Excerpts:
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Living Water
Jesus, Philip, and Nathanael reached Sychar, which had been called Shechem in the days of old. Here was
the ancient well of Jacob, which still provided clear, fresh water.
Jesus was exhausted in body and soul. He had eaten very little since the news of John’s arrest. It was
about six o’clock in the evening when they came to the well, which was also a place where three major
roads crossed. Thirsty and hungry from their long journey, they were traveling across the upper, rich plain
of Samaria. Twin mountains Gerizim and Ebal enclosed the winding valley on its northern end, and Jacob’s
well was near Mount Gerizim. The three of them had, for miles, anticipated drinking the well’s water.
Now a Samaritan town, the well was near the small plot of ground that Israel’s patriarch, Jacob, had given
to his son Joseph. The well went deep—through limestone—to one hundred and fifty feet below ground
level. The success of reaching a deep source of excellent water became the very sustenance of life for his
family; and in Jacob’s time, it was the only well for great distances. At that time, Jacob’s Amorite neighbors
had many springs to drink from, but Jacob’s own well offered him a strife-free life without the need to
contend with the herdsmen around him. It was, therefore, a symbol of the covenant between God and
Jacob that God would take care of him. This well had been part of that covenant blessing.The three weary
and hungry travelers were disappointed when they arrived at the historic well because there was nothing
with which to draw up water. They felt unwelcome. They were strangers at a well that had once belonged to
their people.
The Samaritans were of mixed genealogy and culture. They were descendants of Jacob, but also of the
various peoples who had settled and lived in the land after the Jews were driven from it. The Samaritans
were, therefore, descendants of both Jewish and foreign blood, and had mixed beliefs. This was Samaritan
land—and it was their well.
The disciples looked to Jesus for direction.
He sighed and looked down the road that led to Sychar. He said, “Go into town and buy what we need. I’ll
wait for you here.”
They left him and went into town.
Jesus was relieved to have a prayerful resting time with his Father. Within only minutes, however, he heard
someone approaching. Looking up, he saw a woman coming to the well to draw water. She had a leather
bag draped over one arm, and with her other arm she balanced a large clay vessel at the top of her
head.
Jesus removed the prayer shawl from his head.
When she drew close, she saw that he had a gentle face. His nose was long and thin. High cheekbones, a
full, long, trimmed beard; she guessed he was in his thirties. No trace of gray hair. His brown hair stopped
at his shoulders on the sides; it was longer in the back, and disappeared beneath his prayer shawl. His
complexion was dark—a weathered face, she assumed. His frame was quite thin. His clothes were that of a
typical Jew, of a commoner. When she had first seen him, before he looked up at her, he’d been holding
the four cornered Tzitzit tassels of his prayer shawl, which he had gathered together in one hand. From
what she knew about this custom, she guessed that he was praying.
When he looked up at her, she noticed smile wrinkles by his eyes. He had a pleasant expression and she
felt strangely attracted to him but, at the same time, unnerved by his glance.
She supposed that it was probably how she would feel towards any eligible man not from this town; but she
imagined that he was like all the rest and she would do well to ignore him. She watched him, noting his
Jewish attire, and grew nervous. It was not the custom for a Jew and a Samaritan to speak to each other—
for any reason. But she decided that she was not about to turn and go back without water. Her dislike for
men was another factor; and, so, she was relieved that the stranger wasn’t anyone she knew. For that
matter, she chose to draw water at this time of the day, hoping to avoid seeing anyone.
To her surprise, he stood when she stepped up to the opposite side of the well. She fumbled with the sticks
and the leather bag. She stretched the sticks crisscrossing them inside the mouth of the bag to keep it
open. All the while she felt Jesus watching her with interest. Glancing back at him, she took the rope that
was there, knotted it to the bag’s handles, and lowered the contraption into the well. At the sound of the
plunging bag, Jesus spoke.
“Will you give me a drink?”
Surprised, she said, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”
Jesus didn’t answer at first, and his thoughts went deep, along with the bag down in the well. He heard the
sound of water echoing in the well’s depths. He knew everything about the woman standing across from
him. He knew her heart: her aching loneliness, and her dashed hopes for acceptance and real love.
The woman’s nervous smile showed straight, beautiful teeth. Long strands of hair danced freely in the
breeze around her face, having come loose from her headscarf that was tight around her forehead. Her
veil that covered the scarf was faded and worn. Her dark, round eyes had puffy circles under them, and
Jesus knew her life was one of survival, and was far from being a blessed one.
He closed his eyes for a long blink, breathed deeply, and looked at her. He said, “If you knew the gift of
God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living
water.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Sir,” she answered, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where
can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it
himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
He said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will
never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Sarcastically, she replied, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here
to draw water.”
Jesus half smiled. He knew the woman thought he was out of his mind. He looked down the road towards
the town and leaned against the well. A noise sounded from her efforts of pulling the filled water bag up
against the limestone walls. He watched her hands and the rope as she worked.
After a few moments passed, he said, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
Surprised, she looked away, then she said, “I have no husband.” At first she wondered if he was trying to
find out if she was available for his own interests. Goodness, was a Jew interested in her? She guessed
that she was somewhat older than him. With a little further thought, she dismissed that idea. He was too
“religious” looking—after all, he’d been praying just before he’d seen her approaching the well.
She pulled harder on the rope and brought up the filled water bag.
Jesus said, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands,
and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
At this point, her heart jumped and she clung to the bag of water. “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.”
She wanted to run. His penetrating look bothered her. What else did he know? Taking the focus off of
herself, she asked about the age-old argument that separated her people from his. She said to him, “Our
fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in
Jerusalem.”
Jesus smiled. “Believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor
in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is
from the Jews. Yet a time is coming, and has now come, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must
worship in spirit and in truth.”
She poured the water into her clay jar while considering his amazing, yet puzzling words. When she
straightened, she said, “I know the Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
At this, Jesus’ eyes brightened. He said, “I who speak to you am he.”
Astonished, she stared back at him.
He nodded in response, reaffirming that what he just said was really true. Then, seeing she believed him,
he amiably looked at her without saying another word.
He didn’t judge or condemn her, even though he’d clearly laid her life bare. In fact, he liked her; she could
see it on his face.
Jesus’ disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman, but they didn’t ask him why.
They saw that something had transpired between the two of them. It was apparent on both of their faces.
Then, leaving her water bag and clay pot behind, the woman ran back to town and announced to as many
people as she could find, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Anointed
One, the Messiah?”
Jesus was deeply blessed that he had suddenly made Jacob’s ancient well a place to proclaim a new,
covenant blessing. The incident was so satisfying to him that when his disciples offered him food, he
refused it. It wasn’t long before he saw people coming towards him from the town, with her in the lead. Her
hands were flying in gestures as she talked and the crowd could hardly keep in step with her. Delighted by
the sight, Jesus thought to himself, Here comes a woman who was unwilling to show her face to anyone.
Now she’s bringing back the town!
The people of Sychar opened their hearts and their homes to him. After teaching and staying with them for
a couple of days, he and his two disciples set off again for Galilee.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Good News
Night was falling when Jesus and his two disciples arrived at Daniel’s home in Cana, a cottage situated on
the northern edge of town. It was a small place and had a tall fieldstone wall enclosing the property. Jesus
rang the bell that Daniel had hooked at the post, unlatched the gate, looked around, and went in.
“Did you see one?” he asked, jerking his head around, having seen movement along the side of the
house. But it was laundry, hung out to dry, being whipped by the wind.
“No, nothing,” Philip reported. The overly pesky goats that normally roamed freely in the yard were not in
sight.
Daniel was waiting at his doorway with hands on hips when Jesus saw him.
“Shalom! Shalom!” Daniel called out.
Jesus lifted his hand in greeting. A boy and a girl came from a small shed in the yard, the two goats in tow.
As soon as the goats saw the visitors, they sprang into action.
“Jacob, tie them up!” Daniel hollered.
Jesus’ good friend was a tall, thin man. Thirty years old, he was three years older than Esther, his wife, and
the same age as Jesus. Daniel’s dark brown hair was short, three inches above the top of his shoulders,
parted in the middle, sides tucked behind his ears. His beard was trimmed short, as was his mustache. His
hazel eyes were large and deeply set. Smile wrinkles on both sides of his eyes were the markings of a
character who saw humor in life and shared it openly and often. He wore his wife’s handiwork: loose, ankle-
high, natural-wool trousers beneath a short tunic of soft, brown and tan striped weave.
As his visitors came closer, Daniel called out, “Welcome, Rabbi!”
Jesus nodded, ignoring the sarcasm. “Daniel, I have come for another visit,” he said as he drew up to him.
Daniel noticed the weariness in his voice. They hugged and exchanged kisses on both cheeks. Daniel
remembered Philip and already knew Nathanael, who was from Cana.
“Philip, Nathanael, good to see you again,” he said, as he ushered all three inside. “Where are the others?”
Jesus explained that the men from Capernaum—John, Andrew and Simon—had returned to their fishing
business after the Passover Feast in Jerusalem.
Esther joined them near the door. She welcomed Jesus and his friends, saying that they had already eaten
but that she could get a meal ready with only a little effort.
Esther was a small-boned woman whom Daniel towered over. Her jet-black hair was drawn back into a
braid that was twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck. She did not wear a veil with just her husband in
her home, but she had quickly found one and put it on when the men arrived.
She could do amazing things with fabrics. She was known for making fine curtains that were used for room
dividers and doors. She also made coverings for pallets, couches and pillows. She hired other women to
help her, getting them to weave fabric in their homes beyond their own family’s needs. Esther and Daniel
ran a small shop in Cana. Her creations were sold in Cana, villages in Galilee, port cities, and Jerusalem.
Today she wore a beautiful lavender-blue tunic with four quilted panels that hung from shoulder to below
the waist, and a matching veil.
A lovely person inside and out, Esther was expecting her third child.
“Are you hungry?” she asked Jesus.
“We are,” he answered. “We’ve eaten very little since leaving Sychar.”
“Samaria?” Daniel asked in surprise.
“Yes. Actually, we ate like kings in Samaria,” Jesus said.
“You’ll have to tell us all about your adventures. That’s a good distance from here, so you must be
famished,” Esther said as she walked to the pantry.
They had plenty of food, she told them. She had shopped that morning, and she had baked that afternoon.
Jesus followed her while she talked. He stood just inside the narrow archway as she took food from the
shelves.
Her daughter, Abigail, came up to Jesus, pulled on his clothes and asked if he would tell her and Jacob a
story like the last time when he’d come.
“Don’t bother him, now, child, he’s tired,” Esther said to her daughter.
Jesus gave Abigail an affirmative nod and a smile, and she ran off to tell her brother.
“Can you and your friends stay with us while you’re in Cana?” Esther asked.
“We had looked forward to that possibility,” he answered.
As Jesus and his companions ate, they talked about their recent experiences in Judea and Samaria.
Daniel told Jesus how everyone in Cana still talked about the wedding wine.
“I have never tasted such wonderful wine!” Daniel remarked. “Everyone in town has had a share of it since
then. Ben had so much left over, he had to give it away!” Daniel leaned closer to Jesus, saying, “People
say you made the wine from water.”
Jesus said nothing. He continued selecting almonds from the bowl Esther had set out.
Leaning back against his pillows, Daniel continued, “We had two vessels of it. We drank it all or I’d offer
you some now. Say . . .”
He looked up and called across the room to his wife, who was just entering the room, “Esther, go fetch us
some water, will you? With Jesus here—I’d like some more of that good wine he makes.”
Esther’s face paled. She had believed the story, but she knew that Daniel had not.
Jesus said nothing, but he noticed Esther’s embarrassment. Nathanael and Philip looked at each other,
unsure of what to do or say.
Daniel, with hands brought up behind his head, leaned back and asked Jesus, “So, how were you able to
get so much wine brought in to the wedding after they ran out? Truly, now, how did you get all that wine?”
At that moment, Abigail plopped herself down beside Jesus and took a handful of almonds and dropped
them into her lap. Jesus took hold of her hair and pulled it back from her face as she ate them one at a
time.
Daniel said, “Abigail, ask Jesus how he made so much wine.”
Abigail looked up at Jesus and said, “Mama put a lot of water in it.”
“Of course she did,” Jesus said. “Did you like it?”
“Hmmm. Hmmm,” Abigail answered.
Jesus looked up at his friend then and said, “Did you like it, Daniel?”
“I did. But where did you get it is the question at hand,” he answered.
Jesus looked at Daniel and said, “The truth is, a prophet has no honor in his own country.”
“A prophet? Oh, I see. So, my friend is a prophet. It will take a while for that to sink in.”
“Take your time,” Jesus said, “when you come around, I’ll have you making wine from water too.”
They all wondered if he meant it, but Jesus had started laughing, so no one really knew.
They all retired early, but not until after story time with the children.
Jesus and his two disciples slept on floor mats spread out in the main living area. Typical in most homes,
these slipcovered pallets of wool, straw, or rags were used for guests and for traveling.
Jesus taught in Cana as he did in other towns and villages. He began his talks the same way for many
weeks: “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near.” He gave the people hope that a new time had arrived—a
time of favor and blessing. He told them that the time that Israel had been waiting for had come.
Each day, after teaching in Cana, Jesus and his disciples returned to Daniel’s house. Early one evening,
just after supper, they heard the bell clang at the gate. The men were reclining on pillows around the table
conversing.
Daniel made his way to the gate to greet his visitor.
The man was a royal official from Capernaum, whose face and manner spoke of urgency. He asked if the
teacher, Jesus from Nazareth, was there. Word had spread to Capernaum that he was in Cana. After
inquiring around the town, the man had found someone who had seen him go into Daniel’s house. Now,
standing before Daniel, he asked to see Jesus.
Daniel turned to get Jesus, but he was already halfway down the stone path to the gate. “There is a man
here from Capernaum. He wants to see you,” Daniel said.
Jesus looked at the man who stood at the gate and went to him. Jesus opened the gate and stepped
outside of it while the man asked him if he was Jesus of Nazareth.
“Yes, what do you want?”
The man begged Jesus to come and heal his son, who was close to death.
People from Cana clustered around the official, having followed him when they heard he was looking for
Jesus.
Looking at the crowd, Jesus said, “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never
believe.”
Jesus had so much more he wanted to give people. He had gone into town to teach, but he hadn’t drawn a
crowd this size all day. Yet the same people would flock to him in order to see something sensational
happen.
The official pressed him on the one thing he had come for. “Sir, come down to Capernaum before my son
dies.”
Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.”
The man believed him and went home. He was met on his way with the news that his son’s fever left at the
same time Jesus had given him his word.
When the official left, Jesus turned to go back through the gate. Daniel opened it for him and stepped
aside. He looked at Jesus with wonder as he passed in front of him. As they entered the house, Jesus
announced, “I would like to leave for Nazareth in the morning.”
Jesus and his two disciples arrived in Nazareth early the next day, having been given a ride in a wagon by
an elderly man who knew him. When they arrived, Mary had three small grandchildren with her on a walk to
the market. Immediately, there was a great reunion in front of a vegetable stand.
The next day was the Sabbath. Jesus went to the synagogue, not as an invited guest and teacher, as had
been the case in other towns, but because it was his regular practice. It was a normal Sabbath day, but
because word had spread that Jesus had come home, the synagogue was packed full.
When people greeted him near the entrance, they exclaimed that they had heard incredible things about
him. Someone asked if he had, indeed, been healing people. There was a barrage of questions. Was he
part of the Baptist’s activities? Who were these men with him? Was it true he had performed miracles? Was
he returning to Nazareth to stay? Would he teach here? Jesus said nothing except the typical greeting,
“Shabbat Shalom,” and made his way inside. He greeted each of his relatives and neighbors by name and,
according to custom, kissed them on both cheeks.
Seeing Jesus come in, the rabbi asked to have a word with him, and Jesus agreed. Taking Jesus aside, the
rabbi said, “Some of my most respected friends in Jerusalem have asked me about you. They did not have
good things to say and nearly wore me out with questions. Do you think you are going to come here and
make a large following for yourself?”
Jesus’ face showed no surprise or offense, nor did he answer the question.
The rabbi continued, “You will not teach in this synagogue. Just like your cousin, John, if you are not
careful, you will end up put away. That would bring shame on your father’s name and bring your poor
mother to an early grave. Did you know John was arrested?”
Jesus looked with kindness into the man’s eyes and said, “I know about John, his reward in heaven will be
great.”
“People are asking me to let you speak. You may read from the Scriptures today, nothing more. Do you
understand?”
Jesus replied, “Perfectly. I look forward to it.”
Some of the people were taking their places, some were milling about, but the entire synagogue was abuzz
with conversations when Jesus, his brothers and two disciples, seated themselves on the floor towards the
front of the synagogue’s large meeting room. When the rabbi entered the sanctuary, Jesus received a
stern look from him, reaffirming the conversation they’d just shared.
Jesus watched as several members of the synagogue took places of honor on the benches along the
perimeter walls. While they waited for the prayers to begin, they whispered among themselves.
Even though the synagogue service was liturgical, opening and closing with set readings and prayers,
there was provision for open discussion about the readings; during those discussions, people would
sometimes mill about.
After the chants and songs ended, an attendant stood and held out the scroll of Isaiah to the reader, who
was Jesus. He rose from his place, took the scroll from the attendant, and stepped up to the elevated dais,
called “the Chair of Moses,” where the Scriptures were read. There he sat down. Facing the gathering, he
took a deep breath and closed his eyes to pray. He looked up to the congregation of people he had known
all of his life. He thought of Patron and wondered exactly where he was, and how many angels besides him
were in the room. Jesus knew this to be an eternally historic moment.
He bent to kiss the scroll and then unrolled it until he found the right place. Lifting his voice, he read the
words to the congregation: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good
news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
He rolled up the scroll, kissed it again and gave it back to the attendant. The eyes of everyone in the
synagogue were fastened on him. As he sat down in his place on the floor, he lifted his voice again and
said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
People reacted at once. “Doesn’t he speak graciously?”
“Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
“He can’t say that!”
“Did you hear what he just said?!”
Several voices called out for some time until the rabbi called for everyone to be quiet, but it did little good.
Jesus stood up again and turned to face the congregation. In a stern voice, he said, “Surely you will quote
this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard you did in
Capernaum.’
He looked around the room during a lull, with an occasional accusation being shouted at him. Everyone
was straining to hear what else he had to say. In a lowered voice he said, “I tell you the truth, no prophet is
accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky
was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not
sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with
leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
Chaos erupted. Most of the men rushed at him, trampling those near him. They took him by force out of the
synagogue and drove him out of town.
His two disciples stood dumbfounded outside the synagogue doors, having been unable to pull his
attackers off of him. His brothers left for home arguing about what had just happened and why. Stunned,
the rest of the family of Joseph, including their mother, sisters, brothers-in-law, and children trailed behind
them.
James, the oldest of Jesus’ brothers, called out to Nathanael and Philip, “You better go with him, he’s made
everyone here go mad!” And so the disciples slowly walked in the direction the mob had gone with their
master.
Jesus’ family and disciples didn’t know it, but the angry mob, cursing all the way and spurred on by evil
spirits, drove Jesus to the edge of a high cliff, where they tried to kill him by pushing him off.
Patron caught him just as Jesus lost his footing. Within a split second, Jesus was back on both feet, in
charge of the moment. No one could touch him as he went on his way.
Two very frightened disciples met him on his way back.
Jesus said to them, “I know a cave where we can spend the rest of the Sabbath. Wait for me here. I won’t
be long.”
He turned from them and went to his house.
His disciples hadn’t seen what almost happened to him. While they waited, they saw the men of Nazareth
walk by. Many of them returned to the synagogue to discuss the events of the morning.
His brothers were arguing about what Jesus had said in the synagogue when he walked past them. He
went directly to his mother. She was in a small room on the second floor, used for weaving and sewing.
This was her favorite room to be alone in, away from the eyes of the rest of her family. Sunlight poured in
through the open window. She had fallen face down on top of a batting of wool. Standing in the doorway,
Jesus watched her quietly—his eyes filling with tears at the sight and sound of her muffled prayers.
“Adonai. Adonai. Have mercy, have mercy,” were the only words in between sobs.
Her face was buried in folded arms while Jesus quietly entered the room. She didn’t hear his footsteps. He
squatted down beside her and began to lightly stroke her back with his hand, lovingly running his fingers
along her spine.
“Jesus!” She rolled over and sat up, fully facing him.
“I must go,” he said.
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
“I will live in Capernaum—and travel from town to town. Have faith. Hmm?” He kissed the top of her head.
He stood, turned, and started walking away.
So many questions filled her mind; she wanted to ask him why he had deliberately made everyone angry at
the synagogue. On the other hand, she realized, the Scripture he read was the one about the Messiah. He
had said that it was being fulfilled—that he was the one anointed to preach good news.
“Jesus?” He was near the door.
He turned. “Yes?”
Suddenly, from deep within her spirit, the words he had proclaimed in the synagogue came pouring forth:
“Preach good news to the poor. Proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind.
Release the oppressed. Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Her affirmation flooded over him. He replied, “I will.”
With a loving nod, he turned and left. Her sorrow now joy, she watched him go.
On the way to Capernaum with his two disciples, Jesus reflected on the Scripture, “Land of Zebulun and
land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in
darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
This was another Scripture that he had come to fulfill. He would settle by the sea in the region of his
ancestors, the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and all around he would spread the Good News.
He had really liked Capernaum and looked forward to seeing the fishermen. He had missed
them.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Fishers of Men
Jesus walked directly to Capernaum’s fishing docks that extended for about a half a mile along the lake’s
northern shore. He knew just where to find Simon’s boat. These fishermen had been his first followers.
Now, he was back—to these shores, and to these men.
Simon and Andrew had waded out into the water with their large round net, and Simon was complaining
about a sharp rock he’d just encountered under his feet when Jesus stepped up to their dock.
It was the time of day when the fish came into the shallows to feed. Even though it was rocky and weedy
just off the docks, at certain times, the fishermen could catch more fish here than if they’d been out in the
middle of the lake for hours.
Andrew called out to Simon, “Come on, let’s just get the boat!” Then he turned around with that idea in
mind and saw Jesus coming to them, and then stopping at the end of their dock.
“Jesus!” he shouted. Immediately, Simon looked up from the net and saw him too.
Jesus called out to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men!”
They looked at each other and then back to him. He laughed at their reaction. Then, waving to them to
come with him, he turned away. He continued walking along the shore, going further up the rows of docks.
When he glanced back, both men were running to catch up with him.
Soon, he came to Simon’s and Andrew’s fishing partners.
Zebedee’s crew was busy cleaning seaweed out of their nets when John looked up to see Jesus on the
shoreline near their dock. Both Andrew and Simon were with him.
At once Jesus waved and called out, “John, James, come with me.” He didn’t wait to see their reaction, but
turned away and headed towards Simon’s house.
The two sons of Zebedee dropped their nets, jumped out of the docked boat, and left their father and his
hired men behind, shouting and hooting until they caught up with Jesus. Then, it was arms flung across
shoulders and hands ruffling hair!
They had a lot of catching up to do. At the house they found Philip and Nathanael already there. Philip, an
old friend of Simon’s family, had made himself at home inside. Nathanael was seated under a large, leafy
tree when Jesus and the others arrived.
It was a wonderful day! They all sat outside, in the shade of the tree, and Jesus told them everything that
had happened since he had parted from them in Jerusalem.
Jesus asked Simon what he thought: Could they use his boats for getting around in? Would he leave family
and home and travel with him? He asked the same of all of them. Since Jesus had become a well-known
itinerant preacher by this time, they were excited about his ideas.
The fishermen continued to fish, as well as help Jesus in his ministry—at least at first. Jesus knew that one
day they would no longer have time to fish. During the first few weeks, however, Jesus helped Zebedee
build a boat, and he often taught in the synagogue. Large and small groups would gather around him.
Often, he and the disciples traveled. They would set off in a boat or two, cross the lake to this or that town
or village, and then they’d return home, sometimes not returning for days or weeks.
One day, while Jesus was teaching in Capernaum’s synagogue, a man came in who was possessed by evil
spirits. Speaking through the man, the demons cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
Jesus called out, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
The demon shook the man violently and came out with a shriek. The people who saw this were amazed,
and said, “What’s this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they
obey him!”
After Jesus left the synagogue that day, he returned to Simon’s house to find that Tierza, Simon’s mother-
in-law, was sick in bed. Her fever was high and had come upon her suddenly. When Jesus was told about
it, he went to her. He entered her room, walked to her bedside and bent over her.
“Tierza,” he said, full of compassion. Without another word he touched her hand and the fever left her
instantly. She got up and immediately cooked and served a meal.
After that day, there was no doubt about Jesus in Tierza’s mind: Mary’s son was more than an ordinary
man. She believed everything Mary had confided to her about him—that he would be king one day, that he
was the Promised One—and Tierza was, from that time forward, wholly devoted to him.
One day, while Jesus was inside Simon’s house, many people gathered in and around the home, leaving
no way in even in spite of several roofed rooms that clustered around a large open courtyard. It had been
raining intermittently that day, and so Jesus was teaching inside, in the largest of the rooms. It just
happened to have an outside wall, and a window, facing the road.
Determined to bring their paralyzed friend to the Healer, the invalid’s four friends looked through the
window, saw exactly where Jesus stood, and then climbed up onto the roof just above him. It was no small
effort to hoist the stretcher, and their friend who was securely tied to it, up there. Then the four young men
tore open Simon’s roof and lowered their friend on his stretcher down through the roof.
Jesus stopped speaking and looked up when he heard noise above his head. While a good-sized hole
opened up, he stepped back to avoid being hit by falling chunks of hard mud and debris. With his arms
crossed over his chest, Jesus watched in happy amazement. The faith, persistence, and ingenuity of the
four friends involved impressed him so much that it became something he talked about often in future
teachings.
When the paralytic on the stretcher looked into the face of Jesus, he was not prepared for what the Healer
said and did. No one was.
Jesus forgave his sins.
There were teachers of the law in the crowd, and when they heard Jesus’ words of forgiveness, they
thought to themselves, This fellow is blaspheming!
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Which is easier to say, ‘Get up and walk,’ or ‘Your sins are forgiven?’”
It was by the power of God that Jesus did both. In fact, it was by the power of God that Jesus could lay bare
their private thoughts.
The forgiven man walked out of Simon’s house.
Filled with the power and authority of Heaven, Jesus’ deeds continued to amaze everyone. As weeks rolled
by, the disciples were sometimes traveling with him and other times fishing. It was during one of the times
they were fishing that Jesus gave them a wonderful lesson.
They were in Capernaum, washing and mending their nets on the shore. A great crowd of people had
come to hear Jesus speak and so he jumped aboard Simon’s boat and asked him to move the vessel a
little off shore and, when Simon did so, Jesus preached from the bow. After he finished speaking, he
dismissed the crowd. Then he said to Simon: “Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”
Simon looked at Jesus, who settled himself comfortably on a seat, ready to go fishing.
Shaking his head, Simon voiced his doubts. “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught
anything. But because you say so, I’ll let down the nets.”
Jesus happily nodded at Simon’s willingness and then looked out to sea.
On Simon’s part, there was no thought in his head to prove Jesus wrong. He simply obeyed. As the nets
broke the water’s surface, Simon heard the sound of hundreds of flopping fish. He would never forget the
sound of it. And the weight of them! Never had he had to work so hard to pull in a net of fish. The miracle
made him weak, and not just from the weight of the fish. This was far more significant to Simon than Jesus’
miracle of turning water into wine. Fishing was what he knew about. Fishing was Simon’s life.
But Simon took charge of the moment, regardless of the awe that had taken hold of his soul. First, he saw
that the nets were about to break and he signaled to his partners in the other boat to hurry. The other boat
hadn’t reached the deeper water yet. Simon and Jesus had all they could do to hold the nets close to the
side of the boat until help came. Then all of the men, working together, filled both boats.
When the fish were hauled in, Simon stared at Jesus as he stood at the opposite end of his boat. Their
soaking-wet clothing hung on them. Simon hadn’t had time to take his clothes off, his usual practice when
ready to pull in a net. While Simon looked at Jesus in awe, Jesus was looking at the men in the other boat,
laughing softly while he watched the men’s reactions that were still going on. The men were trying to get
both of the boats, full of fish, balanced. When Jesus felt Simon’s stare of astonishment, he looked back at
him—Jesus loved him with his eyes.
This miracle was for Simon, and Simon knew it.
The fisherman knelt down, bowed his head, and began to weep.
Seeing this, Jesus carefully waded through the fish to the trembling man who now refused to look up at
him. Jesus placed a hand on Simon’s bowed shoulder.
“Simon.”
Simon would not look up.
And so Jesus squatted down by him in the midst of the squirming fish.
“Lord, go away from me. I’m a sinful man,” Simon begged, still unable to look at Jesus.
Jesus put his arm around him and squeezed him close. “Don’t be afraid, from now on it will be men that you
catch.”
And when Simon heard this, he knew it was true. He would give up everything for his Master—if Jesus said
he’d fish for men, then that’s exactly what he’d do.
The other disciples were just as astounded as was Simon by the miracle. It was as though Jesus had called
these fish of the sea to come to him, and now here they were—first in their nets, and now in their boats.
And so it was at this juncture in their lives as fishermen that they pulled their boats up on shore, left
everything and went fully into the ministry of the kingdom of God. From then on, these followers of Jesus
were fishers of men—and men only.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Living Water
Jesus, Philip, and Nathanael reached Sychar, which had been called Shechem in the days of old. Here was
the ancient well of Jacob, which still provided clear, fresh water.
Jesus was exhausted in body and soul. He had eaten very little since the news of John’s arrest. It was
about six o’clock in the evening when they came to the well, which was also a place where three major
roads crossed. Thirsty and hungry from their long journey, they were traveling across the upper, rich plain
of Samaria. Twin mountains Gerizim and Ebal enclosed the winding valley on its northern end, and Jacob’s
well was near Mount Gerizim. The three of them had, for miles, anticipated drinking the well’s water.
Now a Samaritan town, the well was near the small plot of ground that Israel’s patriarch, Jacob, had given
to his son Joseph. The well went deep—through limestone—to one hundred and fifty feet below ground
level. The success of reaching a deep source of excellent water became the very sustenance of life for his
family; and in Jacob’s time, it was the only well for great distances. At that time, Jacob’s Amorite neighbors
had many springs to drink from, but Jacob’s own well offered him a strife-free life without the need to
contend with the herdsmen around him. It was, therefore, a symbol of the covenant between God and
Jacob that God would take care of him. This well had been part of that covenant blessing.The three weary
and hungry travelers were disappointed when they arrived at the historic well because there was nothing
with which to draw up water. They felt unwelcome. They were strangers at a well that had once belonged to
their people.
The Samaritans were of mixed genealogy and culture. They were descendants of Jacob, but also of the
various peoples who had settled and lived in the land after the Jews were driven from it. The Samaritans
were, therefore, descendants of both Jewish and foreign blood, and had mixed beliefs. This was Samaritan
land—and it was their well.
The disciples looked to Jesus for direction.
He sighed and looked down the road that led to Sychar. He said, “Go into town and buy what we need. I’ll
wait for you here.”
They left him and went into town.
Jesus was relieved to have a prayerful resting time with his Father. Within only minutes, however, he heard
someone approaching. Looking up, he saw a woman coming to the well to draw water. She had a leather
bag draped over one arm, and with her other arm she balanced a large clay vessel at the top of her
head.
Jesus removed the prayer shawl from his head.
When she drew close, she saw that he had a gentle face. His nose was long and thin. High cheekbones, a
full, long, trimmed beard; she guessed he was in his thirties. No trace of gray hair. His brown hair stopped
at his shoulders on the sides; it was longer in the back, and disappeared beneath his prayer shawl. His
complexion was dark—a weathered face, she assumed. His frame was quite thin. His clothes were that of a
typical Jew, of a commoner. When she had first seen him, before he looked up at her, he’d been holding
the four cornered Tzitzit tassels of his prayer shawl, which he had gathered together in one hand. From
what she knew about this custom, she guessed that he was praying.
When he looked up at her, she noticed smile wrinkles by his eyes. He had a pleasant expression and she
felt strangely attracted to him but, at the same time, unnerved by his glance.
She supposed that it was probably how she would feel towards any eligible man not from this town; but she
imagined that he was like all the rest and she would do well to ignore him. She watched him, noting his
Jewish attire, and grew nervous. It was not the custom for a Jew and a Samaritan to speak to each other—
for any reason. But she decided that she was not about to turn and go back without water. Her dislike for
men was another factor; and, so, she was relieved that the stranger wasn’t anyone she knew. For that
matter, she chose to draw water at this time of the day, hoping to avoid seeing anyone.
To her surprise, he stood when she stepped up to the opposite side of the well. She fumbled with the sticks
and the leather bag. She stretched the sticks crisscrossing them inside the mouth of the bag to keep it
open. All the while she felt Jesus watching her with interest. Glancing back at him, she took the rope that
was there, knotted it to the bag’s handles, and lowered the contraption into the well. At the sound of the
plunging bag, Jesus spoke.
“Will you give me a drink?”
Surprised, she said, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”
Jesus didn’t answer at first, and his thoughts went deep, along with the bag down in the well. He heard the
sound of water echoing in the well’s depths. He knew everything about the woman standing across from
him. He knew her heart: her aching loneliness, and her dashed hopes for acceptance and real love.
The woman’s nervous smile showed straight, beautiful teeth. Long strands of hair danced freely in the
breeze around her face, having come loose from her headscarf that was tight around her forehead. Her
veil that covered the scarf was faded and worn. Her dark, round eyes had puffy circles under them, and
Jesus knew her life was one of survival, and was far from being a blessed one.
He closed his eyes for a long blink, breathed deeply, and looked at her. He said, “If you knew the gift of
God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living
water.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Sir,” she answered, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where
can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it
himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
He said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will
never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Sarcastically, she replied, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here
to draw water.”
Jesus half smiled. He knew the woman thought he was out of his mind. He looked down the road towards
the town and leaned against the well. A noise sounded from her efforts of pulling the filled water bag up
against the limestone walls. He watched her hands and the rope as she worked.
After a few moments passed, he said, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
Surprised, she looked away, then she said, “I have no husband.” At first she wondered if he was trying to
find out if she was available for his own interests. Goodness, was a Jew interested in her? She guessed
that she was somewhat older than him. With a little further thought, she dismissed that idea. He was too
“religious” looking—after all, he’d been praying just before he’d seen her approaching the well.
She pulled harder on the rope and brought up the filled water bag.
Jesus said, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands,
and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
At this point, her heart jumped and she clung to the bag of water. “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.”
She wanted to run. His penetrating look bothered her. What else did he know? Taking the focus off of
herself, she asked about the age-old argument that separated her people from his. She said to him, “Our
fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in
Jerusalem.”
Jesus smiled. “Believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor
in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is
from the Jews. Yet a time is coming, and has now come, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must
worship in spirit and in truth.”
She poured the water into her clay jar while considering his amazing, yet puzzling words. When she
straightened, she said, “I know the Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
At this, Jesus’ eyes brightened. He said, “I who speak to you am he.”
Astonished, she stared back at him.
He nodded in response, reaffirming that what he just said was really true. Then, seeing she believed him,
he amiably looked at her without saying another word.
He didn’t judge or condemn her, even though he’d clearly laid her life bare. In fact, he liked her; she could
see it on his face.
Jesus’ disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman, but they didn’t ask him why.
They saw that something had transpired between the two of them. It was apparent on both of their faces.
Then, leaving her water bag and clay pot behind, the woman ran back to town and announced to as many
people as she could find, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Anointed
One, the Messiah?”
Jesus was deeply blessed that he had suddenly made Jacob’s ancient well a place to proclaim a new,
covenant blessing. The incident was so satisfying to him that when his disciples offered him food, he
refused it. It wasn’t long before he saw people coming towards him from the town, with her in the lead. Her
hands were flying in gestures as she talked and the crowd could hardly keep in step with her. Delighted by
the sight, Jesus thought to himself, Here comes a woman who was unwilling to show her face to anyone.
Now she’s bringing back the town!
The people of Sychar opened their hearts and their homes to him. After teaching and staying with them for
a couple of days, he and his two disciples set off again for Galilee.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Good News
Night was falling when Jesus and his two disciples arrived at Daniel’s home in Cana, a cottage situated on
the northern edge of town. It was a small place and had a tall fieldstone wall enclosing the property. Jesus
rang the bell that Daniel had hooked at the post, unlatched the gate, looked around, and went in.
“Did you see one?” he asked, jerking his head around, having seen movement along the side of the
house. But it was laundry, hung out to dry, being whipped by the wind.
“No, nothing,” Philip reported. The overly pesky goats that normally roamed freely in the yard were not in
sight.
Daniel was waiting at his doorway with hands on hips when Jesus saw him.
“Shalom! Shalom!” Daniel called out.
Jesus lifted his hand in greeting. A boy and a girl came from a small shed in the yard, the two goats in tow.
As soon as the goats saw the visitors, they sprang into action.
“Jacob, tie them up!” Daniel hollered.
Jesus’ good friend was a tall, thin man. Thirty years old, he was three years older than Esther, his wife, and
the same age as Jesus. Daniel’s dark brown hair was short, three inches above the top of his shoulders,
parted in the middle, sides tucked behind his ears. His beard was trimmed short, as was his mustache. His
hazel eyes were large and deeply set. Smile wrinkles on both sides of his eyes were the markings of a
character who saw humor in life and shared it openly and often. He wore his wife’s handiwork: loose, ankle-
high, natural-wool trousers beneath a short tunic of soft, brown and tan striped weave.
As his visitors came closer, Daniel called out, “Welcome, Rabbi!”
Jesus nodded, ignoring the sarcasm. “Daniel, I have come for another visit,” he said as he drew up to him.
Daniel noticed the weariness in his voice. They hugged and exchanged kisses on both cheeks. Daniel
remembered Philip and already knew Nathanael, who was from Cana.
“Philip, Nathanael, good to see you again,” he said, as he ushered all three inside. “Where are the others?”
Jesus explained that the men from Capernaum—John, Andrew and Simon—had returned to their fishing
business after the Passover Feast in Jerusalem.
Esther joined them near the door. She welcomed Jesus and his friends, saying that they had already eaten
but that she could get a meal ready with only a little effort.
Esther was a small-boned woman whom Daniel towered over. Her jet-black hair was drawn back into a
braid that was twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck. She did not wear a veil with just her husband in
her home, but she had quickly found one and put it on when the men arrived.
She could do amazing things with fabrics. She was known for making fine curtains that were used for room
dividers and doors. She also made coverings for pallets, couches and pillows. She hired other women to
help her, getting them to weave fabric in their homes beyond their own family’s needs. Esther and Daniel
ran a small shop in Cana. Her creations were sold in Cana, villages in Galilee, port cities, and Jerusalem.
Today she wore a beautiful lavender-blue tunic with four quilted panels that hung from shoulder to below
the waist, and a matching veil.
A lovely person inside and out, Esther was expecting her third child.
“Are you hungry?” she asked Jesus.
“We are,” he answered. “We’ve eaten very little since leaving Sychar.”
“Samaria?” Daniel asked in surprise.
“Yes. Actually, we ate like kings in Samaria,” Jesus said.
“You’ll have to tell us all about your adventures. That’s a good distance from here, so you must be
famished,” Esther said as she walked to the pantry.
They had plenty of food, she told them. She had shopped that morning, and she had baked that afternoon.
Jesus followed her while she talked. He stood just inside the narrow archway as she took food from the
shelves.
Her daughter, Abigail, came up to Jesus, pulled on his clothes and asked if he would tell her and Jacob a
story like the last time when he’d come.
“Don’t bother him, now, child, he’s tired,” Esther said to her daughter.
Jesus gave Abigail an affirmative nod and a smile, and she ran off to tell her brother.
“Can you and your friends stay with us while you’re in Cana?” Esther asked.
“We had looked forward to that possibility,” he answered.
As Jesus and his companions ate, they talked about their recent experiences in Judea and Samaria.
Daniel told Jesus how everyone in Cana still talked about the wedding wine.
“I have never tasted such wonderful wine!” Daniel remarked. “Everyone in town has had a share of it since
then. Ben had so much left over, he had to give it away!” Daniel leaned closer to Jesus, saying, “People
say you made the wine from water.”
Jesus said nothing. He continued selecting almonds from the bowl Esther had set out.
Leaning back against his pillows, Daniel continued, “We had two vessels of it. We drank it all or I’d offer
you some now. Say . . .”
He looked up and called across the room to his wife, who was just entering the room, “Esther, go fetch us
some water, will you? With Jesus here—I’d like some more of that good wine he makes.”
Esther’s face paled. She had believed the story, but she knew that Daniel had not.
Jesus said nothing, but he noticed Esther’s embarrassment. Nathanael and Philip looked at each other,
unsure of what to do or say.
Daniel, with hands brought up behind his head, leaned back and asked Jesus, “So, how were you able to
get so much wine brought in to the wedding after they ran out? Truly, now, how did you get all that wine?”
At that moment, Abigail plopped herself down beside Jesus and took a handful of almonds and dropped
them into her lap. Jesus took hold of her hair and pulled it back from her face as she ate them one at a
time.
Daniel said, “Abigail, ask Jesus how he made so much wine.”
Abigail looked up at Jesus and said, “Mama put a lot of water in it.”
“Of course she did,” Jesus said. “Did you like it?”
“Hmmm. Hmmm,” Abigail answered.
Jesus looked up at his friend then and said, “Did you like it, Daniel?”
“I did. But where did you get it is the question at hand,” he answered.
Jesus looked at Daniel and said, “The truth is, a prophet has no honor in his own country.”
“A prophet? Oh, I see. So, my friend is a prophet. It will take a while for that to sink in.”
“Take your time,” Jesus said, “when you come around, I’ll have you making wine from water too.”
They all wondered if he meant it, but Jesus had started laughing, so no one really knew.
They all retired early, but not until after story time with the children.
Jesus and his two disciples slept on floor mats spread out in the main living area. Typical in most homes,
these slipcovered pallets of wool, straw, or rags were used for guests and for traveling.
Jesus taught in Cana as he did in other towns and villages. He began his talks the same way for many
weeks: “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near.” He gave the people hope that a new time had arrived—a
time of favor and blessing. He told them that the time that Israel had been waiting for had come.
Each day, after teaching in Cana, Jesus and his disciples returned to Daniel’s house. Early one evening,
just after supper, they heard the bell clang at the gate. The men were reclining on pillows around the table
conversing.
Daniel made his way to the gate to greet his visitor.
The man was a royal official from Capernaum, whose face and manner spoke of urgency. He asked if the
teacher, Jesus from Nazareth, was there. Word had spread to Capernaum that he was in Cana. After
inquiring around the town, the man had found someone who had seen him go into Daniel’s house. Now,
standing before Daniel, he asked to see Jesus.
Daniel turned to get Jesus, but he was already halfway down the stone path to the gate. “There is a man
here from Capernaum. He wants to see you,” Daniel said.
Jesus looked at the man who stood at the gate and went to him. Jesus opened the gate and stepped
outside of it while the man asked him if he was Jesus of Nazareth.
“Yes, what do you want?”
The man begged Jesus to come and heal his son, who was close to death.
People from Cana clustered around the official, having followed him when they heard he was looking for
Jesus.
Looking at the crowd, Jesus said, “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never
believe.”
Jesus had so much more he wanted to give people. He had gone into town to teach, but he hadn’t drawn a
crowd this size all day. Yet the same people would flock to him in order to see something sensational
happen.
The official pressed him on the one thing he had come for. “Sir, come down to Capernaum before my son
dies.”
Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.”
The man believed him and went home. He was met on his way with the news that his son’s fever left at the
same time Jesus had given him his word.
When the official left, Jesus turned to go back through the gate. Daniel opened it for him and stepped
aside. He looked at Jesus with wonder as he passed in front of him. As they entered the house, Jesus
announced, “I would like to leave for Nazareth in the morning.”
Jesus and his two disciples arrived in Nazareth early the next day, having been given a ride in a wagon by
an elderly man who knew him. When they arrived, Mary had three small grandchildren with her on a walk to
the market. Immediately, there was a great reunion in front of a vegetable stand.
The next day was the Sabbath. Jesus went to the synagogue, not as an invited guest and teacher, as had
been the case in other towns, but because it was his regular practice. It was a normal Sabbath day, but
because word had spread that Jesus had come home, the synagogue was packed full.
When people greeted him near the entrance, they exclaimed that they had heard incredible things about
him. Someone asked if he had, indeed, been healing people. There was a barrage of questions. Was he
part of the Baptist’s activities? Who were these men with him? Was it true he had performed miracles? Was
he returning to Nazareth to stay? Would he teach here? Jesus said nothing except the typical greeting,
“Shabbat Shalom,” and made his way inside. He greeted each of his relatives and neighbors by name and,
according to custom, kissed them on both cheeks.
Seeing Jesus come in, the rabbi asked to have a word with him, and Jesus agreed. Taking Jesus aside, the
rabbi said, “Some of my most respected friends in Jerusalem have asked me about you. They did not have
good things to say and nearly wore me out with questions. Do you think you are going to come here and
make a large following for yourself?”
Jesus’ face showed no surprise or offense, nor did he answer the question.
The rabbi continued, “You will not teach in this synagogue. Just like your cousin, John, if you are not
careful, you will end up put away. That would bring shame on your father’s name and bring your poor
mother to an early grave. Did you know John was arrested?”
Jesus looked with kindness into the man’s eyes and said, “I know about John, his reward in heaven will be
great.”
“People are asking me to let you speak. You may read from the Scriptures today, nothing more. Do you
understand?”
Jesus replied, “Perfectly. I look forward to it.”
Some of the people were taking their places, some were milling about, but the entire synagogue was abuzz
with conversations when Jesus, his brothers and two disciples, seated themselves on the floor towards the
front of the synagogue’s large meeting room. When the rabbi entered the sanctuary, Jesus received a
stern look from him, reaffirming the conversation they’d just shared.
Jesus watched as several members of the synagogue took places of honor on the benches along the
perimeter walls. While they waited for the prayers to begin, they whispered among themselves.
Even though the synagogue service was liturgical, opening and closing with set readings and prayers,
there was provision for open discussion about the readings; during those discussions, people would
sometimes mill about.
After the chants and songs ended, an attendant stood and held out the scroll of Isaiah to the reader, who
was Jesus. He rose from his place, took the scroll from the attendant, and stepped up to the elevated dais,
called “the Chair of Moses,” where the Scriptures were read. There he sat down. Facing the gathering, he
took a deep breath and closed his eyes to pray. He looked up to the congregation of people he had known
all of his life. He thought of Patron and wondered exactly where he was, and how many angels besides him
were in the room. Jesus knew this to be an eternally historic moment.
He bent to kiss the scroll and then unrolled it until he found the right place. Lifting his voice, he read the
words to the congregation: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good
news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
He rolled up the scroll, kissed it again and gave it back to the attendant. The eyes of everyone in the
synagogue were fastened on him. As he sat down in his place on the floor, he lifted his voice again and
said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
People reacted at once. “Doesn’t he speak graciously?”
“Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
“He can’t say that!”
“Did you hear what he just said?!”
Several voices called out for some time until the rabbi called for everyone to be quiet, but it did little good.
Jesus stood up again and turned to face the congregation. In a stern voice, he said, “Surely you will quote
this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard you did in
Capernaum.’
He looked around the room during a lull, with an occasional accusation being shouted at him. Everyone
was straining to hear what else he had to say. In a lowered voice he said, “I tell you the truth, no prophet is
accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky
was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not
sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with
leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
Chaos erupted. Most of the men rushed at him, trampling those near him. They took him by force out of the
synagogue and drove him out of town.
His two disciples stood dumbfounded outside the synagogue doors, having been unable to pull his
attackers off of him. His brothers left for home arguing about what had just happened and why. Stunned,
the rest of the family of Joseph, including their mother, sisters, brothers-in-law, and children trailed behind
them.
James, the oldest of Jesus’ brothers, called out to Nathanael and Philip, “You better go with him, he’s made
everyone here go mad!” And so the disciples slowly walked in the direction the mob had gone with their
master.
Jesus’ family and disciples didn’t know it, but the angry mob, cursing all the way and spurred on by evil
spirits, drove Jesus to the edge of a high cliff, where they tried to kill him by pushing him off.
Patron caught him just as Jesus lost his footing. Within a split second, Jesus was back on both feet, in
charge of the moment. No one could touch him as he went on his way.
Two very frightened disciples met him on his way back.
Jesus said to them, “I know a cave where we can spend the rest of the Sabbath. Wait for me here. I won’t
be long.”
He turned from them and went to his house.
His disciples hadn’t seen what almost happened to him. While they waited, they saw the men of Nazareth
walk by. Many of them returned to the synagogue to discuss the events of the morning.
His brothers were arguing about what Jesus had said in the synagogue when he walked past them. He
went directly to his mother. She was in a small room on the second floor, used for weaving and sewing.
This was her favorite room to be alone in, away from the eyes of the rest of her family. Sunlight poured in
through the open window. She had fallen face down on top of a batting of wool. Standing in the doorway,
Jesus watched her quietly—his eyes filling with tears at the sight and sound of her muffled prayers.
“Adonai. Adonai. Have mercy, have mercy,” were the only words in between sobs.
Her face was buried in folded arms while Jesus quietly entered the room. She didn’t hear his footsteps. He
squatted down beside her and began to lightly stroke her back with his hand, lovingly running his fingers
along her spine.
“Jesus!” She rolled over and sat up, fully facing him.
“I must go,” he said.
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
“I will live in Capernaum—and travel from town to town. Have faith. Hmm?” He kissed the top of her head.
He stood, turned, and started walking away.
So many questions filled her mind; she wanted to ask him why he had deliberately made everyone angry at
the synagogue. On the other hand, she realized, the Scripture he read was the one about the Messiah. He
had said that it was being fulfilled—that he was the one anointed to preach good news.
“Jesus?” He was near the door.
He turned. “Yes?”
Suddenly, from deep within her spirit, the words he had proclaimed in the synagogue came pouring forth:
“Preach good news to the poor. Proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind.
Release the oppressed. Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Her affirmation flooded over him. He replied, “I will.”
With a loving nod, he turned and left. Her sorrow now joy, she watched him go.
On the way to Capernaum with his two disciples, Jesus reflected on the Scripture, “Land of Zebulun and
land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in
darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
This was another Scripture that he had come to fulfill. He would settle by the sea in the region of his
ancestors, the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and all around he would spread the Good News.
He had really liked Capernaum and looked forward to seeing the fishermen. He had missed
them.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Fishers of Men
Jesus walked directly to Capernaum’s fishing docks that extended for about a half a mile along the lake’s
northern shore. He knew just where to find Simon’s boat. These fishermen had been his first followers.
Now, he was back—to these shores, and to these men.
Simon and Andrew had waded out into the water with their large round net, and Simon was complaining
about a sharp rock he’d just encountered under his feet when Jesus stepped up to their dock.
It was the time of day when the fish came into the shallows to feed. Even though it was rocky and weedy
just off the docks, at certain times, the fishermen could catch more fish here than if they’d been out in the
middle of the lake for hours.
Andrew called out to Simon, “Come on, let’s just get the boat!” Then he turned around with that idea in
mind and saw Jesus coming to them, and then stopping at the end of their dock.
“Jesus!” he shouted. Immediately, Simon looked up from the net and saw him too.
Jesus called out to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men!”
They looked at each other and then back to him. He laughed at their reaction. Then, waving to them to
come with him, he turned away. He continued walking along the shore, going further up the rows of docks.
When he glanced back, both men were running to catch up with him.
Soon, he came to Simon’s and Andrew’s fishing partners.
Zebedee’s crew was busy cleaning seaweed out of their nets when John looked up to see Jesus on the
shoreline near their dock. Both Andrew and Simon were with him.
At once Jesus waved and called out, “John, James, come with me.” He didn’t wait to see their reaction, but
turned away and headed towards Simon’s house.
The two sons of Zebedee dropped their nets, jumped out of the docked boat, and left their father and his
hired men behind, shouting and hooting until they caught up with Jesus. Then, it was arms flung across
shoulders and hands ruffling hair!
They had a lot of catching up to do. At the house they found Philip and Nathanael already there. Philip, an
old friend of Simon’s family, had made himself at home inside. Nathanael was seated under a large, leafy
tree when Jesus and the others arrived.
It was a wonderful day! They all sat outside, in the shade of the tree, and Jesus told them everything that
had happened since he had parted from them in Jerusalem.
Jesus asked Simon what he thought: Could they use his boats for getting around in? Would he leave family
and home and travel with him? He asked the same of all of them. Since Jesus had become a well-known
itinerant preacher by this time, they were excited about his ideas.
The fishermen continued to fish, as well as help Jesus in his ministry—at least at first. Jesus knew that one
day they would no longer have time to fish. During the first few weeks, however, Jesus helped Zebedee
build a boat, and he often taught in the synagogue. Large and small groups would gather around him.
Often, he and the disciples traveled. They would set off in a boat or two, cross the lake to this or that town
or village, and then they’d return home, sometimes not returning for days or weeks.
One day, while Jesus was teaching in Capernaum’s synagogue, a man came in who was possessed by evil
spirits. Speaking through the man, the demons cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
Jesus called out, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
The demon shook the man violently and came out with a shriek. The people who saw this were amazed,
and said, “What’s this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they
obey him!”
After Jesus left the synagogue that day, he returned to Simon’s house to find that Tierza, Simon’s mother-
in-law, was sick in bed. Her fever was high and had come upon her suddenly. When Jesus was told about
it, he went to her. He entered her room, walked to her bedside and bent over her.
“Tierza,” he said, full of compassion. Without another word he touched her hand and the fever left her
instantly. She got up and immediately cooked and served a meal.
After that day, there was no doubt about Jesus in Tierza’s mind: Mary’s son was more than an ordinary
man. She believed everything Mary had confided to her about him—that he would be king one day, that he
was the Promised One—and Tierza was, from that time forward, wholly devoted to him.
One day, while Jesus was inside Simon’s house, many people gathered in and around the home, leaving
no way in even in spite of several roofed rooms that clustered around a large open courtyard. It had been
raining intermittently that day, and so Jesus was teaching inside, in the largest of the rooms. It just
happened to have an outside wall, and a window, facing the road.
Determined to bring their paralyzed friend to the Healer, the invalid’s four friends looked through the
window, saw exactly where Jesus stood, and then climbed up onto the roof just above him. It was no small
effort to hoist the stretcher, and their friend who was securely tied to it, up there. Then the four young men
tore open Simon’s roof and lowered their friend on his stretcher down through the roof.
Jesus stopped speaking and looked up when he heard noise above his head. While a good-sized hole
opened up, he stepped back to avoid being hit by falling chunks of hard mud and debris. With his arms
crossed over his chest, Jesus watched in happy amazement. The faith, persistence, and ingenuity of the
four friends involved impressed him so much that it became something he talked about often in future
teachings.
When the paralytic on the stretcher looked into the face of Jesus, he was not prepared for what the Healer
said and did. No one was.
Jesus forgave his sins.
There were teachers of the law in the crowd, and when they heard Jesus’ words of forgiveness, they
thought to themselves, This fellow is blaspheming!
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Which is easier to say, ‘Get up and walk,’ or ‘Your sins are forgiven?’”
It was by the power of God that Jesus did both. In fact, it was by the power of God that Jesus could lay bare
their private thoughts.
The forgiven man walked out of Simon’s house.
Filled with the power and authority of Heaven, Jesus’ deeds continued to amaze everyone. As weeks rolled
by, the disciples were sometimes traveling with him and other times fishing. It was during one of the times
they were fishing that Jesus gave them a wonderful lesson.
They were in Capernaum, washing and mending their nets on the shore. A great crowd of people had
come to hear Jesus speak and so he jumped aboard Simon’s boat and asked him to move the vessel a
little off shore and, when Simon did so, Jesus preached from the bow. After he finished speaking, he
dismissed the crowd. Then he said to Simon: “Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”
Simon looked at Jesus, who settled himself comfortably on a seat, ready to go fishing.
Shaking his head, Simon voiced his doubts. “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught
anything. But because you say so, I’ll let down the nets.”
Jesus happily nodded at Simon’s willingness and then looked out to sea.
On Simon’s part, there was no thought in his head to prove Jesus wrong. He simply obeyed. As the nets
broke the water’s surface, Simon heard the sound of hundreds of flopping fish. He would never forget the
sound of it. And the weight of them! Never had he had to work so hard to pull in a net of fish. The miracle
made him weak, and not just from the weight of the fish. This was far more significant to Simon than Jesus’
miracle of turning water into wine. Fishing was what he knew about. Fishing was Simon’s life.
But Simon took charge of the moment, regardless of the awe that had taken hold of his soul. First, he saw
that the nets were about to break and he signaled to his partners in the other boat to hurry. The other boat
hadn’t reached the deeper water yet. Simon and Jesus had all they could do to hold the nets close to the
side of the boat until help came. Then all of the men, working together, filled both boats.
When the fish were hauled in, Simon stared at Jesus as he stood at the opposite end of his boat. Their
soaking-wet clothing hung on them. Simon hadn’t had time to take his clothes off, his usual practice when
ready to pull in a net. While Simon looked at Jesus in awe, Jesus was looking at the men in the other boat,
laughing softly while he watched the men’s reactions that were still going on. The men were trying to get
both of the boats, full of fish, balanced. When Jesus felt Simon’s stare of astonishment, he looked back at
him—Jesus loved him with his eyes.
This miracle was for Simon, and Simon knew it.
The fisherman knelt down, bowed his head, and began to weep.
Seeing this, Jesus carefully waded through the fish to the trembling man who now refused to look up at
him. Jesus placed a hand on Simon’s bowed shoulder.
“Simon.”
Simon would not look up.
And so Jesus squatted down by him in the midst of the squirming fish.
“Lord, go away from me. I’m a sinful man,” Simon begged, still unable to look at Jesus.
Jesus put his arm around him and squeezed him close. “Don’t be afraid, from now on it will be men that you
catch.”
And when Simon heard this, he knew it was true. He would give up everything for his Master—if Jesus said
he’d fish for men, then that’s exactly what he’d do.
The other disciples were just as astounded as was Simon by the miracle. It was as though Jesus had called
these fish of the sea to come to him, and now here they were—first in their nets, and now in their boats.
And so it was at this juncture in their lives as fishermen that they pulled their boats up on shore, left
everything and went fully into the ministry of the kingdom of God. From then on, these followers of Jesus
were fishers of men—and men only.
God in Sandals is unlike any other novel
about the life of Jesus. It could be called
a dramatic devotional, and reads more
like a love story than historical fiction.
Here is the Gospel told creatively, with
new eyes and angles, about the most
famous and influential person in history.
Because Jesus called Himself "the Son
of Man," and "the Son of God," people
couldn't help but wonder what He meant.
In fact, people still wonder about Him
today.
about the life of Jesus. It could be called
a dramatic devotional, and reads more
like a love story than historical fiction.
Here is the Gospel told creatively, with
new eyes and angles, about the most
famous and influential person in history.
Because Jesus called Himself "the Son
of Man," and "the Son of God," people
couldn't help but wonder what He meant.
In fact, people still wonder about Him
today.
 |
 |
 |
This story plunges headlong into that amazing mystery of who Jesus
was and is. What did God incarnate experience and feel when He
became one of us? Why did people so strongly love or hate him? And
why do people still seek to know Him today?
This intimate biography is about the human side of Jesus and is an
imaginative journey through the Biblical narratives of His life. By sharing
in the experiences of those who knew Him, we, too, can see and hear
Him and better understand the meaning of His coming.
was and is. What did God incarnate experience and feel when He
became one of us? Why did people so strongly love or hate him? And
why do people still seek to know Him today?
This intimate biography is about the human side of Jesus and is an
imaginative journey through the Biblical narratives of His life. By sharing
in the experiences of those who knew Him, we, too, can see and hear
Him and better understand the meaning of His coming.
| The Ancient of Days shod in the everyday Stepped across land and sea to walk on the pages of history and for the sandals He donned Our Morning has dawned. |
