Bundling together my bed roll, I then pulled on my outer robe and tightened down the leather I used as both a winter belt as well as the straps for the many trips I made during the trade seasons. Straightening my flat hat, I began to pull my bedding together. Sitting back down on to the pile of rolled comforts, I reached for my travel shoes to put them back on for another day's journey. With the leather bindings secured, I sat down on my knees to prayed for wisdom and knowledge, and I began again with my consults for an everlasting grace to a place called Galilee.
The day was in mid-morning when I stood standing in the gateway into the foreign city I was to offer business to. Entering the earth sodden, arched, portal the trodden road was a little dusty even though a crowd of people were moving back and forth over the dirt and gravel bits. Passing under and once inside the the town was busy with the activities of a religious festival that was new to me. Onlookers arriving two and three at a time while others finding a place to wait for the preparations to start. It seemed the masses of followers of one kind or another were obligated to attend a grand worship service, and I was numbered as one among them as I pushed my way through the many persons who were standing around waiting to get a break in the lines that formed around concessionaires and merchants. I had to wait for a scheduled time for the merchandising I can to deal, and I need to try and leave before the actual ceremonies began.
Straight down the street covered with persons eating barnished breads were dutiful, listening sages who watched the masses as they muddled around watching for the first sign of the festivities. I pushed well into a crowd gathering around a oldish man dressed in black robes who had centered his raised hands upward with his head neatly inside the two out-stretched arms. His guttural voice was speaking to listening pedestrians a story of a coming messiah. Stories of this sort were always a good way to get the attention of a crowd whenever a new or interesting commercial product was about to be introduced. "They could be saved...yes, your love ones could walk again...You must listen to me!." It was the standard cry from sellers who stood facing the croon as his heavy woolen cloaks flew around and wistfully moved within the garments sleeves that added depth to the story he was selling. Questioning the proclamations of a healing messiah, I pushed on through the huddled listeners. The multitude of sages flocked around the one another. The authorities stood and watched as each sage told a different side of a prophesied coming savior and the coming of their own personal faith and healer of souls. Fire shot from their voices as more and more disciples stood screaming we were to be as a believer, yes, personally avoid any new thoughts. Screeching, they scared bystanders standing in the doggled mass, "Acknowledge God on high, go to him first," they preached. I pushed passed the listeners and tried again to travel further into the many standing people, but the street had little room to move about in. "We know, we are of the truth." passed by my ears as one after another priest huddled throughout the crowd. "You know we believe, but you must help your unbelief through prayer rocks and shawls." "Answer me! What is a man," said a discipled worker who was pointing towards something strange, "A new ornament was being introduced to those who scattered around and about with and without you at their hand?"
Holding onto my packed bedding and purse, I tried again to move forward. The crowd was so tightly assembled that it became increasingly difficult to move forward. I excused myself and tried to push past the heavily clad idol sellers disciples. Everywhere I looked was another type of merchant who had to foretell of a messiah and a coming day that the scene began to spin in my head. Handing onto the tiny plaster images they gathered a crowd who pushed into each other hoping to get a better quality in the queued line of the mini-statuesque dolls. A frock score held his hands up to his waist showing off his belt. Now the words the sellers used turned ruff with little control, "I saw a stone on a belt with the word in a bright light spelling out to me the word 'Yes'. "And the word Yes also said "Now, follow me.""
Deeply distressed, I hurriedly dug got out my small book of beliefs and prayers. Holding the leather readette, I questioned my mind on what in the world was happening in the city? I needed to find a place to sit or stand anything just to get out of the way and perhaps eat my noon meal. I surly didn't need to be hungry before my appointment. I finally pushed my way forward through the massed crowd, and stopped listening to the sellers and their strong words as the smell of burning animal flesh filled the road, and the chunks of meat was littered on the ground. "Mercy is the seed," said someone who I had come up upon as I headed to the end of a row of people standing around waiting for another chunk of meat to be thrown. Handing a package of seeds to me, I looked at his face questioning of what were the seeds for. A stamped inscription praising a Lord, a scratched image of a man was etched onto a wooden seed box with the word 'Jesus' dug into it. I turned to listen and pushed my hand again into the folding clothe robes that were amassed around as the seller reminded me to open my heart and receive it the sacred seeds.
I finally saw a clearing. I quickly dropped my travel gear onto a little empty space, and I sat down while pulling my booted feet in tighter an onto the rolled blue blanket I had been carrying down the road with me. Relaxing back, I finally rested myself into a small ball worried that someone would trample on my fingers or toes.
Four men next to me caught my attention. Just off the dirt road, they too were resting on rolled out mats. Hoping to get some information about the strange gathering in that city, I listened for a few moments to the boys next to me. Turning my ear slowly towards the men, I heard one say softly to the others...
"Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4. You can't become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!" 5. For even his brothers didn't believe in him. 6. Jesus replied, "Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. 7. The world can't hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. 8. You go on. I'm not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come." - John 7: 3-7
This small vignette may seems a bit slighted, but how would you tell a story if the end were not known. We know now that Jesus was on his way to be imprisoned, and, later, to his death. Jesus stood and watched the many persons selling and buying trinkets and seeds all with the notion of a coming messiah. At still another festival Jesus stood and watched while in chains, half beaten to death by these every same sellers and merchants who are now selling images of the blessed one. It makes a person question as to just what a messiah is to one another. Some questions simply go unanswered.
Your heavenly abode is were you dwell. One day we too will know how to sell the many trinkets to the masses on the earth below. Remaining faithful to you, Amen.
