HIS TRIBAL ANCESTRY

¹Here is the record of the ancestry of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One, a descendant of Much Loved One (David) and of Father of Many Nations (Abraham).

From Father of Many Nations (Abraham) to Much Loved One (David), his ancestors were:

²Father of Many Nations (Abraham), He Made Us Laugh (Isaac), Heel Grabber (Jacob), Give Him Praise (Judah) and his brothers, ³He Breaks Through (Perez) and his brother First Light (Zerah), whose mother was Fruit of Palm Tree (Tamar), Circle of Tipis (Hezron), Lifted Up (Ram), ⁴Noble Relative (Amminadab), Talks with Snakes (Nahshon), He Makes Peace (Salmon), ⁵Moves with Strength (Boaz), whose mother was Boastful Woman (Rahab), He Works Hard (Obed), whose mother was Beautiful Friend (Ruth), Original Man (Jesse), ⁶who was the father of the great chief Much Loved One (David).

From Much Loved One (David) to the removal to Village of Confusion (Babylon), the ancestors of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) were:

Much Loved One (David), Stands in Peace (Solomon), whose mother, Daughter of Seven (Bathsheba), was the wife of Fire from Creator (Uriah), ⁷Big People Maker (Rehoboam), He Is My Father (Abijah), Gathers the People (Asa), ⁸He Makes Wrongs Right Again (Jehoshaphat), Creator Is Above (Jehoram), My Great Power (Uzziah), ⁹Creator Has No Equal (Jotham), Held by Creator (Ahaz), He Will Be Strong (Hezekiah), ¹⁰He Made Them Forget (Manasseh), Burden Bearer (Amon), Good Medicine (Josiah), ¹¹and Chosen by Creator (Jeconiah) and his brothers at the time of the removal to Village of Confusion (Babylon).

¹²From the removal to Village of Confusion (Babylon) to the birth of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), his ancestors were:

Chosen by Creator (Jeconiah), Ask Creator (Shealtiel), Born in Village of Confusion (Zerubbabel), ¹³Father Boasts in Him (Abihud), He Builds Up (Eliakim), He Helps (Azor), ¹⁴Stands with a Good Heart (Zadok), Stands Firm (Achim), Power of Creator (Eliud), ¹⁵Creator Helps Him (Eleazar), Gifted by Creator (Matthan), Heel Grabber (Jacob), ¹⁶and He Gives Sons (Joseph), who was the husband of Bitter Tears (Mary), who gave birth to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), who is the Chosen One.

¹⁷And so there were fourteen generations from Father of Many Nations (Abraham) to Much Loved One (David), fourteen more generations from Much Loved One (David) until the removal to Village of Confusion (Babylon), and then fourteen more from the removal to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One.

BIRTH OF THE CHOSEN ONE

¹⁸Here is the story of how the Chosen One was born:

His mother, Bitter Tears (Mary), had been promised in marriage to He Gives Sons (Joseph). But before they came together in marriage, while still a virgin, she found out that she was carrying a baby in her womb from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹He Gives Sons (Joseph) was a man of honor. He did not want to bring her trouble and open shame, so he thought about secretly releasing her from the marriage promise.

²⁰As he wondered about these things, a messenger from the Great Spirit appeared to him in a dream and said, “He Gives Sons (Joseph), descendant of Much Loved One (David), do not be afraid to take Bitter Tears (Mary) to be your wife, because the Holy Spirit has given her this child. ²¹She will give birth to a son. You will name him Creator Sets Free (Jesus), because he will set his people free from their bad hearts and broken ways.”

²²This gave full meaning to the words of Creator spoken long ago by the prophet, ²³“A young virgin will be with child and give birth to a son. They will call his name Immanuel,1 which in our tribal language means Creator Is with Us.”

²⁴When He Gives Sons (Joseph) woke up, he followed the guidance given him in the dream and took Bitter Tears (Mary) to be his wife. ²⁵But he did not have sexual relations with her until after the child was born, and he named the child Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

SEEKERS OF WISDOM

¹It was during the days of the bad-hearted Chief Looks Brave (Herod) that the Chosen One was born in the village of House of Bread (Bethlehem) in the Land of Promise (Judea). After his birth, Seekers of Wisdom (Magi) traveling on a long journey from the East came to Village of Peace (Jerusalem).

²They began to ask around, “Where is the one who has been born to be chief of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel)? We saw his star where the sun rises and have come to humble ourselves before him and honor him.”

³When Chief Looks Brave heard this, he and all who lived in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) were troubled. ⁴He called a council of all the head holy men and scroll keepers and asked them where the Chosen One was to be born.

⁵“In House of Bread (Bethlehem), the village of the great chief Much Loved One (David),” they answered. “This is what the ancient prophet said: ⁶‘But you, O House of Bread (Bethlehem), in the Land of Promise (Judea), even though you are small, you have a good reputation with the chiefs who watch over the land. From you will come a Great Chief who will guide my chosen people—the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).’2”

⁷Then Looks Brave (Herod) called a secret council with the Seekers of Wisdom (Magi) to find out when the star first appeared. ⁸He then sent them to House of Bread (Bethlehem) and told them, “Look everywhere for the child. Find him and tell me where he is, so that I may also come and honor him.”

⁹After listening to Looks Brave (Herod), the Seekers of Wisdom (Magi) went their way. ¹⁰When they saw the star rising in the East, they jumped with joy, and with glad hearts they followed until the star stopped and rested over the place where the child was. ¹¹They went into the house and saw the child and his mother, Bitter Tears (Mary). As soon as they saw the child, they bowed down to honor him. Then they opened their bundles and gifted him with gold, sweet-smelling incense, and bitter ointment of myrrh.

ESCAPE TO BLACK LAND

¹²The Seekers of Wisdom (Magi) were warned in a dream not to go back to Looks Brave (Herod), so they returned to their homeland by a different road.

¹³After the Seekers of Wisdom (Magi) had gone, a spirit-messenger from Creator warned He Gives Sons (Joseph) in a dream. “Rise up!” he said urgently. “Take the child and his mother and go quickly to Black Land (Egypt) and remain there until I tell you to leave. Looks Brave (Herod) is searching for the child to kill him!”

¹⁴That night He Gives Sons (Joseph) took the child and his mother, and they fled for their lives to Black Land (Egypt). ¹⁵They remained there until the death of Looks Brave (Herod). This gave full meaning to Creator’s ancient prophecy: “I will call my son out from Black Land (Egypt).”3

¹⁶When Looks Brave (Herod) realized he had been outsmarted by the Seekers of Wisdom (Magi), he was full of rage. Using the knowledge he had gained from them, he gave orders for all male children in House of Bread (Bethlehem) under two winters of age to be put to death. ¹⁷This gave full meaning to another ancient prophecy spoken by Lifted by Creator (Jeremiah): ¹⁸“A sound of weeping and wailing is heard in Highland (Ramah). Sheep Woman (Rachel) is shedding tears for her children. No one can bring her peace, because her children have been taken from the land of the living.”4

DREAM GUIDANCE

¹⁹After Looks Brave (Herod) died, a spirit-messenger from Creator appeared again to He Gives Sons (Joseph) in a dream while he was still in Black Land (Egypt). ²⁰The spirit-messenger said to him, “Get up and take the child and his mother back to the land of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), for the ones who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

²¹He Gives Sons (Joseph) got up, took the child and his mother, and began to go where he was told. ²²On the way, when he heard that Rules the People (Archelaus), the son of Chief Looks Brave (Herod), had become the new chief, he became afraid.

After being warned in another dream, he took a different path to their home through Circle of Nations (Galilee), ²³to an out-of-the-way village most people looked down on, called Seed Planter Village (Nazareth). This gave full meaning to the words of the prophets, “He will be called a Seed Planter (Nazarene).”

GIFT OF GOODWILL

¹In those days a man named Gift of Goodwill (John) appeared in the desert places of the Land of Promise (Judea). He began to speak out a message that was loud and clear, ²“It is time to return to the right ways of thinking. Creator’s good road from above is close. It is time to begin walking it.”

³The prophet Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah) told about him long ago when he said, “A voice is howling in the desert, ‘Clear the pathways! Make the path straight for the coming of the Great Chief!’5”

⁴Gift of Goodwill (John) came wearing a buffalo robe, with a deer-hide6 sash around his waist. The food he ate was grasshoppers and wild honey.

⁵The people were coming from Village of Peace (Jerusalem), from all over the Land of Promise (Judea) and the territory surrounding the river Flowing Down (Jordan). ⁶They came admitting to their bad hearts and broken ways and participated in the purification ceremony.7

SPIRITUAL LEADERS WARNED

⁷When he saw the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and Upright Ones (Sadducees) in the crowd watching, he cried out to them, “You nest of poisonous snakes! Who warned you to run and hide from the coming storm? ⁸You are like trees without fruit. Prove to others, by the way you live, that you have returned to the good road. ⁹Do you think you can say, ‘Father of Many Nations (Abraham) is our ancestor’? Do you not know the Great Spirit can make these stones into his children? ¹⁰The tomahawk is already at the root of the trees, and the ones that have no good fruit will be cut down and tossed into the fire.

PURIFICATION CEREMONY WITH FIRE

¹¹“I perform the purification ceremony^c with water, for the ones who have returned to the right way of thinking. But there is one you do not know, who is right here with you, and even though he comes after me, he is much greater. I am not even worthy to bend down and untie his moccasins. He is the one who will perform the purification ceremony with the fire of the Holy Spirit! ¹²His harvest basket is in his hands, to separate the grain from the husks. He will store the good grain in his barn, but the husks he will burn up with a fire no one can put out.”

THIS IS MY MUCH-LOVED SON

¹³Gift of Goodwill (John) then looked up and saw Creator Sets Free (Jesus) wading out into the water of the river Flowing Down (Jordan). He had come from Circle of Nations (Galilee), a journey of many days, for the purification ceremony,^{c 14}but Gift of Goodwill (John) tried to stop him.

“Why are you coming to me?” he asked humbly. “I am the one who should come to you.”

¹⁵“This is the way it should be, for now,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered. “It is the right thing to do, to bring honor to the ways of Great Spirit.”

Gift of Goodwill (John) agreed to perform the ceremony. ¹⁶As soon as Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came up from the water, he saw the sky open. The Spirit of Creator came down like a dove and rested on him. ¹⁷A voice from the sky spoke like distant thunder, “This is my much-loved Son, who makes my heart glad!”

TESTED BY THE EVIL TRICKSTER

¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) followed the guidance of the Spirit, who took him into the desert wilderness to be tested by Accuser (Satan), the evil trickster snake.

²For forty days and nights Creator Sets Free (Jesus) ate nothing. His body became weak, and his hunger grew strong.

³When the evil snake saw that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was weak and hungry, he came to him and whispered in his ear.

“Are you the Son of the Great Spirit?” he hissed. “Prove it by turning these stones into frybread.”

⁴“The Sacred Teachings are clear,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said. “Human beings cannot live only on frybread, but on all the words that come from the mouth of the Great Spirit.”8

⁵The evil trickster then took him to the Great Spirit’s sacred lodge in Village of Peace (Jerusalem). He set him at the very top, high above the village.

⁶“Prove you are the Son of the Great Spirit and jump down from here!” the evil snake taunted him. “Do not the Sacred Teachings also say, ‘His spirit-messengers will watch over you to keep you from harm. They will even keep your foot from hitting a stone’9?”

⁷“Yes,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said back to him, “but they also say, ‘Do not test the Great Spirit.’10”

⁸Once more the evil trickster took him to a high mountain and showed him all the great nations of the world with their power and beauty.

⁹“All of these I will give you,” the snake said smoothly, “if you will highly honor me and walk in my ways!”

¹⁰“Get away from me, Accuser (Satan)!” he responded. “For it is written in the Sacred Teachings, ‘The Great Spirit is the only one to honor and serve.’11”

¹¹The evil trickster could think of nothing more to test him with, so he slithered away to wait for another time.

Then spirit-messengers came to give comfort and strength to Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

GIFT OF GOODWILL JAILED

¹²After that, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) heard that Gift of Goodwill (John) was put in jail, so he left that place to return to Circle of Nations (Galilee). ¹³He left his home in Seed Planter Village (Nazareth) and went to live in Village of Comfort (Capernaum) by the sea. This was in the territory of the tribes of Honored Dwelling (Zebulun) and He Will Wrestle (Naphtali).

¹⁴The ancient prophecy of Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah) had finally found its full meaning. ¹⁵“In the territory of the tribes of Honored Dwelling (Zebulun) and He Will Wrestle (Naphtali), toward the great waters to Circle of Nations (Galilee) where many Nations dwell—¹⁶the ones who sit in darkness, where death casts a great shadow, have seen the light of a new sunrise.”12

THE GOOD ROAD IS CLOSE

¹⁷From that time forward Creator Sets Free (Jesus) began to speak out, “Creator’s good road from above is close. It is time to change your thinking and begin your great journey.”

HIS FIRST FOLLOWERS

¹⁸Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was walking by the shoreline of Lake of Circle of Nations (Sea of Galilee) when he saw two fishermen throwing out their nets. They were One Who Hears (Simon), also named Stands on the Rock (Peter), and his brother Stands with Courage (Andrew).

¹⁹He said to them, “Come, walk the road with me, and I will show you how to fish in a new way—for two-leggeds.”

²⁰They dropped their nets right then and became his followers.

²¹As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was leaving, he saw two other brothers, He Takes Over (James) and He Shows Goodwill (John), the sons of Gift of Creator (Zebedee). They were sitting with their father in a canoe getting their nets ready for fishing. ²²Creator Sets Free (Jesus) called out to them, and they dropped their nets, left their father, and also became his followers.

WALKING THE GOOD ROAD

²³Creator Sets Free (Jesus) traveled throughout Circle of Nations (Galilee). He was teaching in their gathering houses and telling everyone the good story of Creator’s good road. He was healing the people of every kind of sickness and disease. ²⁴His reputation as a healer spread as far as Bright Sun (Syria). Then they brought to him the ones tormented with evil spirits, along with people who suffered from seizures, and he healed them. He even healed the crippled and paralyzed among them.

²⁵Large crowds from all directions began to seek after him—too many to number! They came from Circle of Nations (Galilee) and Ten Villages (Decapolis), and from Village of Peace (Jerusalem), and the Land of Promise (Judea), and from beyond the river Flowing Down (Jordan).

BLESSINGS OF THE GOOD ROAD

³“Creator’s blessing rests on the poor, the ones with broken spirits. The good road from above is theirs to walk.

⁴“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who walk a trail of tears, for he will wipe the tears from their eyes and comfort them.

⁵“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who walk softly and in a humble manner. The earth, land, and sky will welcome them and always be their home.

⁶“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who hunger and thirst for wrongs to be made right again. They will eat and drink until they are full.

⁷“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who are merciful and kind to others. Their kindness will find its way back to them—full circle.

⁸“Creator’s blessing rests on the pure of heart. They are the ones who will see the Great Spirit.

⁹“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who make peace. It will be said of them, ‘They are the children of the Great Spirit!’

¹⁰“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who are hunted down and mistreated for doing what is right, for they are walking the good road from above.

¹¹“Others will lie about you, speak against you, and look down on you with scorn and contempt, all because you walk the road with me. This is a sign that Creator’s blessing is resting on you. ¹²So let your hearts be glad and jump for joy, for you will be honored in the spirit-world above. You are like the prophets of old, who were treated in the same way by your ancestors.

SALT AND LIGHT

¹³“As you walk the good road with me, you are the salt of the earth, bringing cleansing and healing13 to all. Salt is a good thing, but if it loses its saltiness, how will it get its flavor back? That kind of salt has no worth and is thrown out.

¹⁴“As you walk the road with me, you are a light shining in this dark world. A village built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵No one hides a torch under a basket. Instead it is lifted up high on a pole, so all who are in the house can see it. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine by doing what is good and right. When others see, they will give honor to your Father—the One Above Us All.

FULFILLING THE SACRED TEACHINGS

¹⁷“When you hear my words, you may think I have come to undo the Law given by Drawn from the Water (Moses) and the words of the prophets. But I have come to honor them and show everyone their true meaning. ¹⁸I speak from my heart, as long as there is a sky above and an earth below, not even the smallest thing they have said will fade away, until everything they have said has found its full meaning and purpose.

¹⁹“Anyone who turns away from these instructions and tells others to do the same will be looked down on, as a small one, on Creator’s good road from the spirit-world above. But the ones who do them and teach others to do the same, they will be looked up to as great ones.

²⁰“I will say this to you, unless you have a better reputation than the scroll keepers and the Separated Ones (Pharisees), you will not find the path that leads to the Land of Creator’s good road from above.”

RESPECT TOWARD ALL

²¹“You have heard that our ancestors were told long ago, ‘Do not take another person’s life,’14 and ‘whoever does will have to answer to the tribal council.’15 ²²But I tell you, everyone who is angry toward a fellow human being will have to give an answer to the tribal council. If they speak with disrespect to someone, saying, ‘You hollow head!’ they will also face the tribal council. If they curse someone by saying ‘You damn fool!’ they may end up in the Valley of Smoldering Fire. ²³So if you are offering a gift at Creator’s ceremonial lodge, and there remember that a Tribal Member has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift and go make things right. Then you can come back and finish the ceremony.

RESOLVING CONFLICT WITH DIGNITY

²⁵“If someone has a complaint against you and takes you before the village council, work out an agreement before you get there. You know how to decide things for yourselves. The council might decide against you and turn you over to the ones who have the power to put you in prison. ²⁶The truth is, there is no way out of there until honor has been restored.”16

HONORING OUR WOMEN

²⁷So he said to the men, “You have heard the saying, ‘You must not have sexual relations with another man’s wife.’17 ²⁸But I tell you this, any man who looks at a woman and wants his way with her has already done so in his heart.

“This is not how the Great Spirit wants us to see our sisters. ²⁹If your right eye sees in this way18—gouge it out and throw it away! ³⁰If your right hand does harm to her^c—cut it off and throw it away! It is better to lose a part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into the Valley of Smoldering Fire.

³¹“Drawn from the Water (Moses) said, ‘If you put away your wife you must give her divorce papers.’19 ³²Let me tell you why. Anyone who puts away his wife without giving her divorce papers makes her unfaithful when she remarries, unless she was unfaithful already. Then anyone who marries her is having sexual relations with another man’s wife.”

NO SOLEMN PROMISES

³³“You have heard the ancestors were told, ‘When you make a solemn promise, you must keep it to honor the Great Spirit.’20 ³⁴But I say this to you, do not make any solemn promises. Do not say, ‘I promise by the spirit-world above,’ for it is Creator’s seat of honor, ³⁵or ‘I promise by the earth below,’ which is the resting place for his feet. Or ‘I promise by Village of Peace (Jerusalem),’ for it belongs to the Great Spirit Chief. ³⁶Do not even say, ‘I promise by my own head.’ Can you make even one hair on your head become white or black? ³⁷Your simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is enough. To say more is to speak with a forked tongue like the evil trickster snake.

EYE FOR AN EYE?

³⁸“You have also been told, ‘Take an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’21 ³⁹But I tell you, do not fight back. Violence will not be defeated by more of the same. If someone strikes the right side of your face, turn to him the other side also. ⁴⁰If someone takes you to the tribal council for your shirt, give him your vest also. ⁴¹If anyone, even a soldier of the People of Iron (Romans), forces you to carry his bundle one mile, show the strength of your heart and carry it two. ⁴²Give to the one who asks for help, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

⁴³“You have been told to love only your own people and to despise others as your enemy.22 ^44-45But I tell you, treat your enemies with love and respect, and send up good prayers for the ones who make trouble for you and bring you pain. This will show that you are mature children of your Father from above, who sends his blessing of rain on the ones who do right and the ones who do wrong.

⁴⁶“If you love and show respect only to the ones who do the same, how does that bring honor to you? Even tribal tax collectors do these things. ⁴⁷If you welcome only friends, how are you different from others? Even outsiders from other nations do these things.

⁴⁸“By loving and blessing all people, you will be walking in the footsteps of your Father from the spirit-world above, who is perfect in all his ways.

THE WAY TO DO GOOD

¹“Beware of doing good just so people can see you, for then you will receive no honor from your Father from above, who is the Creator. ²When you give gifts to the poor and do good things for others, do not brag about it on the village pathways or in the gathering houses, like those who put on a false face, pretending to be something they are not. The truth is, they honor only themselves and they will get nothing more.

^3-4“But when you help others who are in need, do it in secret. Do not even tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. Then your Father who sees all things will honor you.

THE WAY TO PRAY

⁵“When you send your voice to the Great Spirit, do not be like the ones who love to stand up and pray with a loud voice in the gathering houses and along the village pathways, hoping to be seen and heard by others. The truth is, they have their honor already. They will get no more. ⁶Instead, find a quiet hiding place where no one can see or hear you and send your prayers to your Father in secret. He will see what you have done and honor you.

^7-8“When you pray, do not be like the people from the Outside Nations, who use empty words over and over again, thinking their many words will help them be heard. Your Father, the Creator, already knows what you need even before you ask.

⁹“Instead, when you send your voice to the Great Spirit, here is how you should pray:

“O Great Spirit, our Father from above, we honor your name as sacred and holy.

¹⁰“Bring your good road to us, where the beauty of your ways in the spirit-world above is reflected in the earth below.

¹¹“Provide for us day by day—the elk, the buffalo, and the salmon. The corn, the squash, and the wild rice. All the things we need for each day.

¹²“Release us from the things we have done wrong, in the same way we release others for the things done wrong to us.

¹³“Guide us away from the things that tempt us to stray from your good road, and set us free from the evil one and his worthless ways. Aho! May it be so!

¹⁴“Remember, our Father from the spirit-world above will release you from your wrongdoings in the same manner you release others from theirs. ¹⁵But if you fail to release others, this keeps your Father, the Creator, from releasing you.

THE WAY TO FAST

¹⁶“When you go without food to seek spiritual things, do not be like the ones who put on a false face. They hang their heads down and darken their faces to look as if they are going without food. They only want people to notice them and think they are spiritual. I speak from my heart, they already have all the honor they deserve—they will get no more. ¹⁷But when you go without eating, put on your headdress and wash your face, ¹⁸so others will not notice. But know that your Father from above, who sees in secret, will honor you.

THE WAY TO SEE POSSESSIONS

¹⁹“Take care not to store up possessions on earth that can be spoiled by worms, eaten by moths, or stolen by thieves. ²⁰Instead, give away your possessions to the ones in need, and then you will be storing up great possessions in the spirit-world above, where nothing can be lost or stolen. ²¹For where you store your valued possessions is where your heart will be.”

GOOD EYE OR BAD EYE

²²So he said to them, “Light shines into the body through the eye. If your eye is clear, your whole being is full of light. ²³But if your eye is bad, then your whole being is full of darkness. If the only light you have is darkness, then the darkness is very great!

²⁴“No one can be loyal to two rival chiefs. You will have to choose between them. You will either hate one chief and love the other, or honor one and resent the other. You cannot be loyal to the Great Provider and to possessions at the same time.

WORRY IS THE WRONG PATH

²⁵“This is why I am telling you not to be troubled about getting enough to eat or drink, or what to wear. Is eating, drinking and clothing yourself all there is? Does your life not have more meaning than this?

²⁶“Look to the winged ones who soar on the wind. Do they plant seeds and gather the harvest into a storehouse? No! But your Father from above gives them plenty to eat. Do you not know he cares even more for you? ²⁷Can worry add even one more step to the length of your life’s journey?

²⁸“Why do you trouble yourself with what to wear? Have you seen how the wildflowers grow in the plains and meadows? Do you think they work hard and long to clothe themselves? ²⁹No! I tell you not even the great chieftain Stands in Peace (Solomon), wearing his finest regalia, was dressed as well as even one of these.

³⁰“If Creator covers the wild grass in the plains with such beauty, which is here today and gathered for tomorrow’s fire, will he not take even better care of you? Why is your faith so small? ³¹There is no need to say, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³²This is what the Nations who have lost their way have given their hearts to, but your Father from above knows you need these things.

³³“If you will make Creator’s good road your first aim, representing his right ways, he will make sure you have all you need for each day. ³⁴So do not worry about tomorrow’s troubles. It is enough to trust Creator to give you the strength you need to face today.

SEEING OTHERS CLEARLY

¹“If you do not want to be judged, then do not judge others. ²For the way you judge others will come back to you—full circle. ³Think of it this way. How can you see the speck of wood in the eye of another23 when you cannot see the log in your own eye? ⁴How can you say, ‘Here, let me help you,’ when you cannot see that you need even more help? ⁵Stop pretending to be something you are not! If you will be honest about yourself, you will then see clearly enough to help others.^a

WISDOM FOR SACRED THINGS

⁶“Take care not to give what is sacred to the ones who will turn on you and treat you with disrespect. For who would toss an eagle feather into the dirt to be trampled on?

KEEP DANCING YOUR PRAYERS

⁷“Let your prayers rise like smoke to the Great Spirit, for he will see and answer you. Every step is a prayer, and as you dance upon the earth for the things you seek, the way will open before you. In the same way, as you search for the true ancient pathways, you will find them. ⁸Answers will come to the ones who ask, good things will be found by the ones who search for them, and the way will open before the ones who keep dancing their prayers.”

⁹“What father, if his son wanted frybread, would give him a stone to eat?”

¹⁰“If he asked for a fish, would he give him a snake?

¹¹“If fathers with bad hearts know how to give good gifts to their children, then how much more will the Great Spirit, who is your loving Father from above, give good gifts to the ones who ask?

THE MEANING OF MY TEACHINGS

¹²“Here is the meaning of what I have been saying: whatever good you want others to do for you is what you should do for them. This is the whole purpose of the instructions given by Drawn from the Water (Moses) and the words spoken by the prophets.

SMALL GATE AND NARROW WAY

^13-14“To walk Creator’s good road you must enter this small gate and walk a narrow path that leads to the good life. Only a few find and walk this road. But the gate is large and the path is wide that leads to a bad end. Many walk this road.

¹⁵“Some who walk this wide road represent themselves as sheep, but inside they are hungry wolves. Watch out for these false prophets. ¹⁶You will know them by their fruit. Do grapes come from a thorn bush or pears from thistles? ^17-18Will a sick tree give good fruit or a healthy tree bad fruit? No! Healthy trees give good fruit and sick trees give bad fruit. ¹⁹It is the trees with bad fruit that are cut down and used to make a fire. ²⁰When you see the fruit of their ways, you will know them.

²¹“Not everyone who calls me their Great Chief is walking the good road from the spirit-world above. The ones who do what my Father from the spirit-world above wants are the ones walking this road.

²²“On that day, the time when Creator reveals all hearts, many will say to me, ‘O Great Chief, did we not speak for you, force out evil spirits, and do great things all in your name—representing you?’ ²³But this is what I will have to say to them, ‘Who are you? Go away from me, you who do what you know is wrong, for you never truly knew me.’24

WISE AND FOOLISH

²⁴“The ones who listen to me and walk in my ways are like a wise man who built a grand lodge on solid ground. ²⁵The rain poured down, the streams flowed, and the strong winds came. They all beat against the lodge, but it stood strong against the storm. Nothing could shake it, for it was built on solid ground.

²⁶“The ones who hear my words but do not walk in these ways are like another man, a foolish one, who built his lodge on top of the sand. ²⁷When the storm came against it, the lodge crashed to the ground, and all that was in it was lost.”

^28-29Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was finished for the day with his teachings and wise stories. All the people were amazed and had great respect for him, for he was not like the other spiritual leaders—the scroll keepers. He spoke with true wisdom and dignity, showing he had the right to represent the Great Spirit.

POWER TO CLEANSE AND HEAL

¹A great crowd of people followed Creator Sets Free (Jesus) as he walked down from the mountainside. ²A man with a skin disease all over his body came up to Creator Sets Free (Jesus). He humbled himself, bowed down, and pleaded with him, “Honored One! If you want to, you can heal and cleanse me.”

³“I want to!” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said as he reached out and touched the man.

“Be clean!” he said, and right away the disease left the man and he was healed.

⁴Creator Sets Free (Jesus) instructed the man, “Tell no one! Take the traditional ceremonial gift and show yourself to a holy man. Then have him perform the cleansing ceremony given by the lawgiver Drawn from the Water (Moses). This will show others that you have been healed and made ceremonially clean again.”

FAITH FROM A HEAD SOLDIER

⁵As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) walked into Village of Comfort (Capernaum), a head soldier from the People of Iron (Romans) came up to him. ⁶“Honored One,” the head soldier begged, “my household servant that I care deeply about is lying in bed, unable to move and in great pain.”

⁷“I will come to your house and heal him,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told the man.

⁸But the head soldier, knowing the tribal traditions, said to him, “Honored One, I am not worth the trouble that coming to my house would bring to you. If you will only speak the word, I know my servant will be healed, ⁹for I am also a man under orders with many soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes. My servants do what I say.”

¹⁰Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was amazed at this answer. He turned to the ones who were following him and said to them, “I speak from my heart, I have never seen such great faith, not even among the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).”

¹¹Then he said, “Listen closely, for I tell you that this man is only one of many who will come from the four directions26 to sit in a great lodge and feast with our ancestors. They will sit down with Father of Many Nations (Abraham), He Made Us Laugh (Isaac), and Heel Grabber (Jacob) in the Land of Creator’s good road from above. ¹²But the ones who were first born to walk the good road will be forced out into the night. Outside in the darkness, they will howl with tears and grind their teeth together in anger and frustration.”

¹³Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then turned to face the head soldier.

“Go home,” he said to him, “Your faith in me has healed your servant.”

And right then the head soldier’s servant was healed!

IN THE HOME OF STANDS ON THE ROCK

¹⁴Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came to the home of Stands on the Rock (Peter). The mother-in-law of Stands on the Rock (Peter) was sick in bed with a fever. ¹⁵When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) saw her, he reached out and touched her hand. Right then the fever left her. She felt so good she got up and made a meal for them.

¹⁶Later that day, when the sun was going down, many who were tormented by evil spirits were brought to him. He spoke to the spirits, forced them out with a word, and healed the ones who were sick. ¹⁷All this was done to bring full meaning to the ancient prophecy spoken by Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah), “He took upon himself our sickness and carried the weight of our diseases.”27

COST OF FOLLOWING

¹⁸Creator Sets Free (Jesus) saw the great number of people around him and gave his followers instructions to prepare a canoe to cross over to the other side of the lake.

¹⁹On the way to the lake, a scroll keeper walked up to him, “Wisdomkeeper,” he said, “I will follow you wherever you want to go.”

²⁰He answered the man, “The foxes live in their holes, the winged ones who fly above us live in their nests, but the True Human Being has no place to lay his head.”

²¹Another follower said to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), “Honored One, let me first go home to my father until it is time to bury him.”

²²“Let the ones who are spiritually dead bury their dead,” he said to the man. “You come and walk the road with me.”

POWER OVER STORMS

²³They came to the lake, and Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his close followers climbed into a canoe and began to paddle across the lake.

²⁴Suddenly the violent storm overtook them and threatened to sink the large canoe, but Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had fallen into a deep sleep. ²⁵In desperation they woke him up.

“Wisdomkeeper!” they cried out. “We are fighting for our lives! Save us!”

²⁶“Why are you full of fear?” he asked them, “Is your faith so small?”

He stood up and spoke sharply to the wind and the raging water. At his words a great peace fell upon the surface of the waters.

²⁷His followers were greatly amazed. They shook their heads and said to one another, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the waves do what he says.”

POWER OVER EVIL SPIRITS

²⁸When they finished crossing the lake, they came to the territory of the people of Honored in the End (Gadarenes). As soon as Creator Sets Free (Jesus) stepped from the canoe, two men coming from the burial caves who were tormented by evil spirits came up to him. These men were so violent that no one dared to pass through that area.

²⁹“Son of the Great Spirit!” they shrieked. “What do you want from us? Are you here to torment us before Creator’s chosen time?”

³⁰In the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding on a hillside. ³¹The evil spirits spoke through the men. “If you must force us out,” they begged, “then send us into that herd of pigs.”

³²“Be gone!” he said, giving them permission.

The evil spirits left and entered into the herd of pigs. Then the whole herd stampeded down the steep hill headlong into Lake of Circle of Nations (Sea of Galilee) and drowned in the deep water.

³³The ones who were watching over the pigs rushed away, shaken and afraid. They went to the village and told everyone all that happened.

³⁴When they heard this, the whole village went out to find Creator Sets Free (Jesus). When they found him, they begged him to leave their land.

WHO CAN FORGIVE BROKEN WAYS?

¹So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his close followers climbed back into the canoe and crossed over to the other side of the lake and went to the village where he was staying.

²Some people there came carrying a crippled man lying on a sleeping mat and brought him to Creator Sets Free (Jesus). When he saw their faith in him, he said to the crippled man, “Be brave, my son, you are released from your broken ways.”

³When they heard this, some of the scroll keepers began to grumble among themselves. “This man is speaking against the Great Spirit and his ways!”

⁴In his spirit, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) knew what they were thinking.

“Why are your hearts so full of dark thoughts?” he said to them. ⁵“Is it easier to tell a crippled man, ‘Get up and walk,’ or to say to him, ‘You are released from your broken ways’?”

⁶“This is how you will know that the True Human Being has the right to forgive bad hearts and broken ways on this earth.” He turned to the crippled man and said, “Get up, roll up your sleeping bundle and walk home.”

⁷So the man stood up and began to walk home. ⁸Then great respect and awe filled the hearts of all who were there. They gave honor to the Great Spirit for giving such authority to human beings.

A TRIBAL TAX COLLECTOR FOLLOWS HIM

⁹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) left there, and as he walked on, he saw a tribal tax collector named Gift from Creator (Matthew) sitting at his tax booth.

Creator Sets Free (Jesus), to the surprise of all, walked up to the tribal tax collector and said to him, “Gift from Creator (Matthew), come and walk the road with me.”

So he got up from his tax booth, left it all behind, and began to walk the road with Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ¹⁰In the house of Gift from Creator (Matthew), Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his followers were sitting down at the table eating with the guests. Among the guests were many tax collectors and outcasts.

¹¹When the Separated Ones (Pharisees) saw Creator Sets Free (Jesus) eating with outcasts, they complained to his followers, saying, “Why does your wisdomkeeper eat with tribal tax collectors and outcasts?”

¹²Creator Sets Free (Jesus) overheard them and said, “People who are well do not need medicine. It is for the ones who are sick. ¹³Go and learn this wise saying, ‘What I want is kindness and mercy, not animal sacrifices.’28 I have not come for the ones with good hearts. I have come to help the outcasts find the path back home again.”

NEW WINESKINS FOR NEW WINE

¹⁴Some of the followers of Gift of Goodwill (John) came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and asked him, “Why do your followers feast instead of going without food and praying often, like we and the Separated Ones (Pharisees) do?”

¹⁵“Do you expect wedding guests to be sad and go without eating when the groom is hosting a feast?” he asked. “The time will come when he is gone. Then they will be sad and go without eating.

¹⁶“No one uses a new piece of cloth to patch an old garment. It would shrink and make the tear worse. ¹⁷No one puts new wine into an old wineskin, for the new wine would burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost and the skins ruined. New wineskins are what is needed. Then both wine and skins are preserved.”

COME AND HEAL MY DAUGHTER!

¹⁸As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was speaking, a tribal leader came and humbled himself before him.

“My little girl has just crossed over to death! But I know that if you will come and lay your hands on her, she will live again.”

¹⁹So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his followers went with him. ²⁰There was a woman following with the crowd who had been bleeding in an unusual way for more than twelve winters.

She came up close behind Creator Sets Free (Jesus), reached out her hand, and touched the fringe of his outer garment. ²¹For she had said to herself, “If I can only touch his clothes, I know I will be healed.”

²²Creator Sets Free (Jesus) turned around and looked at her with kindness in his eyes and said, “Take courage, daughter, your faith has made you well.”

Right then the blood stopped flowing, and she was healed!

POWER OVER DEATH

²³When they arrived at the tribal leader’s home, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) saw the noisy crowd of mourners and flute players.

²⁴“Go from here!” he said. “This little girl is not dead. She only sleeps.”

But they scorned and laughed at him, for they knew she was dead.

²⁵After they had gone, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) went inside the house and took the little girl by the hand, and she stood up. ²⁶The story of this began to spread far and wide.

TWO BLIND MEN

²⁷As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) left from there, two blind men followed after him. They were calling out to him, “Be kind to us, descendant of Much Loved One (David).”

²⁸The blind men, with the help of others, followed him into a house. Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked them, “Do you believe I can make your eyes see?”

“Yes, Wisdomkeeper,” was their answer.

²⁹He reached out, touched their eyes, and said to them, “Your trust in me will make it so.”

³⁰He had healed them! They could see! Creator Sets Free (Jesus) gave them a stern warning and said, “Tell no one about this.”

³¹But in their excitement, they did not listen, and they told the news far and wide about what Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had done for them.

POWERFUL MEDICINE

³²As they went from there, someone brought a man to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) who could not speak because of an evil spirit. ³³When the spirit was forced out of him, the man began to speak. All the people were amazed and said, “In all the history of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) no one has ever seen this kind of powerful medicine.”

³⁴But the spiritual leaders from the Separated Ones (Pharisees) said, “It is the ruler of evil spirits who gives him the power to force out spirits.”

CHIEF OF THE HARVEST

³⁵Creator Sets Free (Jesus) continued to walk about and visit the villages. He taught in their gathering houses, helped people to understand about Creator’s good road, and healed people from every kind of sickness and disease.

³⁶When he saw the great number of people needing help, he was moved in his spirit with great compassion for them. He knew they were pushed down with no one to help and scattered about like sheep without a shepherd to watch over them.

³⁷So he said to the ones who walked the road with him, “There is a great harvest in front of us, but only a few to gather it in. ³⁸Pray to the Great Spirit Chief of the harvest, so he will send out more helpers into the fields.”

TWELVE MESSAGE BEARERS

¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then gathered his twelve message bearers together to prepare them for this great harvest. He gave them authority over evil and unclean spirits, to force them out of people, and to heal all kinds of sickness and disease.

²Here are the names of the twelve that he chose to be his special message bearers:

First there was One Who Hears (Simon), who was also called Stands on the Rock (Peter), and his brother Stands with Courage (Andrew). Then he chose He Takes Over (James) and his brother He Shows Goodwill (John), who are the sons of Gift of Creator (Zebedee).

³He also chose Friend of Horses (Philip) and Son of Ground Digger (Bartholomew) and Looks Like His Brother (Thomas) along with Gift from Creator (Matthew), the tribal tax collector.

Then he chose He Takes Charge (James), the son of First to Change (Alphaeus), along with Strong of Heart (Thaddaeus) and ⁴One Who Listens (Simon) the Firebrand (Zealot). And last of all, Speaks Well Of (Judas), also known as Village Man (Iscariot), who later betrayed him.

INSTRUCTING HIS MESSAGE BEARERS

⁵Before Creator Sets Free (Jesus) sent out his twelve message bearers to represent him, he gave them these instructions:

“It is not the time to go to the Outside Nations or to the villages of the people of High Place (Samaria). ⁶Instead, go to your own people—the lost sheep of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).

⁷“This is what I want you to say to them: ‘Creator’s good road from above is close. Reach out and take hold of it!’ ⁸Heal all who are sick, cleanse the ones with skin diseases, raise the dead, and force evil spirits out of people. Give away the things I have given to you and ask no price for your service.

⁹“Take no trading goods with you or coins for your money pouches. ¹⁰Take no traveling bundle, moccasins, or extra clothes to wear, not even a walking stick, because the ones who work hard in the harvest fields deserve to be fed and cared for.

¹¹“Whenever you enter a camp or village, find an honorable person who will give you lodging. ¹²When you come to their dwelling, greet the family with respect. ¹³If they are people of honor, your greeting of peace will rest on them. ¹⁴But if no one in that village welcomes you or listens to your message, then go from there and shake the dust from your moccasins. ¹⁵The truth is, on the day when the fate of that village is decided, it will be worse for them than it was for Village of Bad Spirits (Sodom) and Village of Deep Fear (Gomorrah).

SHEEP AMONG WOLVES

¹⁶“Look and listen! I am sending you out like sheep into a pack of wolves, so be as crafty as snakes but as harmless and gentle as doves. ¹⁷Look out for men with bad hearts, for they will bring you before their councils and whip you with leather straps in their gathering houses. ¹⁸You will also be dragged before government rulers and leaders—all because you are representing me—and in this way through you both the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) and the People of Iron (Romans)29 will hear my message.

¹⁹“When this happens, do not be afraid or worry about what you will say or how you will say it. ²⁰When that time comes, you will be given the words to say. For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father will speak through you.

BETRAYAL AND HATRED

²¹“Brother will betray brother and parents will betray their children, even putting them to death. Children will turn against their parents and have them killed. ²²The time will come when all will hate you because you represent me and carry my name. But remember, it is the ones who never give up and make it to the end of the road who will be rescued and made whole.

²³“If they hunt you down in one village, leave there and go to the next one. I speak from my heart, the True Human Being will come before you finish going through all the villages in the land of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).

²⁴“Followers are not greater than the one they follow. You who are my followers will be treated in the same bad ways they treat me. ²⁵So consider it an honor that you will be treated the same as your Wisdomkeeper. If they have called the chief of the council house Worthless Ruler (Beelzebul),30 how much worse will they speak of the members of his council?

²⁶“Do not fear their threats. For their evil ways will be found out. Even what they say and do in secret will be made clear for all to see.

²⁷“The things I have told you in secret at night, make them known when the sun rises! What I have whispered in your ears, stand on the rooftops and shout out loud for all to hear!

DO NOT FEAR YOUR OPPONENTS

²⁸“Have no fear of your opponents, for they can only kill the body, but not your inner being. Instead, fear the one who can bring an end to your entire being31 in the Valley of Smoldering Fire.

²⁹“Two small winged ones could be traded for two poorly beaded earrings, but not one can fall to the ground unless your Father, the Creator, knows it. ^30-31Are you not worth more to him than many small winged ones? He knows the number of hairs on your head, so do not fear the ones who stand against you.

³²“All who represent me before others I will represent before my Father from above. ³³But the ones who disown me will be disowned before my Father above.

FAMILY CONFLICT

³⁴“Do you look for me to bring peace to this troubled land? ³⁵The message I bring will pierce like the blade of a long knife. It will turn a son against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶In their own homes they will fight like enemies—all because of me.

³⁷“The ones who choose their father or mother, son or daughter, over me dishonor me. ³⁸The ones who fail to pick up their cross and walk the road with me do not know my worth. ³⁹The ones who care only for their own life will fail to find life, but the ones who will lay down their life for me will find true life.

⁴⁰“The ones who welcome you welcome me, and the ones who welcome me welcome the one who sent me. ⁴¹If you welcome a prophet for who he is, you will receive the honor he brings. If you welcome a goodhearted person, you will receive the good that he brings. ⁴²I speak from my heart, even a drink of water given to a small one who follows me will bring great honor to the one who has given it.”

ARE YOU THE ONE?

²From prison Gift of Goodwill (John) heard about the things the Chosen One was doing. So he sent two of his followers to ask Creator Sets Free (Jesus), ³“Are you the one we are waiting for, or should we look for someone else?”

⁴Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told them, “Go back to Gift of Goodwill (John) and tell him about the things you have seen with your own eyes and heard with your own ears. ⁵The blind can see again, the lame can walk, the ones with skin disease have been cleansed! Ears that cannot hear have been opened, the dead have come back to life again, and the poor are being told the good story! ⁶Creator’s blessing and goodwill rest on the one who does not stumble and leave the path because of me.”

HONORING GIFT OF GOODWILL

⁷When the messengers left, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) spoke to the people about Gift of Goodwill (John):

“What were you looking for in the desert wilderness? A frail reed blowing in the wind? ⁸Did you see a man in soft clothes? Behold, the ones who wear soft clothes live soft lives. ⁹Were you looking for a true prophet? Yes! He is a true prophet but also much more! ¹⁰He is the one spoken of in the Sacred Teachings, ‘Look! I am sending my messenger ahead of you. He will clear the path before you.’32

¹¹“I speak from my heart, Gift of Goodwill (John) who performed the purification ceremony33 is a true human being. No one born of a woman has ever been greater, but now the smallest one who walks Creator’s good road from above is greater than he.

¹²“From the time of Gift of Goodwill (John) until now, Creator’s good road from above has been under attack, and the violent ones are trying to force their way upon it. ¹³The Law and the Prophets spoke until he came. ¹⁴If you can accept it, he is Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah), the one the prophets said would come.34 ¹⁵If you have ears to hear, you will understand.

¹⁶“This generation, what can I compare them to? They are like children at a trading post, teasing each other, saying, ¹⁷‘You did not dance when we played the drum! You did not cry when we played a sad flute song.’

¹⁸“Gift of Goodwill (John) did not feast or drink wine, but they say, ‘He has an evil spirit.’ ¹⁹The True Human Being comes feasting and drinking and they say, ‘He eats too much and is a drunk, a friend of tribal tax collectors and outcasts!’ But wisdom is like a mother who knows what her children are doing and can see right through them.”

VILLAGE WARNINGS

²⁰Then Creator Sets Free (Jesus) began to warn about what would happen to the villages that saw his greatest signs and wonders but did not receive his message.

²¹“Sorrow and trouble will come to you, Village of Secrets (Chorazin), and the same for you, House of Fishing (Bethsaida). If the ancient villages of Rock Land (Tyre) and Hunting Grounds (Sidon) had seen the powerful signs you have seen, they would have humbled themselves long ago and with great sorrow turned their hearts back to Creator’s ways. ²²So then, it will be worse for you in the day when you face your end.

²³“As for you, Village of Comfort (Capernaum), do you think you will be lifted up to the spirit-world above? No! You will be brought down low, to the Dark Underworld of Death (Hades). If Village of Bad Spirits (Sodom) had seen the powerful signs you have seen, that village would have remained to this day. ²⁴But the day of their end will be better than yours.”

FATHER AND SON

²⁵“I honor you, O Great Father, Maker of earth and sky,” he prayed, “for you have hidden these things from the ones who are wise in their own eyes but have shown them to the humble of heart. ²⁶Yes, my Father, it has made your heart glad to see this day come.”

²⁷“My Father has put everything into my hands,” he said with a solemn voice. “Only the Father knows the Son and only the Son knows the Father. No one can know the Father in his fullness unless the Son makes him known.”

²⁸“Come close to my side, you whose hearts are on the ground, you who are pushed down and worn out, and I will refresh you. ²⁹Follow my teachings and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest from your troubled thoughts. ³⁰Walk side by side with me and I will share in your heavy load and make it light.”

CHIEF OF THE DAY OF RESTING

¹During that time on a Day of Resting, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his followers were walking through a field of grain. The men were hungry, so they plucked some grain, rubbed the husks off in their hands, and began to eat.

²When the Separated Ones (Pharisees) saw what they were doing, they said to him, “Why do your followers do what is not permitted on the Day of Resting?”

³He answered them, “Have you not heard about the time long ago when the great chief Much Loved One (David) was hungry? ⁴How he and his followers went into the sacred lodge and ate the ceremonial bread? Tribal law says that only the holy men are permitted to eat this bread.

⁵“Have you not read in tribal law that the holy men who perform the ceremonies in the sacred lodge are permitted to ignore the sacredness of the Day of Resting—without blame?

⁶“Listen to me! The one standing before you is greater than the sacred lodge! ⁷If you understood this saying, ‘I want kindness and compassion, not ceremonial sacrifices,’35 you would not have blamed the innocent ones. ⁸For the True Human Being is Chief over the Day of Resting!”

HEALING ON THE DAY OF RESTING

⁹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) left there and went to their gathering house. ¹⁰There he saw a man with a shriveled and useless hand.

Trying to find a reason to accuse him, they asked, “Is it permitted to heal on the Day of Resting?”

¹¹“Is there anyone here who would not help his sheep out of a ditch it fell into, even on the Day of Resting?” he challenged them. ¹²“A human being has more value than a sheep! That is why it is permitted to do good on the Day of Resting!”

¹³Then he turned to the man and said, “Stretch out your hand.”

He stretched it out, and it was the same as his good hand!

¹⁴The Separated Ones (Pharisees) stormed out of there and began to scheme together about how to have Creator Sets Free (Jesus) killed. ¹⁵But he knew what they were doing, so he left that place. A large number of people went with him, and he healed all who were sick, ¹⁶but he warned them not to tell others who or where he was.

AN ANCIENT PROPHECY FULFILLED

¹⁷Another ancient prophecy of Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah) had now found its full meaning:

¹⁸“Here is the one I have chosen, who does all I ask and makes my heart glad. I have made my stand with him and love him as a father loves a son. My Sacred Spirit will rest on him and give him a message that will right the wrongs done to all people. ¹⁹He will not make loud arguments on the village pathways but will speak with humble dignity. ²⁰He will not break a bruised reed. He will not snuff out a smoldering fire. He will never give up until all wrongs have been made right again! ²¹All nations will hear of his reputation and put their trust and hope in him.”36

THE SEPARATED ONES ACCUSE HIM

²²They brought a man to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) who, tormented by an evil spirit, could not see or speak. He healed the man, who could then see and speak again. ²³The large crowd was amazed and said, “Could this be the promised descendant of chief Much Loved One (David)?”

²⁴When the Separated Ones (Pharisees) heard what the people were saying, they said, “No! His power over evil spirits comes from the Worthless Ruler (Beelzebul), the one who rules over all evil spirits.”

²⁵Creator Sets Free (Jesus) knew what they were thinking and said to them, “A nation warring against itself comes to a bad end. Villages or clans warring against each other will not survive. ²⁶If Accuser (Satan) is warring against himself, how will he continue to rule?

²⁷“If it is by his power that I force out evil spirits, by what power do your children do these things? So then, they are the ones who will decide against you. ²⁸But if I force out evil spirits by Creator’s Spirit, then the good road of the Great Spirit has come close to you.

DEFEATING THE STRONGMAN

²⁹“Who can enter the strongman’s house and take away his goods, unless he first defeats him? He will then tie him up and take what is in his house.

³⁰“The one who is not fighting with me fights against me. The one who does not help me gather scatters and makes things worse.”

³¹“That is why I say to you, the wrongdoings and evil speaking that human-kind has done will be forgiven them. ³²Anyone who speaks against the True Human Being will be forgiven. But speaking evil of the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven in this present world or in the one that is coming.

GOOD AND BAD FRUIT

³³“You must grow a good tree to get good fruit. If you grow a bad tree, you get bad fruit. For a tree is known by its fruit.”

³⁴“You nest of poisonous snakes! How can you who are evil speak any good things? What is in your hearts will come out of your mouths. ³⁵Good people speak from the good medicine stored in their hearts. Evil people speak from the bad medicine stored in their hearts. ³⁶But I tell you, when the day comes for the final decision, human beings will have to give an answer for every worthless word spoken. ³⁷The words that come out from your hearts will decide for or against you when you stand before the Great Spirit.”

AN UNUSUAL SIGN

³⁸Then some of the scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees) spoke back to him.

“Wisdomkeeper,” they demanded, “show us a powerful sign to prove who you are.”

³⁹“Only a bad-hearted and unfaithful generation would keep demanding signs,” he answered. “The only sign that you will be given is the sign of the prophet Wings of Dove (Jonah). ⁴⁰Just as he was in the belly of a great fish for three days and nights, the True Human Being will be in the womb of the earth for three days and nights.

⁴¹“When the time comes for the final decision to be made about the people living today, the people of Village of Changed Minds (Nineveh) will stand in agreement against them. What they did will show your guilt, because they changed their hearts and minds when they heard the message of Wings of Dove (Jonah). Look! One who is greater than he stands before you now.

⁴²“The female chief of the South will also be there as a witness against the people of this generation. Her reputation will show your guilt, for she journeyed from a land far away to listen to the wisdom of the great chief Stands in Peace (Solomon). Look! One greater than Stands in Peace (Solomon) is standing right in front of you.

⁴³“When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through dry and desolate lands, looking for a place to rest. When it finds none, ⁴⁴it says, ‘I will go back to the house I left.’ It returns to find the house empty, swept clean, and put in order. ⁴⁵The spirit then finds seven other spirits, more evil than itself, who all go in and live there, making the person worse than before. This is how it will be for the generation of people living today.”

ALL MY RELATIVES

⁴⁶While Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was speaking to the people, his mother and brothers were outside wanting to talk with him. ⁴⁷Someone noticed and told him, “Your relatives are here, waiting outside to see you.”

⁴⁸“Who are my relatives?” he asked the person who told him.

⁴⁹Then he looked around the circle of people, lifted his hands toward his followers, and said, “Here they are! ⁵⁰The ones who walk in the ways of my Father from the spirit-world above are my relatives—my mother, brothers and sisters.”

THE STORIES BEGIN

¹Later the same day Creator Sets Free (Jesus) left that place and found a quiet spot to sit by Lake of Chief Garden (Gennesaret). ²Once again, people began to gather around him. The number of people was so great that he sat down in a canoe and pushed out a little ways from the shore. The people gathered at the shoreline on the water’s edge and sat down to listen to him.

STORY OF THE SEED PLANTER

³Here is one of the many stories he told them: “Listen!” he said. “A seed planter went to plant some seeds and began to scatter them about on the ground.

⁴“Some seeds fell on the village pathway, and the winged ones pecked at the seeds and ate them all.

⁵“Some of the seeds fell on the rocks where there was only a little dirt. The plants sprouted up quickly, ⁶but when the sun came out, they dried up because they had no roots.

⁷“Other seeds fell into the weeds, and thistles sprouted around the seeds and choked the life out of them.

⁸“But some seeds fell on good ground, grew strong, and gave a harvest. Some gave one hundred times what was planted, some sixty, and others thirty. ⁹The ones who have ears, let them hear and understand!”

WHY TEACH WITH STORIES?

¹⁰The ones who walked the road with him came to him and asked, “Wisdomkeeper, tell us why you use stories to teach the people.”

¹¹He answered them, “To you the honor has been given to understand about the mysterious ways of Creator’s good road from above. This honor is not given to those who are not ready for it. ¹²The ones who understand will gain wisdom and be ready for more—much more. But the ones who do not understand or walk in the ways of wisdom will lose even the little they have.

¹³“This is the reason I tell the stories, ‘for they have eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear,’37 and hearts that do not understand.

¹⁴“These are the ones who give full meaning to the words of the prophet Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah) when he said, ‘They will hear but not understand the meaning. They will see without knowing what it is they see. ¹⁵Their hearts of stone have made their ears dull and their eyes dim. If only they would see with their eyes and hear with their ears, they could open their hearts to the Maker of Life and he would heal them.’38

¹⁶“But Creator’s blessing rests on you, for you have eyes to see and ears to hear. ¹⁷I speak from my heart, there were many prophets and goodhearted people who longed to see what you see and hear what you hear but never did.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

¹⁸“So then,” he said to his followers, “listen with your hearts and I will tell you the meaning of the story of the seed planter.

¹⁹“The seed in this story is the message from the Great Spirit about his good road.

“The seed planted on the village pathway represents the ones who hear but do not understand the message. The evil trickster sneaks up and snatches it from their hearts.

²⁰“The rocky ground represents the ones who hear and receive the message with a glad heart, ²¹but because they have no roots, their faith is shallow and does not last. As soon as the message brings them trouble or opposition, they stumble and fall away.

²²“The seed planted among the weeds and thistles represents the ones who have heard the message, but they are too busy worrying about their earthly existence. The desire for more and more possessions leads them down a false path, and they never grow into mature human beings.

²³“The good ground represents the ones who, when they hear the message, understand it and let it grow in their hearts to produce a harvest, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.”

WEEDS IN THE GARDEN

²⁴Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told the people another story. He said, “Creator’s good road from above is like a man who scattered good seed in his garden. ²⁵But during the night, while his family slept, an enemy sneaked in and scattered bad seeds in with the good ones. ²⁶When the plants began to grow, the weeds also grew with them.

²⁷“When the family’s garden workers saw the weeds, they said to the man, ‘Honored One, did you not plant good seeds in your garden? Where did these weeds come from?’

²⁸“The man answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’

“‘Should we go and dig out the weeds?’ the workers asked.

²⁹“‘No,’ the man said, ‘they are too hard to tell apart now. You might dig out the good plants with the bad. ³⁰Wait and let them grow together until it is time for the harvest. At that time I will tell the workers: first go and gather the weeds into bundles for burning, then gather the grain into my storehouse.’”

MORE STORIES

³¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then told them more stories about the good road: “The good road from above is also like a man who plants a single grain of mustard seed, ³²one of the smallest of seeds. But when planted in a garden, it grows larger than all the other plants and takes over the garden.39 It becomes a great tree with many branches, large enough for the winged ones who soar in the sky to find lodging in its shade.

³³“Again, think of the good road from above to be like the yeast a grandmother uses when she makes frybread dough. She mixes a little yeast into three big batches of flour. Then the yeast spreads throughout the dough, causing it to rise.”

³⁴Creator Sets Free (Jesus) would use only stories like these when he spoke to the crowds. He taught nothing to the crowds without using a story. ³⁵This brought full meaning to the ancient prophecy, “I will tell many stories, stories of the ancient ways, things hidden since the beginning of the world.”40

MEANING OF THE GOOD AND BAD SEEDS

³⁶When he was finished, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) left the crowds and went into the house where they were staying. The ones who walked the road with him went in with him and asked, “Tell us the meaning of the story about the good and bad seeds in the garden.”

³⁷“The True Human Being is the one who plants the good seeds,” he answered. ³⁸“The garden is all the nations of the world. The good seeds are the children of the good road. The weeds are the children of the worthless ways of the world, ³⁹and the enemy who plants the bad seeds is the evil one. The harvest is at the end of the age, and the helpers are spirit-messengers.

⁴⁰“Then, when this age ends, the weeds will be gathered together and burned in the fire. ⁴¹The True Human Being will send his messengers to remove the stumbling stones from the good road, along with all who hold onto their bad-hearted ways. ⁴²They will be gathered into bundles and used to feed the fire of a great oven. There they will weep many tears and grind their teeth together in anger and frustration. ⁴³Then the ones who are in good standing will shine like the sun in the Land of the Father’s good road. The ones with ears should hear and understand.”

MORE GOOD ROAD STORIES

⁴⁴“The good road from above is like a hidden treasure a man finds buried in a field. He buries it back into the ground and is then happy to go and trade everything he has for that field.

⁴⁵“The good road from above is also like a trader in goods who is looking for the finest of beads.41 ⁴⁶When he finds one of great beauty and worth, he trades all his goods so he can have it.

⁴⁷“Here is another way to see the good road from above: A large fishing net is let down into the great waters. Many different kinds of fish are caught in it. ⁴⁸When it is filled up, the fishermen pull it to shore. Then they sit down and separate the good fish into baskets and throw away the bad fish.

⁴⁹“It will be the same when this age comes to an end. The spirit-messengers from Creator will be sent to separate the ones who are in good standing from the ones who have bad hearts. ⁵⁰The bad-hearted ones will then be thrown into a pit of fire, where they will weep with many tears and grind their teeth together in anger and frustration.”

⁵¹Then Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked his followers, “Now do you understand the things I am saying to you?”

“Wisdomkeeper,” they said, “we do understand.”

⁵²He smiled and said to them, “Every scroll keeper who has learned to walk in the ways of Creator’s good road is like the head of a family, an elder who opens the medicine pouch of his heart, sharing wisdom that is both new and old, bringing new understanding to the old ways.”

HIS OWN VILLAGE REJECTS HIM

⁵³When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was through telling his stories, he traveled to his boyhood home of Seed Planter Village (Nazareth). ⁵⁴There he entered the local gathering house and began to teach the people, and they were amazed at his words.

“Where did this man get his wisdom from?” they asked. “Who gave him this powerful medicine? ⁵⁵Is this not the son of the wood carver? Is his mother not Bitter Tears (Mary)? And his brothers He Leads the Way (James) and He Gives More (Joseph) and He Hears (Simon) and Speaks Well Of (Judas) ⁵⁶and all his sisters—are they not here living among us?”

⁵⁷And so the people stumbled from the path because of him.

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) with a sad heart said to them, “A prophet is given honor everywhere except in his own village, among his own clan, and in his own house.”

⁵⁸So he did not do many works of power there because they failed to put their trust in him.

LOOKS BRAVE AND CREATOR SETS FREE

¹Looks Brave (Herod), who ruled the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee), began to hear reports about Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

²He said to his servants, “This man must be Gift of Goodwill (John) who performed the purification ceremony.42 He has returned from the world of the dead. That is why he can do these powerful things.”

THE DEATH OF GIFT OF GOODWILL

^3-4Looks Brave (Herod) had arrested Gift of Goodwill (John) and put him in chains because he had been speaking against him for breaking tribal law by living with Daring Woman (Herodias), the wife of Friend of Horses (Philip), who is the brother of Looks Brave (Herod).

⁵Looks Brave (Herod) would have put Gift of Goodwill (John) to death right then, but he was afraid of what the people would do, for they honored him as a prophet.

⁶When the birthday of Looks Brave (Herod) came, the daughter of Daring Woman (Herodias) danced before all the guests. Looks Brave (Herod) was so pleased ⁷he made a solemn promise to give her whatever she wanted. ⁸Her mother jumped at the chance and told her daughter what to ask for.

The daughter said to Looks Brave (Herod), “Give me, here and now, the head of Gift of Goodwill (John) in a basket!”

⁹The heart of Looks Brave (Herod) fell to the ground. But he had made a solemn promise before all of his guests. ¹⁰So he sent a soldier to the prison, had him cut off the head of Gift of Goodwill (John), ¹¹put it in a basket, and bring it to the girl, who then gave it to her mother.

¹²The followers of Gift of Goodwill (John) took his body and gave him a proper burial. Then they went and told Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

CREATOR SETS FREE RETREATS

¹³When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) heard how Gift of Goodwill (John) had been put to death, he found a canoe and went off to a deserted place to be alone for a while. But the crowds of people, when they heard about it, went after Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from their villages. ¹⁴And when he came to shore, they were waiting for him. He felt deeply for them, so he healed the ones who were sick.

HE FEEDS FIVE THOUSAND

¹⁵When the evening came, his followers said to him, “This is a deserted place, and the day is almost over. Let us send the people away to the villages in the country- side so they can find food to eat.”

¹⁶“There is no need to send them away,” he said to his followers. “You feed them.”

¹⁷With one voice they said to him, “All we have is five pieces of frybread and two fish!”

¹⁸“Bring them to me,” he told them.

¹⁹Then he had all the people sit down on the grass. He took the five pieces of frybread and two fish and held them to the sky. He looked up, gave thanks to the Great Spirit, and began to break the frybread into smaller pieces, which he gave to his followers to give to the people. ²⁰Everyone ate until they were full! When they were done, they gathered the leftovers—twelve baskets full! ²¹Not counting the women and children, there were about five thousand men who had eaten.

WATER WALKER

²²Right away Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had his followers get into the canoe and go ahead of him to the other side of the great lake, while he sent the people back to their homes.

²³After that he went up into the mountainside to be alone while he sent his voice to the Great Spirit. He stayed there and prayed as the sun set and the stars came out.

²⁴His followers were still in the canoe, far from land. The wind blew strong against them, and the waves pounded the canoe and began to toss it about.

²⁵Late into the night, just before the morning light, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came near them, walking on the water! ²⁶When his followers saw him, they cried out in terror, “It is a ghost-spirit!”

²⁷But he heard their cries and called out to them, “Do not fear, take heart. It is I.”

²⁸“Wisdomkeeper, is it you?” Stands on the Rock (Peter) shouted back to him. “If so, tell me now to come to you on the water.”

²⁹“Come!” he said to him without any hesitation.

With reckless abandon, Stands on the Rock (Peter) climbed over the side of the canoe and began to walk on the water toward him.

³⁰But when he felt how strong the wind was, fear took hold of him. He began to sink and cried out, “Wisdomkeeper, save me!”

³¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) quickly reached out and took hold of him. “Man of small faith,” he said, “what made you hold back and doubt me?”

³²The wind stopped blowing and the waves grew still as they climbed into the canoe. ³³All twelve of his message bearers gave honor to him, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of the Great Spirit.”

ALL WHO TOUCH HIM ARE HEALED

³⁴They came to shore at Lake of Chief Garden (Gennesaret). ³⁵When the people there recognized him, they sent messengers to all the surrounding villages, and the people brought to him all who were sick. ³⁶They begged him to let them touch the fringe on his outer garment—and all who touched it were healed.

CONFLICT OVER TRADITIONS

¹Some of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and scroll keepers came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from Village of Peace (Jerusalem).

²“Why do your followers not keep the traditions given by the elders and wash their hands before they eat?” they accused him.

³Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked them, “How is it that you use your traditions to ignore the instructions given by the Great Spirit? ⁴For he said, ‘Give honor to your father and your mother,’43 and, ‘The ones who speak evil against them must die.’44 ⁵But your tradition says, ‘If you give to the Great Spirit the gifts that were meant for your father and mother, ⁶you no longer have to honor them.’ This is only one of the many ways you use your traditions to do away with the instructions given by the Great Spirit.”

⁷“Your false faces do not fool me!” he said loud enough for all to hear. “The prophet Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah) was talking about you when he said, ⁸‘These people honor me with their lips but their hard, cold hearts are far away from me. ⁹Their prayers are empty words and their ceremonies are for show. The things they tell others to do are only rules made up by weak human beings.’”45

¹⁰Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then gathered the people around him and said, “Listen with your hearts and understand what I tell you. ¹¹There is nothing you can take into your mouth that will make you impure. It is what comes out of your mouth that makes you impure.”

¹²Then his followers came to him and said, “Do you know that what you said insulted the Separated Ones (Pharisees)?”

¹³“Every plant that has not been planted by my Father from above will be pulled out by the roots,” he answered. ¹⁴Then he warned them, “The Separated Ones (Pharisees) are blind guides. The ones who follow them are also blind, and they will both fall into a ditch. You will do well to stay away from them.”

¹⁵Then Stands on the Rock (Peter) said to him, “Tell us the meaning of the wise saying about what is pure and impure.”

¹⁶“Do you still not understand,” he answered, ¹⁷“that when food enters the mouth it goes into the stomach, not the heart, and then out of the body? ¹⁸It is what comes out from the mouth, from deep inside, that makes people impure. ¹⁹It is from the heart that come things such as the taking of lives, unfaithful marriages, uncontrolled sexual desires, stealing, lying, and speaking against the Great Spirit. ²⁰It is things such as these that make you impure, not failing to wash your hands when you eat.”

A LOWLAND WOMAN

²¹From there Creator Sets Free (Jesus) journeyed into the territory of Rock Land (Tyre) and Hunting Grounds (Sidon) along the coast of the Great Middle Sea (Mediterranean) north of Circle of Nations (Galilee).

²²A Lowlander (Canaanite) woman from that territory came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

“Honored One! Descendant of Much Loved One (David),” she cried out to him. “Have pity on me, for my daughter is tormented by an evil spirit.”

²³Creator Sets Free (Jesus) gave no answer to the woman.

His followers came to him and begged him, “Send her away, for she is bothering us with her loud crying.”

²⁴He then said to the woman, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).”

²⁵She came close and humbled herself before him. “Honored One,” she begged him, “help me.”

²⁶“The children’s food should not be given to the dogs,” he said to her.

²⁷“That is true, Honored One,” she answered, “but even the dogs can feed on the crumbs from the table of their Honored One.”

²⁸“Dear woman,” he answered back, “your answer shows how great your faith is! What you have asked for will be yours.” Her daughter was healed from that time forward.

THE GREAT HEALER

²⁹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) journeyed from there past Lake of Circle of Nations (Sea of Galilee) to a mountainside, where he sat down to rest.

³⁰Once again great crowds of people came, bringing to him the lame, the blind, the ones who could not walk or speak, and many more. They laid them down at the feet of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), and he healed them all. ³¹When they saw the healings, the crowds were filled with wonder and amazement and gave honor and thanks to the Great Spirit of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).

HE FEEDS FOUR THOUSAND

³²Creator Sets Free (Jesus) called his followers to his side and said to them, “I have pity in my heart for all these people, for they have been with us for three days with no food. Some of them have come from a great distance, and if I send them away hungry, they might lose their strength and faint.”

³³“This is a lonely and desolate place,” they answered him. “Where could we find enough food to feed all these people?”

³⁴“How much food do we have?” he asked.

“We have seven pieces of frybread and a few small fish,” they answered.

³⁵Creator Sets Free (Jesus) instructed all the people to sit down on the ground. ³⁶He then took the seven pieces of frybread and the two fish, gave thanks, and broke them into small pieces. He gave them to his followers, and they gave them out to the people.

³⁷Everyone ate as much as they wanted, and when they were done eating, his followers gathered up the leftovers—seven baskets full! ³⁸They had fed four thousand men, besides women and children.

³⁹After sending the crowds away to their homes, he climbed into the canoe with his twelve followers and went to the territory of Creator’s High Lodge (Magdala).

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

¹The Separated Ones (Pharisees) and Upright Ones (Sadducees) came again to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to put him to the test and find something to accuse him with.

“Show us a powerful sign from the spirit-world above,” they demanded, “to prove to us who you are.”

²He looked to the west. “When the sun is setting you say, ‘The sky is red. It will be a good day tomorrow.’” He then turned to the east. ³“At the sunrise you say, ‘The sky is dark and red. There will be a storm today.’”

“You understand what the earth and sky are saying, but you are blind to the message of the season you live in. ⁴It is the bad-hearted and unfaithful people of today who look for signs, but the only sign they will be given is the sign of the prophet Wings of Dove (Jonah).”46

After saying this, he left them and went on his way.

CONFUSION ABOUT THE FRYBREAD

⁵When they came to shore, his followers realized that they had forgotten to bring frybread with them.

⁶Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “Be on the lookout for the yeast of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the Upright Ones (Sadducees).”

⁷His followers tried to understand why he said this. They said to each other, “Is it because we forgot to bring more frybread?”

⁸When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) heard them, he said, “Why are you talking like this? Why are you worried that you forgot to bring frybread? Is your faith so small? ⁹Do you have no understanding? Have you forgotten so soon how many baskets of broken pieces were left over when I fed the five thousand with five pieces of frybread? ¹⁰How about the seven basketsful left over when I fed the four thousand?”

¹¹“How do you not understand that I was not talking about frybread? Beware of the yeast of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the Upright Ones (Sadducees)!”

¹²They finally understood he was talking about the teachings of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the Upright Ones (Sadducees), not about yeast in frybread.

YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE!

They journeyed on and came into the territory of Ruler of the Horsemen (Caesarea Philippi).

¹³When they came into this place, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked the ones who were walking the road with him, “Who do the people think the True Human Being is? What are they saying?”

¹⁴“Some say Gift of Goodwill (John) who performed the purification ceremony,”47 they answered. “Others say Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah), or even Lifted by Creator (Jeremiah), or one of the other prophets.”

¹⁵“So tell me,” he asked them, “How do you see me? Who do you say that I am?”

¹⁶“You are the Chosen One,” One Who Hears, also called Stands on the Rock (Simon/Peter), answered, “the Son of the living Creator!”

¹⁷Creator Sets Free (Jesus) smiled at him and said, “One Who Hears (Simon), Son of Wings of Dove (Bar-Jonah), Creator’s blessing rests on you, for flesh and blood did not help you see, but my Father from above opened your eyes. ¹⁸For this reason I have given you the name Stands on the Rock (Peter),48 and upon this great rock49 I will make my sacred family stand strong. And the powers50 of the Dark Underworld of Death (Hades) will not stand against them.

¹⁹“I am giving you the authority51 of Creator’s good road from above. The things you do not permit on earth will be what Creator has not permitted in the spirit-world above. The things that you permit on earth will be what Creator has permitted in the spirit-world above.”

²⁰He then instructed his followers not to tell anyone that he was the Chosen One.

ACCUSER TESTS HIM AGAIN

²¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then began to tell his followers that he must go to the Village of Peace (Jerusalem), where the elders, the head holy men, and the keepers of the scrolls would make him suffer many things and then kill him, and that on the third day he would return from the dead.

²²But Stands on the Rock (Peter) pulled him away from the others and spoke sharply to him, “Wisdomkeeper, do not even think this way! This must never happen to you!”

²³“Get out of my way, Accuser (Satan), you evil trickster!” he said to Stands on the Rock (Peter). “You have become a stone to trip over and make me stumble on my path. Your thoughts are against the Great Spirit, for his ways are not the ways of human beings.”

WALKING THE ROAD OF THE CROSS

²⁴“To walk the road with me,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to his followers, “you must turn away from your own path, and always be ready to carry your cross with me to the place of ultimate sacrifice. ²⁵The ones who hold on to their lives will not find life, but the ones who are willing to let go of their lives, for me and my message, will find the true life. ²⁶How will it help you to get everything you want but lose this life? Is there anything in this world worth trading for your life?

²⁷“When the True Human Being comes, along with his spirit-messengers, after being honored by his Father, he will then give to everyone the honor they deserve for what they have done.

²⁸“I speak from my heart, there are some of you standing here today who, before you die, will see the True Human Being coming and bringing with him the power of his good road.”

HE TALKS TO THE ANCESTORS

¹Six days later, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took only Stands on the Rock (Peter), He Takes Over (James), and his brother He Shows Goodwill (John) up on a great high mountain. ²Right there before them his appearance began to change. His clothes turned bright white, and his face began to shine like the sun.

³Then before their eyes two ancestors appeared—the lawgiver Drawn from the Water (Moses) and the ancient prophet Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah). They were talking with Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

⁴“Wisdomkeeper,” he said out loud, “this is a good place to stay. If you want, I will put up three tipis—one for you, one for Drawn from the Water (Moses), and one for Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah).”

⁵While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them. A voice spoke from the cloud, saying, “This is my much-loved Son, the one who makes my heart glad. Listen to him!”

⁶They all fell on their faces in fear, ⁷but Creator Sets Free (Jesus) laid his hands on them and said, “Do not fear! Stand to your feet.”

⁸When they looked around, the cloud was gone, the men were gone, and all they could see was Creator Sets Free (Jesus) standing alone in front of them.

⁹As they walked down the mountainside, he instructed them to tell no one what they had seen until after the True Human Being had come back to life from the dead.

¹⁰They asked him, “Why do the scroll keepers say that Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah) must be first to come?”

¹¹“It is true,” he answered, “Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah) is the first to come to return all things to their original purpose, ¹²but I am telling you that he has already come, and no one recognized him. They did whatever they wanted with him, just as the Sacred Teachings foretold. It is also foretold that they will treat the True Human Being in the same way. They will look down on him and turn their faces away from him.”

¹³Then his followers understood he was talking about Gift of Goodwill (John) who performed the purification ceremony.52

A GENERATION WITH NO FAITH

¹⁴From the crowd of people a man came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and humbled himself before him.

¹⁵“Wisdomkeeper!” the man said with desperation in his voice. “Take pity on my son. An evil spirit has taken hold of him and makes him suffer greatly. He often falls into the fire or the water. ¹⁶I brought him to your followers, but they failed to heal him.”

¹⁷“The people of this generation are bent and twisted with no faith! How much longer will I have to put up with you?” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) cried out. Then he said, “Bring the boy to me.”

¹⁸He spoke sharply to the evil spirit, and it left the boy, and right then he was healed.

¹⁹Later, when Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was alone with his followers, they asked him, “Why could we not force the evil spirit out of him?”

²⁰“It is because of your weak faith,” he answered and then said to them, “I speak from my heart, if you had faith like a mustard seed, you could tell this mountain to move from here to there and it would do what you say. Nothing would be too hard for you. ²¹But it takes praying and going without food to make you ready to force out a spirit of this kind.”53

THE ROAD AHEAD

²²While they were in Circle of Nations (Galilee), Creator Sets Free (Jesus) gathered his followers together.

“The True Human Being will soon be taken and handed over to men ²³who will kill him,” he told them, “but on the third day he will come back to life from the dead.”

This filled his followers with sorrow and dread.

DUES FOR THE SACRED LODGE

²⁴When they came into Village of Comfort (Capernaum), some of the men who collected the money for the ceremonial lodge that was in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) came to Stands on the Rock (Peter).

“Does your wisdomkeeper pay his dues for the lodge?” they asked.

²⁵“Yes, he does,” he answered them.

When he returned to his house, before he could say a word about what happened, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to him, using his family name, “Tell me, One Who Hears (Simon), do the rulers of the land collect taxes or dues from their own family members, or from others? How do you see it?”

²⁶“From others,” Stands on the Rock (Peter) answered.

“So then,” he said back to him, “the family members do not have to pay, ²⁷but, to keep from insulting them, we will pay. Go to the lake and open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a silver coin. Use that to pay the dues for both of us.”

WHO IS TRULY GREAT?

¹The ones who walked the road with Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came to him. “Who is the greatest one on Creator’s good road from above?” they asked.

²He had a small child come to him and stood the child in front of them.

³“I speak from my heart,” he said to them, “unless you become like a little child, you will not find the pathway onto the good road. ⁴The ones who humble themselves, like this little child, will become great ones in the Land of Creator’s good road.”

⁵“The ones representing me who welcome a little child like this one welcome me.”

STUMBLING STONES

⁶“But for the ones who put a stumbling stone in the path of one of these little ones who trust in me, it would be better for them to have a great stone tied to their necks and be drowned in the deep waters! ⁷This world of sorrow and pain will make many stumble, but how terrible it will be for the ones who go along with it!

⁸“So, if what your hand or foot does makes you stumble from the path, cut it off and throw it away! It is better to walk this life without a hand or foot than to be thrown into the fire that burns on and on.

⁹“If what your eye sees makes you stumble on the path, then gouge it out and throw it away! It is better for you to walk this life with only one eye than to be thrown into the Valley of Smoldering Fire.

¹⁰“So do not look down on even one of these little ones, for their spirit-messengers in the spirit-world above always look upon the face of my Father, the one who is above us all. ¹¹For the True Human Being has come to find the lost ones and set them free.”54

THE WORTH OF THE LITTLE ONES

¹²“How do you see it?” he asked them. “If a man has one hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountainside to go and find the lost one? ¹³If he finds that lost one, I speak from my heart, he will find more joy for that one than for the ninety-nine that were not lost. ¹⁴In the same way your Father from the spirit-world above does not want to lose even one of these little ones.

HANDLING CONFLICT

¹⁵“If a tribal family member wrongs you, go to him alone and tell him. If he listens, then you have won him back. ¹⁶If he cannot see the wrong, then go to him with one or two others who have seen the wrong, so he can hear them. ¹⁷If he still will not listen, take him before the sacred family council. If he will not hear the council, then he will be the same to you as an outsider or a tribal tax collector.

¹⁸“I speak from my heart, what has been decided in the spirit-world above is what you will decide on earth. ^19-20From my heart I will say it again this way: When two or three have gathered together on earth to represent me, I will be there in spirit to guide you. Then, under my guidance, whatever two or more of you agree upon and ask for will be done by my Father from above.”

QUESTION ABOUT FORGIVENESS

²¹Stands on the Rock (Peter) came close to Creator Sets Free (Jesus). “Wisdomkeeper,” he asked, “how many times must I forgive a brother or sister who does wrong to me? Is seven times enough?”

²²“Not just seven times,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered, “but seventy times seven.”

STORY ABOUT FORGIVENESS

²³“So then, Creator’s good road is like a ruler who wanted to collect the debt owed to him by his hired servants. ²⁴The first one brought to him owed ten thousand horses.55 ²⁵The man could not repay him, so the ruler ordered that the man, his family, and all he owned be sold to pay for the debt.

²⁶“The servant fell to his knees before him and said, ‘Ruler, give me time and I will repay all that I owe!’

²⁷“The ruler felt sorry for the servant, set him free, and released him from his debt.

²⁸“But that same servant went to one of his fellow servants who owed him only a small horse blanket.56 He took hold of the man’s throat and said, ‘Pay me all that you owe!’

²⁹“The man humbled himself, bowed down, and pleaded, ‘Please, give me more time and I will repay you!’

³⁰“But he would not even listen and threw the man into prison until he could pay all that he owed. ³¹When his fellow servants saw this, it made their hearts fall to the ground. They went to the ruler and told him the sad story.

³²“The ruler had the man brought to him and said, ‘You worthless servant! How could your heart be so cold? I forgave you all your debt because you begged me to. ³³Why would you not do the same for your fellow servant?’

³⁴“The ruler was angry with him and put him in prison to be punished until his debt was paid in full.”

³⁵“My Father from above is warning you that the same thing will happen to you unless, from your heart, you each forgive your fellow human beings.”

MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE

³Some of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) came to him. “Does our tribal law permit a man to put away his wife for any and every reason?” they asked.

⁴“Have you not read in the Sacred Teachings,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked them, “that, in the beginning of creation, from one human being the Great Spirit made two—one male and one female? ⁵This is why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. Together they become one flesh, ⁶no longer two, but one body joined together.57 No human being should tear apart what Creator has put together.”

⁷“Why then,” they asked him, “does Drawn from the Water (Moses), in the Law, instruct that a man give his wife divorce papers before sending her away?”

⁸“It is because of your cold hearts of stone that Drawn from the Water (Moses) permitted this,” he answered, “but this was not the Great Spirit’s original plan for men and women.

⁹“But here is how I will answer you,” he told them. “Any man who sends his wife away and marries another is guilty of being unfaithful to her, unless she was the one who was not faithful.”

¹⁰The ones who walked the road with him shook their heads and said, “If this is so, between husband and wife, then it must be better not to marry.”

¹¹“Not many can hold to this teaching,” he answered them, “but only those to whom it has been gifted. There are many reasons for not getting married. ¹²Some are born with no desire or ability for marriage. Some have lost their ability from what has been done to them. Others choose not to marry so they can put all their strength into walking the good road from above. The ones who have this gift are able to walk in this wisdom.”

LITTLE CHILDREN AND THE GOOD ROAD

¹³The people were bringing their little children to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) so he would lay his hands on them and pray, but his followers spoke harsh words to the ones bringing them.

¹⁴“Let the little children come to me!” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to his followers. “Do not turn them away. Creator’s good road from above belongs to the ones who are like these children.”

¹⁵He then took the children into his arms, laid his hands on them, blessed them, and then went on his way.

POSSESSIONS OR THE GOOD ROAD

¹⁶As he was walking on down the road, a man came to him. “Wisdomkeeper,” he asked, “what good must I do to find the life of the world to come that never fades away?”

¹⁷“Why do you ask me about what is good?” he asked the man. “There is only one who is good—the Great Spirit. If you want this life, then follow the instructions given in our tribal law.”

¹⁸“Which instructions?” the young headman asked.

“You already know them,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered. “Do not take away the life of another, do not be unfaithful in marriage, and do not take what is not yours. Be honest in all you say and do, and never cheat a fellow human being. ¹⁹Give honor and respect to your father and mother, and love your fellow human beings as much as you love yourself.”

²⁰“Wisdomkeeper,” the man answered, “from my youth I have followed all of these instructions. What have I left undone?”

²¹“Only one thing remains,” he answered. “Take all of your possessions and give them to the ones who have none, and then you will have great possessions in the spirit-world above.”

“Come,” he said to the man, “and walk the road with me.”

²²But when the young man heard this, his heart fell to the ground. He hung his head and walked away, for he had many possessions.

HELP TO WALK THE GOOD ROAD

²³“I speak from my heart,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then said to his followers, “Finding the way onto the good road from above is a hard thing for the ones who have many possessions. ²⁴It would be easier for a moose58 to squeeze through the eye of a beading needle.”

²⁵His followers could not believe what they were hearing. “How then can anyone find and walk the good road?” they asked.

²⁶Creator Sets Free (Jesus) set his eyes firmly on them and said, “With two-leggeds this is impossible, but all things are possible with the help of the Great Spirit. Nothing is impossible for him.”

²⁷Then Stands on the Rock (Peter) spoke up, “We have left all our possessions, and our relatives, to walk the road with you! What will become of us?”

²⁸“I speak to you from my heart,” he answered. “When the new age has been birthed, the True Human Being will sit in his seat of honor, and you who have walked the road with me will sit in twelve places of honor, deciding what is good and right for the twelve tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).

²⁹“All who have given up their homes and families because they represent me will receive back much more59 than they have lost, and the life of the world to come that never fades away will be theirs.”

³⁰“But remember, many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

WORKERS IN A VINEYARD

¹“Creator’s good road from above is like this tribal member who managed a large vineyard. He went out early in the morning to find people to harvest the grapes. ²After they agreed with him on the amount for a full day’s pay, he sent them to work.

³“A few hours later he went to the trading post and saw people there doing nothing.

⁴“He told them, ‘If you will join the workers in my field, I will pay you well.’

⁵“So they went to work. Then, about midday, and again at midafternoon, he went out and found others and did the same. ⁶Finally, when the day was nearly done, he found a few more people doing nothing.

“‘Why are you not working?’ he asked them.

⁷“‘No one has hired us,’ they answered. He agreed to pay them fairly and sent them to work.

⁸“At the end of the day, the headman said to his manager, ‘Bring the workers in from the field and pay them, beginning from last to first.’

⁹“He paid the workers hired at the end of the day a full day’s wage. ¹⁰When the workers who were hired at the start of the day were paid, they expected to receive more but were paid the same amount.

¹¹“‘We have worked all day in the scorching heat,’ they complained to the manager. ¹²‘Why should we be paid the same as the ones who worked only one hour?’

¹³“‘I am not being unfair with you, my friend,’ he said to one of them. ‘Did we not agree on the amount of a full day’s wages? ¹⁴Take your pay and go in peace. If I want to pay these men the same, what is that to you? ¹⁵Am I not permitted to be generous with what is mine? Or are you jealous because I have done a good thing?’”

¹⁶“That is why I told you before,” he reminded them, “the last will be first and the first will be last.”

A SOLEMN REMINDER

¹⁷As they journeyed on toward the Village of Peace (Jerusalem), he stopped on the way and gathered his followers around him.

¹⁸“We are on our way up to the Village of Peace (Jerusalem),” he reminded them. “There the True Human Being will be handed over to the head holy men and scroll keepers, who will put him to death. ¹⁹They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the People of Iron (Romans).60 They will treat him shamefully, whip him with cords of braided cowhide, and kill him by nailing him to a tree-pole —the cross.

“But remember,” he added, “on the third day he will defeat death and live again.”

THE GOOD ROAD IS ABOUT SERVING OTHERS

²⁰The mother of He Takes Over (James) and He Shows Goodwill (John), the sons of Gift of Creator (Zebedee), came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), along with her sons, and humbled herself before him to make a request.

²¹“What do you want from me?” he asked.

“Promise me,” she said, “that my two sons will have an honored place when your good road comes—one on your right hand, the other on your left.”

²²“You do not know what you are asking,” he said to her.

He turned to her sons and asked them, “Can you drink the cup of suffering that I will drink, or endure my purification ceremony?”61

“We are able!” they answered.

²³“Yes, you will drink from my cup of suffering,” he said to them, “but the place of honor on my right and left hand is not mine to give. My Father will give this honor to the ones he has chosen.”

²⁴When the other ten message bearers heard this, they began to look down on the two brothers.

²⁵So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) called them together and said, “Other nations, like the People of Iron (Romans), have rulers. They like to show their power over people and push them around. ²⁶But this will not be the way of the ones who walk with me. The ones among you who would be great must humble themselves and serve all the others. ²⁷And the ones who want to be first must become the household slave of all. ²⁸In the same way, the True Human Being did not come to be served by others, but to offer his life in the place of many lives, to set them free.”

TWO BLIND MEN SEE AGAIN

²⁹As they walked out from Moon Village (Jericho), a large crowd of people trailed after them. ³⁰Not far from the village there were two blind men sitting on the side of the road.

When the blind men heard that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was passing by, they cried out to him, “Honored One! Descendant of Much Loved One (David), have pity on us!”

³¹The people in the crowd scolded them and said, “Be quiet!”

That only made them cry out louder, “Honored One! Descendant of Much Loved One (David), have pity on us!”

³²Creator Sets Free (Jesus) stopped walking and called out to them, “What do you want from me?”

³³“Honored One,” they said, “open our eyes, that we may see.”

³⁴He felt pity for them, so he touched their eyes, and right then their eyes were opened and they could see! So they went with him down the road.

GRAND ENTRY

¹They came to House of Unripe Figs (Bethphage) at the foot of Olive Mountain, near Village of Peace (Jerusalem). There he sent two of his followers ahead of him.

²“Go into the village ahead of us,” he instructed them. “As soon as you enter, you will find a donkey tied there with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone asks you what you are doing, say to them, ‘Our Wisdomkeeper has need of them,’ and the owner will release them to you.”

⁴This took place to show the full meaning of the ancient prophecy, ⁵“Speak these words to the daughter of Strong Mountain (Zion): ‘Behold, your Chief is coming to you, in a humble way, riding upon a donkey—a colt still with its mother.’”62

⁶His followers did as they were told. When they arrived at the village, they found everything just as he had said. ⁷They brought the donkey colt to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and laid their outer garments on the colt, and he sat down on them.

⁸From the large crowd many began to cut branches from nearby trees and spread their outer garments on the road in front of him. ⁹The crowd circled around him, front and back, and began to shout:

“Hosanna!63 To the descendant of Much Loved One (David)!

“Blessed is the one who comes representing the Great Spirit!

“Hosanna^b to the highest one!”

¹⁰When he rode through the gate entering the Village of Peace (Jerusalem), the whole village was in an uproar!

“Who is this?” they asked.

¹¹“He is Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the prophet from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth) in Circle of Nations (Galilee),” the crowd answered.

SACRED LODGE KEEPER

¹²Creator Sets Free (Jesus) rode into the village and to the sacred lodge. He entered the lodge and began to force out the ones who were selling and buying the ceremonial animals. He then tipped over the tables of the money handlers and the seats of the ones who were selling the ceremonial doves.

¹³“It is written from the words of the prophets,” he cried out, “‘My lodge will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have turned it into a hideout for thieves!’64”

¹⁴After that, people who could not see or walk came to him at the lodge, and he healed them. ¹⁵The children came to him there, shouting for joy, “Hosanna65 to the descendant of Much Loved One (David)!”

But when the head holy men and the scroll keepers saw the wonderful things he did and heard the children shouting and singing, they burned with anger ¹⁶and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”

“I hear them,” he answered, “but have you not heard what the ancient Sacred Teachings say? ‘From the mouths of little children and nursing babies you have created praise.’66”

¹⁷Then Creator Sets Free (Jesus) left Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and returned to House of Figs (Bethany), where he was lodging.

A FIG TREE WITH NO FRUIT

¹⁸The next morning, as he was returning to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), he became hungry. ¹⁹He saw a fig tree on the side of the road and went to it, but when he came to the tree, he found only leaves.

He spoke to the tree, “You will never again grow fruit!” and the fig tree began to wither away right then and there.

²⁰When the ones who walked the road with him saw the tree withering, they were amazed.

“How did it dry up and wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹“I speak from my heart, if you put all your trust in the Great Spirit and do not doubt that the Knower of Hearts hears you,” he answered them, “not only will you do what was done with this fig tree, but even if you speak to this mountain and say, ‘Be lifted up and go into the great waters,’ it will happen. ²²So when you send your prayers to the Great Spirit, believe that he hears you, and whatever you ask for will be yours.”

QUESTIONED BY THE SPIRITUAL LEADERS

²³When he arrived at the lodge, the head holy men were waiting for him. They and the ruling elders of the people came to him.

“By what right do you do these things?” they challenged. “Who gave you this right?”

²⁴“First you must answer one question from me,” he challenged back, “and then I will tell you what gives me the right. ²⁵The purification ceremony67 performed by Gift of Goodwill (John), was it from the spirit-world above, or did it come from human beings?”

They put their heads together and talked it over. “If we say it is from the spirit-world above, he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶But if we say it is from human beings, we fear what this crowd would do, for they are sure Gift of Goodwill (John) was a prophet.”

²⁷So they answered him, “We do not know.”

“So then,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “neither will I tell you what gives me the right to do these things.”

STORY OF TWO SONS

²⁸“How do you see it?” he asked them. “A man with two sons came to one of his sons and said, ‘Son, will you work in my vineyard today?’ ²⁹At first the son told him ‘No,’ but later changed his mind and went to work.

³⁰“Then the man went to his other son and asked him the same. He told his father, ‘Yes, I will,’ but never went.”

³¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked right at the spiritual leaders and asked, “Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?”

They said to him, “The first one.”

“I speak truth from my heart,” he said to them, “tribal tax collectors and those who sell sexual favors will find their way onto Creator’s good road ahead of you! ³²Gift of Goodwill (John) came to show the good way, but you refused to hear him. You saw how the tribal tax collectors and those who sell sexual favors put their trust in him, but not even this changed your mind to believe him.

STORY OF THE VINEYARD

³³“Hear me,” he said to them, “and I will tell you another story.

“There was a tribal member who planted a vineyard. He put a hedge around it, dug a pit to crush the grapes, and built a treehouse from which to watch over all the vines. He then rented the vineyard out to other tribal members for a share of the grapes. Then he traveled far away to another land.

³⁴“When harvest time came, the tribal member who owned the vineyard sent trusted messengers to gather his share of the grapes, ³⁵but the renters took hold of the messengers. They fiercely beat one, killed another, and even threw stones to kill another.

³⁶“Then the vineyard owner sent even more messengers than at first, but they did the same to them.

³⁷“Finally he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’

³⁸“But when they saw that he had sent his son, they said to each other, ‘This vineyard will one day belong to this son. If we kill him, we can take the vineyard for ourselves.’

³⁹“So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him.”

⁴⁰“When he returns, what will the owner of this vineyard do?” he asked them.

⁴¹They answered him, “He will bring those bad-hearted ones to a bad end and then rent out the vineyard to others who will be honorable and give him the share of the harvest he deserves.”

STUMBLING OVER THE CHIEF POLE

⁴²“Are you blind to the Sacred Teachings?” he said to them. “Have you not read this: ‘The tree the lodge builders threw away has become the Chief Lodgepole. This is what the Great Spirit has done, and it will fill us with wonder’68?

⁴³“So I say to you that Creator’s good road will be torn from you and given to a people who will bring its fruit to a full harvest. For the ones who stumble over this Chief Lodgepole will be broken into pieces, ⁴⁴and when it falls on them, they will be crushed and scattered like dust in the wind.”

⁴⁵When the head holy men and the Separated Ones (Pharisees) heard his stories, they realized they were about them. ⁴⁶They wanted to arrest Creator Sets Free (Jesus) but feared the people, since they considered him a prophet.

A REJECTED INVITATION

¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) continued to speak to them using stories such as this one:

²“Creator’s good road from above is like a chief who prepared a wedding feast for his son. ³When the feast was ready, he sent out trusted messengers to gather the ones who had been invited, but no one came.

⁴“So he sent out others with this message: ‘I am serving my best meat fresh from the herd. So come, the wedding feast for my son has been prepared!’

⁵“But some ignored the messengers and returned to their work, ⁶while others mistreated them and even killed them.

⁷“When the chief found out what they had done, he was filled with rage and sent his warriors to kill those murderers and burn their village to the ground.

⁸“Then the chief told his messengers, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but the ones invited have proved they have no honor. ⁹Waste no time, go out into the village pathways, and invite all you find to come to the feast.’

¹⁰“So they went and did as they were told and gathered as many as they could find, whether honorable or bad-hearted. So the lodge was filled with many wedding guests for his son.

¹¹“When the chief came in to see the guests, he saw someone who was not wearing the proper regalia that was provided for the guests at the wedding feast. ¹²He said to the guest, ‘How did you get in here without the proper regalia? Why have you dishonored my son by not wearing the outfit provided for you?’

“There was nothing the man could say.

¹³“The chief called his warriors and said to them, ‘Bind him with leather straps from head to foot and throw him outside into the darkness, to weep and grind his teeth in anger.’

¹⁴“So you can see,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said, “many are invited, but few accept his invitation.”69

THE SEPARATED ONES ATTACK

¹⁵The Separated Ones (Pharisees) began to scheme against Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ¹⁶They sent their followers along with some of the Friends of Looks Brave (Herodians) to spy on him.

“Wisdomkeeper,” they said to him, “we know you always speak the truth about the Great Spirit and represent him well. You show respect to human beings and treat them all the same. ¹⁷Tell us what is right, should our tribal members pay taxes to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar)? Yes or no?”

¹⁸He could see right through them and knew what they were up to!

“Why are you putting me to the test? I can see behind your false faces!” he answered. ¹⁹“Show me one of their silver coins used to pay the tax and let me take a close look at it.”

They found a silver coin and handed it to him.

²⁰“Whose image and words are carved into this coin?” he asked.

²¹“The Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar),” they answered.

He handed the coin back to them and said, “Then give to this ruler the things that are his, and give to the Great Spirit the things that belong to the Great Spirit.”

²²When they heard his answer, they were amazed at his wisdom and hung their heads in silence as they walked away.

THE UPRIGHT ONES ATTACK

²³Later that same day some of the Upright Ones (Sadducees), who say that the dead do not rise again, came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to question him also.

²⁴“Wisdomkeeper,” they said, “in our tribal law, Drawn From the Water (Moses) gave us these instructions: ‘If a Tribal Member should die before having children, then his brother should marry his widow and give her children to carry on his brother’s name.’

²⁵“In a family of seven brothers,” they continued, “the oldest took a wife but died without children. ²⁶The next brother married her, but he also died with no children. A third brother married her, and like his other brothers, he died with no children. The same happened to all seven of them, ²⁷and, last of all, the woman also crossed over to death. ²⁸So, when they all come back to life in the new world, whose wife will she be, since all seven brothers married her?”

²⁹“You are asking the wrong question,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered back. “You do not understand the Sacred Teachings or the power of the Great Spirit. ³⁰When the dead rise to life, there will be no marriage, for they will be like the spirit-messengers from the spirit-world above.”

³¹Then he added, “You say you do not believe the dead will rise again. But have you not read what was told by the Maker of Life: ³²‘I am the Great Spirit of Father of Many Nations (Abraham), of He Made Us Laugh (Isaac), and of Heel Grabber (Jacob)’70?

“He is not the Great Spirit of the dead but of the living.”

³³All the people who heard him were amazed by his teaching.

THE GREATEST OF THE INSTRUCTIONS

³⁴When the Separated Ones (Pharisees) heard how he silenced the Upright Ones (Sadducees), they put their heads together and came up with a plan. ³⁵One of them, who was an expert in tribal law, would put him to the test.

³⁶The expert came to him. “Wisdomkeeper,” he asked, “which instruction in our tribal law stands first?”

³⁷Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered him, “‘You must love the Great Spirit from deep within, with the strength of your arms, the thoughts of your mind, and the courage of your heart.’71 ³⁸This is the first and greatest instruction.

³⁹“The second is like the first,” he added. “‘You must love your fellow human beings in the same way you love yourselves.’72 ⁴⁰The Law and the words of the prophets all find their full meaning in these two instructions.”

HE SILENCES HIS ADVERSARIES

⁴¹While the Separated Ones (Pharisees) were still gathered near him, he asked them this question, ⁴²“How do you see the Chosen One? Who is he descended from?”

“He is the son who is descended from Much Loved One (David),” they answered.

⁴³“How can the scroll keepers call him the descendant of Much Loved One (David),” he asked, “when Much Loved One (David) himself, speaking by the power of the Spirit, called the Chosen One his Honored Chief? ⁴⁴For in the book of Sacred Songs he said, ‘The Honored Chief said to my Honored Chief, “Sit down beside me at my right hand, my place of greatest honor, until I defeat and humble all your enemies”73’?”

⁴⁵Then he said, “If Much Loved One (David) calls the Chosen One, ‘My Honored Chief,’ how can the Chosen One be his descendant?”

⁴⁶None of the spiritual leaders could answer him. From that time on, no one dared to challenge him with another question.

BAD SPIRITUAL LEADERS

^1-2“The Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the scroll keepers are leading you down the wrong path!” he said to the people and his followers. “When they speak, they represent the lawgiver Drawn from the Water (Moses), ³so listen when they speak the truth and do what they say but do not walk in their ways. They fail to do the things they demand of others ⁴and tie heavy spiritual burdens on their backs, too much for them to carry, but will not lift even one finger to help them.

⁵“They want to look important to others, so to look spiritual they wear large and fancy medicine pouches and long fringes on their outfits. ⁶They love to dress up in fine regalia, sit in the seats of honor at the gathering houses, ⁷and have people call them ‘wisdomkeeper’ at the trading posts.”

THE GREAT WILL SERVE

^8-10“Titles such as ‘wisdomkeeper,’ ‘chief,’ and ‘spiritual guide’ are not for you. There is only one true Wisdomkeeper, Chief, and Spiritual Guide—the Chosen One—and you all belong to his family. So call no one on earth by the title ‘father,’ for only the Great Spirit is truly the Father of us all. ¹¹The great ones among you will be servant of all. ¹²The ones who put themselves above others will be brought down low. The ones who humble themselves will be lifted up.”

SORROW AND TROUBLE

¹³“Sorrow and trouble is waiting for you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees), for you have hidden from the people the way onto the good road from above. You have failed to walk the good road yourselves, and, even worse, you have barred the way for others who were trying to find the way.

¹⁴“Sorrow and trouble will come your way, you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees), for with many words you make long empty prayers and trick widows into giving you their homes and possessions. You will come to a bad end when your fate is decided.74

¹⁵“Sorrow and trouble await you blind guides with false faces, for you journey far and wide, across the great waters, to find one person who will change to your ways. When you have won him over, he becomes twice as bad as you are, a true son of the Valley of Smoldering Fire.

¹⁶“And to the blind guides who say, ‘A promise made outside the lodge can be broken, but one made inside must be kept,’ ¹⁷you are so foolish and blind! It is not the lodge that makes the promise good, but it is the Great Spirit over the lodge who sees and hears all promises.

¹⁸“Or you say, ‘A promise made before a ceremony can be broken, but one made during a ceremony must be kept.’ ¹⁹Are you so blind? Can you not see that the Great Spirit sees and hears all promises and expects you to keep them?

^20-22“It matters not whether a promise is made inside or outside the lodge, or before or during a sacred ceremony. All promises on the earth below or in the spirit-world above are made before the eyes of the Great Spirit, who sees and hears everything.

²³“Sorrow and trouble wait for you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees). With false faces you are careful to do what tribal law says by giving a tenth of each little herb in your garden, but you ignore the more important instructions such as justice, kindness, and honesty. ²⁴You are spiritually blind guides, for you strain out a small flea from your water pouch, but swallow a whole moose.75

²⁵“Sorrow and trouble will be your end, you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees), for you wash the outside of your cups and bowls, but on the inside your hearts are full of greed and selfish ways. ²⁶You blind Separated Ones (Pharisees)! First clean the inside of your cup, and then the outside of the cup will become clean also.

²⁷“Sorrow and trouble will be waiting at the end of the trail for you Separated Ones (Pharisees) and scroll keepers who hide behind false faces. You are like burial caves that have been painted white to look good on the outside, but on the inside you are full of dead men’s bones and rotting things. ²⁸You may look good to others, but you are full of falsehood and worthless ways.

²⁹“Sorrow and trouble will be waiting at the end of the trail for you Separated Ones (Pharisees) and scroll keepers who hide behind false faces. You put great decorated stones on the burial grounds of the prophets and the ones who walked upright—the ones your ancestors killed.

AN OMINOUS WARNING

³⁰“You say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them when they shed the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹But you are speaking against yourselves, for you are admitting that you are the descendants of the ones who killed them, ³²and you will finish what your ancestors started! ³³You nest of poisonous snakes! How will you escape the bad end of the Valley of Smoldering Fire?

³⁴“That is why I am sending to you prophets, wisdomkeepers, and scroll keepers. You will whip some of them in your gathering houses. Others you will nail to a cross. You will threaten them and pursue them from village to village until you shed their blood. ³⁵Then you will be guilty of shedding the innocent blood of all who have lived on the earth from His Breath Goes Up (Abel), who was killed by his brother,76 to Creator Will Remember (Zechariah), the son of He Will Be Blessed (Barachiah), who was put to death in the courtyard of the sacred lodge.77

³⁶“I speak truth from my heart, all these things will happen to the people of this generation.”

O VILLAGE OF PEACE!

³⁷“Jerusalem, O Village of Peace!” he cried out loud for all to hear. “You who kill the prophets and stone to death the ones sent to you! How I have longed to gather your children together, like an eagle gathers her young under her wings, but you would not have it. ³⁸Look! Your house has fallen and will be left in ruins! ³⁹I speak from my heart, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes representing the Great Spirit!’”

THE SACRED LODGE WILL FALL

¹As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) made his way out of the sacred lodge, his followers began to point out to him all the buildings that surrounded the sacred lodge.

²“Take a good long look, for I speak truth from my heart—all of these will fall to the ground. Not one log or stone will be left standing against another.”

SIGNS OF THE END

³Later that day Creator Sets Free (Jesus) sat down to rest on the side of Olive Mountain.

Some of his followers came to him privately. “Wisdomkeeper,” they asked with worried faces, “when will these things happen? What will be the sign of your coming that will bring an end to this age we live in?”

⁴“Beware of those who would lead you down a false path,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) warned them, ⁵“for many will come falsely representing who I am and say, ‘I am the Chosen One,’ and many will follow them to a bad end.

⁶“When you hear of wars and stories of war breaking out, do not fear, for all of this must happen, but the end will not come all at once. ⁷There will be tribal wars, and nations will make war against other nations. Food will be scarce, and the earth will shake in many places— ⁸but this is only the beginning of the time of sorrow, like a woman feeling the pains of birth.

⁹“Because you represent me, you will be looked down on by all the nations. They will hunt you down and kill you, all because you follow me. ¹⁰When this happens, many will stumble on the path and even hate and betray each other.

¹¹“Then many false prophets will rise up and lead many down false paths. ¹²Because evildoers will grow strong, the love in many hearts will grow cold—¹³but the ones who stand firm in their faith to the end will be set free and made whole.

¹⁴“The good story about Creator’s good road will be told in truth for all the nations of this world to hear. Then the end will come.

A TIME OF SORROW AND TROUBLE

¹⁵“When you see the ‘horrible thing that destroys,’ that the prophet Creator Will Decide (Daniel) told about,78 making its stand against the place that is holy—the reader will understand the meaning— ¹⁶you will then know it is time for those who live in the Land of Promise (Judea) to escape to the mountains. ¹⁷If you are on your rooftop, go, without taking time to get anything from your house. ¹⁸Workers in the fields should not even go back to get their outer garments. ¹⁹It will be a terrible time for women who are pregnant or nursing their babies. ²⁰Pray that it will not happen in winter or on a Day of Resting.

²¹“It will be a time of trouble and sorrow like no other. A worse time has not been seen since the world was created—and there will never be a time like this again. ²²If that terrible time were allowed to reach the end of the trail, no one would survive, but for the sake of Creator’s Chosen Ones those days will be cut short.

²³“In those days if anyone says to you, ‘Look, the Chosen One is over here,’ or ‘Look, he is over there,’ pay no attention to him, ²⁴for false Chosen Ones will rise up and false prophets will appear. They will provide great signs and omens to mislead the people. Even Creator’s Chosen Ones will be tempted to believe them.

²⁵“Remember that I have warned you ahead of time! ²⁶So if they say, ‘The Chosen One is in the desert wilderness,’ do not go with them there. Or if they say, ‘The Chosen One is hidden in a secret place,’ do not believe them. ²⁷For when the sign of 79 the True Human Being appears, it will be like lightning when it flashes across the sky from the east to the west.

²⁸“In the same way that gathering vultures80 are a sign of dead bodies, so these things are a sign of the end.

²⁹“Then, right after that time of trouble and sorrow, ‘the sun will no longer shine, the moon will go dark, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the spirit-world above will tremble.’81

³⁰“This is when the sign of the True Human Being will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the land will weep in anguish when they see the True Human Being riding on the clouds and coming with power and shining-greatness. ³¹Then he will send out his spirit-messengers, who will blow the eagle bone whistle82 to gather his Chosen Ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

WISDOM FROM A FIG TREE

³²“Listen to this fig tree and hear what it is saying to you: when its branches get soft and leaves appear, you know that summer will soon be here. ³³In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time is almost here. ³⁴I speak from my heart! All of this will happen to this generation, during the lifetime of the people who live today. ³⁵The earth and sky, as we know them, will fade away, but my words will never fade!

ALWAYS BE READY

³⁶“But no one knows the day or hour that these things will take place. Not the spirit-messengers from the spirit-world above, not even Creator’s own Son, but only the Great Spirit, who is our Father from above, knows.

^37-38“When the True Human Being comes, it will be like it was in the days before the great flood in the time of One Who Rests (Noah). In those days the people were eating and drinking and getting married until the day that One Who Rests (Noah) entered the great wooden canoe. ³⁹No one knew what was happening until the floodwaters came, washed them away, and drowned them all. It will be the same when the True Human Being appears.

⁴⁰“During that time two men will be working in the field. One will be taken away and the other left. ⁴¹Two women will be husking corn. One will be taken away and the other left. ⁴²So be on the lookout, because you never know when your Honored Chief will arrive.

⁴³“But know this: If the elder of a family had known at what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and stopped the thief from breaking in. ⁴⁴Just like this elder, you must be ready, for the True Human Being will not come at the time you expect him to.

WHO WILL BE WISE?

⁴⁵“Who will be the wise one, worthy of trust? Will it be the uncle who was told to feed and care for the family while the elder is away? ⁴⁶A great blessing will come to that uncle when the elder returns and finds him doing so. ⁴⁷I speak from my heart, he will invite that uncle to live with the family and share everything.

⁴⁸“But what if the uncle says to himself, ‘It will be a long time before he returns,’ ⁴⁹then begins to abuse the family and invites the local drunks to eat and drink with him?”

⁵⁰“The elder will return at a time the uncle does not expect. ⁵¹He will then put him out of the family to share the fate of the ones who wear false faces. There the uncle will weep with them as they grind their teeth together in anger and frustration.

WISE AND FOOLISH YOUNG WOMEN

¹“When that time comes, the ones who are walking Creator’s good road from above will be like ten young, unmarried women who took their ceremonial torches and went out to welcome the groom. ²Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ^3-4The wise women took an extra clay pot of oil along for their torches, but the foolish ones did not bother to bring any.

⁵“The groom did not come when expected, and they all fell asleep as they waited. ⁶Then suddenly, in the dark of the night, someone cried out, ‘Look! The groom is coming, let us go welcome him!’

⁷“All the women woke up to prepare their torches, but the oil in the torches had run out.

⁸“The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil so our torches will not go out.’

⁹“The wise ones answered back, ‘There is not enough for all of us. Hurry, go to the village and trade for some more.’

¹⁰“They hurried away to get more oil. But while they were gone, the groom came and all the guests went into the lodge for the wedding feast, and the gate was closed.

¹¹“A while later the other women came to the gate and said to the gatekeeper, ‘Honored one, O honored one, open the door and let us come in.’

¹²“But he said to them, ‘I truly do not even know who you are—why should I let you in?’”

¹³“Here is what I am saying to you: be prepared like the wise women in this story and always be ready, for you do not know the time of day or night that the True Human Being will appear.”

STORY OF THE TRUSTED TRIBAL MEMBERS

¹⁴“Here is another way to see how the Creator’s good road from above will come: It is like a tribal headman preparing for a long journey. He gathered three trusted tribal members together to give them charge of his goods during his journey.

¹⁵“He gave five herds of horses83 to one, two herds to another, and one herd to the third man, giving each one according to his ability to make a good trade. After that he left on his journey.

¹⁶“The man with five herds of horses went to work right away, traded well, and earned five more herds. ¹⁷In the same way the one with two herds used them to gain two more. ¹⁸But the one who had only one kept the herd well hidden and safe from thieves.

¹⁹“Many moons passed before the headman returned from his journey. He gathered the trusted tribal members together to see how well they had traded.

²⁰“The one given five herds came forward and said, ‘Look, I have gained five more!’

²¹“‘You have served me well, my good and trusted friend,’ the headman said, ‘You have done well with a small amount, now I will give you much more. Come and live with my family and enjoy all I have.’

²²“Then the man to whom he gave two herds came forward and said, ‘You gave me two herds, but I have four to give back to you.’ ²³The headman honored him and did the same for him as the one with ten.

²⁴“Then the man to whom he had given one herd came to him and said, ‘Headman, I know you have a reputation of being a harsh man, taking what you did not plant and gathering what is not yours. ²⁵I was afraid, so I hid the herd away to keep them safe for you. Here they are!’

²⁶“The headman said to him, ‘You have broken the trust I gave you and have proven you are lazy and no good. If you knew I was a harsh man, ²⁷why did you not ask the trading post to trade for them so there would be something to show for them when I returned?’

²⁸“So he told them to take the herd from him and give it to the one who had ten ²⁹and said, ‘The ones who do well with what they are given will be given more, but the ones who do nothing with it will lose even what they have been given.’ ³⁰Then he had the man thrown out of his house into the darkness outside, the place where they weep and grind their teeth together in anger and frustration.

FATE OF THE NATIONS

³¹“When the True Human Being comes in all of his power and shining-greatness, along with all of his spirit-messengers, he will sit down in his seat of honor. ³²All nations will be gathered and come before him. He will choose between them like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right side and the goats to his left.

³⁴“Then the Chief will say to the sheep on his right, ‘The blessing of my Father rests upon you. Come into the Land of Creator’s good road that has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world. ³⁵For I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was hungry and you fed me. I was a stranger and you gave me lodging. ³⁶When I needed clothes, you gave me something to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in prison, you visited me.’

^37-39“‘When did we do all these things for you?’ the good-hearted ones asked.

⁴⁰“‘I speak from my heart,’ he answered them, ‘whatever you did for the least important of my fellow human beings84 who needed help, you did for me.’

⁴¹“Then the Chief will say to the goats on his left, ‘Go away from me, you who have bad hearts,85 into the fire that burns everything up, made for the evil trickster snake and his messengers. ⁴²For when I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me no drink, ⁴³and when I was a stranger, you turned me away. When I needed clothes, you gave me nothing to wear, and when I was sick and in prison, you failed to visit me.’

⁴⁴“‘Honored One,’ they questioned, ‘when was it that we saw you like this and did nothing?’

⁴⁵“‘I speak from my heart,’ he answered back, ‘when you did not help the ones who needed it most, you failed to help me.’

⁴⁶“Then the goats will go away to the punishment of the world to come that never fades away, and the sheep will enter the life of the world to come that never fades away, full of beauty and harmony.”

THE COUNCIL DECIDES HIS FATE

¹After he had finished speaking about these things, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to the ones who walked the road with him, ²“As you know, the Passover festival will begin after two days. It is during this time that the True Human Being will be taken captive and then killed on a tree-pole—the cross.”

³At that time the head holy men and the elders of the people gathered in the lodge of Hollow in the Rock (Caiaphas), the chief holy man. ⁴They schemed together to take Creator Sets Free (Jesus) captive on the sly and then kill him.

⁵“We should not do this during the festival,” they said, “or there could be an uprising among the people.”

PREPARED FOR BURIAL

⁶Creator Sets Free (Jesus) went to House of Figs (Bethany) to the home of Hearing Man (Simon), who had suffered from a skin disease. ⁷While there, a woman with a pottery jar full of costly, sweet-smelling ointment came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and poured it over his head as he sat on the floor near the table.

⁸His followers, when they saw this, became angry and said to each other, “Why waste this costly ointment? ⁹It could have been traded for food and goods to give to the ones who have none.”

¹⁰Creator Sets Free (Jesus) heard them and said, “Why are you troubling this woman? She has done a good thing for me. ¹¹You can help the poor any time, for they will always be with you, but I will not. ¹²By pouring this sweet-smelling ointment on my body, she has performed a preparation ceremony for my burial. ¹³I speak from my heart, when the good story is told all over the world, her story will also be told to remember what she has done.”

¹⁴It was then that Speaks Well Of (Judas) son of Village Man (Iscariot), one of the twelve, left and went to the head holy men. ¹⁵“How much is he worth to you,” he asked them. “What price will you pay if I turn him over to you?”

They agreed on thirty pieces of silver and paid him. ¹⁶So from then on he looked for a good time to betray Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

PREPARING FOR THE CEREMONIAL MEAL

¹⁷It was now the first day of the Festival of Bread Without Yeast. His followers came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and asked, “Where do you want us to go to prepare for the eating of the ceremonial Passover meal?”

¹⁸“Go into the village,” he instructed them, “and there you will meet a certain man and say to him, ‘Our Wisdomkeeper says, “My time has now come. I will eat the Passover meal with my followers here in your home.”’”

¹⁹They did as he said and made everything ready for the ceremonial meal.

THE CEREMONIAL MEAL BEGINS

²⁰As the sun was setting, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) sat down around the table with his twelve followers. ²¹During the meal he spoke out, “I speak from my heart, one of you will turn against me.”

²²They were all worried and troubled by this and began to ask him one by one, “Wisdomkeeper, am I the one?”

²³“It is the one who dipped his hand into the dish with me who will turn against me,” he said with a look of sorrow. ²⁴“The True Human Being must walk the path chosen for him, as the Sacred Teachings have said, but it will not go well for the one who betrays him. It would be better if that one had never been born.”

²⁵Speaks Well Of (Judas), the betrayer, looked at Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and asked, “Wisdomkeeper, you do not think I am the one, do you?”

“You have said it with your own words,” he answered back.

A NEW PEACE TREATY

²⁶Then, during the meal, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took some of the frybread, lifted it up, and gave thanks. He broke it into pieces, gave some to each of his followers, and said, “This is my body. Take it and eat it.”

²⁷Then he took a cup of wine, lifted it up, and gave thanks. He gave it to his followers and said, “Drink from this cup, all of you, ²⁸for this is my lifeblood of the new peace treaty, poured out to release many people from their broken ways.

²⁹“I tell you now, I will not drink from the fruit of this vine again until I drink it with you in a fresh and new way when we walk together on my Father’s good road.”

³⁰Then, after they sang a ceremonial song together, they walked to Olive Mountain.

THE SHEEP WILL SCATTER

³¹“This very night all of you will stumble on the path and turn away because of what will happen to me. The Sacred Teachings have made it clear, ‘Attack the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.’86 ³²But after I have risen from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Circle of Nations (Galilee).”

³³Stands on the Rock (Peter) answered him, “Even if all others stumble and turn away, I will not!”

³⁴“I speak from my heart,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said back to him, “before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you know me.”

³⁵“Not so, my Wisdomkeeper!” Stands on the Rock (Peter) replied. “Even if I must die with you, I will never turn away!”

Then all of his followers said the same thing.

PRAYING IN THE GARDEN

³⁶Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his followers came to the place called Where the Olives Are Crushed (Gethsemane), a garden with many olive trees.

“Sit here,” he told his followers, “while I go over there and pray.”

³⁷He then took with him Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Takes Over (James) and He Shows Goodwill (John), the two sons of Gift of Creator (Zebedee), to a place not far from the others.

As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) began to send his voice to the Great Spirit, he became deeply troubled and full of sorrow.

³⁸“My heart is full of sorrow to the point of death,” he said to his three followers who were with him. “Stay here and watch over me.”

³⁹He went a little ways from them, dropped his face to the ground, and prayed. “O Great Father,” he cried out, “is there a way to take this cup of bitter suffering away from me? But I want only your way, not mine.”

⁴⁰He then got up and found his followers sleeping.

“Could you not stay awake with me for even one hour?” he said to Stands on the Rock (Peter). ⁴¹“Stay awake and pray so that you will be able to face the rough trail ahead of you. Your human body is weak, but your spirit is strong.”

⁴²Once again he went from them and prayed, “My Father, if this is the only way, then, as you desire, I will drink deeply of this bitter cup.”

⁴³He found them and saw that their eyes were heavy with sleep, ⁴⁴so he went away from them a third time and prayed the same words.

⁴⁵He then returned to his followers and said to them, “Why are you still sleeping? The time is upon us! The True Human Being has been betrayed into the hands of the ones with bad hearts. ⁴⁶Rise up! We must go! Look! The one who has turned against me is here!”

BETRAYED!

⁴⁷Right then, while Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was speaking, a crowd of people stormed into the garden. Speaks Well Of (Judas), one of the twelve, was leading the way. Along with the betrayer came the large crowd, sent from the head holy men and elders of the tribal council, carrying clubs and long knives.

⁴⁸The betrayer had given them a sign. “Take hold of the one I greet with a kiss, and arrest him.”

⁴⁹Speaks Well Of (Judas) walked right up to Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

“Greetings, Wisdomkeeper,” he said and then kissed him.

⁵⁰“My friend,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to his face, “Do what you came to do.”

The crowd moved in and took hold of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to arrest him. ⁵¹But then one of his followers drew his long knife from its sheath and cut off the ear of the servant of the chief holy man.

⁵²“Put away your long knife,” he said to his follower, “for all who take up weapons will also die by them! ⁵³Do you not know that if I called out to my Father, he would send to me many thousands87 of spirit-messengers? ⁵⁴But if I did, how would the ancient prophecies that foretold this find their full meaning?”

⁵⁵Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then turned to the ones who had come to take him and said, “Why do you come at me with clubs and long knives as if I were a thief? Did I not sit with you every day in the sacred lodge? Why did you not take me then? ⁵⁶But now the words of the prophets have come true and found their full meaning.”

After hearing him say this, all his followers turned and ran away.

HIS TRIAL BEFORE THE COUNCIL

⁵⁷The ones who had arrested him dragged him away and brought him to Hollow in the Rock (Caiaphas), the chief holy man. The scroll keepers and elders of the Grand Council had gathered there to question him.

⁵⁸Stands on the Rock (Peter) followed from a safe distance until they came to the courtyard of the chief holy man. He then went inside through the gate, sat down next to the lodge guards, and waited to see what would happen.

⁵⁹The head holy men and the Grand Council kept trying to find someone who would speak against Creator Sets Free (Jesus) falsely so they could put him to death, ⁶⁰but found none who could agree, even though many came forward and spoke lies against him.

Finally two men came forward ⁶¹and said, “We heard him say, ‘I can tear down Creator’s sacred lodge and build it again in three days.’”

⁶²The chief holy man stood up before all. He said to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), “Have you no answer to these accusations?”

⁶³Creator Sets Free (Jesus) remained silent before all and said nothing to defend himself.

“On your honor before the living Creator I call on you to speak the truth!” he demanded. “Tell us whether you are the Chosen One, the Son of the Great Spirit!”

⁶⁴“What you have said is right!” he answered them. “But listen to this: from now on you will see the True Human Being sitting at the right hand of the Great Power when he comes riding the clouds of the spirit-world above!”88

⁶⁵They could not believe their ears! The chief holy man tore his outer garments and cried out, “He is guilty! His words have insulted the Great Spirit!”

He turned to the council of elders and said, “You have heard it with your own ears! Why do we even need witnesses? ⁶⁶What does the council have to say?”

With one voice the council answered, “Death is what he deserves!”

⁶⁷Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists, and others slapped him with the back of their hands. ⁶⁸“Prophesy to us, Chosen One,” they taunted him. “Tell us who struck you!”

STANDS ON THE ROCK DENIES THE CHOSEN ONE

⁶⁹Stands on the Rock (Peter) was still outside sitting in the courtyard.

A servant girl looked at him and said, “I saw you when you were with Creator Sets Free (Jesus) in Circle of Nations (Galilee).”

⁷⁰“What!” he denied before them all. “I do not know what you are talking about.”

⁷¹Then he went toward the gate, and another servant woman saw him and said out loud to all, “This man was with Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth).”

⁷²“I swear to you,” he denied with a sacred oath, “I do not know this man!”

⁷³A short time later some of the men came up to him. “You must be one of his followers,” they said. “The way you speak gives you away.”

⁷⁴Stands on the Rock (Peter) cursed and swore out loud, “What are you all saying? I do not know this man you are talking about.”

Right then a rooster began to crow, ⁷⁵and then he remembered what Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had told him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Stands on the Rock (Peter) ran out of the gate and wept bitter tears as he stumbled down the road.

THE BETRAYER TAKES HIS OWN LIFE

³When Speaks Well Of (Judas), the one who betrayed Creator Sets Free (Jesus), saw they had decided to have him killed, he was overcome with sorrow. He changed his mind and took the thirty pieces of silver back to the head holy men and the elders.

⁴“I have done wrong!” he told them. “I have betrayed the blood of an innocent man.”

“What do we care?” they said back to him. “You did this to yourself.”

⁵He threw the thirty pieces of silver on the floor of the sacred lodge and ran away in sorrow. He then left them and hanged himself.

⁶They picked the silver pieces up from the floor and said, “It is not permitted to put them in the storehouse of the sacred lodge, for it is blood money.”

⁷So they counseled together and used the silver to purchase a clay field that had been used for making pottery to use as a burial ground for outsiders. ⁸From that time on it has been called the Field of Blood.

⁹This gave full meaning to the words of the prophet Lifted by Creator (Jeremiah), “He was sold out for thirty pieces of silver by the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). This is how much they thought his life was worth. ¹⁰With the silver they bought a field of clay, as instructed by the Great Spirit.”89

ON TRIAL BY THE PEOPLE OF IRON

¹¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) now stood before the governor of the People of Iron (Romans) for questioning.

“Are you the chief of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel)?” the governor asked him.

“It is as you say,” he answered.

¹²Then the head holy men began to accuse him, but he gave them no answer.

¹³“Why are you silent?” Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) asked him, “Do you not hear their accusations?”

¹⁴But Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered not one word, which amazed the governor.

WHO SHALL BE RELEASED?

¹⁵It was a tradition during the Passover festival to release to the crowd one criminal, whomever they wanted. ¹⁶At that time they were holding a prisoner with a deadly reputation whose name was Son of His Father (Barabbas).

¹⁷“Which one shall I release?” the governor raised his voice to the crowd. “Son of His Father (Barabbas) or Creator Sets Free (Jesus), who is called the Chosen One?”

¹⁸Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) said this because he knew the head holy men and elders had handed over Creator Sets Free (Jesus) because they were jealous of his reputation with the people.

¹⁹While he was sitting there, a messenger came from his wife with these words: “Do no harm to this innocent man, for today I had a dream about him that troubles me greatly.”

²⁰But the head holy men and the elders talked the crowd into asking for Son of His Father (Barabbas) to be released and to have Creator Sets Free (Jesus) put to death.

²¹Once more the governor asked the crowd, “Whom do you want me to release?”

“Son of His Father (Barabbas)!” the crowd roared back.

²²“Then what would you have me do with Creator Sets Free (Jesus), who is called the Chosen One?” he asked them.

With one voice they shouted, “Nail him to the cross!”

²³“But what wrong has he done to deserve this?” he asked them again.

But their voices grew louder and louder, “Nail him to the cross!”

²⁴Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) could see that their minds would not be changed. He was worried that the crowd might turn violent, so he decided to give them what they wanted. He washed his hands in a vessel of water in front of all the people and said, “This man’s blood is not on my hands. It is on yours!”

²⁵“Let his blood be on us and on our descendants!” they answered him back.

CONDEMNED TO A VIOLENT DEATH

²⁶So the governor released Son of His Father (Barabbas) to them. He then turned over Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to the soldiers to be whipped with cowhide strips and then nailed to a tree-pole—the cross.

BEATEN AND MOCKED BY THE SOLDIERS

²⁷The governor’s soldiers dragged Creator Sets Free (Jesus) into the great hall of the governor’s lodge, and all the soldiers there gathered around him. ²⁸They stripped off his clothes, wrapped a fancy purple-and-red chief blanket around him, ²⁹and twisted together a headdress from a thorn bush and pressed it onto his head. Then they put a chief’s staff in his right hand and began to bow down before him.

“Honor to the chief of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel)!” they mocked him, making a big show of it, insulting him with cruel words and twisted faces.

³⁰They spat on him and took his chief’s staff and clubbed him with it. Then they took turns beating him on his head, over and over again. ³¹When they were done, they stripped him of the chief blanket, put his own garment back on him, and took him away to nail him to a tree-pole—the cross.

HIS TRAIL OF TEARS

³²On the way they came across Listening Man (Simon), from Land of Power (Cyrene) in northern Africa. The soldiers forced him to carry the cross for Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

NAILED TO THE CROSS

³³They came to Place of the Skull (Golgotha) ³⁴and gave him wine mixed with bitter herbs to drink, but after tasting it, he would not drink it. ³⁵They stripped him of his garments and, after they nailed his hands and feet to the cross, they gambled for his clothes. ³⁶The soldiers then sat down and kept watch over him.

³⁷Above his head on the crossbeam, carved into a piece of wood, was the accusation against him:

³⁸Then they also nailed two outlaws to their crosses, one on his right side, the other on his left.

MOCKED BY HIS OWN PEOPLE

³⁹As people walked by and saw him, they spoke arrogantly to him, wagged their heads, ⁴⁰and said, “You who thought you could tear down the sacred lodge and rebuild it in three days—can you even save yourself? If you are the Son of the Great Spirit, then come down off that cross!”

⁴¹The head holy men, the scroll keepers, and the elders all joined in.

⁴²“He set others free,” they said, “but he cannot even free himself. So he is the chief of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), is he? Let him come down from the cross now, and then we will believe in him! ⁴³He said, ‘I am the Son of the Great Spirit,’ so let the one he has put his trust in come and rescue him now—if he wants him.”

⁴⁴Even the thieves who were dying next to him joined in with the others and threw insults at him.

A TIME OF DARKNESS

⁴⁵At the sixth hour of the day clouds moved in and covered the land with darkness until the ninth hour.90

⁴⁶That is when Creator Sets Free (Jesus), speaking in his native language, cried out loud, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani”—which means, “O Great Spirit, my Creator, why have you left me alone?”91

⁴⁷Some of the people standing there heard him and said, “He is calling on the prophet Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah) to help him.”

⁴⁸One of them ran and soaked a cloth with the bitter wine, put it on a staff, and put it to his mouth. ⁴⁹But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah) will come and save him.”

HE BREATHES HIS LAST

⁵⁰But right then Creator Sets Free (Jesus), with his dying breath, lifted his voice one last time and with a loud cry gave up his spirit.

⁵¹Suddenly the earth began to quake. Large rocks cracked and shattered. Then in the sacred lodge the great heavy blanket that hung over the entry to the Most Holy Place was torn from top to bottom.

^52-53The burial caves opened as the stones that covered them broke into pieces. After Creator Sets Free (Jesus) returned to life from the dead, many of the bodies of the holy ancestors were raised to life from their sleep of death. They came out from their burial caves and appeared to many in the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem).

⁵⁴When the head soldier of the People of Iron (Romans) and his soldiers who were guarding Creator Sets Free (Jesus) felt the earth shake and saw what was happening all around them, they trembled with fear and said, “This man must truly be the Son of the Great Spirit!”

WOMEN WHO SERVED HIM

⁵⁵Many of the honored women who had walked the road with him from the time he was in Circle of Nations (Galilee) were there, watching from a distance. These were some of the women who had served him during his journeys. ⁵⁶Strong Tears (Mary) of the village of Creator’s High Lodge (Magdala) and Brooding Tears (Mary), the mother of He Takes Charge (James) and He Increases (Joses), were among them, and also the mother of the two sons of Gift of Creator (Zebedee).

BURIED IN A NEW BURIAL CAVE

⁵⁷A while before sunset, He Gets More (Joseph), a man of many possessions from the tribal village of High Mountain (Arimathea), who was also one who followed Creator Sets Free (Jesus), ⁵⁸went to Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate). He asked for the body of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) so he could prepare it properly for burial. The governor then gave him permission to take the body.

⁵⁹He took the body and ceremonially wrapped it in a traditional way using a clean, soft blanket. ⁶⁰He then laid the body of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) in his own burial cave freshly cut from the rock hillside. He rolled a large stone in front of the cave and left.

SOLDIERS GUARD HIM

⁶¹Strong Tears (Mary) of the village of Creator’s High Lodge (Magdala) and Brooding Tears (Mary) were also there sitting across the garden from the tomb.

⁶²The next day, which was after the Day of Preparing, the head holy men and the Separated Ones (Pharisees) came to Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate).

⁶³“Honored One,” they said to him, “When he was still alive, that trickster Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said, ‘On the third day I will come back from the dead.’ ⁶⁴We must put an end to his lies or his followers could take his body away and tell the people he has come back from the dead, making things worse for all of us. So we are asking that you order your soldiers to guard the burial cave.”

⁶⁵He said to them, “Take with you a good number of my soldiers and set them to guard the burial cave securely.”

⁶⁶So they went and placed a seal over the great stone and set the guards to watch.

A NEW SUNRISE FOR A NEW WORLD

¹Then, on the first day of the week following the Day of Resting, as the sun began to rise, Strong Tears (Mary) of the village of Creator’s High Lodge (Magdala) and Brooding Tears (Mary) went to see the burial cave.

²Suddenly the earth began to shake, and a spirit-messenger from the spirit-world above came down from the sky, walked to the burial cave, rolled the stone away—and sat down on it! ³He was shining as bright as a flash of lightning, and his regalia was pure white like freshly fallen snow.

⁴The soldiers staggered back, trembling with fear, and fell to the ground like dead men.

^5-6“Do not fear!” the spirit-messenger said to the women. “The one you are looking for is not here. Creator Sets Free (Jesus), who was killed on the cross, has come back to life again—just as he said. Look! Here is where they laid him. ⁷Now hurry and go tell his followers that he has risen from the dead. Tell them he is going ahead of them to Circle of Nations (Galilee), and they will see him there. Now remember what I have told you!”

HE APPEARS TO THE WOMEN

⁸The women ran from the burial cave to bring the good news to his followers. Their hearts were trembling with fear and great joy. ⁹Suddenly, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was standing in front of them.

“It is a good morning!” he smiled and said to them.

They came close, held tightly to his feet, and gave great honor to him.

¹⁰“Do not fear!” he told them. “Go and tell my brothers to go to Circle of Nations (Galilee), and there they will see me.”

THE SOLDIERS ARE PAID TO KEEP QUIET

¹¹After the women had left the burial cave, some of the soldiers who were guarding the place went to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and reported everything to the head holy men. ¹²So they gathered a council together to make a plan.

They decided to pay the soldiers well to make up a story. ¹³“Tell the people that his followers came and stole his body while you were sleeping,” they said. ¹⁴“Do not worry about the governor hearing of this. We will pay him whatever it takes to keep you from trouble.”

¹⁵So the soldiers took the money and did as they were told, and even to this day their story has been told far and wide among all the tribes.

FINAL INSTRUCTIONS

¹⁶The remaining eleven of his followers journeyed to Circle of Nations (Galilee). There, at the mountain where Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had told them to go, they met with him. ¹⁷When they saw him, they gave to him the honor he deserved—but there were some who still doubted.

¹⁸“All the authority of the spirit-world above and the earth below has been given to me,” he told them. ¹⁹“So now I am sending you into all nations to teach them how to walk the road with me. You will represent me as you perform the purification ceremony92 with them, initiating them into the life of beauty and harmony represented in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ²⁰You will then teach them all the ways that I have instructed you to walk in.”

“Never forget,” he said as he began to rise up into the spirit-world above. “I will always be with you, your invisible guide, walking beside you, until the new age has fully come.”