Gift from Creator Tells the Good Story 17
17
HE TALKS TO THE ANCESTORS
1Six days later, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took only Stands on the Rock (Peter), He Takes Over (James), and his brother He Shows Goodwill (John) up on a great high mountain. 2Right there before them his appearance began to change. His clothes turned bright white, and his face began to shine like the sun.
3Then before their eyes two ancestors appeared—the lawgiver Drawn from the Water (Moses) and the ancient prophet Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah). They were talking with Creator Sets Free (Jesus).
They all stared in wide-eyed wonder, not knowing what to say. Then Stands on the Rock (Peter) found his voice.
4“Wisdomkeeper,” he said out loud, “this is a good place to stay. If you want, I will put up three tipis—one for you, one for Drawn from the Water (Moses), and one for Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah).”
5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them. A voice spoke from the cloud, saying, “This is my much-loved Son, the one who makes my heart glad. Listen to him!”
6They all fell on their faces in fear, 7but Creator Sets Free (Jesus) laid his hands on them and said, “Do not fear! Stand to your feet.”
8When they looked around, the cloud was gone, the men were gone, and all they could see was Creator Sets Free (Jesus) standing alone in front of them.
9As they walked down the mountainside, he instructed them to tell no one what they had seen until after the True Human Being had come back to life from the dead.
During the long walk down the mountain, the three followers had a lot to think about. Perhaps they were wondering about the ancient prophecies and how they related to what they had just seen.
10They asked him, “Why do the scroll keepers say that Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah) must be first to come?”
11“It is true,” he answered, “Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah) is the first to come to return all things to their original purpose, 12but I am telling you that he has already come, and no one recognized him. They did whatever they wanted with him, just as the Sacred Teachings foretold. It is also foretold that they will treat the True Human Being in the same way. They will look down on him and turn their faces away from him.”
13Then his followers understood he was talking about Gift of Goodwill (John) who performed the purification ceremony.#17:13 Baptism
A GENERATION WITH NO FAITH
They continued down the mountain to rejoin the other followers. When they arrived, there was a crowd of people there waiting for them.
14From the crowd of people a man came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and humbled himself before him.
15“Wisdomkeeper!” the man said with desperation in his voice. “Take pity on my son. An evil spirit has taken hold of him and makes him suffer greatly. He often falls into the fire or the water. 16I brought him to your followers, but they failed to heal him.”
17“The people of this generation are bent and twisted with no faith! How much longer will I have to put up with you?” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) cried out. Then he said, “Bring the boy to me.”
18He spoke sharply to the evil spirit, and it left the boy, and right then he was healed.
19Later, when Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was alone with his followers, they asked him, “Why could we not force the evil spirit out of him?”
20“It is because of your weak faith,” he answered and then said to them, “I speak from my heart, if you had faith like a mustard seed, you could tell this mountain to move from here to there and it would do what you say. Nothing would be too hard for you. 21But it takes praying and going without food to make you ready to force out a spirit of this kind.”#17:21 Verse 21 is not found in most ancient manuscripts.
THE ROAD AHEAD
22While they were in Circle of Nations (Galilee), Creator Sets Free (Jesus) gathered his followers together.
“The True Human Being will soon be taken and handed over to men 23who will kill him,” he told them, “but on the third day he will come back to life from the dead.”
This filled his followers with sorrow and dread.
DUES FOR THE SACRED LODGE
From there he and his followers walked to Village of Comfort (Capernaum), where Stands on the Rock (Peter) and his brother Stands with Courage (Andrew) lived.
24When they came into Village of Comfort (Capernaum), some of the men who collected the money for the ceremonial lodge that was in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) came to Stands on the Rock (Peter).
“Does your wisdomkeeper pay his dues for the lodge?” they asked.
25“Yes, he does,” he answered them.
When he returned to his house, before he could say a word about what happened, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to him, using his family name, “Tell me, One Who Hears (Simon), do the rulers of the land collect taxes or dues from their own family members, or from others? How do you see it?”
26“From others,” Stands on the Rock (Peter) answered.
“So then,” he said back to him, “the family members do not have to pay, 27but, to keep from insulting them, we will pay. Go to the lake and open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a silver coin. Use that to pay the dues for both of us.”
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Gift from Creator Tells the Good Story 17: FNVNT
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