judah, and Joshua, the son of the high priest, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house. But then the word of the Lord came to me saying: “Is it time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while My house lies in ruins? Consider how you have fared. You have sown so much, and harvested too little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink but you never have your fill; you clothe yourself, but no one is warm; and you earn wages to put them into a bag with holes. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, because My house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to your own houses.”

Indeed, Solomon’s temple gradually fell into ruins during the captivity of the Jews in Babylon. God observe the suffering of His people in exile that brought many of their children’s children to their knees in sorrow and hope. He was ready to return and be worshiped, but first they had to prepare His temple for Him, and in doing so prepare the hearts of the people who built it and those who observed the building of it.

God told Haggai and Haggai told the people, “My Spirit abides among you, do not fear, Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasures of the nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, and in this place I will give prosperity.”

If a spirit can smile, Haggai did at the moment of seeing Jesus approach, being so filled with joy. They worked hard to build the Temple and so many people doubted that it could happen while others didn’t see the point, however true believers brought all they had for the project and were honored to be able to do so. It was a marvelous accomplishment and a beautiful edifice, some saying that it was more beautiful and thus a more fitting house for God than was Solomon’s temple.

Jesus prayed aloud, speaking for the people, “Father, thank you for your servant Haggai, for his love and courage. Thank you for giving him the message to build Your home.”

Just as Jesus finished these words, a young man named Lucas approached Him and loudly quoted from the book of Zechariah that he had, by coincidence, just memorized a few weeks before, saying, “Sing and rejoice O daughter of Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall be my people ; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent all people, before the Lord; for He has roused Himself from His Holy dwelling.” …that was all Luke could remember, but then an older man, Saul, stepped forward.

He bellowed for the whole crowd to hear, “…for on the stone that I have set before you Joshua, on a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave it’s inscription, says the Lord, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day.”

Manessah heard that and wondered how the Lord could possibly remove all guilt, everyone’s guilt in a single day! He didn’t even hear what followed. ‘What could God do for such an astounding thing to happen; remove all guilt in a single day?’

Although it wasn’t the full scripture in order, Saul went on to recite,

“I see a lamp stand of gold, with a bowl on top of it . And by it are two olive trees, one on the right and the other on the left.” I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my Lord? … This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord. What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of “Grace, grace to it! ”

Lucas remembered and interjected, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which pour out oil through two golden pipes?”

Saul bellowed the reply, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth. Thus says the Lord: in those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

The people looked at each other, all being Jews to the last woman, and thought how odd that sentence was. Ariella knew that they were to be set apart from the nations. Who would want to join them? The pagans who lived among them, merely tolerated them. Perhaps it meant the few who had joined through the years consenting to be circumsized. How could everyone want to become Jews? Why would they want such an invasion of pagans? Never! God forbid!

Jesus was truly enjoying hearing these men recite Zechariah. He just sat back and listened, sometimes closing His eye for a while to take in the beautiful sound of their recitations. Zechariah too was listening all the way from Hades. It amazed him how his words lingered through the centuries. They had been memorized for decades until they could be written, and even then didn’t lose a syllable. Zechariah looked over at Haggai and Malachi and smiled a big proud spirit-smile (which is a transmitted feeling  of joy.)

A moment of silence was broken by Ariella with her magnificent soprano tone who chanted the words, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your King comes to you; triumphant and victorious is He, humble and riding on a donkey.

He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and He shall command peace to the nations; His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.”

Listening to the woman chanting reminded Jesus of His mother which made Him look forward to seeing her. Possibly He would spend a night or two in her home, in His grandmother Anna’s, home.

The image of a king riding on a donkey was another very strange and unimaginable image, that most in the crowd could not grasp. ‘Why would a king ride a donkey, and how could that be triumphant!?’ All to whom the image of a king on a donkey caught, allowed the puzzling question to pass on the wings of the fleeting moment. But not Jesus, He listened attentively to  that line, which He had read many times, and bowed His head in humility. He knew that someday all mankind would understand. To hear this with the people and He present, 500 hundred years after the image was given to Zechariah and only a year before the prophecy becomes actual, made the surrounding angels gasp at the magnificence of the moment.

Ari looked around at the crowd listening to these recitations and remembered the passage, “…the people wander like sheep, they suffer for lack of a shepherd.” And yet not these people, not this crowd. It was as if Jesus was their shepherd and all they wanted to do was to follow Him. Ari told himself that he would follow Jesus to the ends of the earth.

Again elderly Saul followed Ariella with his base voice, as if they had rehearsed this outpouring of prophecy,  reciting  more words of Zechariah, “Out of Judah shall come the cornerstone, out of them, the tent peg, out of them the battle bow, out of them every commander. I took my staff [named] Favor and broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples.”

Hearing that, nearly every man, woman and youth in the group gasped. Saul paused his recitation suddenly feeling embarrassed by his own words. Even though he spent hours in memorizing the passage, he didn’t consider the shock of those words. ‘Annulling the covenant’ Eyes turned to Jesus to see His reaction. Jesus was in deep prayer and contemplation, eyes closed. Rather than fretting as the people were, He was communicating with God. He knew that the people could not understand the meaning, the time had not yet come to understand them. Too much had to happen first.

Ariella too was discomforted by the thought of the covenant being broken. Could this explain why Israel suffered so, with Roman rule?

Saul continued, he had no choice and perhaps it was better not to think too much about the meaning of the words he was reciting, how could they really know what God meant by them, or cynically, if they were true. Saul bellowed louder and faster to say,“So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep merchants, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. I then said to them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out my wages thirty shekels of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the Lord. Then I broke my second staff [named] Unity, annulling the family ties between Judah and Israel.”

Just then an unusual cold breeze wafted through the crowd. A gray cloud darkened the sky. A cloud?

Saul hesitated, he was too distracted to remember the next line. Lucas picked it up. “And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a first born.” The Passover, a moment so powerful in the history of mankind that the echo of the wailing mothers and the wailing king could still be heard by the heart.

“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd against the man who is My associate.” says the Lord. Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. In the whole world, says the lord. Two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third in the fire, refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, “These are my people” and they will say, “The Lord is our God.”

At those words Jesus saw into a future of martyrs for their faith in Him, tortured, skins torn from bones, being burned in fire, tongues cut out, eyes gouged, beheaded martyrs. He could hear their prayers, their shouts and He could feel their courage and faith. This bravery gave Him strength for what He knew He too would have to endure. Oh stubborn Truth, Oh magnificent Love.

Lucas looked around at the crowd who were all fixed on the words of Zechariah. They looked at Jesus face covered with tears. He felt their gaze and looked up and around. It hit them how the bones of Zechariah, the man who first gave sound to this message from God, the bones of that prophet actually lay before them!

Awake to what was happening, and alert to the presence of the messiah at his tomb, Zechariah sensed the vibrations, the spiritual electricity of this scene. He knew what Jesus knew about the meaning of the words and about time, having spent the last five hundred years waiting, and it wouldn’t be much longer until the world would know the full meaning of the prophecy. How these prophecies managed to survive the centuries in darkness and ignorance, with all that was going on in the world, earthquakes, wars and peace, poverty and wealth, that was the real evidence of divinity. Zechariah rested in peace and unspeakable satisfaction.

Jesus looked at Saul and Lucas and said, “Thank you brothers. That was well done.” Then He looked around and shouted, “Does anyone know what Malachi said?”

A twelve year old boy who had been studying hard for his bar mitzvah came forward and said proudly, “I can!”

Jesus replied, “Let’s hear it then.”

The boy cleared his throat, and silently prepared, before saying in his sweet youthful  tone, “See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before Me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple. The messenger of the covenant in who, you take delight —indeed He is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears. …He will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.”

The boy mistakenly skipped several lines, but no one noticed and Jesus didn’t mind. He went on, “Return to Me and I will return to you…then those who revered the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who revered the Lord and thought on His name. They shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, My special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare as a parent spares the children who serve them. Then once more you shall see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God, and one who does not. … Remember the teaching of My servant Moses, the statutes and the ordinances that I commanded him at Horeb (Sinai) for all Israel. Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse, umm,” said the boy after a long pause to think. “That’s all I remember.”

Jesus said, “You did well, My son. That is all we needed to hear. The Lord God will ultimately reconcile with His family.”

Silence fell upon the crowd again. Most of the people had no idea of the magnitude of what they had just experienced. The angels knew. The prophets knew. Jesus knew. The fire and the past nd the present had just collided. It was becoming dusk. Jesus said told Andrew to prepare the people to set up camp there and enter Jerusalem in the morning. Jesus went into the cave to sleep deep in there, with His prophets.

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

ALIVE: Chapter 149, The Treasure Chest

The two days spent in Bethany with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were precious to Jesus who had come to treasure the family as His own. Lazarus arrived early in the morning after walking and taking sleep-breaks throughout the long dark night to return quickly from Philadelphia in Decapolis where he went to expand his trade. His haste to return was precipitated by a work-related purpose, but God had His own reason for Lazarus to arrive at his home when he did. He quietly opened the door to the house so as not to disturb his sisters who were undoubtedly still sleeping. By coincidence, Jesus was about to leave for His morning prayer time.

Surprised, Lazarus exclaimed, “Well! Look who’s here!”

Jesus held out His hand for a hefty shake and replied, “Yes, my men and I arrived yesterday evening. Your sisters took good care of us. How have you been My brother?”

“To be honest, I have been having headaches, but no matter. I just returned from Philadelphia, business is good, all glory to God! I admit I am very tired now. I will go in and try to sleep for an hour before everyone wakes up. Um, is there any place in there for me to sleep?”

Jesus chuckled, “Yes, of course; see, I left! If Simon hasn’t moved into both places; anyway if he has, push him over. He is a deep sleeper and won’t wake up. I’ll see you later. Rest well.”

“Thanks, brother. Pray for me!”

“I will, you can be sure of that. We’ll talk more later. I want to hear about your business. Shalom.“

After an hour or so in prayer, Jesus sensed in His spirit that He had company. He looked over to see several of His disciples approaching.

It was the first and only time the disciples dared to interrupt Jesus’ time with His Father, but after Lazarus came in and tried to push one by one aside, not knowing which place had been vacated by Jesus those men gave up sleeping, and wanted to give Lazarus rest, so they left to find Jesus.

Peter said loudly as they were approaching, “Master, we want to pray with You.”

Jesus closed His eyes to see His Father again and politely ended the conversation. Then He welcomed His spiritually hungry disciples, “Come, let’s sit in a circle.”

When the disciples reached Jesus and they all situated themselves on rocks or the ground, Peter said, “Lord, teach us to pray, like John teaches his disciples.”

Jesus replied, “Okay, when you pray, say ‘Father, Hallowed be Your Name. May Your kingdom come. Please give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; likewise, we promise to forgive every one who offends us. And bring us not into temptation. That is the gist of it My brothers. Do you understand?”

Peter nodded.

Jesus answered to make sure Peter understood, “Now tell Me what I prayed.” Then Peter looked over at John and said, “John, you say it.”

John thought about it for a while; everyone patiently waited to hear what he would say.

Slowly John began, “First, we acknowledge God our Maker and so He is our Father…. Then…we go from there to the goal, that is His kingdom where He reigns supreme and where there is no corruption, no illness, no conflict. We ask Him to bring that to us knowing that He wants it too. We confirm that we want what He wants.”

Enthusiastically Thomas blurted, “After reaching our souls up to heaven to see the beauty of purity and perfection, we plummet back down to earth, to our hungry bodies and ask for bread, but only for today. Not for great wealth, or for the future, but only for what we need to survive and only for one day, like when our Father fed us manna in the desert, lest we be presumptuous and greedy….”

Phillip, wanting a turn too, took it from there, “Yes, bread for our bodies, but even more important is nourishment for our souls, to keep our soul alive, more than bread, we ask for forgiveness. To emulate God, we really must forgive those who offend us too, forgive men who are angry or mean, who ridicule us, like how you behave to those Pharisees, right my Lord?”

Before His reply, Andrew topped it off saying, “Don’t forget temptation. We ask, we beg not to be in situations that confound us and threaten us to fall, fall into the mire of sinfulness. Is that right Master?”

“My brothers, you have done well. You are not far from the Kingdom of God. You need to pray this prayer every day, multiple times a day. Never forget it, teach others to pray it.” Prophetically, He said, “Someday these words will blanket the earth, giving faith and warmth in this cold and dangerous place. These words, these sentiments, will unite all mankind who use them in faith and truth. Never say them casually without thinking, for that is like pouring your flask of water onto the desert sand.”

Jesus looked around at His disciples, His students, His seeds and feeling satisfied He was ready to lead them to even higher heights to free them from the shackles of a  life of being tossed around in a sandstorm of good and evil. It was time to lift them above the vain struggle to real brotherhood, where God the Creator was their benevolent Father, where doubt and fears, and where pride could not trap them in its quicksand.

Jesus peered into the eyes of His disciples, all was quiet. No one dared so much as to clear his throat. Then He lifted His face to the heavens to receive the warmth and light from the sun, and the right words to speak from His Father for He was about to say the most powerful, most unlikely, most misunderstood statement, one that fixed His men in their brotherhood with the Son of God. He cleared His throat, “I tell you to Ask of Our Father, and He will give to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you to enter.”

Wide eyes of inspired souls didn’t even blink. Could this be true? It was when they healed so many people, but to ask for anything? Is this what it means for God’s kingdom to have come, for God Almighty to be their father?

To confirm His claim Jesus added, “Everyone who asks will receive, and he that seeks will find. For he who knocks, the door will open.

The angels surrounding them winced. They could sense the bombshell that was dropped with those simple, even casual words. Even the sparrows flying overhead shuddered as they flew over the scene, not knowing why the air currents suddenly shifted. An archangel came to calm the poor sensitive angels.

One cried, “You know such a statement will lift a man up to heaven and then send him crashing to his death!”

The archangel replied, “It had to be said because it is true. It is true and it is the essence of the relationship between the human and its Maker, our Lord God.”

“But, were they ready to hear this, is anyone ready? They will ask and not receive.”

“That’s the point child. You called the statement a bomb and rightly so. Bombs are shot out to destroy the enemy, so as to be victorious in protecting the righteous.”

Still worried and confused the other angel added, “My Lord, to ask takes faith, but when time after time the request is not given, what is a poor human to think?”

The archangel, indignantly replied, “POOR HUMAN!!! How dare you say those two words together! The human is made in the image of God! We aren’t. There is nothing poor about humanity, look at its brilliance, it’s creativity, it’s intelligence….” And then with head bowed in reverence the archangel added, “its physique. What a miracle of construction. The human must be God’s greatest work. In a magnificent, highly skillful form the human contains the spirit of you angels, with the mind of God, and the heart, the soul that has no match in the vast biological world under the sea, above the earth and farther into the skies. No, I will never pity the human.”

“But my Lord.”

Knowing what the other angel wanted to counter, the archangel said, “That bomb will destroy the doubtful, the unworthy. True and pathetic. But to the strong, the children of God who live both inside and outside of time, who live humbly, the statement is True and Dependable. Time, that other magnificent invention is the framework for faith. This ‘bomb’ did not destroy Abraham, or Noah, or David, or even Elizabeth and Zachariah or Anna and Joachim, and others. It made them stronger and more powerful because they trusted in the power of the bomb of trust to protect them from death and were uplifted by it and eventually, in time all their requests were provided.”

“Wait! Exclaimed the littlest angel. How is that fair?”

“What do you mean?” replied the archangel.

“That some humans benefit from the bomb and others are destroyed.”

“Fair? Every human being no matter the color, stature, intelligence, education, facial features (the angel said with a smile) and height of earthly success, every human being is made in the image and likeness of God. Don’t forget that! Each of them, no matter what, is made higher than us. But they are free to do with their superiority to us whatever they wish. You know even angels choose to be dark. What can we do? Each human works out his or her own destiny according to what she or he chooses to think, to be influenced by during their short time on earth. This is what their Creator wanted, freedom. Remember when it was first written “choose life or death?”

Deuteronomy  30:19,20. “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

“How sad for those who choose death? They don’t know that they are doing that.” If angels have tears, this one certainly wept at the thought.

“My dear angel” consoled the archangel, “don’t be sad. Remember, that when you are sad, one of those fallen angels may take advantage of your condition and whisper to you to join it in misery and lead you farther into its abyss. Feel your sadness, but right away glorify God who can repair all hurt, all the causes of sadness, in His time and in His way, according to His infinite wisdom. Don’t you think His grief is even greater than yours over lost souls? Give your sadness to Him who can carry it safely. Let your sadness pass over you like a breeze or like a wave.”

The sad angel, and the others, quickly gave themselves happy thoughts, to each  his own, and thanked the archangel for clarifying their view. They said in unison, “We see, we stand corrected, we too will wait.

………..

Meanwhile, after dropping that bombshell, Jesus wasn’t finished. He wanted His disciples to understand the Goodness of His Father, and theirs. He went on to say, “And of which of you that is a father should, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, and he gives him a stone instead? or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”

Having described the love of a father, Jesus lowered the bar and said, “Which of you has a friend that you may need to go to at midnight, and say to him through the open window by his bed, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves. A friend of mine just arrived at my house hungry from a long journey, and I have to feed him. Imagine that the friend answers and says, “Go away! It’s late and my children are in bed with me and we are trying to sleep! I can’t get up to get you bread.” I tell you, even though he will not rise and give him the bread because he is his friend, but because of his persistence, he will relent, arise and give him as much as he needs. Don’t give up. Our Father wants to hear from you and give to you whatever you ask, but for many reasons, some within you, some outside of your control, your requests will not break through. Never give up. Cleanse your mind and your heart from a bad conscience and keep asking. Let’s go back. Martha will be wondering where we are, and will have breakfast ready for us.”

Sure enough, when they arrived at the house Martha and Mary had the table filled with fruit and boiled eggs and fresh bread that Judas had fetched from the baker. They wanted to treat their friend Jesus like a king. Lazarus was still sleeping a deep sleep, oblivious to the flurry around him, as exhausted as he was from his journey.

Out of respect for Lazarus, Jesus and the disciples all ate in silence or whispers and then told the ladies that they were going into town to be out of their way.

As they walked into the center of town Jesus and His men were recognized by many for they had been in Bethany before and of course His reputation preceded Him.

As they neared the synagogue a worn out man and his tired, bedraggled wife seeing Jesus walking toward them, excitedly approached Jesus to plea for the healing of their handicapped son.

“Excuse me Master, you are Jesus, the healer aren’t you?” said the father, tightly holding his son’s hand, lest he run.

Jesus replied that He was and asked how He could help, looking at the silent boy with glazed and cut eyes. Jesus perceived immediately that the child was possessed by a demon.

The father went on, “Our son doesn’t speak and he is blind, and only sends out the most frightening sounds from time to time. He has been this way always and we don’t know what to do with him. I can barely work, because my wife can’t control him. Can you help us?”

Jesus felt great compassion for this family, and especially for what the young man was enduring in this life. He replied, “I can.” Then He took the young man’s hand from his father. Feeling his father let go and the transfer to another hand, the young man jerked his hand to pull it away. But Jesus held on tightly and strong Peter and Andrew stepped up to help control him for the demon instantly tried to fight back to maintain control of his young human shelter.

Maintaining His grasp with one strong hand, Jesus took His other hand and placed it on the boy’s forehead partially covering his darkened eyes. Several passers by attached themselves to this scene, for the villagers all knew this family, and this young man and they were curious to see if anyone could help them.

Tears welled up in the mother’s eyes as a spark of hope turned to anticipated relief. Her husband put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed it as they fixed their eyes on Jesus who closed His own eyes in prayer. Jesus and the young man opened their eyes simultaneously.

Jesus looked into the cleared brown eyes of the boy and said, “Hello, my friend. You are free, can you see me, and your mother and father?”

The young man smiled for the first time since he was a toddler and looked around for who could be his parents. He opened his mouth ignorant of how impossible it would be to speak, but instead of thinking about the impossibility, he simply emoted words, for he wasn’t deaf and he had heard words, but could never speak them.

Slowly he emoted, “Yes. I see you mister.” And he looked around him again. His parents rushed up to him together. The three forming a tree of great love and relief and gratitude. The mother released herself from the hug and pivoted to Jesus, and falling on her knees she worshipped Him and thanked him with tears of relief.

The crowd around them were amazed as they looked at the scene and at each other.

One man shouted, “Can this be the son of David?”

A Pharisee who had walked out of the synagogue just before the healing to see what the commotion was about took it upon himself to reply, “This man is casting out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons.”

Jesus quickly responded to such an ignorant and outrageous statement before it took hold in the minds of the crowd, by saying, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan castes out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?

If I am casting out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons caste them out? Let your rabbis tell you by whom they too caste out demons. Therefore shall they be your judges? But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. How  can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gatherers not with Me scatters.”

The grateful father boldly shouted, “This man speaks Truth. Let us all listen to Him and not to that foolish Pharisee.”

The Pharisee turned in a huff and went hurriedly back into the sanctuary of the synagogue. The parents and son continued to thank Jesus. The mother invited Jesus and His disciples to dine with them.

One child blurted, “You shouted go, this lady makes the best falafel in the whole town!”

Jesus smiled and accepted the invitation; the crowd scattered.

ALIVE, Chapter 148, Home Hopping

Jesus truly enjoyed His respite with Hadassah and her husband in Jericho. As He meandered around the stone streets passing doorway after doorway, His thoughts meandered from the days of Caleb and Joshua and Rahab, of Elisha and Elijah, of  David and what these rocks have witnessed through the ages. Vestiges of the wall that fell littered the periphery of the dry mountainous village these centuries later. Then Jesus remembered highlights of His own many visits and the day He met Hadassah and her husband, and the first time He stayed at her home which since had often been a refuge from the crowds in this isolated place.

At Hadassah’s home, He was well fed and cared for.  She was a woman of few words and much love. She was also a talented cook. She left Him to rest to fortify Him for what the future would bring. The spot He climbed to every morning at sunrise felt to be among the nearest to His Father. During this time, waiting for the disciples to return, Jesus spent three days and two nights alone on the mountaintop. There He was given visions to show Him how His men were faring in their mission, some being welcomed others being occasionally mistreated. He prayed for them, for wisdom, for determination, and for the ability to demonstrate with healings that their message was true and powerful.

Those precious days of rest and isolation eventually passed. In twos and threes the seventy disciples trickled back to Jericho. They knew to go to Hadassah’s home to let Jesus know. As they arrived, He sent them to the camp spot and told them He would go there once a day, until everyone was back. They should rest and be prepared to report on their exploits.

The returning disciples, rather than needing rest were excited and joyful. They told each other about their adventures.  Even though the details differed they all had similar experiences of being able to heal and how thrilling that was.

Finally, the last of the disciples arrived, Bartholomew and Thomas. They were surprised to see that they were last, and how glad their brothers were to see them. Jesus graciously thanked Hadassah for her hospitality. His vacation ended.

Hadassah gave Him a big hug because of how much she adored this unique young man. She told one of her servants to follow Jesus, Bartholomew, and Thomas with the cleaned lamb she had for them to cook over their campfire.

When they arrived at the campsite Bartholomew and Thomas weren’t sure if they were happier to see the lamb or them.

Jesus helped the servant and Bartholomew to set up the fire pit with a spit to cook the lamb. Turning to the disciples, some who were chatting with each other, others who were busy setting up, He announced,  “We will assemble in an hour while the lamb is cooking.” All the men looked up at the sun, a few holding their arms up to see what time it was.

Some of the men set up makeshift benches and seats from tree limbs and and set large rocks in a circle around the fire pit so they could watch the lamb and the person assigned to turn it while listening to reports about their adventures.

When all was settled, Peter was first to say excitedly, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!”

Jesus smiled broadly acknowledging Peter’s experience and said, “I saw Satan falling as lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any way hurt you! Nevertheless in this don’t rejoice, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Conquering Satan is not as important as pleasing God.)

The disciples all looked at each other and at Jesus. It was a powerful moment. United in both their attitudes and awareness each man could sense the exuberance of God. With a glimpse of the mind’s eye, at that very moment Peter, John, James, Simon, and the rest perceived like a flash ungraspable somehow, through this Man Jesus, the power of the God of Israel. This Man that they followed, that they observed every day, teaching and healing was only a man, but more than that, He showed Himself to clearly be the Son of God as if God condescended to become human. It would have been an overwhelming concept, unbelievable except for their familiarity with Him, and the miracles.

John thought that to live on earth and in heaven simultaneously which was how he felt, had to be even more fascinating than to be in either place alone.

Of all the days and nights, all the campfires and experiences, that night of reunion and sharing, was one of a few that clung to each disciple’s mind until the day of his death, especially during the moments of his own torture and murder (except for John who died a natural death.).

The lamb, when it was finally fully cooked was probably the most succulent and tasty piece of meat they had ever eaten. Filled with lamb and joy, each man and Jesus slept soundly that night. Each man, including Jesus, their Master, rested in peace knowing that they were all together again under the stars. Jesus felt like a mother when her grown children are under her roof for a night, how she falls asleep in that distinctive quality of abandonment to rest. The moment she wakes up and remembers that her brood is all together again, she is happy and ready to serve.

They packed up in the morning to head for Jerusalem in a silent contemplative pace with rich, other-worldly experiences filling their minds to the top. For Himself, Jesus was preparing for the next chapter. Not quite two years had passed since His baptism and watershed 40 day exile into the wilderness, and the devil’s tempting.

The closer to Jerusalem, the more villages and towns they encountered. One afternoon in a bustling town where several scribes lived, as the locals gathered around to listen to the teachings of Jesus, two scribes, Malachi and Nemah joined the cluster of people who were curious about what this itinerant had to say.

Malachi raised his hand and when Jesus looked at Him with a nod, he asked, “What commandment is the first of all?”

Jesus answered, “The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one: and you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Then He paused and looked deeply into the faces of the people and through their faces Jesus was able to read into their hearts, how they received this critical message. Satisfied with what He saw, He continued, “The second is this, you should love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Nemah in his exuberance over the simple but glorious concept was quick to add “True.” A word so powerful that it needed no sauce, and then he paused reverently in honor of the word, and went on, “Teacher, we know You have said that well. Our God is One.  There is none other but He. To love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love my neighbor as much as I love myself, well such love and honor is much more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices. Isn’t it?” Then Nemah bowed his head in humility.

Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, and compassionately and so said to Nemah, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” The exchange was so profound that no one, not even Malachi ventured to ask Jesus anything else.

“We must be getting on. Shalom.” Jesus then wended His way through the crowd with several people He passed touching Him and His garment like a person touches a smooth white stone, out of admiration and in hopes that its beauty and holy essence will transfer through their fingers and penetrate their souls, and once inside will illuminate and purify him or her with its essence. All this with a touch of the divine nature of the Man who so casually passed them by. These are the sensitive ones who intuited the divine nature of the man Jesus who at the same time and in the same body was the unique Son of God. How else could He have the power to restore original health, and the ability to influence nature? Only because, after all, it was His divine nature that created humankind and the abundant earth and the universe.

Jesus as the Son of the Creator who made mankind, knew how it felt to be a mother who knows her child better than the child knows itself, because she has experienced the life from seed and observed the blossoming of it, the experiences, the emotions, the learning and growing all while the child was unaware. For God all of nature is His child. He has the right and the authority to steer when steering is called for. When He calmed the sea, when He turned back time, when lightening fell and the earth quaked at the crucifixion, and the curtain of the temple was rent in two all this was in response to God the Father and Creator Who expressed Himself through His obedient creation. But I get ahead of myself. Forgive.

The disciples followed Jesus out of the crowd which allowed them to pass and then they too dispersed back to their homes, or their work in the fields to pull weeds and to till.

Before sunset Jesus and His disciples arrived in Bethany.

Jesus, followed by His men went directly to a particular large home at the end of the street. Jesus knocked on the door and they waited, Judas wondered how He knew where to go because he had not been to Bethany before.

A middle aged healthy woman, with early graying hair neatly combed in a bun at her neckline but with a smooth bright face and sparkling brown eyes opened the door. She recognized Jesus immediately and cheerfully ushered Him and His disciples into her home where she lived with her sister and her brother. Martha was overjoyed by the surprise visit.

Once everyone was in the great room Martha called as if she was afraid they would disappear if Mary lingered. “Mary! Look who came to stay with us. Come here quickly.”

Mary rushed out of her bedroom where she was reading, rubbing her hands together as a way of warming and cleaning them before she rush up to Jesus to shake His hand. “Oh Master, how good of you to come back to our humble home! How long can you stay?” asked Mary.

Jesus replied with a smile, “Until we leave.” Mary understood that Jesus lived one day at a time, guided by the Lord God, Yahweh, He wouldn’t always know His next move.

Martha said, “I will go and prepare the meal. Lazarus should be home from the fields soon.” And she scurried off into the kitchen.

Mary pointed to the divan and chairs and said, “Please make yourselves comfortable.”

The disciples selected their seats, and as usual, like playing musical chairs, grabbed what was closest, while the rest had to get comfortable on the floor with a few pillows to cushion their hip bones. It was obvious that Jesus would have the large comfortable seat that had been made by their father for himself decades before. It was the master’s seat in the home. Mary sat on the floor at His feet looking up and feeling so blessed to have Him all to herself. During her days, she often thought about Him, the unique authority with which He spoke, the gentleness of His voice. His eyes that flashed with unusual beauty and depth from time to time.

It felt good to stop walking. On their way to Bethany, Jesus thought of many things He wanted to tell His disciples.

Meanwhile, Martha was peeling potatoes, cutting up the chickens, washing bowls in between for reuse. Once the stew was in the pot, she finished cleaning up behind herself. She could barely hear Jesus, until she went out to set the table.  By then Martha was exhausted and growing resentful of Mary who didn’t as much as offer to help her. ‘Couldn’t she see how much needed to be done to prepare for this group? How callous of her!’

Martha worked herself into such a dither that she decided it was time to embarrass her sister as punishment. She set down the utensils and went over to where Jesus was sitting and said aloud, “Lord, don’t you care that Mary here left me to prepare the meal alone?” Not realizing that at the same time she was criticizing the Master for His insensitivity. “Please tell her to help me!”

Defending Himself and Mary in one shot Jesus replied, “Martha, Martha you are anxious and troubled about many things, (which was true, Martha couldn’t deny that she was a natural worry-wort) but only one thing is necessary. Mary is doing what is most important and so I won’t tell her to stop listening to Me.”

Martha was embarrassed and miffed at the same time, grumbled, and turned to finish the work.

That night before falling asleep, Martha thought about the exchange, calmly and with a humble heart. She realized that she deserved Jesus’ tender chiding. Not because she was wrong to be preparing dinner for them all, but because she was wrong to embarrass her sister and question the Master. Then after all, Mary did most of the clean up, with Thomas, John, and Simon pitching in. Martha fell asleep embarrassed again, and Mary, by her side fell asleep in a state of mixed elation and exhaustion.