Shining Light Tells the Good Story 9
9
MESSAGE BEARERS SENT OUT
1He then gathered his twelve message bearers together. He gave them the authority over all evil spirits and the power to heal all kinds of sickness and disease. 2He then sent them out to tell the story of Creator’s good road and heal the sick.
3“Take nothing with you,” he instructed them, “not even walking sticks for your journey. Take no coins for your money pouches, no food for your traveling bundle, and only one outer garment for warmth.
4“When people welcome you into their home, stay there until you move on. 5If no one in that village welcomes you, when you go from there, shake the dust from your moccasins to warn them that you have done all that you can do.”
6The twelve went out to represent Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to all the villages, telling all who would listen about the good story and healing the sick everywhere they went.
HIS REPUTATION GROWS
7The reputation of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had spread far and wide, until it finally reached Chief Looks Brave (Herod). He was troubled because some were saying that Gift of Goodwill (John) had come back to life from the dead. 8Others were saying that the ancient prophet, Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah), had been seen again, and some said that one of the prophets of old had come back to life from the dead.
9Chief Looks Brave (Herod) wondered about this and said, “I cut off the head of Gift of Goodwill (John), but who is this one I am hearing about?” So he began to look for Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to see for himself who he was.
10The twelve message bearers returned from their journeys and told Creator Sets Free (Jesus) all the things they had done. He then took them to a deserted place near House of Fishing (Bethsaida) to be alone. 11The crowd of people saw where they were going and followed him.
When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) saw the great crowd of people, his heart went out to them again. He welcomed them and took the time to tell stories and help them understand many things about Creator’s good road. He also healed the ones among them who were sick.
HE FEEDS FIVE THOUSAND
12It was becoming late in the day, so his message bearers said to him, “This is a deserted place. Let us send the people away to the villages in the countryside so they can find food to eat.”
13“You feed them!” he said with a smile on his face.
“We have only five pieces of frybread and two small fish—unless you want us to go and buy food for this many people.” 14For there were about five thousand men there, and also women and children.
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “Have the people gather together in groups of fifty and sit down on the grass.” 15So they did what he asked.
The people began to scoop up their children and belongings and gather together. Creator Sets Free (Jesus) waited patiently for them to finish. When they were all settled down, he had his message bearers bring baskets and stand in a circle around him.
16He took the five pieces of frybread with the two fishes and held them up to the sky. He looked up, spoke words of blessing over them, broke them into smaller pieces, and gave them to his message bearers to give to the people. 17Everyone ate until they were full!
When they gathered up the leftovers, it took twelve baskets to hold them all.
WHO DO THE PEOPLE SAY I AM?
One morning, 18after praying alone with his followers, he asked them, “Who do all the crowds say that I am?”
They looked around at each other and said, 19“Some say you are Gift of Goodwill (John) who performed the purification ceremony.#9:19 Baptism Others say you might be Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah), or one of the prophets of old come back to life from the dead.”
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) lowered his voice and spoke with a more serious tone.
20“So tell me,” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?”
Silent faces stared back at him. They began to look at each other, and some looked down to the ground. The moment of truth had come, but no one dared to speak. Then suddenly a voice pierced through the silence.
“You are Creator’s Chosen One!” Stands on the Rock (Peter) answered.
21He then warned them all not to tell anyone that he was the Chosen One 22and said to them, “The True Human Being must enter a time of much suffering. The elders, the head holy men, and the scroll keepers will turn their faces from me. They will have me killed, but I will come back to life on the third day.
23“If you want to walk the road with me, each day you must also be ready to give up your own life and carry your own crossbeam with me 24to the place of ultimate sacrifice. The ones who hold on to their lives will lose them, but the ones who are willing to lay down their lives for me and my message will live. 25How will it help you to get everything you want but lose what it means to be who Creator made you to be? Is there anything in this world worth trading for that?
26“If anyone is ashamed of me and my teaching, then the True Human Being will be ashamed of them when he comes in his bright-shining greatness, to be honored by the Father above and all of his Holy Spirit-messengers.
27“I speak from my heart, there are some of you standing here with me today who, before you cross over to death, will see Creator’s good road.”
THE MOUNTAIN WHERE HE SHINED
28About eight days later Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took Stands on the Rock (Peter), He Takes Over (James), and He Shows Goodwill (John) up on a mountain to be alone and pray. 29As he was sending his voice to the Great Spirit, the appearance of his face began to change, and his clothes turned white as snow.
30Two men appeared and began to talk with him. One was the prophet of old, Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah), and the other the ancient lawgiver Drawn from the Water (Moses). 31They were shining like the sun and were talking to him about his crossing over from this life to the next, which would take place in Village of Peace (Jerusalem).
32Stands on the Rock (Peter) and the others were deep asleep, but they woke up and shook the sleep from their eyes. They saw Creator Sets Free (Jesus) with his face and clothes shining. They also saw the two men standing with him. 33As the men with him turned to go, Stands on the Rock (Peter) spoke without thinking. “Wisdomkeeper!” he said. “This is a good place to stay. Let us make three tipis—one for you, one for Drawn from the Water (Moses), and one for Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah).”
34While he was saying this, a bright cloud from above began to fall on them. Their knees shook as the cloud surrounded them. 35A voice spoke from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, the one I have chosen. Listen to him!”
36When the voice finished speaking, they saw Creator Sets Free (Jesus) standing there alone in front of them. After this they kept silent and told no one at that time what they had seen.
A GENERATION WITH NO FAITH
37The next day, when Creator Sets Free (Jesus) finished coming down from the mountain, a large crowd was there. 38A man called out from the crowd, “Wisdomkeeper!” he said with desperation in his voice. “I beg you, have pity on my son, my only child! 39A spirit takes hold of him, making him scream out loud, then foam comes from his mouth. It seldom stops tormenting him—leaving him beaten and bruised. 40I asked your followers to force this spirit to go from him, and they tried but failed.”
41“Your generation is bent and twisted—with no faith,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said. “How much longer will I have to be with you and put up with you? Bring your son to me.”
42As they were bringing the boy to him, the evil spirit took hold of him and threw the boy to the ground. But Creator Sets Free (Jesus) spoke sharply to the evil spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43Everyone there stood in awe at Creator’s great power.
While the crowd stood there in amazement, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) turned to his followers and said to them, 44“Let these words sink deep into your ears: The True Human Being will soon be betrayed and turned over to others.”
45But still they did not understand. The meaning was hidden from them. Their hearts would not let them believe what they heard with their ears. His words filled them with sorrow and dread, and they were afraid to ask him what it all meant.
WHO IS THE GREATEST?
46The ones who walked the road with Creator Sets Free (Jesus) began to argue with each other over which one of them was the most important. When they got back to the house, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked them, “What were you arguing about as we walked on the road?”
But they just looked around at each other, not wanting to answer him.
47Creator Sets Free (Jesus) knew the thoughts of their hearts, so he had a small child come and sit next to him. 48“The ones representing me who welcome this little child are welcoming me. When you welcome me, you are not only welcoming me but also the one who sent me. That is what I meant when I said, ‘The lowest among you will become the greatest of all.’”
49He Shows Goodwill (John) came close to him and said, “Wisdomkeeper, we saw a man forcing out evil spirits using your name. We told him to stop because he does not walk the road with us.”
50“Do not stop him,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told them. “The ones who are not against us are for us.”
THE WRONG SPIRIT TO FOLLOW
51His work on earth was coming to an end, and Creator Sets Free (Jesus) would soon be returning to the spirit-world above. So he drew strength from deep within and made up his mind to go to the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and finish what his Father sent him to do.
52He sent some other messengers ahead to High Place (Samaria) to find lodging, 53but the people of High Place (Samaria) would not welcome him, for they knew he was on his way to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), and they wanted nothing to do with the people there.
54When He Takes Over (James) and He Shows Goodwill (John) found out he was not welcome there, they said, “Wisdomkeeper, do you want us to call down fire from the spirit-world above to burn them up, like the prophet Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah) did?”
55Creator Sets Free (Jesus) spoke sharply to them, “You do not know what spirit you are listening to, 56for the True Human Being came to help people, not hurt them.”
After that, they walked silently with him toward another village.
WALK THE ROAD WITH ME
57As they traveled on, a man walked up to Creator Sets Free (Jesus). “Honored One,” he said, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58He answered the man, “The foxes live in their holes, the winged ones who fly above us live in their nests, but the True Human Being has no place to lay his head.”
59Creator Sets Free (Jesus) turned to another man and said, “Come, walk the road with me.”
“Honored One,” he said, “let me first go home to my father until it is time to bury him.”
60“Let the ones who are dead bury their own dead,” he said to the man. “You are alive, go and tell others about Creator’s good road.”
61Another said to him, “Honored One, I will walk the road with you, but first let me go home and prepare my family.”
62Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told him, “No one who begins a journey and then turns back is ready to walk Creator’s good road.”
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