Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
A 'standing room only' crowd squished into the town square. They stretched their necks up to see Yēšûă as he arrived with his followers and camels.
Jude, Irene and the team mingled within the crowd, trying to weave their way to the front.
When Yēšûă eventually came into view it was met by a large cheer from the crowd, and they pushed towards him, and gave him pats on the back. If Roman soldiers had been present, there would have been no question as to which man of the traveling party was their target.
His appearance was not unlike any other young man of the time, nothing striking or different. Except perhaps his skin was darker, having clearly seen much more sun, his shoes were well worn from endless travel, and his free-flowing jet black hair and dishevelled beard was tangled and in need of care.
He made his way closer and closer to where the team stood, stopping regularly to impart words to someone from the crowd and look into their eyes with a serene gaze.
When he was mere metres away, a beggar woman tugged at his arm and began to cry. He smiled warmly at her.
The peasant wailed and fell to her knees. He answered her in a very casual manner, addressing his response to the whole crowd. He then hugged her and moved onward with his arm around her.
“What did he say?” asked Jude, noticing the crease forming between Irene's eyebrows.
Irene translated for the team. “She said she is a poor woman and asked him to pray to God above for riches. He replied:
“If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realise that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty.
“That's a quote attributed to Jesus Christ in the Gospel According to Thomas - a non-canonical scripture discovered in the Nag Hammadi library, in Egypt.”
“Is he quoting Jesus Christ, or is it common theology?” asked Jude.
The fanfare seemed to disappear as Yēšûă moved down the road.
“I don't think he is quoting Jesus Christ,” said Irene turning to the soldiers. “It is too early for people to be quoting Jesus.” She paused, and although the revelation visibly washed over their faces, she said it anyway.
“He is Jesus Christ.”
Read Chapter 11 by clicking here ... if you like this story and my pictures, please pass it onto anyone you think would like it or put it on your Facebook wall. Peace!
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