WE WERE BACK at the temple almost every day that week. The merchants and money changers had moved their operations outside of the temple court. There was still a demand for what they had to offer, but at least it wasn’t happening inside the temple gates. During the day, Jesus would teach and tell stories,…
It was just like Jesus said it would be. Why was I always surprised? John and I arrived in the city, and after several wrong turns, we finally found the house that Jesus had described to us. The front door opened as we approached the house, and a woman and young teen stepped out. “We’ve…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…