“Did you hear what happened to John?…I heard that Herodias’ daughter asked for his head on a platter. Really! She was dancing before King Herod on his birthday and he liked it so much he told her that he would give her anything she wanted. He should have known better than to ask HER a question like that! She went back to her mother and asked what she should do.Her mother told her, if you can believe this, to ask for the head of John to be brought to her on a platter! Isn’t that awful? On a platter! She just asked…”
Adam was awoken by the bright morning sun shining through his brick window. A cool breeze was blowing, making it difficult for him to get out of bed. He tried several times. He would stick his toe out and bring it in again. He really didn’t want to get out of bed, he just knew he had better before his father came in and made him get out in the cold air quicker than he wanted to. He laid there for several minutes listening to his parents talking about this John who got his head chopped off.
“I wonder what it takes for a man to get somebody so mad that they will chop your head off and put it on a platter. Did he kill the king’s brother or stole some sheep…What can you do to get your head chopped off?” He thought somewhat jokingly.
He finally got his courage up to fight the morning cold, all at once. He sleepily sled out of his covers and touched his feet on the cold, hard, and dusty floor. While he dressed himself he heard his parents in the kitchen continuing to talk about John;
“I heard Jesus will be in town today.” Adams father spoke as he sipped his juice.
“He’s a good man, but I afraid he’ll end up like John – He’s got more of a following than John ever did. Why do they do things like that to such good people?”
“Good Morning, Adam! Did you sleep well?” Adam mother was fixing the morning meal as she spoke.
Actually, she was surprised to see Adam being up so early knowing that it was a little chillier outside than it usually was.
“Did you say Jesus was going to be in town?” Adam responded with hopeful anticipation. “Can we go? I heard that he was Elijah and he came back from the dead or even John the Baptizer same way from the Dead! Don’t you think it’s sort of quick for a man that hadn’t been dead for long to come back from the dead? Is that the same John you were talking about who lost his head, he must’ve really got in trouble? Who do you think Jesus is, Daddy?”
Aaron slowly rose from the table. He had his eye on a freshly baked cake. He smiled at Adam as he past, thinking about what to say, but nothing really came out. Adam understood.
“Do you think we can go today?” Adam was persistent.
As the day grew later and excitement all over village excitement was building over the arrival of Jesus. People all around were talking about it.
“I heard that he can heal the sick!”
“My brother saw him heal a man with leprosy”
“When I was in Jerusalem, I saw him clear the Temple. There was so much evil going there, people selling the farm animals to be sacrificed and everything, he knew it was wrong and boy, did he ever take care of them!… He said something real strange, though, he said `Tear down this temple and I will raise it in three days.’ I wonder why he said that? The priests were right when they said it took forty-six days to build the Temple, how will he raise a destroyed temple in three days? This Jesus is a real interesting character.”
” Well I doubt it will be too much of a problem for him after seeing everything else he has done. Who do you think he is?”
“I say that he’s John the Baptizer, come back to life”
“I’ll be willing to bet that he is Elijah or one of those other Prophets.”
Jesus was sitting and listening intently to the stories the disciples were telling. They came back by twos just as they had been sent. He sent them into the town of Nazareth, while he stayed back, to minister to them and to lead them to repentance. They pored oil and healed some of the people in the town as well as driving out many demons. As they began slowly tickle in, many dragged in exhaustion. While they were still coming a small group of John’s disciples came and told Jesus about John’s death. By this time the six groups of disciples were present and seeing their weariness he led them to a boat to go across the Sea of Galilee, he found a deserted field where he wanted his disciples to rest.
The field was covered with green grass. It was a quiet place to stop and rest. As he got out of the boat the villagers were following him and when they saw him and a large crowd began to grow. He felt so much compassion, it was as if he knew each and every one as well as knowing each and every one of their hearts and began to think to himself `they are like sheep without a shepherd’. He then began to teach about the kingdom of God and all about the many things in scripture. He also took time to heal their sick. Each one that was brought to him he touch them and they were healed.
Adam was still at home when all the excitement was going on.
He had his own excitement going on. He was fixing supper basket for his family. He still had in his oven a loaf of bread. He put two fish and was fixing the last of his five loaves.
“My parents will be so proud when I bring their supper to them! They will be so surprised!”
The loaf was finally risen to where it needed to be and Adam quickly put it in the round thatched basket and skipped out the door. He found the field were he knew they would be.
There were so many people there people were everywhere. He went up one side and down another searching frantically for his family. The people there were friendly they were listening so intently to Jesus, most didn’t even notice his continuing in that lost state, feeling that he had been lost for an eternity. There were large people and short people all from the neighboring villages. He could smell the the fresh green grass that was now being covered with a sea of people that must have numbered in the thousands. He found a relative who was willing to help him. It was one of his uncles.
Adam was so small he could not look over the crowd to see his parent’s.
Everywhere they searched for him but with the man’s help he finally found them near the front of the crowd.
Jesus was talking with the other men around him. He talked with such precise diction that you could clearly understand every word. He had so much confidence that it made the people feel comfortable with what he was saying. Every word spoken in such a way that there was no doubt in the people’s mind that it was true. Was it the style of speaking or the authority that he had that made him so believable? As he continued to talk one his followers said,
“It’s getting late. Why don’t we send them into the town and tell them to buy something to eat?”
“You give them something to eat.” Jesus replied.
“We don’t have enough money, Jesus.” The one called Philip replied.
“Do you have any loaves?…Check and see.”
The twelve men went out into the crowd, looking for any bread.some went to the left of the crowd while others went to the right. Three deiced on going `up the middle’. Closer and closer a big bearded, muscular man approached Adam. Adam’s heart was pounding.
“They don’t want my food. How could Jesus ever eat what I…”
“Adam?…Adam?..I’m sorry, he day dreams every now and then. Adam, this man is one of Jesus’s friends and he wants to have your supper for the teacher.”
Adam sat there watching him. Amazed to see him. He was not like the other religious leaders. He was strong he looked like he could handle a fishing net pretty well. Adam was sitting in the man’s shadow as he towered over the little Adam. Reluctantly, Adam slid his hand on the basket, he had worked so hard on that supper…
“Can I go with you to take it to him?”
By the smile on the man’s face Adam knew that it was ok. He gathered the basket in his arms picked his coat up and followed.
As he went closer to the front, he could see the face of Jesus. He looked at Adam and smiled as if he knew exactly who he was, as if Adam were a long lost friend. Everything about Jesus fascinated Adam and he wanted to learn more about this man. Jesus was going to ask for his supper to use.
Andrew brought the news to Jesus with Adam right behind.” I have five loaves.”
Jesus took the loaves and the fish. He delicately broke each loaf, then he looked up to heaven and said a prayer to ask the Lord God to bless each loaf and fish;
“Our Father, thank you for the gift that you have given us and take this bread we are about to eat and bless it to be used for your kingdom and glory. Amen.”
He prayed in such a way that it sounded as if he were talking to someone he really knew, not just a God way up there but someone real. He talked to a friend whom he loved and could talk about anything with the friend’s leadership. When he had finished his prayer he told his twelve disciples to divide the people in groups of fifty. There were five thousand in all and that took awhile to split the group in fifties, but after that was done each disciple then distributed the fish and the loaves until it was all gone.
The people ate and ate. They ate like they had never eaten before but the food never ran out. Finally everyone had had their fill.
“Take up all the extra so that none would go to waste.”Jesus added.
They did what he asked and began to bring back the baskets one by one when they all got back they discovered, there where twelve baskets full left over.
As Adam grew older and he still had many questions on his mind. He often asked;
“Who was that Jesus? Was he really a prophet or something more special than that? How could he have heeled the sick fed the thousands of people with my supper. There was just something about him that I can not explain. Could this be the messiah?”