Shining Light Tells the Good Story 20

THE SPIRITUAL LEADERS CHALLENGE HIM

1One day that week when Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was telling the good story at the sacred lodge, the head holy men and the scroll keepers came to him, along with the elders. 2“By what right do you do these things?” they challenged. “Who gave you this right?”

3“I will answer your question,” he said to them, “but first you must answer mine.

4“The purification ceremony#20:4 Baptism performed by Gift of Goodwill (John), was it from the spirit-world above, or did it come from human beings?” he asked them.

The spiritual leaders looked at each other. They did not know how to answer him. All the people there kept their ears wide open to hear what the spiritual leaders would say. Creator Sets Free (Jesus) stood before them and quietly held his ground.

5They put their heads together and talked it over. “If we say it is from the spirit-world above, he will ask us why we did not listen to him. 6If we say it is from human beings, the people would stone us to death, for they think Gift of Goodwill (John) is a great prophet.”

7So they said to him, “We do not know.”

8Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked straight at them and said, “Then I will not answer your question either.”

STORY OF THE VINEYARD

9Then he turned again to the people and began to tell them this story.

“A tribal member planted a large vineyard and rented it out to other tribal members for a share of the grapes. Then he traveled far away to another land to stay for a long time.

10“When harvest time came, the tribal member who owned the vineyard sent a trusted messenger to gather his share of the grapes; but the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11The vineyard owner sent another messenger, but they treated him shamefully, beat him, and sent him away also. 12So he sent a third messenger, but they did the same things to him.

“The tribal member who owned the vineyard was at the end of his rope.

13“‘What can I do?’ he wondered. ‘I know,’ he said to himself, ‘I will send my much-loved son. They will have to respect him.’

14“When they saw that he had sent his son, they put their heads together and came up with an evil plan. ‘This vineyard will one day belong to this son,’ they schemed. ‘If we kill him, the vineyard will be ours.’

15“So they dragged him out to the edge of the vineyard, murdered him, and left his dead body there.”

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) turned to the spiritual leaders.

“What will the owner of the vineyard do?” he asked.

He waited for an answer, but no one said a word.

16Then he said, “He will return, put those dishonorable men to death and give the vineyard to others.”

The spiritual leaders were insulted by this story.

“That must never happen!” they said.

17Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked at the spiritual leaders and said, “Then what do the Sacred Teachings mean when they say, ‘The tree the lodge builders threw away has become the Chief Lodgepole’? 18The ones who stumble over this pole will be broken into pieces, and when it falls on them, they will be crushed and scattered like dust in the wind.”#20:18 Psalm 118:22

THE SEPARATED ONES ATTACK

19When the head holy men and the scroll keepers realized that this story was about them, they looked for a way to arrest him, but they could not, for they were afraid of what the people might do. 20They kept an eye on him and sent spies who pretended to be good-hearted to trap him in his words, so they would have a reason to turn him over to the power of the governor of People of Iron (Romans).

21“Wisdomkeeper,” the spies said to him. “We know you always speak the truth about the Great Spirit and represent him well. 22Tell us what is permitted, should our tribal members pay taxes to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar)? Yes or no?”

23Creator Sets Free (Jesus) could see right through them. 24“Show me one of their silver coins.”

They found a silver coin and handed it to him. He took a good long look, holding it up to the sky to see it clearly. Then he turned the face of the coin toward them.

“Whose image and words are carved into this coin?” he asked.

“The Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar),” they answered.

He handed the coin back to them.

25“Then give to this ruler the things that are his,” he said, “and give to the Great Spirit the things that belong to the Great Spirit.”

26The spiritual leaders had failed, right in front of the people, and could not use his words against him. They were amazed at his wisdom and hung their heads in silence.

THE UPRIGHT ONES ATTACK

27Then some of the Upright Ones (Sadducees), who say there is no rising again from death, came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) 28to question him also.

“Wisdomkeeper,” they said, “in the law Drawn from the Water (Moses) gave us these instructions: ‘If a Tribal Member should die before having children, then his brother should marry his widow and give her children. This way the man will have descendants.’#20:28 Deuteronomy 25:5-6

29“In a family of seven brothers, the oldest took a wife, but died without children. 30The next brother married her, but he also died with no children. 31A third brother married her, and, like his other brothers, he died with no children. The same happened to all seven of them, 32and, last of all, the woman also crossed over to death. 33When they all come back to life in the new world, whose wife would she be, since all seven men married her?”

34“Marriage belongs to this present world and to the ones who live in it,” he answered. 35“The ones who are chosen to rise to life in that world will not marry, for they will be like the spirit-messengers. 36They will never die, for they are the children of the Great Spirit who raises them again to new life.”

37 And then he said, “As to the dead rising again, listen to what the Sacred Teachings tell us that Drawn from the Water (Moses) said when he saw the burning bush. He calls Creator the ‘Great Spirit of Father of Many Nations (Abraham), He Made Us Laugh (Isaac), and Heel Grabber (Jacob).’#20:37 Exodus 3:6

38“He is not the Great Spirit of the dead, but of the living. To him all are alive.”

39Hearing this, some of the scroll keepers said to him, “Wisdomkeeper, you have answered well.”

40After that none of the Upright Ones (Sadducees) dared to ask him any more questions.

41So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked them a question, “How is it that you call the Chosen One the descendant of Much Loved One (David), 42when Much Loved One (David) in the Sacred Songs (Psalms) says, ‘The Great Chief said to my Great Chief, ‘Sit down beside me at my right hand, my place of greatest honor, 43until I defeat your enemies and humble them before you’?”#20:43 Psalm 110:1

He paused to let his words sink in.

44“If Much Loved One (David) calls the Chosen One, ‘My Great Chief,’” he asked them, “then how can the Chosen One be his descendant?”

The Upright Ones (Sadducees) had no answer for him.

45Then Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to his followers, loud enough for all to hear, 46“Beware of the scroll keepers, who walk about dressed up in fancy regalia, who love to be noticed at the trading posts, who take the seats of honor at the gathering houses and the best seats at the feasts. 47With many words they make long, empty prayers to trick widows into giving them their homes and possessions, but they will all come to a worse end than others.”

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Shining Light Tells the Good Story 20: FNVNT

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