Shining Light Tells The Good Story The Gospel Of Luke

⁴⁹“But here is what the Great Spirit in his wisdom says to you, ‘I will send to you prophets and message bearers. Some you will murder, and others you will track down and torture.’

⁵⁰“The people living today will have to give an answer for shedding the blood of all the prophets who have lived since the beginning of the world, ⁵¹from the blood of His Breath Goes Up (Abel) to the blood of Creator Will Remember (Zechariah), who was murdered in the courtyard of the sacred lodge.

⁵²“Sorrow and trouble await you experts in tribal law, for you have taken for yourselves the secrets of wisdom and understanding. You have failed to walk in them, and even worse, you have stood in the way of others who were trying to get in.”

⁵³As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) began to leave, the scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees) grew fierce in their anger toward him. ⁵⁴They began to attack him with sharp questions, trying to trap him in his words.

¹Many thousands of people were now crowding around Creator Sets Free (Jesus), so many that they were trampling on each other. Before he spoke to the crowd, he first said to his followers, “Be on the lookout for the teachings32 of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) who put on a false face. ²Remember, nothing can be hidden from Creator’s eyes. He will uncover all secrets. ³What is spoken in darkness will be heard in the light, and what is whispered in secret will be shouted from the rooftops.

⁴“Hear me, my friends, do not fear the ones who can kill only the body. For there is nothing more they can do. ⁵You should fear the one who, after you have been killed, has the right to throw you into the Valley of Smoldering Fire. This is what should make you tremble.

⁶“Five small winged ones could be traded for two stones, yet Creator cares for each of them. ⁷He even knows the number of hairs on your head. Do not fear. Are you not worth more to him than many small winged ones?

⁸“Listen! When you represent me before others, the True Human Being will represent you before Creator’s spirit-messengers. ⁹But the ones who disown me will be disowned before them.

¹⁰“Anyone who speaks against the True Human Being can be forgiven, but speaking evil of the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

¹¹“When they drag you into their gathering houses and before government rulers, do not worry how to defend yourselves or what to say. ¹²When that time comes, the Holy Spirit will give you the words to speak.”

¹³Someone from the crowd pushed forward and said to him, “Wisdomkeeper, tell my brother to give me my part of what our father left to us.”

¹⁴Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to him, “Who made me the one to decide this between you and your brother? ¹⁵Watch your step, or greed will make you stumble. Remember, one’s life is not made up of many possessions.”

There were many people in the crowd who heard what he said about possessions, ¹⁶so he told this story to help them see more clearly.

“A man with many possessions had a field that was growing a great harvest of food. ¹⁷‘What will I do with all this food?’ he said to himself. ‘I have no room in my storage barns for this great harvest.’

“The man thought about it and then said to himself again, ¹⁸‘I know what I will do, I will tear down my old storage barns and build larger ones. ¹⁹I will have enough to last me many winters. Then I will take my rest, eat, drink, and celebrate.’

²⁰“But the Great Spirit said to him, ‘Why are you being so foolish? This is the day you will cross over to death and give an answer for your life. Now who will get the goods you have stored up for yourself?’”

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) let the people think about the story, and then he said, ²¹“This is how it will be for the ones who make themselves rich but forget about Creator’s true riches.”

²²Then he said to the ones who walked the road with him, “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? ²³Does your life not have more meaning?

²⁴“Look to the ravens, the winged ones who fly above us. Do they plant seeds and gather the harvest into a storehouse? No! But the Great Spirit gives them plenty to eat. Do you not know he cares even more for you? ²⁵Will worrying about these things help you live one hour longer? ²⁶If you cannot do such a small thing, why worry about other things?

²⁷“Have you seen how the wildflowers grow in the plains and meadows? Do you think they work hard and long to clothe themselves? No! 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.

²⁸“If the Great Spirit 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? ²⁹Why worry so much about what to eat or drink? ³⁰This is what the Nations of the world, who have lost their way, have given their hearts to, but your Father from above knows you need these things.

³¹“If you will make Creator’s good road your first aim, he will make sure you have all you need for each day. ³²Do not fear, for even though you are a small flock, it makes your Father’s heart glad to give you the good road!

³³“Share your possessions with the ones in need, and you will have money pouches that never wear out, filled with possessions from the spirit-world above. ³⁴For where you store your possessions is where your heart will be.

³⁵“Be ready at all times, with your torches burning bright. ³⁶Be like the ones who, waiting for their chief to return from a distant wedding feast, are watching and ready to welcome him. ³⁷When he returns and finds them ready, he will take off his chiefly garments, dress himself in servant’s clothes, sit them at his own table, and serve them a great feast. ³⁸He will do this whether he returns late in the night or early in the morning.

³⁹“Here is another way to see what I am saying. If the elder of a family had known what night the thieves were coming, he would not have let them break in. ⁴⁰In the same way you must always be ready, for the True Human Being will return at a time you do not expect.”

⁴¹Hearing this, Stands on the Rock (Peter) said to him, “Wisdomkeeper, is this story for us, or for all people?”

⁴²“You tell me,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered, “who is the wise one, worthy of trust? The uncle who feeds and cares for the family while the elder is away? ^43-44Yes, and when the elder returns, he will honor that uncle, take him into his home, and share everything with him.

⁴⁵“But what if the uncle says to himself, ‘It will be a long time before he returns,’ then begins to abuse the family, eat all the best food, and get drunk on the wine? ⁴⁶I will tell you what will happen,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) continued. “The elder will return at an unexpected time and find the uncle abusing his family. He will then put him out of the family and send him away to live with the other outcasts.

“Who is the story for?” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked his followers. ⁴⁷“Like the bad-hearted uncle, it is for the ones who know Creator’s right ways but fail to walk in them. They will be given the greatest punishment, ⁴⁸for more is required from the ones who are given and trusted with more. As for the ones who do not know but still fail to do what is right, their punishment will not be as great.”

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) knew that his followers were not prepared for the effect his message would have on their nation and what would soon happen to him in the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem).

⁴⁹“I came down from above to ignite a fire on this land, and how I long for it to burn!” he said to his followers. ⁵⁰“I have a purification ceremony33 with fire to accomplish—and I am desperate to finish it!

⁵¹“Do you look for me to bring peace to this land? No! I tell you, first there will be great conflict. ⁵²The message I bring will pierce like the blade of a long knife. It will even separate family members. A family of five will take sides, three against two and two against three. ⁵³Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, uncles and nephews, aunties and nieces. They will all fight like enemies, all because of me and my message.”34

⁵⁴Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then said to the crowd, “When a cloud rises in the west, you say, ‘It will rain soon,’ and so it does. ⁵⁵The wind blows from the south and you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and so it is.”

Then he spoke to the spiritual leaders, ⁵⁶“You who wear false faces! You understand what the earth, wind, and sky are saying, but you are blind to the message of the season you live in.

^57-58“If someone has a complaint against you, why not work things out on the way to tribal council? Can you not decide on your own what is right and come to an agreement? The council may decide against you and turn you over to ones who have the power to banish you ⁵⁹where there is no way back until honor is restored.”

¹Then some of the people there told Creator Sets Free (Jesus) about the people from Circle of Nations (Galilee) whom Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) had put to death and mixed their blood with their own ceremonial offerings.

²He said to them, “Do you think it was because of their bad hearts and wrongdoings that they suffered? Do you think their hearts were worse than all the others in Circle of Nations (Galilee)? ³No, I say to you! But if you, the people of Village of Peace (Jerusalem), do not change your ways of thinking and take a new path, you will all die in the same way.

⁴“What about the eighteen people on whom the tower in Sending Village (Siloam) fell? Do you think they were worse than all others living in Village of Peace (Jerusalem)? ⁵No, I say to you! But if you, the people of the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem), do not change your ways of thinking and take a new path, you will all die in the same way.”

⁶So he told them this story, “There was a man who planted a fig tree in his garden, but when he came to find fruit, there was none. ⁷He said to the keeper of the garden, ‘I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three seasons and have found none. Cut the tree down! Why waste good dirt on it?’

⁸“But the garden keeper answered the man, ‘Give me another season. I will dig around the tree and fertilize it. ⁹If it has no fruit after that, then cut it down.’”

¹⁰On another Day of Resting, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was teaching at a gathering house. ¹¹There was a woman there who had a spirit of weakness for eighteen winters. Her back was bent and twisted, so she could not stand up straight.

¹²When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) saw her, he told her to come to him and said, “Honored woman, you are set free from your weakness.” ¹³He put his hands on her, and right away she stood up straight and gave thanks to the Great Spirit.

¹⁴The headman of the gathering house was offended because Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had healed on the Day of Resting. He stood up and told the people, “Are there not six other days to do your work? Come on one of those days to be healed, not on the Day of Resting.”

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) helped the woman back to her seat. He then turned to the headman with a look of sorrow mixed with anger on his face.

¹⁵“You who wear false faces!” he said to the headman. “Is there anyone who would not untie his horse on the Day of Resting and take it to a watering hole? ¹⁶This woman is a daughter of Father of Many Nations (Abraham). Accuser (Satan), that evil trickster, has kept her this way for eighteen winters. Why should she not be set free on the Day of Resting?”

¹⁷The enemies of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) were put to shame by his words, but the hearts of the people jumped for joy because of the wonderful things he was doing.

¹⁸“What is Creator’s good road like? What can I compare it to?” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked. ¹⁹“It is like a man who planted in his garden a single grain of mustard seed,35 where it grew into a great tree, large enough for the winged ones who soar in the sky to find lodging in its branches.

²⁰“Again, think of Creator’s good road ²¹like the yeast a grandmother uses when she makes frybread dough. She mixes a little yeast into a large amount of flour, then the yeast spreads throughout all of the dough.”

²²Creator Sets Free (Jesus) continued to travel on to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). As he passed through the villages on the way, he would stop and teach the people. ²³At one of these villages a man asked him, “Wisdomkeeper, will only a few find their way onto the good road and be set free?”

²⁴“Yes,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to the man, “so make it your aim to enter in by the narrow way that I have taught you. There will be many who try to enter some other way but will not be able.

²⁵“Once the elder of a home has closed the door, others will come pound on the door and say to him, ‘Elder! Elder! Open the door for us!’

“But the elder will tell them, ‘I do not know who you are.’

²⁶“‘But did we not eat and drink with you?’ they will argue. ‘Did you not teach on our village pathways?’

²⁷“‘No!’ he will say to them, ‘I do not know where you are from. Go away from me, you bad-hearted trouble makers!’

²⁸“For there will be much weeping and grinding of teeth in anger when you see Father of Many Nations (Abraham), He Made Us Laugh (Isaac), Heel Grabber (Jacob), and all the prophets of old, feasting in the Land of Creator’s good road, but you are on the outside looking in! ²⁹People will come from many Nations, from the east, south, west, and north, and sit down to join in the feast.

“So you see,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to the man, ³⁰“some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”

The man’s face became pale as the meaning of the words of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) sank into his heart.

³¹At that time some of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) came to him and said, “You should leave this place! Looks Brave (Herod) is looking for you—to put you to death.”

³²He answered them, “You can tell that sly coyote to look out! I am forcing out evil spirits and healing the sick today and tomorrow. On the third day I will finish the work I came to do. ³³That is why I will go from this place today, tomorrow and the day after. For a prophet cannot be put to death this far from Village of Peace (Jerusalem)!

³⁴“O Village of Peace (Jerusalem), you who kill the prophets and stone to death the ones sent to you! How I have longed to gather your children together, like the eagle gathers her young under her wings, but you would not have it. ³⁵Look! Your house has fallen and will be left in ruins!

“I speak from my heart, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes representing the Great Spirit!’”36

¹On a Day of Resting, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was invited to the house of a headman of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) for a meal. All were keeping their eyes on him.

²A man with a sickness that made parts of his body swell up came and stood in front of him. ³Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the scroll keepers, who are experts in tribal law, “Is it permitted to heal on the Day of Resting? Yes or no?”

⁴The spiritual leaders glared at him in silence. ⁵So he took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him on his way.

He then turned to the spiritual leaders and said, “If your child, or even a horse, fell into a watering hole, would you not pull it out on the Day of Resting?”

⁶The spiritual leaders had no answer for him.

⁷He noticed how the invited guests had chosen the best seats at the table, so he gave them some wise counsel.

⁸“If you are invited to a wedding feast, do not sit in the best seats, for someone with greater honor may be invited. ⁹Then the host will come to you and say, ‘Give your seat to this person.’ Then, hanging your head, you will have to take the lowest seat.

¹⁰“Instead, take the lowest seat and the host may say to you, ‘Friend, come and sit in the seat of honor.’ You will then be honored in the eyes of all the guests.”

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked around the table at all the guests.

¹¹He said to them, “The ones who put themselves above others will be brought down, but all who humble themselves will be lifted up.”

¹²Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then turned to the headman who had invited him and said, “When you have a feast, do not invite only your friends, relatives, and the ones with many possessions, who can repay you. ¹³Instead, invite the poor, the blind, and the crippled, who cannot repay you. ¹⁴Then you will be honored when the good-hearted ones are brought back to life again.”

¹⁵One of the guests at the feast said to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), “Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who will feast at the table in the Land of Creator’s good road!”

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) could see they still did not understand, so he told them another story.

¹⁶“There was a man who prepared a great feast and invited many people. ¹⁷When the feast was ready, he sent a messenger to tell the ones he had invited, ‘Come to the table, the feast is ready!’ ¹⁸But one by one they all began to make excuses.

“One said, ‘I must go and tend to my new field. Please excuse me.’

¹⁹“Another said, ‘Please excuse me also, for I must try out the horses37 I just traded for.’

²⁰“And another, ‘I cannot come, for I have just been married.’

²¹“When the messenger told the man their answer, he became angry and said, ‘Waste no time! Go out into the village pathways and invite the ones who are poor, crippled, blind and lame.’

²²“When the messenger returned, he told the man, ‘I have done what you said, but there is still room for more.’

²³“So he told the messenger, ‘Go out to the mountain trails, look behind all the bushes, and urge them to come, so that my house may be filled with people. ²⁴None of the ones I first invited will even taste of this feast!’”

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was coming near to Jerusalem.

²⁵Large crowds were following him, so he turned to them and said, ²⁶“The ones who come to me must put me first, above all others. To walk the road with me, they must love and respect me above their own fathers and mothers, wives and children, and aunties and uncles. They must love me even more than their own lives. ²⁷Only the ones who are willing to follow me and carry their own crossbeam are ready to walk the road with me and learn my ways.

²⁸“Who would build a great lodge without first making sure he had enough trees to finish it? ²⁹If he only built the floor and then ran out of trees, others would laugh at him and say, ³⁰‘How will you finish what you started?’

³¹“Would a chief go to war against another chief if he only had half as many warriors? ³²No! He would send messengers ahead to make a peace treaty!

³³“You must count the cost of following me, for all who are not willing to give up all they have are not ready to walk the road with me and learn my ways.”

³⁴Then he added, “Salt is a good thing, but if it loses its saltiness, how will it get its flavor back? ³⁵That kind of salt is thrown away. It is no good for the garden or the manure pile.

“Let the ones who have ears hear what I am saying!”

¹Tribal tax collectors and other outcasts would often gather around Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to listen to him tell his stories. ²But the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the scroll keepers would complain about this. They would say things like, “This man welcomes outcasts to join him at the table and eat with him.”

³On one of those occasions Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered them with a story.

⁴“Who among you, if you were caring for one hundred sheep and one of the lambs wandered away, would not leave the ninety-nine and search for that lost lamb until you found it? ⁵Would you not put that lamb on your shoulders, hurry home, ⁶and invite your friends to a celebration, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost lamb!’?

⁷“In the same way, the spirit-world above will celebrate even more over one outcast who finds the way back home than for ninety-nine who are already safely there.

⁸“Let me say it another way,” he explained. “What man who has ten eagle feathers38 and loses one would not light a torch, sweep the house clean, and look everywhere until he found it? ⁹Then, after he finds it, would he not gather his friends together for a celebration? ¹⁰In the same way, Creator’s spirit-messengers will celebrate when even one outcast finds the way back home.”

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then told them another story to help them see even more clearly.

¹¹“There was a man with two sons. ¹²The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me now my share of what is coming to me.’”

This was a great insult to the father, for this would not have been done until the father had crossed over to death.

“But the Father, who was good-hearted and loved his sons, divided all he had with his two sons anyway.

¹³“Not many days later, the younger son took his share and went far away to another land. He began to spend it all on wild living and soon had nothing left. ¹⁴The time came when there was not enough food in the land for everyone, and he found himself poor and hungry. ¹⁵So he went to work for a rancher, who sent him out to feed the pigs. ¹⁶He became so hungry that he wanted to eat the husks he was feeding the pigs, but no one would even give him a meal.

¹⁷“Soon the younger son came back to his right mind and said to himself, ‘Look, here I am naked and starving, but the servants who work for my father are well fed! ¹⁸I am going back to humble myself to my father. I will tell him that I have dishonored both him and the spirit-world above, ¹⁹and I am no longer worthy to be called his son. I will ask him just to let me be a hired servant to work in his fields.’

²⁰“He then made up his mind and began to go home. While he was still far away, his father saw him walking. The father’s heart opened wide and he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.

²¹“The son said, ‘Father, I have failed the spirit-world above and you. I am not worthy to be called your son.’

²²“But the father ignored his son’s words, turned to his servants, and said, ‘Go! Find my best regalia and put it on him. Give him a headdress of feathers for his head and new moccasins for his feet! ²³Go get the fattest calf and prepare a great feast for a celebration. ²⁴This is my son! He was lost, but I have found him. He was dead to me, but now he is alive!’ Then they all began to feast, sing, and dance.

²⁵“Now, the older son was just returning from a hard day’s work in the field. He heard the music and dancing, ²⁶so he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷The servant told him, ‘Your brother has come home and your father has prepared a great feast for him, because he is alive and well.’

²⁸“Hearing this, the older brother became very angry and refused to go into the lodge. The father saw him brooding outside, so he went to him and urged him to come in.

²⁹“The older son said to his father, ‘Why can you not see? I have worked hard for you all my life, and done all that you have asked of me, but you have not even given me one small goat to have a feast with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours, who wasted all you gave him on sexual favors with women, comes home, you kill the fattest calf for him.’

“The father looked kindly into his older son’s face.

³¹“‘My son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always close to my heart, and everything I have is yours. ³²But it is a good thing for us to celebrate with glad hearts, for your brother was dead but now is alive. He was lost, but now we have found him!’”

¹He then told the ones who walked the road with him another story:

“There was a man with so many possessions, he had to have someone to oversee them all. The rich man was told that his overseer was mishandling his possessions. ²He sent for the man and said to him, ‘Why am I hearing these things about you? Give me an account of all I possess, for I can no longer trust you to oversee my belongings.’

³“The man said to himself, ‘What will I do? I am too old to dig ditches and too proud to beg from others.’

“Then an idea came to his mind. ⁴‘I know what to do so that others will help me and give me a place to live.’ ⁵He went to each person who was in debt to the rich man.

“He said to the first one, ‘How much do you owe?’ ⁶‘One hundred containers of oil,’ the man answered. ‘Make it to be fifty,’ the overseer told him.

⁷“He then said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ ‘One hundred baskets of wheat,’ he answered. ‘Make it to be eighty,’ the overseer said back to him.

⁸“When the rich man found out what the dishonest overseer had done, he shook his head but admired the man’s craftiness.

“Do you see what this means?” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked. “The children of darkness are sometimes wiser in the ways of this world than the children of light are in the ways of the spirit-world above.

⁹“So then, use the possessions of this world to help others in need, who will become your friends. Then when possessions run out, these new friends of Creator’s good road will always welcome you into their homes.

^10-12“If Creator cannot trust you with the possessions of this world, then how will he trust you with the treasures of the spirit-world above? But if you do well with the small things of this world, you will do well with the great things of the spirit-world above.

¹³“No one can be loyal to two rival chiefs. He will have to choose between them, for either he will hate one chief and love the other, or he will honor one and resent the other. You cannot be loyal to the Great Provider and to possessions at the same time.”

¹⁴When the Separated Ones (Pharisees) heard him, they shrugged their shoulders and rolled their eyes, for they loved their many possessions.

¹⁵Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “You always make yourselves look good to others, but the Great Spirit sees your heart. What many see as valuable he sees as worthless.

¹⁶“Tribal Law and the Prophets spoke until Gift of Goodwill (John) came. From his time until now, the good story about Creator’s good road has been told, but people are trying to force their way upon it. ¹⁷Not one thing the Law or the Prophets have said will fail to come to pass. Their words are as sure as the sky above and the earth below.”

In those days men would sometimes send their wives away for no good reason without giving them divorce papers, leaving them destitute and unable to properly remarry. Drawn from the Water (Moses), in the Law, said they must give a woman divorce papers before sending her away.39 To protect the honor and dignity of women, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) set them straight about how to apply this law.

¹⁸“Whoever sends his wife away, without properly divorcing her, and marries another is guilty of being unfaithful to his first wife. Anyone who then marries her is guilty of marrying another man’s wife.

¹⁹“There was once a man with many possessions who always dressed in the best clothes, had more than enough to eat, and lived a life of ease. ²⁰Every day a beggar named Creator Helps Him (Lazarus) was laid at the gate of his lodge. ²¹Dogs would come and lick the sores that covered his body as he begged for crumbs from the rich man’s table.

²²“When the time came for the beggar to cross over to the world of the dead, spirit-messengers carried him into the welcoming arms of his ancestor, Father of Many Nations (Abraham).

“At the same time the rich man also crossed over to death, and his body was buried. ²³In the Dark Underworld of Death (Hades) he was suffering and in pain. He looked up and saw his ancestor, Father of Many Nations (Abraham), far off in the distance. He could see Creator Helps Him (Lazarus) being comforted in his arms.

²⁴“He cried out in his pain, ‘Father of Many Nations (Abraham), my ancestor, have pity on me. Send Creator Helps Him (Lazarus) to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my thirsty tongue. Help me, for I am suffering in this flame.’

²⁵“Father of Many Nations (Abraham) said to him, ‘My son, do you not remember? All your days were filled with good things, but the days of Creator Helps Him (Lazarus) were filled with sorrow and pain. It is now his time for comfort, but it is your time for sorrow and pain. ²⁶Look! There is a great canyon between us, so wide that none can make the journey from here to there.’

²⁷“The rich man hung his head and said, ‘Please, my ancestor, send him back to the lodge ²⁸of my father and my five brothers. He can warn them of this place of suffering and pain, so they will not have to come here also.’

²⁹“Father of Many Nations (Abraham) said to him, ‘They have the words of Drawn from the Water (Moses) and the words of the prophets. Let your family listen to them.’

³⁰“‘No!’ the rich man cried out. ‘If someone goes back to them from the world of the dead, they will turn their hearts back to Creator.’

³¹“Father of Many Nations (Abraham) shook his head and said, ‘If your family will not listen to Drawn from the Water (Moses) and the prophets, then they will not listen even to one who comes back to life from the dead.’”

¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to the ones who walked the road with him, “This world of sorrow and pain will make many stumble, but how terrible it will be for the ones who go along with it. ²It would be better to be thrown into the deep waters with a great stone tied to your neck than to cause even one of these little ones, who trust in me, to stumble on the path.

“When you are wronged, ^3-4look first at what is in your own heart. If one of your brothers or sisters in the sacred family has wronged you, then tell them face to face. If they turn around and ask forgiveness, then release them—even if they do this seven times in one day.”

⁵“Wisdomkeeper,” his message bearers said, “help our weak faith!”

⁶“If you had faith as small as a mustard seed,” he replied, “you could also say to this mulberry tree, ‘Come out by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would do what you say.

⁷“Would an elder who sent a young man out to hunt for a deer, when the young man returned, say to him, ‘Sit down while I skin the deer and cook the meal for you’? ⁸No, but he would say, ‘Now skin the deer, then clean up and cook for me, then when I am finished, you can eat.’

⁹“The young man is only doing what is expected and deserves no special thanks. ¹⁰In the same way, when you have done everything the Great Spirit expects of you, serve him as you would an elder and do not expect to be honored for doing only what you should do.”

¹¹On his way to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took the path following the border between High Place (Samaria) and Circle of Nations (Galilee). ¹²He went into a small village where ten men with a skin disease came across his path. ¹³They kept a respectful distance from him and called loudly, “Creator Sets Free (Jesus)! Honored One!” They pleaded, “Have pity on us!”

¹⁴Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked at them and said, “Go to the holy men and show yourselves to them.”40

Tribal law instructed that a person healed of a skin disease must be pronounced ceremonially clean by a holy man.

They did what he said, and as they were on the way, they were healed. ¹⁵One of the ten men, when he saw he was healed, returned to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), giving loud praise to the Great Spirit. ¹⁶He then bowed down to honor Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and offered him thanks. This man was from High Place (Samaria).

All the people from there were despised and looked down on by the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).

¹⁷Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to those who were watching, “Were not ten men healed? Where then are the other nine? ¹⁸Was the only one who returned to give thanks and honor to the Great Spirit an outsider from High Place (Samaria)?”

¹⁹Then he said to the man, “Stand up and be on your way. Your trust in me has healed you.”

²⁰Another time the Separated Ones (Pharisees) asked him, “When will we see the Land of Creator’s good road?”

He said to them, “Creator’s good road is not what you expect. It does not come with the outward signs you are looking for. You will need new eyes to see it. ²¹No one will say, ‘Here it is! I found it!’ or ‘Look! It is over there!’ For Creator’s good road is already here—in me, as I walk among you.”

²²He then said to his message bearers, “In the time of trouble ahead, you will long for the days when the True Human Being walked among you. Those days will be no more. ²³People will say, ‘Look! He is over there or over here!’ Do not listen to them, ²⁴for when the day of the True Human Being comes, it will be like lightning when it flashes and lights the whole sky. ²⁵But first he will suffer many terrible things and be turned away by the people living today.

²⁶“The days of the True Human Being will be the same as it was in the days of One Who Rests (Noah), before the great flood. ²⁷The people were eating and drinking and getting married until the day that One Who Rests (Noah) entered the great wooden canoe. No one believed what was coming until the floodwaters came, washed them away, and drowned them all.

²⁸“It will be the same as it was in the days of Covers His Head (Lot). The people were eating and drinking, trading goods, planting seeds, and building their lodges ²⁹until the day came that Covers His Head (Lot) left Village of Bad Spirits (Sodom). Then rocks burning with fire fell from the sky and destroyed them all. ³⁰This is how it will be when the True Human Being is revealed.

³¹“When that day comes, the ones on their rooftops should flee, not even taking the time to get their belongings from inside their house. The ones who are working in the field should not take time to go home. ³²Remember what happened to the wife of Covers His Head (Lot).”

In the days of Covers His Head (Lot), the ancient Village of Bad Spirits (Sodom) was destroyed by fire-rocks that fell from the sky. He and his wife had to flee, leaving all behind. But his wife held back, and the ashes from the fire covered her, turning her into a mound of salt.

³³“The ones who cling to their life’s belongings will lose their own lives, but whoever is willing to leave everything behind will survive.

³⁴“During that night two people will be asleep in bed. One will be taken away and the other left. ³⁵Two women will be husking grain. One will be taken away and the other left.”

^36-37“Taken where?” his followers asked him.

“To the place where the dead bodies lie and the eagles41 gather over them,” he answered.

¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told them a story to show that they should pray at all times and never lose heart.

²“Listen!” he said. “There was a village that had a tribal council chief who did not fear the Great Spirit or respect his fellow human beings. ³A woman of that village, who had lost her husband, kept bothering him. She would say to him, ‘Stand up for me against the one who has done me wrong!’

^4-5“The tribal council chief ignored her at first, but the woman kept demanding that he help her. The council chief grew weary, changed his thinking, and said, ‘This woman really troubles me. If I do not help her and right this wrong, she will never stop bothering me! I will see that she gets justice, not because I respect her or even fear the Great Spirit, but only because she will not give up until I help her.’”

⁶Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then said, “Can you hear the words of this bad-hearted tribal council chief? ⁷If a council chief like that will do what is right, how much more will the Great Spirit right the wrongs done to the ones who cry out to him day and night? Will he ignore their cries? No! ⁸I tell you, he will not be slow to bring justice to them. But when the True Human Being comes, will he find this kind of faith anywhere in this land?”

⁹He then told a story to warn the ones who trusted in themselves and thought they were better than others.

¹⁰“Two men, a Separated One (Pharisee) and a tribal tax collector, went to the Great Spirit’s sacred lodge to send up their prayers.

¹¹“The Separated One (Pharisee) kept his distance from the tribal tax collector and prayed out loud, ‘Creator, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humankind—like the ones who use force to get from others what they want, or who are not faithful in marriage, or who have no understanding of right or wrong. I thank you also that I am not like this tribal tax collector standing here! ¹²I go without food twice a week for spiritual reasons, and I give a tenth of all my gain.’

¹³“Now the tribal tax collector hung his head down and would not even lift his face to the spirit-world above. He beat his hands against his chest and cried out, ‘Creator! Be kind and have pity on me. I am a pitiful man, full of bad thoughts and wrongdoings!’

¹⁴“Can you not see?” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said. “The tribal tax collector returned home in good standing with Creator, but the Separated One (Pharisee) did not! The ones who think too highly of themselves will be brought down low. The ones who humble themselves will be lifted up.”

¹⁵The people were bringing their little children to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) so he would lay his hands on them and bless them, but his followers spoke harsh words to the ones bringing them.

¹⁶So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “Let the little children come to me! Do not turn them away. Creator’s good road belongs to the ones who are like these children. ¹⁷I speak from my heart, unless you welcome Creator’s good road in the way a little child does, you will never walk it.”

¹⁸A spiritual leader came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus). “Good Wisdomkeeper,” he asked, “what must I do to have the life of the world to come that never fades away, full of beauty and harmony?”

¹⁹“Why do you call me good?” he asked the man. “Only the Great Spirit is good. ²⁰You know the sacred instructions from tribal law: Do not be unfaithful in marriage, do not take the life of another, or take anything that is not yours. Do not lie about others, and always give honor and respect to your parents.”42

²¹“Wisdomkeeper,” the man answered, “from my youth I have followed all of these instructions.”

²²“Then only one thing remains,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told him, “Take all of your possessions and give them to the ones who have none. Then you will have great possessions in the spirit-world above. And then come, walk the good road with me.”

²³The young man’s heart fell to the ground, and he hung his head, for he had many possessions.

^24-25A great sadness came to the face of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) as he looked at the man. And then he said, “Walking the good road is a hard thing for the ones who have many possessions. It would be easier for a moose43 to squeeze through the eye of a beading needle.”

²⁶After hearing this, they asked him, “How then can anyone walk the good road that sets all people free?”

²⁷Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked at them and said, “This is only possible with the help of the Great Spirit.”

²⁸Stands on the Rock (Peter) spoke up. “Can you see that we have left all our possessions and our relatives to walk the road with you?”

²⁹“I speak from my heart,” he said to them, “No one who has left homes and families to walk Creator’s good road will go without. ³⁰For in this world they will gain an even greater family with many homes, and in the world to come, the life of beauty and harmony will be theirs.”

³¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took the twelve aside and told them again about what was coming on the road ahead.

“Consider closely what I am telling you,” he reminded them. “We are on our way to the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem), where all the words of the prophets about the True Human Being will come to pass. ³²He will be handed over to the People of Iron (Romans).44 They will treat him shamefully, spit on him, ³³and put him to death, but on the third day he will come back to life.”

³⁴But his twelve message bearers did not understand what he was saying. The meaning was hidden from their eyes.

³⁵As they walked the road toward Village of Peace (Jerusalem), they came to Moon Village (Jericho). A blind man was sitting by the road begging for food. ³⁶When he heard the sound of the passing crowd, he asked what was happening. ³⁷He was told that Creator Sets Free (Jesus), from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth), was passing by.

³⁸The blind man cried out in a loud voice, “Creator Sets Free (Jesus), descendant of Much Loved One (David), have pity on me!”

³⁹The people in the front of the crowd scolded him and said, “Be quiet!”

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

⁴⁰Creator Sets Free (Jesus) stopped walking and told them to bring the man to him. When the man was close, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked him, ⁴¹“What do you want from me?”

“Wisdomkeeper,” he said, “heal my eyes, so I can see again.”

⁴²“Open your eyes and look around,” he told the man. “Your trust in me has healed you.”

⁴³As soon as he said this, the man could see!

The people laughed with joy as the man blinked his eyes and looked into their faces.

Right then the man began to walk the road with Creator Sets Free (Jesus), giving honor to the Great Spirit. And all the people who saw this also sang songs to thank the Great Spirit.

¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was walking through Moon Village (Jericho). ²There, a man named Pure of Heart (Zacchaeus), who was a head tribal tax collector with many possessions, ³was trying to see who was coming but was too short to see over the crowd. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed up a tall tree to get a better view.

⁵When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came to the tree, he looked up and said, “Pure of Heart (Zacchaeus), come down from there and take me to your house, for I need a place to rest.”

⁶He quickly climbed down the tree and with a glad heart welcomed him into his house. ⁷But when the people saw this, they shook their heads. “What is he doing?” they grumbled out loud. “Why would he go into the house of an outcast?”

⁸Pure of Heart (Zacchaeus) stood up to the crowd and said to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), “Hear me, Wisdomkeeper. I will give half my possessions to the ones who have none. If I have cheated anyone, I will give them back four times as much.”

⁹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) smiled and said, “This is a good day, because this man and his family have finally been set free. For he also is a descendant of Father of Many Nations (Abraham) who had lost his way. ¹⁰The True Human Being has come to find the ones who have lost their way and guide them back again to the good road.”

¹¹Since they were now close to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), and his followers thought that Creator’s good road would appear as soon as they arrived, he decided it was time to tell them another story.

¹²“There was a man who was born to be chief of a large tribal nation. The time had come for him to take his place as chief. But first he had to take a long journey to another land, to meet with a council of many nations, to be approved.

¹³“Before he left, he called together ten trusted tribal members who worked for him. He gave each one a woven blanket of great value. ‘Go,’ he told them, ‘and trade well until I return.’

“He then left on his journey to meet with the council.

¹⁴“But many of his own people despised him, so they sent some messengers ahead of him to speak with the council. ‘We do not want this man to be our chief,’ they said.

“But the council did not listen to them.

¹⁵“Much later, after being appointed as chief, he returned to his own tribal nation. He called together the trusted tribal members to whom he had given the woven blankets, to see how well they had traded.

¹⁶“The first to come to him said, ‘Honored chief, look, I now have ten blankets to return to you.’

¹⁷“‘You have done well!’ the chief replied, ‘Since you did well with this small thing, you will now represent me in ten villages.’

¹⁸“The second man came to him, and said, ‘Look, my chief, your one blanket is now five.’

¹⁹“‘Well done. You will now represent me in five villages,’ the chief told him.

²⁰“Another came to him and said, ‘See, my chief, I have returned to you the blanket you gave me. I folded it and hid it safely away. ²¹I dared not trade with it, for I know you to be a harsh man and I was afraid. You take from others what is not yours and harvest food you did not plant.’

²²“‘You have betrayed my trust,’ he said to the man. ‘Your own words will decide your fate! If you thought I was this way, ²³why did you not give your blanket to the trading post and at least have something to show for it when I returned?’

²⁴“Then the newly appointed chief turned to the ones who stood close by and said, ‘Take the blanket from him and give it to the one who has ten.’

²⁵“They were confused by this. ‘But, honored chief,’ they said, ‘he already has ten blankets!’

²⁶“The chief said to them, ‘The ones who do well with what they have will be given more. But for the ones who do nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’

“Then the chief turned to the tribal members who had opposed his appointment.

²⁷“‘Now bring to me the ones who opposed me before the council,’ he said with authority. ‘They will now have to die, while I watch, because they have made themselves my enemies.’”

He told them this so they would see that the good road would not come in the way they expected.

²⁸After he told this story, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) walked on ahead of his followers to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ^29-30When he came to House of Figs (Bethany) at the foot of Olive Mountain, he said to two of his followers, “Go to House of Unripe Figs (Bethphage) on the other side of the mountain. When you come into the village, you will see a young donkey colt tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it to me. ³¹If anyone asks what you are doing, say this to them, ‘Our Wisdomkeeper is in need of it.’”

³²His followers did as they were told. When they arrived at the village, they found everything just as he had said. ³³When they started untying the colt, the owners asked them, “What are you doing?” ³⁴They answered the owners just as they had been instructed, so they were permitted to go.

³⁵They brought the young donkey colt to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and laid their deer skins and tribal blankets on the donkey colt. He then mounted the colt and began his ride.

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came riding into the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem) down Olive Mountain toward the eastern entry into Village of Peace (Jerusalem) that is called Beautiful Gate. His twelve followers encircled him and led the colt forward.

He did not fit the powerful image of a conquering ruler, for he was not riding a warhorse. Instead, he rode a small, humble donkey colt. No mighty warriors rode next to him. No dignitaries came out to meet him. It was mostly the common people who welcomed him that day.

³⁶As he rode forward, some of the people began to spread their buffalo robes on the road in front of Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ³⁷When he reached the foot of Olive Mountain, the whole village was in an uproar. His followers began to sing to Creator and shout out loud, praising him for the powerful signs they had seen.

³⁸“Blessed is the Grand Chief who comes representing the Great Spirit! Peace to the spirit-world above and honor and shining-greatness to the One Above Us All!”45

³⁹Some of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) who were in the crowd spoke up. “Wisdomkeeper!” they cried out, “Warn your followers to watch what they are saying.”

It was a dangerous thing to call anyone a chief or ruler in front of the soldiers of the People of Iron (Romans) who were guarding the area.

⁴⁰“I will tell you this,” he said to them. “If they were silenced, the very stones and rocks we are walking on would lift their voices and cry out!”

⁴¹As he rode forward, he could see the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem), and tears began to run down his face.

He could taste the salt from his tears as he opened his mouth in anguish.

⁴²“Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, you are the Sacred Village of Peace,” he wept out loud. “Of all people, you should be the ones who would know the way of peace, but on this sacred day, the way of peace is hidden from your eyes.

⁴³“In the days ahead your enemies will encircle you and close in on you from every side. You will be crushed and trampled down, along with all your children. ⁴⁴Every lodge will fall, and not even one pole, log, or stone will be left standing against another. All of this will happen because you did not know it was your time for the Great Spirit to visit you.”

⁴⁵Then he rode through the Beautiful Gate, into the village and up to the sacred lodge.

He entered the lodge and came into the area called Gathering Place for the Nations. It was here that other nations could come to learn about the Great Spirit and his ways. The holy men were using this place to buy and sell the ceremonial animals. But it was so crowded that there was not enough room for the people from other nations who wanted to learn about Creator’s ways. They were not honoring the purpose of this holy place.

He entered the lodge and began to force out the ones who were buying and selling the ceremonial animals. ⁴⁶“It is written in the Sacred Teachings,” he cried out, “‘my lodge will be a house of prayer; but you have turned it into a hideout for thieves!’46”

⁴⁷In the days that followed, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came each day to the sacred lodge to teach and tell his stories. The head holy men, the scroll keepers, and the spiritual leaders took counsel together to plan new ways to have him killed. ⁴⁸But they could not figure out what to do, for the people had great respect for him and held on to every word he said.

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

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

⁴“The purification ceremony47 performed by Gift of Goodwill (John), was it from the spirit-world above, or did it come from human beings?” he asked them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The spiritual leaders were insulted by this story.

“That must never happen!” they said.

¹⁷Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked at the spiritual leaders and said, “Then what do the Sacred Teachings mean when they say, ‘The tree the lodge builders threw away has become the Chief Lodgepole’? ¹⁸The ones who stumble over this pole will be broken into pieces, and when it falls on them, they will be crushed and scattered like dust in the wind.”48

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

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

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

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

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

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

He handed the coin back to them.

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

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

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

“Wisdomkeeper,” they said, “in the law Drawn from the Water (Moses) gave us these instructions: ‘If a Tribal Member should die before having children, then his brother should marry his widow and give her children. This way the man will have descendants.’49

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

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

³⁷And then he said, “As to the dead rising again, listen to what the Sacred Teachings tell us that Drawn from the Water (Moses) said when he saw the burning bush. He calls Creator the ‘Great Spirit of Father of Many Nations (Abraham), He Made Us Laugh (Isaac), and Heel Grabber (Jacob).’50

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

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

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

⁴¹So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked them a question, “How is it that you call the Chosen One the descendant of Much Loved One (David), ⁴²when Much Loved One (David) in the Sacred Songs (Psalms) says, ‘The Great Chief said to my Great Chief, ‘Sit down beside me at my right hand, my place of greatest honor, ⁴³until I defeat your enemies and humble them before you’?”51

He paused to let his words sink in.

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

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

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

¹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked up and saw people with many possessions bringing their gifts to the giveaway at the sacred lodge. ²He then saw a poor widow walk up and place two poorly beaded earrings on the blanket, worth almost nothing.

³“I speak from my heart,” he said to his followers, “this widow’s gift is better than all the others. ⁴When they put their gifts on the blanket, they gave only a small part of their many possessions, but this poor widow has given all she had.”

⁵Some of his followers began to point out to him the beauty of the great lodge with its handsomely carved logs, its large stones, and ceremonial gifts.

A look of sadness came over the face of Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

⁶“Take a good long look,” he said, “for in the days ahead, all of this will fall to the ground. Not one log or stone will be left standing against another.”

They looked at him with worried faces.

⁷“Wisdomkeeper, when will this happen?” they asked. “What will be the sign?”

⁸“Make sure no one leads you down the wrong path,” he warned them, “for many will falsely represent me and say, ‘I am the Chosen One, follow me, there is no time left!’ Do not follow after them.

⁹“When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not fear, for these things will come first—but the end is not yet. ¹⁰Tribal wars will break out, and nations will war against nations. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, food will be scarce, sickness will spread everywhere, and bad signs will appear in the sky.

¹²“Before all of this happens, you will be betrayed by your own people. They will hunt you down, drag you into their gathering houses, and put you in jail. They will hand you over to the government and officials of the People of Iron (Romans). All of this they will do to you because of me and my name. ¹³But remember, this will be your chance to represent me and tell them the good story. ¹⁴Do not worry about what to say ahead of time to defend yourselves, ¹⁵for I will give you the mouth of a wisdomkeeper, and no enemy will be able to answer you or prove you wrong.

¹⁶“You will be betrayed by your own family members and friends. They will even have some of you killed. ¹⁷They will all hate you because you are representing me and my teachings.

¹⁸“But none of these things can truly harm you,52 ¹⁹so you must stand up strong and never give up trusting in me, for my life inside you will help you walk with firm steps.”

²⁰“When you see Village of Peace (Jerusalem) surrounded and encamped about by the armies of the People of Iron (Romans), you will know that the time of her destruction has come.53 ²¹The people of the Land of Promise (Judea) should run to the mountains for safety, and the ones who are inside the walls of Village of Peace (Jerusalem) must get out, and the ones outside should not go in. ²²For this is the time when Creator will let justice have its way, to bring about the bad end spoken of in the Sacred Teachings.

²³“It will be hard for women who are pregnant or nursing their babies, for great sorrow and trouble will come like an angry storm upon the land and against this people. ²⁴The great Village of Peace (Jerusalem) will be cut down by the long knives. The people will be taken captive and scattered into all the nations. The Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem) will then be trampled down by the Outside Nations until their time has come to an end.

²⁵“There will also be signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and on the earth the nations will tremble with fear. Panic and confusion will grow strong when they hear the sea roar and see the waves swell. ²⁶The people will shake with fear, and hearts will fall to the ground when they see what is happening to the world around them. Even the powers of the spirit-world above will tremble and shake.

²⁷“Then they will look up and see the True Human Being coming with power, riding on the clouds, and showing his shining-greatness!54

²⁸“When you see all these things begin to happen, stand strong, my followers. Lift up your heads! For the time of your captivity will soon come to an end!”

²⁹Then he told them a wisdom-story: “Look at this fig tree or any tree, and see what it is saying to you. ³⁰When the branches of a tree grow soft and buds appear, you know that it is nearly summer. ³¹In the same way when you see these things happening, you will know that Creator’s good road is about to come into full bloom.

³²“I speak from my heart! All of this will happen to this generation, during the lifetime of the people who live today. ³³What I have told you is sure, for my words will last longer than the sky above and the earth below.

³⁴“So keep your eyes straight. Do not let your hearts fall to the ground. Do not give yourselves to drinking or worrying about your life’s possessions, or that day will take you by surprise. ³⁵For it will come without warning, to all who live on the land, like a beaver that is snared in a trap. ³⁶So stay on guard, praying that you will find a safe path through this time and stand strong before the True Human Being.”

³⁷During the day Creator Sets Free (Jesus) would teach and tell his stories at the sacred lodge. Then at night he would go to where he was lodging on Olive Mountain. ³⁸Then, in the morning, all the people would gather again at the lodge to listen to him.

¹It was time once again for the traditional feast of Bread Without Yeast, called Passover. ²The head holy men and the scroll keepers were looking for a way to capture Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and have him put to death, for they feared his influence over the people.

³During that time, Accuser (Satan) wrapped himself around the heart of Speaks Well Of (Judas), also called Village Man (Iscariot), who was one of the twelve followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

⁴He went to the head holy men and the lodge guards and told them of his plan to turn against Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ⁵With glad hearts they agreed to pay him. ⁶He agreed to the amount and began to wait for the right time to betray Creator Sets Free (Jesus) when there were no crowds around him.

⁷It was now the day of Bread Without Yeast, when the ceremonial Passover lamb would be sacrificed and eaten.

⁸Creator Sets Free (Jesus) chose Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John). “Go and prepare a place for us to eat the ceremonial meal,” he instructed them.

⁹“Where should we go?” they asked him.

¹⁰“Go into the village,” he instructed them, “and look for a man carrying a pouch of water. He will take you to a lodge. Go in with him ¹¹and say to the headman of the house, ‘Our Wisdomkeeper wants to know where the room is to eat the Passover meal with his followers.’ ¹²He will then take you to a large upper room that will be ready for you. There you can prepare the meal.”

¹³They did as he said and found everything was just as he told them, so they prepared the ceremonial meal.

¹⁴When it was time for the ceremonial meal to begin, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his twelve message bearers sat down around a table.

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked into the faces of his followers.

¹⁵“How I have longed to sit and eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer,” he said.

^16-18He then lifted up a cup of wine, gave thanks for it, and said, “Take this and share it with one another.”

The cup was then passed from Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to each of them, and one by one they all drank from it.

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “Listen to me closely, I will not drink from the fruit of this vine again until it finds its full meaning in the Land of Creator’s good road.”

During the meal ¹⁹Creator 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, my gift to you. Take it and eat it. Do this to remember me.”

They all passed the frybread around the table and ate it with wondering hearts, because this was something new. Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was showing his followers that this ancient ceremony was finding its full meaning in him.

²⁰In the same way, after the meal was over, he took a cup of wine, lifted it up, and gave thanks. He gave it to his followers and said, “This cup of wine is for the new peace treaty. It is my lifeblood poured out for you.”

²¹“But look and see!” he said to the surprise of all. “The one who has turned against me is sitting at this table. ²²The True Human Being will walk the path that has been chosen for him, but it will not go well for the one who betrays him.”

²³His message bearers looked around at one another, asking who among them would do such a thing.

²⁴This led to an argument about which one of them was to be seen as the first and greatest among them.

²⁵So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) reminded them, “Rulers from the Nations show their power by forcing their way upon people and then call it ‘helping them.’ ²⁶This will not be the way of the ones who walk my road. The greatest among you will be least, like a child, and the rulers will be like household servants.”

He let his words sink into their hearts.

²⁷“Who is the greater one?” he asked. “The one who is being served, or the one who serves?”

They all hung their heads and would not look him in the eye.

“Is it not the one being served?” he responded. “But here I am serving you.”

The voice of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) became full of compassion and love. His followers lifted their heads up and looked at their Wisdomkeeper.

²⁸“You have stood with me even in my time of sorrow and testing. ²⁹My Father has made me the Chief of the good road. As Chief, I give you the right to walk this road with me ³⁰and share my table. There you will sit in twelve council seats and decide all things for the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).”

The Passover meal was coming to an end. It was time to close the ceremony and face the dark night ahead. Turning to Stands on the Rock (Peter), Creator Sets Free (Jesus) spoke to him using his family name.

³¹“One Who Hears (Simon), hear me!” he said. “Accuser (Satan) has asked to put you all to the test, like one who separates the grain from the husks. ³²But I have prayed for you that your failure will not turn you from the good road. When you turn back once again, then help the others to do the same.”

³³But One Who Hears (Simon) could not hear, so he said, “Wisdomkeeper, I am ready to go with you to both prison and death!”

³⁴Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked at him with sad eyes and said, “Stands on the Rock (Peter), listen to me! Before the rooster crows, this very night, you will deny that you know who I am. Not once, not twice, but three times.”

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) knew that trouble was coming, ³⁵so he said, “When I sent you out to tell the good story to the villages, you took no money pouch, no traveling bundle, not even extra moccasins. Did you need anything?”

“Nothing,” they answered.

³⁶“That is good,” he said, “but now take your money pouch and your traveling bundle with you.”

Then he spoke of what they would need to face that very night.

“Also, if you have no long knife, then trade your outer garment for one, ³⁷for there is another prophecy in the Sacred Teachings that tells what will happen to me. It says, ‘He was numbered with the rebels.’55 This also must find its full meaning and come to an end in me.”

³⁸“Wisdomkeeper!” they said, “Look, here are two long knives.”

“That will be enough,” he answered.

³⁹Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his followers left from there and went to the place where he often prayed at Olive Mountain. ⁴⁰When they arrived, he said to them, “Pray that you will have the strength to face this time of testing ahead of you.”

^41-42He went from them about as far as one can throw a stone. He lowered himself to the ground, fell on his face, and sent his voice to Creator, “If you want, my Father, you can take this bitter road of pain and sorrow away from me, but even so I want to walk your path, not my own.”

The night was silent and cold as Creator Sets Free (Jesus) trembled and prayed. The powers of darkness were pressing in hard.

⁴³While he prayed, a spirit-messenger from the spirit-world above appeared, giving him strength. ⁴⁴In great agony he prayed with renewed strength, until his sweat began to fall like great drops of blood watering the ground.

⁴⁵When he had finished sending his voice to the Great Spirit, he got up and found his followers sleeping. ⁴⁶“Why are you sleeping?” he asked. “Wake up and pray for strength to face this time of testing!”

⁴⁷While Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was speaking, suddenly a crowd stormed in led by Speaks Well Of (Judas), one of the twelve. He walked up to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to greet him.

⁴⁸“Will you betray the True Human Being with a kiss?” he said to him.

⁴⁹When his followers saw what was happening, they said, “Wisdomkeeper, should we strike with our long knives?”

⁵⁰Before he could answer them, one of them drew his long knife from its sheath and cut off the right ear of the servant of the chief holy man.

⁵¹“Stop! No more fighting!” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) cried out. Then he touched the man’s ear and healed it. ⁵²He then turned to the head holy men, the lodge soldiers, and the council elders, who had come to take him.

“Why do you come at me with clubs and long knives as if I were a thief?” he asked them. ⁵³“Did I not sit with you every day in the sacred lodge? Why did you not take me then? This is your time, and you have given the powers of darkness their day.”

⁵⁴The lodge soldiers grabbed hold of him, dragged him away, and took him to the house of the chief holy man. Watching from a distance, Stands on the Rock (Peter) followed them.

⁵⁵Some of the men built a fire in the courtyard and sat down to warm themselves. Stands on the Rock (Peter) sat down with them. ⁵⁶When a servant girl noticed him sitting by the fire, she looked closely into his face and said, “This man was with Creator Sets Free (Jesus)!”

⁵⁷“Woman,” he denied, “I do not know the man.”

⁵⁸A short time later someone else noticed him, and said, “You are one of his followers.”

“I am not!” he argued back.

⁵⁹About one hour later another man accused him, “He must be one of his followers, for he is also from Circle of Nations (Galilee).”

⁶⁰“Man!” Stands on the Rock (Peter) defended himself, “I do not know what you are talking about.”

Before he could get the words out of his mouth, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹Then Creator Sets Free (Jesus) turned and looked at him from a distance.

Stands on the Rock (Peter) remembered what he had been told earlier, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

⁶²Then Stands on the Rock (Peter) ran out of the gate, at the first light of dawn, and wept bitter tears as he stumbled down the road.

⁶³The soldiers who were guarding Creator Sets Free (Jesus) began to mock and beat him with their fists. ⁶⁴They put a blindfold over his eyes. “Prophesy to us! Tell us who struck you!” ⁶⁵they laughed, insulting him with cruel words and twisted faces.

⁶⁶As the sun began to rise, the Grand Council56 of elders, along with the head holy men and the scroll keepers, all came together. They brought Creator Sets Free (Jesus) into the council house.

⁶⁷“If you are the Chosen One, then tell us!” they demanded.

“If I say that I am, you will not believe me, ⁶⁸and if I ask for your answer, you will not tell me.” ⁶⁹And then he said, “But from now on the True Human Being will be seated at the right hand of the Great Power.”57

⁷⁰Then with one voice they asked, “Are you then the Son of the Great Spirit?”

“You have said it,” he answered them. “I am.”

⁷¹“Why question any more witnesses?” the council ruled. “We have heard it ourselves from his own mouth.”

¹When they were done, they tied ropes around him again. All the ones who had gathered there got up and followed as they took Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate), the governor of the People of Iron (Romans).

Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) represented the People of Iron (Romans). His job was to keep the “peace” and make sure there were no uprisings among the tribes. He came out of his lodge to hear the charges against Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

²So they began to accuse him, “We caught this man misleading our nation and telling people not to pay taxes to the government of the People of Iron (Romans). He tells the people that he is the Chosen One, a Great Chief.”

³Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) turned to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and asked him, “Do you say that you are chief of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel)?”

“It is you who have said it,” he replied.

⁴Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) turned to the head holy men and said in front of all the people, “I see no reason to find this man guilty.”

⁵But they kept accusing him and saying, “He is making trouble with the people of the Land of Promise (Judea), spreading his teachings from Circle of Nations (Galilee) to Village of Peace (Jerusalem).”

⁶After hearing this and finding out Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was from Circle of Nations (Galilee), ⁷he decided to send him to Looks Brave (Herod), who was in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) for the festival, for Looks Brave (Herod) was chief of the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee).

⁸Chief Looks Brave (Herod) was happy to see him. He had waited a long time for this, for he had heard much about Creator Sets Free (Jesus). He was hoping to see some powerful medicine come from him.

^9-10The head holy men and scroll keepers made strong accusations against him, so Looks Brave (Herod) dug deep with many questions.

But Creator Sets Free (Jesus) stood silent and gave no answer.

¹¹Chief Looks Brave (Herod) mocked him along with his soldiers. They dressed him in a fancy robe and sent him back to the People of Iron (Romans). ¹²Looks Brave (Herod) and Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) had been enemies, but on that day they became friends.

¹³When they brought Creator Sets Free (Jesus) back to Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate), he then gathered the head holy men, the spiritual leaders, and the people together ¹⁴and said to them, “You told me this man was a troublemaker, but I questioned him and found him not guilty of your accusations. ¹⁵Looks Brave (Herod), one of your own people, also questioned him and found nothing wrong with him. Can you not see that this man has done nothing that deserves death? ¹⁶I will have him whipped and release him.”

¹⁷By tradition the People of Iron (Romans) would release one criminal during the festival. ¹⁸But they all shouted, “No! Not Creator Sets Free (Jesus)! Instead release Son of His Father (Barabbas)!” ¹⁹Now this man was a troublemaker who had caused an uprising and had been imprisoned for murder.

²⁰Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) wanted to release Creator Sets Free (Jesus), so he asked again what they wanted to do with Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ²¹The crowd began to roar, “Death! Death on the cross!”

²²Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) quieted the crowd and a third time said, “Why! What evil has he done? I have not found him guilty or worthy of death. I will have him beaten and then set him free.”

²³The crowd would not back down. Louder and louder they demanded his death on the cross again and again, ²⁴until Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) finally gave them what they wanted. He made his official decision, ²⁵released Son of His Father (Barabbas), a man of violence, guilty of uprising and murder, and he turned Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the man of peace, over to what the people wanted.

The cross was used by the People of Iron (Romans) as an instrument of torture to strike fear into criminals or anyone who dared to rise up against their empire. Iron nails would be used to pierce the hands and feet of the victims, fastening them to the tree-pole and its crossbeam. They would then hang there until dead. It was one of the most painful and cruel ways to die ever created by human beings. Often the victim was forced to carry the large wooden crossbeam to the place where they would be executed.

²⁶The soldiers then marched Creator Sets Free (Jesus) away. A man named Listening Man (Simon), from Land of Power (Cyrene) in northern Africa, was just entering Village of Peace (Jerusalem). The soldiers forced him to walk behind Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and carry the crossbeam for him.

²⁷A large crowd of people trailed behind. Some of the women were wailing and crying out loud. ²⁸Creator Sets Free (Jesus) turned to them and said, “Daughters of Village of Peace (Jerusalem), weep not for me but for yourselves and your children.

²⁹“The time is coming soon when people will say, ‘It is better for the women who have borne no children, for they will not have to watch them die.’ ³⁰People will say to the mountains and the hills, ‘Fall on us and cover us over.’58

³¹“If they do this to a green tree, what will they do to the trees that are dead and dry?”

³²Two other men, both of them criminals, were also walking the road with him to be put to death.

³³When they came to the place called “The Skull,” they nailed the hands and feet of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to a tree-pole—the cross. They did the same for the two criminals, putting one on each side of him.

³⁴“Father, forgive them!” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) cried out. “They do not know what they are doing.”

The soldiers divided up his garments and gambled for them by drawing straws.59

³⁵The people watched as the spiritual leaders mocked him. “He set others free,” they said, “why can he not free himself, if he is Creator’s Chosen One?”

³⁶The soldiers offered Creator Sets Free (Jesus) wine mixed with bitter herbs ³⁷and mocked him. “If you are the Great Chief of the tribes,” they laughed, “then set yourself free.”

³⁸Above his head, carved above the crossbeam, were these words in three languages:

THIS IS THE CHIEF OF THE TRIBES OF WRESTLES WITH CREATOR

³⁹One of the thieves next to him spewed out angry words, “If you are the Chosen One, save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰Then the other thief spoke up and said, “Have you no fear or respect for the Great Spirit? ⁴¹We are guilty and suffering for our own wrongdoings, but this man has done nothing wrong!”

⁴²The man turned to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and said to him, “Honored One, remember me when you come into the power of your good road.”

⁴³Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked at the man and said, “Listen closely, before the sun sets today, you will walk with me in the beautiful garden.”60

⁴⁴It was now midday, for the sun had reached the center of the sky.61 A great shadow of darkness covered the land like a blanket, and the sky remained dark until midafternoon.62 ⁴⁵The light of the sun grew dim, and the great heavy blanket that hung over the entry to the Most Holy Place in the sacred lodge was torn in two down the middle.

⁴⁶At the same time Creator Sets Free (Jesus) cried out with his last breath, “O Great Father, my spirit is in your hands!”63

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was dead.

⁴⁷One of the head soldiers of the People of Iron (Romans), who saw all these things, honored the Great Spirit by saying, “He must have been an upright man, not deserving death.”

⁴⁸When the large crowd that had gathered to watch saw and heard all that was happening, they began to wail and beat their fists against their chests as they walked home.

⁴⁹Many friends of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) stood watching from a distance, along with the women who had walked the road with him from Circle of Nations (Galilee).

^50-51A man named He Gets More (Joseph) sat on the Grand Council of elders but had not agreed with the decision to put Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to death. He was a good-hearted and upright man from the tribal village of High Mountain (Arimathea), one who looked for Creator’s good road.

⁵²He went to Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) and asked for the body of Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ⁵³He then took it down from the cross and ceremonially wrapped his body with soft cloths. Then he laid the body in a newly carved burial cave that had never been used.

⁵⁴It was still the Day of Preparation for the Passover, and the Day of Resting would soon begin. ⁵⁵After the women who had walked the road with him from Circle of Nations (Galilee) saw where they put his body, ⁵⁶they left and went to prepare herbal spices and sweet-smelling ointments. Then they settled into their homes and followed the instructions for Day of Resting.

¹It was now sunrise on the first day of the week. The women who had prepared the spices and oils were on their way to the burial cave. ²When they arrived, they saw that the large stone in front of the cave had been rolled away. ³They went inside, only to find the body of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was gone!

⁴They were standing there in amazement and wonder when suddenly two men appeared beside them dressed in shining white outfits. ⁵The women, trembling with fear, fell down to the ground on their faces.

The men said, “Why do you look for the living in the place of the dead? ⁶He is not here. He has returned to life. Do you not remember what he told you in Circle of Nations (Galilee)? ⁷That the True Human Being would be turned over to the ones with bad hearts. They would put him to death on the cross, but he would come back to life on the third day.”

⁸Then the women remembered what he had said. ⁹They hurried back to tell the eleven message bearers and the others what they had seen and heard. ¹⁰There was Strong Tears (Mary) of the village of Creator’s High Lodge (Magdala), Woman of His Goodwill (Joanna), and Brooding Tears (Mary) the mother of He Takes Charge (James), and other women with them.

These women told the message bearers and the others what they saw with their own eyes. ¹¹But the men did not believe the women, thinking it was only empty talk.

¹²But Stands on the Rock (Peter) ran to the burial cave. He bent down to look inside and saw strips of cloth lying there, but no sign of the body of Creator Sets Free (Jesus). He then walked away wondering what had happened.

¹³On the same day, two of the followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) were walking to Village of Warm Springs (Emmaus), seven miles out from Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ¹⁴As they walked along, they were talking about all that had happened. ¹⁵Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came alongside them as they walked, ¹⁶but their eyes were kept from seeing who he was.

¹⁷He said to them, “What are you talking about?”

They stopped walking and a look of sadness fell over their faces. ¹⁸One of the men, Honored by His Father (Cleopas), answered him, “How can you not know about the things that have happened in Village of Peace (Jerusalem)? You must be coming from far away.”

¹⁹“What things are you talking about?” he asked.

“About Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth). He was a prophet from the Great Spirit, with powerful medicine, who did many good things among all the people. ²⁰The head holy men and other leaders handed him over to the People of Iron (Romans) to be put to death on the cross. ²¹We had hoped that he would free the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) from the People of Iron (Romans). It is now the third day since they killed him on the cross, ^22-23but today some women told us an amazing story. Early this morning they went to his burial cave and found that his body was not there. They told us about visions of spirit-messengers who told them he was alive! ²⁴Some of our men went to see with their own eyes and found the empty cave, but they did not see Creator Sets Free (Jesus).”

²⁵“Why are your hearts so slow to believe the words of the prophets?” he said. ²⁶“It should be clear to you that the Chosen One would suffer first before he would be lifted up and honored above all.”

²⁷So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told them his story, beginning with Drawn from the Water (Moses) and all the prophets. He showed them how all the ancient Sacred Teachings were written about the Chosen One and pointed the way to him.

They still did not know it was Creator Sets Free (Jesus) talking to them.

²⁸As they entered the village, he walked on as if to go farther. ²⁹They said to him, “Please, stay with us. It is late, and the sun will soon set.”

So he went into the lodging house with them. ³⁰When they sat down to eat a meal together, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took some frybread into his hands. He gave thanks and broke it, giving each of them a piece. ³¹Suddenly, their eyes were opened and they knew who he was, but he vanished right in front of them.

³²The men looked at each other in wide-eyed wonder and said, “It felt like our hearts were on fire when he was talking with us on the road, showing us the meaning of the Sacred Teachings!”

³³They got up without finishing their meal and walked back to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) as fast as they could, for the sun was setting. They found where the eleven had gathered together with the others.

³⁴They were saying, “Our Wisdomkeeper is alive! He has shown himself to One Who Hears (Simon).”

³⁵So the two men told them what happened on the road and how their eyes were opened when Creator Sets Free (Jesus) broke the frybread into pieces.

³⁶Before the men finished speaking, suddenly Creator Sets Free (Jesus) himself was standing there among them. “Peace be with you!” he said to them.

³⁷Filled with fear, they all moved back from him, thinking he was a ghost. ³⁸“Why are you trembling?” he asked. “Why do you doubt what your eyes see? ³⁹Look at my hands and feet. Touch me. A spirit does not have flesh and bone, as you can see I have.”

⁴⁰Then he showed them his hands and feet. ⁴¹They still could not believe their eyes, and with glad but fearful hearts they could only stare at him.

Then he said to them, “Give me something to eat.” ⁴²They gave him some cooked fish ⁴³and he ate it in front of them. ⁴⁴As he ate, he said this to them, “When I was with you before, I told you that all the words of Drawn from the Water (Moses), the Prophets, and the Sacred Book of Songs (Psalms) must find their full meaning in me.”

⁴⁵He then opened their minds so they could see the full meaning of the Sacred Teachings ⁴⁶and said to them, “The Sacred Teachings foretold long ago that the Chosen One would walk a path of suffering. He would then die and rise to life on the third day.

⁴⁷“It was also foretold that, beginning in the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem), the good story would be told to all nations. This story will change hearts and minds and release people from their bad hearts and broken ways.

⁴⁸“You, my message bearers, have seen these things with your own eyes so that you can go and tell others. ⁴⁹But first you must wait in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) until I send to you the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. He will dress you in my regalia, with power coming down from the spirit-world above.”

⁵⁰Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then walked with them to House of Figs (Bethany). He lifted his hands and spoke blessing words over them, ⁵¹and as he spoke, he was taken up into the spirit-world above.

⁵²As he went up, his followers bowed down to honor him, and then with glad hearts they returned to the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ⁵³Day by day they gathered at the sacred lodge, praying and giving thanks to the Great Spirit.

Aho! May it be so!