WE heard them coming long before they arrived at the house. Our group never arrived anywhere quietly. The sound of voices and laughter always preceded us. When you had a dozen guys together, there was always a joke being told, an argument being continued, or a story being started or finished. The one thing there…
Chapter 50
The streets were quiet as we made our way through Jerusalem. Most people were home enjoying their meal and celebrating the beginning of the holidays with their family. Even those with less than honourable reasons for being out seemed to be taking the evening off. We encountered the occasional Roman soldier, but even they…
The Least of These. . .
In 1923, Frederick Banting, Charles Best and James Collip sold the patent for their newly discovered miracle drug, insulin, to the University of Toronto for 1.00. Dr. Best summed up their motives when he said, “Insulin belongs to the world, not to me.” I’m not sure how he’d feel about the price of insulin now.…
Chapter 51
THEY TOOK JESUS to the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest, which seemed a little strange at first, but it was the middle of the night. I watched as they closed the door behind them, and looking around, I saw a group gathered around a fire warming themselves. I stayed at the edge of the…
Chapter 52
Stupid, stupid, stupid! He said I would do it, and I did it." And then, to add insult to injury, the rooster crowed, stupid bird. Could anything else go wrong? Looking around to make sure no one heard my betrayal, I turned, looked Jesus straight in the eye, and my world fell apart. His face…
Chapter 53
I HAD TO find the rest of the group. But I didn't even know where to start looking. Maybe they went back to Abigail's home. That was the last place we'd been before the garden, but I was so turned around that I wasn't even sure if I could find it again. The streets were…
Nature of Contentment
It’s a favourite verse for many people. It’s a verse that gets claimed when we are in difficult situations. When we are trying new things. A verse for those times when we are attempting the difficult, the improbable, and the impossible. But for too many people, it is more a motivational statement or a mantra…
Chapter 54
It was brutal. Two of the soldiers held Jesus’ arms while the third flogged him. They pulled his robe down and beat him with a lead tip scourge. And he didn’t utter a sound. The crowd couldn’t believe it. Public flogging wasn’t uncommon under the Romans, and the screams that accompanied the crack of the…
Chapter 55
The soldiers dragged Jesus down the steps and across the street and laid the cross beam prepared for Barabbas across his shoulders. Weak from the lack of sleep and loss of blood, Jesus only took a few steps when the beam fell to the ground. I tried pushing through the crowd, but the Romans had…
Chapter 56
Two of the soldiers took Jesus by the arms and pushed him down on the cross that had been prepared. His body arched as the torn flesh of his back scraped against the rough wood. The men didn't say anything as they tied his arms and legs to hold him in place. They were just…