The Story with no name
Part 1
Long ago, far away, there was a country that knew war. The people who called this land home had been fighting as long as their history could remember, sometimes they won, sometimes they lost. They had been captured, enslaved, dragged screaming across mountains, tortured and had survived many attempts of wiping them out completely. They were sick of it. Nothing seemed to have changed much for years and years, despite all the promises, they had been the losers for a long long time. These people yearned for peace. When would it come?
The capital city of the land they called home reflected the turmoil that was going on inside the hearts and minds of these people. In a way it was beautiful. Built on a hill, you could see it from miles away. It had tall towers and superbly crafted walls and gates and an awesome temple right at it's heart. From outside it looked like a proud, magnificent city, it also looked like a bit of a castle. The walls were very high and very thick. It was designed for defense and looking at it you would believe it impenetrable but many times it had been penetrated. Inside it was a mess. Inside, the current enemy, the current conquerors, occupied the city. They made the rules, they chose who went where, why and for how long. They were fierce, ruled with an iron fist and ruled by a strict set of laws. Lawbreaking was not tolerated and many of the laws were punishable by a painful death. Laws were familiar to the people of this land, as familiar as war.
The law of the conquerors was not the only law to be obeyed, there was also the religious law, a complicated, ever growing in number and detail, set of laws understood only by the most learned of their priests. It was taught to all, it must be learned. Attention must be paid to it at all times. It was taught that breaking the religious law was the reason that they had been conquered in the first place. They were to blame for their own sufferings. Lawbreaking was not tolerated and many of the laws were punishable by a painful death. Laws were familiar to the people of this land, as familiar as war. These people yearned for freedom. When would it come?
Among the wars and the laws, there was family, there were weddings and celebrations and ceremonies, traditions that the religious law had grown from. These traditions were and the only wholesome thing that kept these people going. Like a lot of traditions they remembered and celebrated the times of peace and prosperity, freedom from oppression, they spoke of the great God who long ago had rescued them, who had chosen them out of all of mankind to be his children. They also spoke of the hope that this great God had promised to do so again, this time rescue them forever. The ceremonies and traditions were fun, they comforted some, they angered others. Few believed in the promises, few cared that they had been rescued once apon a time. The old men would debate and argue but no one alive now could remember it first hand. Everyone alive experienced the wars and the laws.
One day stories began to spread around this land that a man was doing wonderful things. He was healing the sick and not just the usual trickery, the blind were seeing, the deaf were hearing, the paralysed could walk. To begin with no-one cared, ‘just another story', but as more and more people witnessed these healings, as this man moved around the country, it caused a trickle of hope to rise in the hearts of the people of this land. The old scrolls were read, the old men were agreeing instead of arguing and the priests were asked questions about this man. Weren't the things that this man was doing the signs of the coming of the one who would rescue them? What was going on here? The people who knew war and longed for peace, who were familiar with law and longed for freedom were listening.
The initial response of the priests was to dismiss the stories as lies, as fiction, as heresy. “Don't listen, don't get involved in the rumours, the law was what mattered; it must be taught, learned and obeyed. Forget these false hopes and stories about miracle workers, these charlatans come and go but the holy law was their foundation, it would never depart.”
But the stories about this man refused to dry up and disappear. Just the opposite, they increased, the stories became even greater, now he was supposed to be able to cause food to appear from thin air, just the mention of his name could heal the sick, and there were even stories from reliable witnesses that he had raised the dead! What was going on? Only God could do these things, no one else, ……could it be? Into the hearts and minds of the priests and religious leaders a crack of doubt appeared, could it be that this man was the promised one? Some of members of the council were whispering that it may be true, but there were also stories that he was breaking the holy law,so how could it be true. The foundations were being shaken, what should be done? There was a growing support for this man, not just because of the miracles, he also taught how to live life in such a according to the law in a way that people enjoyed to hear. Something must be done before all this got out of hand. It was decided by the high council of priests that this man should be tested and proved to be a charlatan once and for all. They would send their experts out among his followers, to observe , listen, and test him. If he broke the holy law they could have him.
But he proved difficult to test, all the traps that were laid for him to fall into he seemed to be aware of, he would turn the tables swiftly, gaining more support and leaving the experts angry and looking foolish. Then……. he blew it, big style! He began to claim to be THE son of their God, equal to God and to tell the Priests that they had it all wrong, that He knew better than them what the law really meant. Now they had him! He had escaped all of their traps but had now grown too big for his boots and had set himself up for a mighty fall. Now they could turn people against him and put an end to this threat. It was clear to the priests, he was guilty, only God himself could say the things this man said and live, only God himself could challenge the religious leaders in this way and live. And he was only a man.
His demise came swiftly. His challenges to the law and the priests who enforced the law became too much for some of his followers, they were divided. Some openly called him the chosen one and remained, others left his side, fearful for what was to come, others still began to plot and conspire with the religious leaders to bring about his death. As the accusations from the priests became louder, His followers became fewer and fewer. His trial was a foregone conclusion, he had broken the number 1 law, he had put himself in the place of the Lord God, and he had openly claimed to be God. This was punishable by painful death.
When accused, he did not deny it, he simply repeated his claim and that if he was who he claimed to be then he had broken no law. After his painful death and just as the dust was beginning to settle. The stories started. He was back, he had died but was alive again, and hundreds were seeing him. He came and went as he pleased; he spoke of the new beginning and the changes that were to come. The people who knew war and longed for peace, who were familiar with law and longed for freedom had a choice to make...
Part 2
In a dimly lit room with the doors bolted and a temple guard posted , serious faced old men sat in small groups discussing various points of the holy law and how it should or could be applied within the restrictions imposed by the occupying forces. This was a normal meeting and a matter of routine but the atmosphere in the room tonight was different. They were used to arguing and debating, falling out, agreeing and getting passionate about their county and their religion. Tonight was different, there were nervous glances around the room, no-one was focused on the subjects that they were discussing. Everything going on so far tonight seemed so superficial.
Outside in the streets, in the houses, it was the talk of the town, but in here, in the meeting of the high council, no one dared broach the subject that they couldn't stop themselves thinking about it. He had died but was alive again, and hundreds had seen him. He came and went as he pleased, he spoke of the new beginning and the changes that were to come…that was the word on the street, but he couldn't be alive again. No way, this kind of thing just couldn't happen. There had been similar stories before, and surely this was just another story form a cult who didn't want to end when the leader died, wasn't it?
But the unease among the religious leaders had been growing for days now. This was the man whom they had tested and the tests had failed, this was the man whom reliable witnesses had seen raising the dead, this was the man that some ex-members of their high council had chosen to follow. This was the man that they had accused and had arranged to be killed because he had dared claim to be their God. If anyone raised the topic, it would require debate and action. No one could stop thinking about it but no one wanted the responsibility. They didn't know what to do about it.
On top of all this they had some more worries, the Governor of this occupied principality was unhappy and that spelt bad news for everyone. It was him that they had managed to convince to pass the execution notice; he didn't agree at first but had eventually been swayed by their arguments that if this man lived he would cause even more trouble and it could lead to an uprising. The Governor was unhappy because he felt he was being made to look a fool. He was well aware of the stories circulating and was also aware that the body of this man whom he knew to be innocent had gone missing from the tomb. He wasn't sure what to do so as usual when he didn't know hat to do, he got tough. He doubled the guard on the streets, tightened the curfew and imprisoned anyone who looked like a threat. There would be no uprising here while he was governor.
On the far side of town In a brightly lit room, a group of young men and women gathered. it was the first time that they had all been together without their leader and they didn't know what to do. They had been with him from he beginning, they had seen the miracles, heard the teachings and had become connected to Jesus and each other in a way that they had never thought possible. This was their Holy Scripture come to life and they had believed that everyone would join them and that the euphoria would never end. Then whatever was protecting them from the authorities vanished, he was captured, tortured and killed and their world fell apart.
They were devastated, heartbroken and filled with fear. They felt like the biggest of fools, giving up their lives to follow this man who had promised them nothing but a life of being with him. They began to doubt what they had been taught, even doubt what their eyes had seen. They were hiding from the authorities, from each other and from their feelings. They weren't prepared for this. What now?
And then he had come back. He wasn't dead, he had been but now he was alive again. How could it be? It was hard to take at first, why would he put them through all that? Some refused to believe it. It was confusing, they were grieving and starting to accept their loss, and none of them really wanted to have to deal with this, but when they were with him it was all right. He spent time with them, he spoke to them about the history of their people, about God, about the miracles they had witnessed about the purpose of his life, and things slowly began to make sense. Hope began to grow again, they began to feel like a team with a purpose again. It was different from before but he was back and things would be all right.
During their gatherings he reminded them of teachings he had given them about a promise that God the father had made, to send his spirit to dwell with his people. The spirit would bring peace, would connect them with God in a new way and he told them that soon they would be soaked in the Holy Spirit just as they had been soaked in the river at their baptism. Yes it was different from before but he was back and things were definitely looking up. Now they could stop hiding, they understood more than before. This was a mission from God and He was on their side.
At one of their gatherings, on a mountain, he told them that he was leaving again, that the reason for his being here was over, that they were almost fully equipped and that he was passing the work he started on to them to continue. He told them to wait for the Holy Spirit and then he left.
This time it was different, there was no torture, no humiliation, no death. This time they knew that he was coming back, they had peace in their hearts, even joy and this time he had told them what to do; Wait. So they waited. They had no timetable, no strategy or plan of action, so they prayed. They agreed to support one another and they prayed and waited. As they gathered, prayed and waited, they prepared themselves by reading scriptures and organising themselves ready for action. They had been told to wait so they waited. Then, as promised, as they waited, he came and he filled them till they were overflowing.
The Holy spirit came, the Church of the chosen one, the son of God was energised and the world was changed. Now there was a movement on the earth that was part God, part man. Never to be separated, this was the beginning of their work together.
Part 3
Yesterday had been one of the biggies, it was harvest festival, a feast of feasts. Family from all over had come to the city to celebrate, some for the sacrifices and ceremony, most for the party and to see and dance with family they had not seen for ages. It was a time to have a drink and talk about the past, enjoy being who they were and believe that their great God was coming to rescue them from this oppression and slavery.
As the night had went on and the wine jugs emptied, tongues loosened and stories about that amazing man who was executed a couple of months ago were told. He was back some said in whispers, I’ve seen him some declared at the top of their voice. It made for good talk, and on a night like this, who was to scold them.
The priests were off huddled together, they had been tense and quiet since that dark day that man was executed and only now after some ceremonial prayers and organised sacrifices and did they seem to be getting back to their normal self assured selves. Harvest festival was also when the giving of the law was remembered and celebrated and after the recent upset, It was reassuring to focus on the law again. They sat up long into the night, thanking God for the law and agreeing with each other that the holy law was above all and that the study, teaching and enforcement of it was most important and that this indeed was their commission. They slept soundly that night for the first time in weeks.
Now it was the morning after, heads were a bit sore and it was time to get back to reality, time to get back to the routine of daily life here in the troubled city. It was time for work and time for the visitors to go home, they only had travel permits for the feast and staying was not an option. It was the law.
The narrow streets were beginning to get busy, busier than normal at this time in the morning filled with the exodus of visitors from out of town, when there was uproar. It started as a loud whistling noise from inside a small building, and as the crowd in the street stopped and gathered around wondering what could be making such a noise, the doors burst open and around a hundred locals poured out onto the street. All of them had faces beaming, they were laughing and giggling loudly and some of them were shaking violently from head to toe. What on earth was going on here, what a neighbourhood, did these people have no self-control? Had they been partying all night? The noise and clamour they were making attracted an even bigger crowd around them, were they a bunch of crazies? At first it sounded like it, all talking at once it sounded like gibberish but if you listened you could hear that they were praising God.
They were praising God in languages from all over the world, what was going on here? Who were these people? Were they sane, were they drunk? The crowd around them were uneasy, some laughed, some quietly joined in the praises of God, some mocked and were waiting on the law enforcers coming to quiet this rabble. This kind of disturbance was not allowed, it was probably best to be on the move before they arrived. Then one of the rabble climbed on a crate and began to speak. He was a big man, who looked and dressed like a fisherman but when he spoke everyone went quiet and listened.
He spoke with passion and conviction of the things that these people and their ancestors had longed for deep in their hearts for as long as they could remember. He spoke of the promise being fulfilled, that the longed for freedom and peace were within their grasp. As he talked, the crowd believed. He was an ordinary man speaking of things that only the priests and wise men could understand but there was something different here, something was behind his words, something that caused their hearts to beat faster, their ears to prick-up, the hairs on their arms to stand out. This man was speaking the truth and it resonated in their hearts.
He connected some of their ancient stories in a new way that explained to them how the man that they had heard teach, had seen do the miracles of God, the man who was executed for claiming to be the son of God, was indeed the chosen one and that his death was unjustified. He explained that all this had met the purpose and plan of God, that God’s plan was now in action and that the proof was that God had raised this man from death to life as hundreds had witnessed. God had now raised this man to his rightful position at His side and given to him the promised gift of his Holy Spirit. He, in turn, had given away the Holy Spirit as a free gift and made it available to everyone. This was the new beginning, hope was born anew, and everything had changed.
When he stopped speaking their first response was pain and anguish. They had been involved, they were the guilty ones, he was innocent, and he was the chosen one, he had told the truth, had they missed their chance? Where was he now? Was he coming back? How can I get to him? How can I get freedom and peace? How can I get the holy spirit?
What should we do? What should we do?
The fisherman climbed on the crate again and told them. Believe he is who he said. Turn from following your ways and follow him, follow his ways, do what he taught and tell everyone you are his. Ask him and he will give you the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the way to freedom and peace and this is his promise to you, your children and everyone everywhere.
The place erupted, it seemed like everyone was ready to hear this, there was shouting, singing, hugging and kissing. Thousands declared that they believed, joy and the Holy spirit spread through the crowd.
A little way down the street there were two separate groups of people watching and listening. The first group, the soldiers whose commission it was to keep the peace were under strict orders and were a bit nervous in case any rebels got involved and incited trouble, It was against the law but they chose to do nothing.
The second group were aghast, they had arrived late after the crowds had formed but in time to hear about Him again, dead, alive, risen, and now his followers promising the Holy Spirit to everybody, everybody everywhere! This was serious, this was lawbreaking, they could ignore it no longer, a meeting of the council would have to be arranged swiftly. Something must be done and soon. These were high priests on their way home from the temple, even though he had died, It seemed that he just wouldn’t go away. Now there were thousands shouting his name without fear. It was time to put an end to this once and for all.
Part 4
The rest of the day had gone past in a blur, there were people everywhere, laughing and crying and every one of them seemed to be asking questions, too many questions, and they didn’t know how to answer them all. When he had been with them, he answered the questions and he told them how to manage the crowds but he was gone and they just had to get on with it. Somehow they had managed to answer the questions, attend to the needs, make arrangements and as always, the crowds eventually dispersed.
Now they were back upstairs, the door was bolted closed and there was a smile on every one of their faces. The biggest smile of all was on the face of the big fisherman. ‘That was amazing!, did you feel the power of God? Have you ever felt anything like that before? I don’t believe that was me who stood and spoke to the crowd like that, I’ve never done that before. It must have been God, one minute I was talking nonsense and the next I was up there telling everyone how to find freedom. And they listened to me, it must be God! He was still buzzing and could not stop talking about it.
The rest that day and most of the night was spent sharing stories about what they had experienced and the conversations that they had with the locals and those from out of town. While they talked there was a slowly growing realisation that… It had really happened, He had kept his promise, the Holy Spirit had come and they had all felt his power. God was real. It was all true. The scriptures and the promises were transformed from mere words and hopes to three dimensional realities. What would happen next? A sense of awe and wonder filled them. They were part of Gods plan, they were involved in the whole thing, what would happen next?
Later, as they lay in their beds that alone with their thoughts in the silent darkness, they continued to imagine and wonder what would happen next. In the darkness some doubts began to creep in, what were people going to say? Were they breaking the law? What would the priests say? What would the soldiers do? What would happen next?
As they slept that night, the high council of priests were discussing them and deciding what they would do next. Their options were limited. Since the execution and supposed reappearance of Him they refused to mention by name, the Governor had made it clear that they were out of favour, the extra restrictions and curfew imposed were still in place and the usual exemptions for the council had been revoked. They were fearful of appealing to him and asking for favour at this time. ‘We must rely on the Holy law. They will break that law just like He had and then the people will turn against them, just like they turned on Him’. It was not the most satisfying strategy they had ever devised, it was weak, it made them feel powerless and they did not like that. But they decided that they could do nothing but watch and wait. They were good at watching. They would wait to see what would happen next.
What happened next was even more amazing; it was like He was back among them but on the inside of each of them; it was like he had multiplied himself. People were being healed, the truth was being spoken, crowds were gathering, they were teaching the way he had taught and the number of people joining them was increasing every day. He was back among them, somehow as part of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit and Him did the same things.
As the days passed they grew in numbers and in confidence, more and more people were healed and set free. They felt like they were on the crest of a wave, the soldiers left them alone and whatever the priests tried, couldn’t stop them. Their teaching about the son of God, the Holy Spirit and the promises that were coming true was becoming a lifestyle, more than just words and the crowds loved it.
The priests hated it. They watched, waited and acted. They had trials and sentences, they accused and they convicted, but whatever they tried worked against them. The crowds laughed, ‘how can we convict a man for healing the sick?’ When they jailed the ring leaders, the cell doors opened as if by magic and they walked free. It seemed that nothing could stop them, they grew in numbers within the city and even beyond. The priests grew even more frustrated and angry, they sensed a real change in the people of the city. They felt like they were losing control and didn’t like it. They wanted to kill the leaders but would not yet, they were so popular, killing them without the support of the crowds would create more martyrs and make things worse.
They had a plan, some priests trained in the detail of the law, were waiting to be released to seek, capture and imprison the ringleaders and all followers of Him. One man in particular who commanded great respect was waiting for the word to be released, he was passionate and angry but it was not yet time. But it was near. Waiting was becoming more dangerous than acting, some priests had joined with the followers of Him, it was time to act.
A group of loyal law followers agreed to break the law and to bribe, lie and cheat. They began a whispering campaign against one of the youngest and most outspoken and eloquent of the leaders. They spread lies that he committed major crimes against the holy law and allowed the lies to fester and propagate. Then when people were angry enough, he was arrested and accused and brought before the high council for public trial.
Smiling during his trial, he defended himself with poise and style, accusing his accusers of persecuting him for speaking the truth, he accused them of resisting God today and reminded them that for centuries their people had resisted the truth of God and suffered the consequences. He accused all of the people at the trial of being part of that and of breaking the law that he had been accused of.
The truth in his words resonated in their hearts but they refused to accept it and became angrier and angrier as he spoke. He seemed not to notice and finishing his speech he looked upward and pointed, Look! There is the one I follow, the one you killed standing with the most High God where he belongs.
That was enough for the crowd; they became a lynch mob and murdered the young man.
The priests were ready, this was what they had been waiting for. They released the persecution team into the city to hunt down the followers, to capture, imprison and do what was necessary to crush them. They went willingly, they were vicious, they were angry and they had the law on their side. One priest in particular was determined to do whatever it took wipe out every trace of these followers.
