Mary of Nain-Crucifixion and Resurrection

Judas did it…he betrayed Jesus. They took Jesus away, tortured and tried Him. Now He is to be crucified. This is wrong; my Lord has been wrongly accused of blasphemy.

A man named Simon was forced to carry Jesus’ cross to Golgotha. I would have done it if I was strong enough. The soldiers offered Jesus some wine mixed with gall. Once He knew what it was, He refused to drink it, for it was prophesied the He was to bear the full burden. This meant no substances to ease the pain. Those brutes divided His clothes by gambling. There was a sign above His head which typically had the charges the victim was accused of on it. This sign read “This Is Jesus, The King of the Jews” (Mt. 27:37). There were two other people being crucified that day, both of them were robbers. People came to mock Jesus, it was hard to watch. Seeing Him suffer filled my heart with anguish, but also a deep sense of gratitude as well. I know that Jesus came to save me, He came to save all of us, even you. He allowed Himself to suffer so that we do not have to suffer eternally in Hell. Even those cruel people who beat and spat on Him could be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and man. It seemed as if Jesus was up there for days, but it was an excruciating nine hours. Once He died, the curtain of the temple was torn, starting at the top. The earth shook, and holy people rose from the dead and went into the city. Then the soldiers believed that He was the Son of God.

By the third day, I began to lose hope. I had forgotten what my Lord told m. He said He would re-build the temple in three days. Mary Magdalene and I went to the tomb at dawn. There was an earth quake and the stone was rolled back. We walked up and an angel of the Lord was sitting on the stone. He told us that Jesus had risen and had gone to meet us in Galilee. Of course I rushed to Galilee and Mary M. went to tell the disciples what happened. I was so excited to see my Lord. I finally reached Galilee, and there He was. My heart was overjoyed, from that point on; I was literally by His side non-stop until His ascension into Heaven to take His place on the throne.

Mary of Nain-The Lord's Supper

The Passover was drawing near and the disciples asked Jesus where He wanted to celebrate it. Apparently He already made arrangements with a man, because Jesus told them to go up to this guy and tell him that they are ready, and then they were to go and prepare. Turns out that guy already prepared a room for them, it was already furnished and everything! Once the time came, Jesus went with His disciples to celebrate. Oh how I wanted to go with them…but I helped prepare a feast for the other followers of Christ. It seemed like an eternity that they were gone, once they came out, I spoke with the men and they told me what happened. Jesus spoke to them and said He was looking forward to that meal before He was to suffer. I had forgotten that He was going to have to suffer for us all, for me. My heart was saddened at this reminder and because of what they said next. He made a sort of toast; it was a communion type thing, I guess I could call it. He said the bread was His body as He broke it. They were to pray and break bread in remembrance of Him. He then took a cup, and said it was His new covenant in His blood. Then He revealed that one of the twelve disciples will betray Him. I could not imagine any of them doing such a thing. Who would betray the Lord? Not only is it a HUGE sin, but it is dumb as well. God obviously knows that you are going to do it...Now that I think about it; I think someone has been stealing from our change purse. Perhaps that is the same person who will betray our Lord Jesus Christ. I did not think that Jesus would reveal who is the one who would betray Him, but He did. He said that Judas Iscariot was the one that would betray Him. It makes sense with what I said earlier…he is the one in charge of money. Well not anymore I suppose. I am kind of glad that I was not there for that Passover feast. To dine with Jesus and fellowship with Him up close and personally would have been amazing, but, to hear Him speak of His suffering would have broken my heart. Also, if I had been there when He identified Judas as the person who betrays Him, I probably would have put my foot in my mouth. Then Jesus would have been disappointed with me. That would have been too much…

A Man and His Donkey Part 5

On top of my donkey once again, we trekked across the city weaving our way through the bustling city preparing for the Passover. A rather large crowd was surging toward what would be the governor’s palace and I was pretty dang sure of myself that the mad preacher would be somewhere in front of that mob with the priests right behind him; no doubt pushing the preacher to his eventual fate. I circled around the mob and was able to find a building which overlooked the area where Pontius Pilate the Roman Governor came out to meet the mob. From what I could gather from my vantage point was that it didn’t matter to the religious leaders that the preacher was innocent by Roman standards, but that seems to no longer matter. That business about being the Son of God has really got those priests riled up. Unfortunately I had been waiting there for too long and my donkey began getting impatient. To get me moving again it proceeded to once again buck, but this time the motion of the buck flung me backwards away from the meeting, which I suppose I should be grateful for, because it was quite a ways down, and instead I hit the door which led down and began tumbling through all three floors and landed in a heap at the bottom. Not my most graceful moment.

Fast forwarding a little bit, I once again found myself following the mob with the mad preacher out in front. This time he was carrying a cross. Was he that threatening to the priests that they forced the Romans to kill this preacher? If they were so confident of their correctness, then they no doubt wouldn’t have even bothered going this far and instead simply ignored the fool. This did not happen and so one is led to conclude that there is something to what the preacher has been preaching about all this time. That thought requires a lot of thinking if it is true, which it looks to be. Such strangeness to have one’s religion turned upside down by someone who was for all intents and purposes a nobody. The donkey and the man arrived on top of a hill and could see where the cross was put up between two others. The two beside him do not deserve to be there. Even in agony, his bearing beggared those around him. A king of much more then the Jews, I do believe.

Jimmy Crucifixion/Resurrection Blog

From what I heard, Jesus made His way up to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples after they had eaten, and went on His own to pray. He was upset, because He was sweating blood, according to one of the disciples. After a while, the group of soldiers and religious leaders I had seen earlier arrived, headed by one of Jesus’ disciples! They arrested Jesus, and His disciples fled.

When the group reached the city, I saw them. The soldiers were leading Jesus as if He were a violent criminal. Yet Jesus did not protest, but rather stood meekly before the crowd. What followed I can only describe as brutal. Jesus spent the night being ferried back and forth between Pontius Pilate and Herod and the religious leaders, with the religious leaders calling for Jesus to be executed! Their charges were made up, and Jesus still did not respond…except for one time that I heard, when He confirmed that He was God, as I still believed. Why didn’t Jesus crush them? Couldn’t Jesus, God Himself, protect Himself? Yet He didn’t. He could have, but He didn’t. I wondered why as the night went on.

Pilate, the windbag, finally handed Jesus over to be crucified. How horrible! Jesus was whipped, beaten, mocked, and crucified before my eyes. It was confusing to see God being tortured by people! The crowd pressed around me, so I couldn’t see any more.

Hours later, Jesus died on a crude Roman cross. I know the moment He died, because right when He did, there was a huge earthquake and the sky went dark. I wasn’t surprised. Soon, a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus down and buried Him in his own tomb. It was painful to watch my God, my Messiah, Jesus, be buried! I saw the tomb, but had to hurry home before the Passover started.

A couple days passed in misery. I didn’t know what to do. Jesus’ disciples were holed up in some room in Jerusalem somewhere. But then, this morning, one of Jesus’ disciples, a woman, came yelling that Jesus was alive! I was suspicious, but I went to the tomb. Sure enough, it was empty! But I didn’t know what to think.

About 500 of Jesus’ followers gathered to discuss the rumors. Then, right there, Jesus was standing among us! We all saw Him! It was Jesus, fully alive! Then we all remembered His words: He had predicted His death, but also His Resurrection! Any doubt we had felt was gone!

Jimmy Blog Last Supper

Jesus is in Jerusalem again. I’ve been following Him since the miracle at Capernaum, all around Israel. Now, He returned to Jerusalem, but something is different. Jesus has been talking about dying, and the Jewish leaders were becoming angry. There were rumors that they were going to kill Him, but they didn’t seem to be true. Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, the Jewish custom for kings, with the crowd cheering and waving palm branches. That was exhilarating to watch! But Jesus didn’t seem too happy with the crowd’s enthusiasm. Jesus spent the next week doing more miracles, and teaching. But, gradually the people seemed to be turning against Jesus. Why? He was doing miracles, He was healing their sick, He was their King! Jesus is God Himself, with the people, yet they were becoming hostile!

Right before Passover, Jesus and His disciples rented a room in a two-level home, and ate a supper their. I wasn’t there, but I heard this from the owner of the house. Jesus announced that He was about to die, and be betrayed by one of His disciples! The owner of the home was in the next room, and was shocked. Listening in, he heard the disciples asking each other if it was they. Jesus said the betrayer was the person to whom Jesus gave the bread. There was silence, then footsteps, as one of the disciples ran out the door! The homeowner didn’t see who. But the group seemed disturbed after that, with Jesus the only One staying calm. Peter in particular seemed upset.

At one point during the meal, I can’t remember whether it was before or after the disciple ran through the door, that Jesus gave a curious speech. He called bread and wine His body and blood, shed for them. What did Jesus mean by this? He said He was going to die, and for them.

Meanwhile, I saw trouble brewing. Near the Temple, I saw the religious leaders gathering a group of soldiers. They had torches and swords and in general looked like they were ill-tempered. At the time, I had no idea for Whom they were preparing to arrest. I would know soon enough, though.

MY GOD! MY GOD! HE HAS RISEN! I can barely write this right now. I last told you that Jesus Christ had been killed. I thought that was it. That it was through but he rose from the dead! Three days later he rose. I started hearing rumors in the morning; rumors I didn’t believe. I figured that his followers must have stolen his body which is what the Roman and Jewish authorities are now saying. I would have still believe it to this day except I saw Him! I saw the Lord! He appeared to me! I was on the road going back home when he came before me. I was confused and scared at first but he told me not to be frightened. He told me that he knew that I had been following Him and that He knew me from the day I was born and that I would one day be with Him in Heaven. I asked how it was possible that He knew me, since this was only possible if He was God. He simply looked at me and said “It is as you say. Go and spread my message to the world” At that moment he disappeared before me, as if it were a dream but I knew it was real. He is God. He is Lord and Savior! He is risen! I must now do as He says I vow to live my life for Him and tell many of Him so that other may know Him. Praises be to the Lord Jesus, Son of the Almighty God.

This will be the last letter I write. The very same night I witnessed the events in the house that Jesus and his disciples ate at he was arrested by the Roman authorities. I was later told he was accused of treason against the Roman Empire and of blasphemy before the Sanhedrin. He was sentenced to crucifixion. I was devastated. I went up to the place where they hung him up. He was bloodied, bruised and distorted from abuse I could barely stand to look. He hung there among common criminals, this man I was revered as a true man and prophet of God.  I saw him hang there for 7 hours, finding it so hard to remain and yet impossible for me to leave. He would call out from time to time to God and those around Him. At about the 9^th hour he called out to heaven “It is finished!” His head then hung down and he was dead. A roman soldier stabbed him with his spear on his side to ensure his death. A great earthquake began to shake the earth and everyone ran for shelter. That’s it. That’s all I have. I thought this man would deliver us and now he is gone forever. I feel disappointed, angry and even just plain stupid. I threw my life away for this man, a simple man. A no one. An imposter.

Marcus Valerius: The Crucifixion and Resurrection

Day 1: I can’t sleep. I don’t understand. What’s going on? How could this have happened? All my beliefs. All he did. For nothing.

Day 2: I’ve spent the past 24 hours reviewing the past day’s events and wondering what actually happened. I’ll start with two nights ago. After I talked to Andrew about Judas’ betrayal, we al went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus left us to pray by himself, and we all fell asleep. It was late and it had been a long couple of days. Nevertheless, when he found us asleep, he wasn’t too happy. A little while later, we saw a group of lanterns heading towards us. As they go closer, we saw that is was Judas leading a crowd of people with swords and clubs! Judas reached Jesus and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, as usual. All of a sudden, all the men in the crowd rushed forward and grabbed Jesus! Peter immediately reached for his sword and cut off one of the men’s ears. Jesus rebuked him and healed his ear. The chief priests and officers of the temple who were there led him away, as we sat and could do nothing. Peter followed the group who had Jesus, but the rest of us quickly went back to our lodging to pray. We prayed all night and waited for any sort of news. The next morning we received word that Jesus was going to appear before the assembly of the chief priests and Scribes. That group took him to Pilate. However, because he was Galilean he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction and therefore was sent to Herod. Herod got nothing out of Jesus so he sent him back. We received all these pieces of news throughout the day, but the worst one came mid-afternoon. Pilate could find nothing Jesus did that was wrong and was going to release him, but the crowd demanded otherwise! They wanted Barabbas, that disgusting killer to be set free instead of my beautiful, humble Lord! How could this be? Oh Lord, my God…They yelled to Pilate to crucify him. To nail him to that mangled piece of wood like a filthy criminal. My tears will forever flow at the loss of this man. No, this God who was right in front of us, and yet rejected completely.

They crucified him last night, before the Sabbath at Golgotha. We sat and watched as our King breathed his last, and did it humbly and without hatred towards his enemies. They had bruised and beaten, whipped and spit on him before they humiliated him to the fullest. I tried to intervene; yelled at the Roman soldiers to cease their beatings, but they wouldn’t listen. The devil had blinded them, shut their ears and darkened their hearts to the only good in the world.  I watched with forlorn eyes and with a loss for words as these men, these dogs cursed him and taunted him. If only they knew; if only they believed. Jesus’ mother lay on the ground weeping, bringing tears to the eyes of all those who believed.

There is nothing more we can do now. The followers of the Way, we are confused. He said he would reign. But he is no longer here. Maybe it wasn’t real. I just cannot believe he is gone forever. My mind will not wrap around that truth.

Day 3: Something is happening. There is a commotion outside my door. I hear footsteps. I’m going to go see what’s going on.

Someone just told me Jesus’ tomb was empty. I don’t believe it. Someone is playing a mean joke; trying to make all of his disciples look even dumber than we already do.

Peter just ran up and said it was true! He saw it with his own eyes! I know he is telling the truth! He also said Mary saw Jesus with her own eyes! Alive and well! Could it be true? We saw him raise Lazarus from the dead in Bethany. Could he have also resurrected himself?

It is true! Jesus, my Lord and God is alive! I have seen him with my own two eyes, and touched him with my own two hands! All of us were meeting in a room to talk about what we thought was going on with the empty tomb, and all of a sudden he appeared! From nowhere!

While I can’t believe it, I know it is true. I know that Jesus Christ is alive and that he is my Lord and God! Praise be to him for his indescribable gift!

-Marcus Valerius

Crucifixion & Resurrection - Levi

Oh, what a sad and miraculous it has been lately! Jesus' prediction about a disciple betraying Him came very true, when one of His very own, Judas turned Him in. From there Jesus was arrested and taken captive by the Roman army. So much happened in that time span, not only did Judas betray the Son of Man, but Peter denied Him twice! The Lord had predicted this would happen too. As soon as Jesus was arrested we followed the crowd into town to see the last glimpses of Him. I witnessed with my very own eyes His disciple Peter deny the Lord in front of the crowds of people. It was very disheartening to see. From various people I gathered that Jesus was treated cruelly by the soliders, for they beat and mocked Him without ceasing. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him... They made Jesus carry His own cross all the way to Golgotha, and we followed close behind, trying to hold back the remorse and tears. Watching our Lord in such a sad state was unbearable.  They crucified Him and a few hours later he took his last breathe, giving up His spirit. All of Jesus' followers, including the disciples and myself, were completely hopeless and confused. He was not supposed to die, He was supposed to save us.

As we mourned for two days, the Sabbath was approaching and I heard that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. That is when the women encountered an angel who said, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." As they were running to tell the disciples as the angel had said to do, they were greeted by Jesus!! Yes, He is alive and risen! When Jesus appeared to the disciples they were frightening and could not believe it. Once I saw Him with my own eyes, I knew that this was the true Savior, and not even death could stop Him. This has greatly increased my faith and now I know, that He is with me always.

Last Supper- Levi

A few days ago, early in the morning, preparations started for a dinner Jesus and His disciples were going to have later on in the day. While I was not able to attend this, since I am not a disciple, I did hear about it afterwards and I could see the supper occruing from an outside view. At the time I did not realize the importance of this event but now I see that this was the Last Supper Jesus and His disciples were going to have together. Before this Supper occured, I should inform you that prior to it Jesus gave a warning to us. He said, "As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” The disciples were so shocked and dismayed to hear this, as was I. How could it be that the greatest man, a true manifestation of God, be murdered? Wasn't He hear to save the Jews and Gentiles alike? I did not understand, but nevertheless we continued on.

When the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, I heard the disciples ask Jesus, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He told them, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” After this, the disciples did as they were told and began to prepare for the Passover meal. I got to watch some of the preparations occur, but I was busy with preparations of my own with my family. I heard that they prepared a great feast and as they were enjoying their feast, Jesus said something truly shocking... He told the disciples that one of their very own would betray Him! When I received news of this I couldn't believe what I had just been told. How could anyone betray the Son of Man, much less His own devoted followers?! I heard that the rest of the night went on well, even though Judas made himself look quite suspicious... Time will only tell what will happen next, and when this betrayal will occur.

finale- Guy that was dead

They took Jesus! They came at night and arrested him. I saw it all. They beat him. They pulled at his beard. They whipped him. Anything they could do in order to brutalize and humiliate him, they did it. After he was arrested they took him before Pilate. Pilate kept asking Jesus if he was a king or if he was the king of the Jews. Jesus answered him by saying that he is in fact a king, and that it was for that reason that he had come into the world.

After speaking with Jesus, Pilate said that he did not see any charges against Jesus and he was willing to let him go. I thought it was over then. I thought the horror would end, but then all of the people asked for Barabbas to be released instead. I could not believe it. Neither could Pilate, but what could he do?...

They killed him! They killed Jesus! They paraded him through the streets so everyone could see what they had done to him. Then, when they got to the hill they had picked, they nailed him to the cross they had been making him carry until he had been too weak to carry it any longer. They hung him up like a decoration and just left him up their to suffer for hours as people mocked him and watched him in his weakness from down below. I saw some men gambling for his clothing. It was disgusting. After awhile, I saw Jesus speaking to the thief that was on the cross beside him. The there was nothing until Jesus finally yelled out, “It is finished” and died. They stabbed his dead body with a spear then took him down to be placed in a tomb. That is the way they have killed the great man I have been following. What a great way to start the weekend. I have not started a weekend like this, since the day I woke up dead…

He is alive! You will not believe it. I am still having a hard time believing it, and I have been dead before. I know what it is like to be dead then come alive. Apparently some of the women went to the tomb and found it empty. That is the only information I had heard for awhile so I went to visit the disciples to see what was going on. Not long after I got there, Jesus himself showed up!

Last Supper- Guy that was dead

I followed Jesus again today. That guy is always on the move. He and the disciples went into a house to eat. I know the owner of the house so I got to go inside, but I did not go into the room where all of them had gathered. Okay, I am not going to lie, I did pop in occasionally and dropped some eaves in order to hear what was going on. Mother did not make me breakfast or lunch again today. I am her only child and I have already died once. You would think that she might care a little bit more about me after something like that happens, but no, I still get ignored. She makes sure her donkey is fed more often than her son. I was too far from home to go back to eat then return, and all the food that Jesus and the disciples had looked so good. I decided that the hunger and the yelling at I received from mother for coming in late were worth it. Jesus is too interesting, and I cannot miss what he will do.

Jesus confused me. He started to talk about suffering and how he wanted to eat because he would not get to do it again until something happened. I do not know what the guy was talking about. Then he started to say the same thing about drinking and the kingdom of God. He completely lost me when he grabbed a loaf of bread and started to talk about how it was his body. Bread being someone’s body is weird enough, but he passed the bread around to all of the disciples to eat. I have no idea why Jesus wanted everyone to eat bread that was supposed to represent his body. Jesus did not stop there. Next Jesus took his cup of wine in hand. He said something similar to what he had said about the bread. He said that the wine in the cup was his blood. I think you can guess what happened next. Jesus is always doing things I do not understand. He told the disciple to drink his wine/ blood. Drinking someone else’s blood has never seemed to appealing to me, but I am sure Jesus had a reason for all of that stuff. I just have no idea what it is. Anyway, when I got home the whole neighborhood woke up from mother’s yelling.

The Last Supper

Hello, this is another update of my following of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  I have left my shop, everything I own and my way of life to follow this man. I tell you he is no ordinary man. I followed him to Jerusalem during the time of Passover. I was careful to not follow too close as I am still afraid of approaching him. He went to the city of Jerusalem with his followers, they went up into the house and closed the door behind them.  I had to see what was happening somehow. I saw a window that was high above my head on the side of the house. It was too tall for me to peer into but I was determined to find a way. On another side of the house I came across some clay pots. There were many ones of different sizes. I picked up the biggest there was and placed it right under the window. I warily pulled myself on it, afraid that it would break. It was barley tall enough for me to look inside if I stood on the tips of my toes. I peered inside and saw Jesus with his disciples reclined against a table. They were eating when Jesus began to spoke. He said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” There was a commotion among them as they all wondered who it would be. They all began to yell out that surely it was not them. One of his followers leaned in toward him and whispered, “Surely not I Lord.”  Jesus leaned in toward him, whispering something back that I could not hear, suddenly however the man to whom he spoke became quite pale. They continued to eat and after a while, Jesus took some bread, gave thanks for it and broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” At the time the vase I stood on gave away and shattered into a hundred little pieces. Afraid that the noise had alerted them I ran quickly to an inn nearby where I stayed the night. Once there I was confused at the things that just happened. This man had just claimed to form a new covenant. He forgave them of their sins. Did he just make claims that would be as if he claimed to be…God?

The Passover - Johnny

I continued following Jesus for quite sometime. I have seen many amazing things and have enjoyed every minute of it. We had traveled to the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the passover feast, also known as the feast of unleavened bread. On the first day of the feast, the same day that the passover lamb was slaughtered, Jesus' disciples asked where they should go to celebrate. Jesus answered them by sending two of them to meet a man who was expecting them. He told them to follow the man back to his home and then prepare the feast for the rest of them. I was one of the last people who was still following Jesus aside from the twelve apostles. I asked Jesus for permission to go with Peter and John, which he happily agreed to. Immediately the three of us headed of to find the man. It was not very difficult to find him because just as Jesus had told us, he was carrying a pitcher of water. Peter said to him, just as Jesus told him, 'The teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the passover with my disciples?'" Then the man happily took us back to his home and led us to a beautiful guest room where we were to prepare the meal. This was the first time I had ever prepared the passover. Whenever my father and I celebrated this holiday he would take care of everything while I took care of his normal work. Peter and John agreed that they would prepare the lamb as long as I took care of everything else which I gladly agreed to. There were many dishes I had to prepare, some of which were not all that easy to make. By the time we had finished our cooking and set the table, the meal looked delicious and fit for a king. A little while later Jesus and the others arrived. I began to sit down but Jesus kindly asked if I would stand aside because the Father's will was for them to dine alone. They began eating and conversing with one another until Jesus began to speak. He told them that he was well aware that one of them would betray him and turn him over to be killed. This startled all of the disciples greatly and they began asking Jesus who it was. Jesus disregarded these questions. Then Jesus took the bread, broke it and prayed. He gave it to his disciples saying it was his body. Then he grasped his wine glass, prayed, had them all take a sip from it. He said it was his blood which was soon to be shed. This whole event was very startling to me and I think all who witnessed it but I hope to see its purpose soon.

Luke 22- Josiah

The next morning I went into the city determined to find this man. That’s when I saw him, Jesus, teaching to a crowd. I tried to get in as closely as I could, when I saw Judas approaching from the side. He had roman soldiers and other officials with him. That’s when I started running- I had to warn him! But the soldiers blocked from every possible angle and all I could do was watch. Judas approached Jesus and kissed him. Later I learned that this was sign for the group to arrest him. Once the disciples saw them coming, they tried to fight them off with swords, one even cut the ear off of the high priest!
But then Jesus did something weird- he told them to stop defending him. At first I thought he would use his divine powers to kill the people who got in his way- it only made sense. But instead, he healed the high priest’s ear, and surrendered. Why would he let them just arrest him for no good reason? And why would they arrest him if they knew he was obviously powerful (he just healed a man’s cut off ear!). They took him away, and I tried to keep up but fell behind.
I searched and finally found a crowd surrounding him. But this time he wasn’t just in a robe and sandals- he didn’t even look like him. He was beaten black and blue. His back was torn up from being whipped, and he was being spit on and insulted. I could barely look, but then I couldn’t look away. They were torturing him! And this type of treatment wasn’t half as bad as what they were planning to do to him. I watched painfully as the Roman soldiers than nailed his hands to a cross and crucified him. I have personally never seen anything like this before, and I couldn’t help but vomit as I watched. His body was mangled and his face was barely recognizable. Why wasn’t he saving himself?! He had done so many other miracles, but he couldn’t heal or save himself?
The last few moments were like slow motion. When he died, and everyone knew when he died, there was an ominous dark feeling; then an earthquake, screaming, and a moment of absolute fear. He was dead. I didn’t know what to say or feel- but maybe he wasn’t who I thought he was. He couldn’t even save himself, and why would he not want to do so?
Three days passed before I was to leave the city- my journey had felt pointless and unsatisfying. Gathering my things together, I heard a brief scuffle nearby. A woman was running to a group of men, who I soon recognized to be the disciples of Jesus before he died. She seemed hysterical, and then I figured she must be crazy, because she started spouting crazy statements. “His body is gone from the tomb!” She was panting and pulling at them. His body was gone? That couldn’t be right- how could it be gone?
The disciples didn’t even believe her. But for some strange reason, I felt a little bit of hope. Maybe he did save himself; I just didn’t see it- or I missed it somehow. I lost sight of the disciples, but I decided to stay a few extra days in the city. A couple days later I was walking in a crowded part of the city, when I all of sudden heard screaming. I quickly turned and saw him. No joke. Jesus was standing right there, nearly 15 feet in front of me. People ran up to him to touch his scars, the scars of the nails. I couldn’t believe it. He was alive! He rose from the dead!
This was all it took for me. The rumors of Jesus being the Messiah had to be true- no other man could this miracle. No other man could defeat death! Not only did I suddenly feel overjoyed, but I also felt complete. God’s son was in front of me, in the living flesh. There had to be hope for humanity, including myself, now. My journey was successful.

Mark 5- Dead Guy

It was a rainy day today, and I was soaked all the way through. My insides were drenched and I was cold. I was on a boat following Jesus and I nearly died (again) because of the storm. I know Jesus can do some great things, but I do have to question him a little bit for deciding to travel to the other side of the sea in weather like today’s. Anyway, as if the storm and my frozen body were not bad enough, when we got across the sea, there was a naked guy that came running at the boats yelling, “Aurgh aurgh aurgh!” He came from the tombs. I am not too sure I want to know what a crazy, naked man was doing in the place of the dead. To be more accurate, the man was not completely naked. He did where some chains. I think I understand why my mother never wanted me to travel to this side of the sea. The people are a bit different. Back to the naked guy. He stopped halfway to the boats and picked up the rock. He then started to cut himself and sing an interesting tune, “Aurgh aurgh aurgh, aurgh aurgh aurgh, aurghy aurghy aurgh aurgh aurgh.” It was actually a really nice design that the man was carving if you could forget for a moment that it was being drawn on human flesh. Jesus walked over to the man.

The man seemed to recognize Jesus, because he ran to him and bowed before him and asked, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” Jesus looked at the man and commanded, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” Then he asked his name. The man replied that his name was Legion, but the next part was weird, he said, “For we are many.” I understood in just a moment that the man was demon possessed and that it was multiple demons inside of him that were talking out of his mouth. Jesus sent the demons out into a herd of pigs nearby and they went crazy. Then the man looked at Jesus and begged him to let him stay with Jesus, but Jesus denied him and told him to go and to tell all of his friends what the Lord had done for him and the mercy God had on him. Later I saw him doing just that.

The Crucifixion - Rafiki

They killed him!! THEY KILLED HIM!!!! They killed my Jesus! They CRUCIFIED him, when he did NOTHING wrong! They couldn’t even charge him with anything. They only killed him because they’re afraid of him, even though they need him.

And I had to watch it…

I went with my family to watch the crucifixion. Mom and Dad were hoping that if the crowd expressed enough discontent and disapproval of the crucifixion of Jesus that the Romans wouldn’t go through with it. But when we got there, we realized that most of the crowd was in favor of the unjust murder of my Savior.

The four of us were in hysterics, crying and weeping and wailing for Jesus, the Son of God whom the heartless and unjust soldiers of Rome were putting to death in such a brutal way. We watched as a man named Simon had to help Jesus carry the cross since Jesus was so physically weak and weary from the blood loss they had caused him with what I can only imagine were heartless floggings and beatings. And for no reason! Jesus never sinned, and yet they punished him in this manner!

And, moreover, why didn’t Jesus save himself from this torment! Maybe he isn’t omnipotent after all. Maybe he was just a human after all. Probably just a prophet sent from God. But he was a great man, so how could anyone do this to him?!

I had to look away when they laid Jesus down on the cross and nailed him to the cross with loud, stinging blows of the hammer. Mom began sobbing even harder than before, and Dad and my older brother were doing their best to comfort her. But despite their efforts, all of us were stricken by inconsolable grief. How could I watch this anymore?

I ran off, my path blurred by my overflowing eyes. I sobbed and ran as far as my legs would take me, until I made it to a hill where I could barely see Golgotha. It was a hill where I could see three crosses with sagging human figures on them. I could see the flaming torches in the strangely-dark scene, and I caught the occasional gleam of Roman weaponry or armor. But what was most noticeable was the crowd’s shameless and persistent mockery of Jesus, calling him the king of the Jews.

Suddenly, there was a violent earthquake that broke open even rocks. I heard a giant tear coming from the temple, and screams of terror interrupting the crowd’s jeers. I knew in an instant that my Savior was dead. I threw my head back and shouted at God in my loudest of voices: “HOW COULD YOU?!” So I ignored the angry tears painting my face and ran to find my family.

The Last Supper - Rafiki

Ok so I have a confession to make… I’ve become such a fan of this Messianic Jesus guy that I’m kinda starting to stalk him. I mean sure there’s a crowd everywhere he goes (I’m always in that crowd too) and there are people watching his every move, but I’m a little obsessed. I even was even hiding behind the door, listening and periodically looking through the window as he ate the Passover meal with his friends.

My parents didn’t know where I was so I guess they had to eat the family meal without me, but I had to go and find Jesus. Even my older brother, who is also a huge Jesus freak, was at dinner. But I didn’t feel the least bit bad. Jesus even said that we are to hate our family in comparison to our love for him.

So as I was watching through the window, I saw thirteen guys – one of them was Jesus – sitting at a table eating their meal. One guy (I think his name is John) was leaning up against Jesus. It was the guy Jesus called “the one I love” or something like that. All knew was that I wanted to be one that Jesus loved. You have any idea how cool that would be?!

Anyway, the strangest thing happened: Jesus announced that one of his disciples, his closest friends, was going to BETRAY HIM!! He said it was going to be the one who dipped his hand into the bowl with him. It was Judas! Who would’ve known?! I was shocked!!

Then Jesus said some other unusual things. He broke some bread and called it his body and said we should eat it. I didn’t know that Jesus was made of bread. Well I don’t think he really is made of bread, but that’s strange of someone to pretend to eat Jesus.

Then he took the wine and called it his blood, which sounds gross. I mean the wine is pretty weak – Dad lets me taste some of his sometimes – so it’s not like it’s that red, so it doesn’t even look like blood. But then they had to drink it. How can they drink something while pretending that it is blood? The blood if JESUS nonetheless? He said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Then they sang a song I used to sing at the synagogue when I was little (I sang really quietly at the doorway as I listened to them) and then they decided they were going to leave and go to the Mount of Olives, so I had to hurry and leave before they came out and saw me.

As I was running home, I thought about the whole even that night. It was all pretty weird, but what can I say? Jesus is one cool guy.

The Crucifixion and Resurrection - Johnny

Over the last few days I have seen some of the most terrible things of my entire life, but at the same time I have seen things that have blessed me beyond all comparison. On the same night as the passover Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus right in front of us. We were all completely shocked even though Jesus had said that one of his disciples would do this. The chief priests and scribes came and found us, then took Jesus away with them. I did not see Jesus again until he was at a place called Calvary. I could not believe what I was seeing. His clothes were all but gone and he was forced to carry a large cross on his back. His body was horribly beaten. Parts of Him did not even look human anymore from all the torture. He had received so many lashes to his back with a whip that most of it was nothing but raw, bleeding flesh. In some places the cuts were so deep that bones were visible. His head was covered in blood from the crown of thorns he was forced to wear and the flesh on his face was raw from people tearing at his beard. The sight was so awful that at times I could not keep myself from vomiting. As if what he had already gone through was not enough, to my horror it suddenly got much worse. They laid him on his back on top of the cross and bound him to it with ropes. Then they proceeded to pound nails through his hands and feet so that they could hang him from the cross. With every blow of the hammer I felt as if my heart was going to stop. I couldn't control myself. I was sweating uncontrollably. My body shook and I winced every time I heard him scream or the hammer hit the nail. Then when they had finished they raised his cross where he hung from and died. When the Romans knew Jesus was dead and took his body down to be buried I went and found the apostles. They were more distressed than I was. We did nothing but pray for three days. On the third day, early in the morning Mary Magdalene came to us saying that Jesus was not in the tomb. Peter and I, along with one other disciple raced as fast as we could to see what had happened. When we arrived the large boulder which had been in front had been moved and the entrance was completely open.We found all of Jesus' linens there but no body so we went home shocked and not knowing what to do. Towards the afternoon, while we were still gathered, suddenly Christ appeared before us. He immediately spoke to His disciples and breathed on them saying that they had received the Holy Spirit. Then he left us. His quick appearance and then departure surprised and many were rejoicing while others were not sure what had happened. I will write more after the next time we see Jesus.

Lydia, Crucifixion and Resurrection

Today, heartbreak. I can’t even…I just can’t begin to describe the horrors of today.

I was minding my own business, it was the day right before Passover. I saw this huge crowd lined up yelling and screaming. Naturally, I wanted to see what all the commotion was about, so I ran up to see what was doing on.

There he was.

I could barely recognize him, but when I saw his eyes, I knew who he was. It was Jesus, bruised and bloody, unrecognizable. They put a crown of thorns on his head and forced him to drag this gigantic cross on his back. There was a road of blood painted by his drippings created behind him. Jesus, tired and weak, fell over and dropped the cross. The mocking intensified. They called a man from the crowd to pick up his cross and carry it the rest of the way. I followed Jesus and this man to Golgotha.

They crucified him.

No more, no less. They nailed Jesus to the cross. The guards and people continued to mock him. Even the religious leaders joined in! What is going on with the world?

Jesus then shouted “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” then he died.

I ran away. This man, someone I grew up with, just died. He’s gone. I can’t believe it. A spear pierced his side. Blood and water poured out.

He is officially dead.

How could they? Jesus did nothing wrong! He healed people and brought some people back to life! Okay, I admit that he did say many odd things, but so do the religious leaders. He spoke of love. LOVE! Not of money like those “leaders.”

Jesus, the supposed “Savior of the world” couldn’t even save himself.

My hope and faith is gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He’s alive.

I don’t know how else to say it.

JESUS IS ALIVE.

I was in this room with other people who had followed him. We were hiding from the Jews and mourning the loss of Jesus. Our hearts were broken, our eyes filled with tears. We were comforting each other. Our faith and hope were shattered.

All of a sudden, I hear “Peace be with you” in a familiar voice. It can’t be I thought. I turned and there he was.

There was Jesus! The scars on his hands shown and his body was clean. Jesus was there with us, ALIVE! I saw him die on the cross and now I see him in front of me. I started to cry.

I realize now what he said before was true. Everything he ever said made sense. Surely no one could do this if they weren’t really the Son of God.

Jesus is alive, he raised himself from the dead. He took my sins away. Now I, Lydia, have faith.

I believe.

Matthew 26- Josiah

After Jesus’ departure from Gerasenes, he went to Jerusalem with his disciples. From that point on, I lost track of them. It seemed as if Jesus wanted to keep quiet at this point and try to hide from the crowds. I took this opportunity to wander about and ask others about this mysterious figure. The Passover was happening soon and I needed a place to stay. As I stayed in a local inn, I headed to social gathering taking place outside, where I ran into the innkeeper. When I asked him if he had heard about Jesus, he told me he had recent information on his whereabouts. I quickly sat down to listen to the story he told me.
On the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples were told by Jesus to find a certain man who would have a place ready for them for the Passover. If this man personally knew Jesus or was friends with him wasn’t known. Once it was evening, they gathered together at a table for dinner. Jesus reclined in his seat and stated that one of them would betray him. It was then I interrupted the innkeeper, asking him a series of questions. Who was the betrayer? Why would he continue to allow this betrayer to become a disciple and follow him? How did he even know that in the first place?
The innkeeper said he couldn’t explain everything yet, but to continue to listen to the story. Impatient but willing, I calmed down and listened again. It was then that sorrow filled the room and every disciple started to ask Jesus, “is it I?” When Judas asked him, it was rumored that he didn’t say anything, or responded in a way that implied confirmation. Judas then left the supper.
It didn’t make any sense- did any of the other disciples hear him? Wouldn’t didn’t they try to run after Judas to capture him? Why would Jesus just let him go?! Nothing in this story made sense. Jesus just let Judas go, when he knew Judas would betray him in the future. There were many people who loved Jesus and followed him for the miracles he did- it was evident wherever he went. But at the same time, there were many who wanted him dead. The innkeeper told me that many religious officials didn’t like the teachings that Jesus was spreading, and they had been trying to capture him.

Marcus Valerius-Passover

Two months have passed since I last wrote. The day following my last entry, I went to my commander and resigned. He asked me why, and I told him that I had decided to pursue a path which I believed would shape the rest of my life…He seemed confused, but not angry.

                I left my home in Capernaum and begin to consistently travel with Jesus and his disciples. The disciples were hesitant at best to accept me, because I was Roman, but Jesus welcomed me with open arms. As I got to know him a little better, I discovered he was fairly down to earth, yet clearly above all in stature, wisdom, power and humility. He isn’t always easy to understand, because he often speaks in parables and riddles to illustrate a point. Over time I have been developing a good relationship with Andrew, one of Jesus’ disciples, a former fisherman. He and I keep discussing the teachings of Jesus and their meanings.

                We have been seeing all sorts of miracles; healings and the like! It’s so amazing to see what he can do! We were in Bethany for a while yesterday, but the time for Passover came. Being Roman, I obviously do not celebrate it, but Jesus and the disciples were making plans to do so. Jesus sent the disciples were making plans to do so. Jesus sent his disciples into the city to prepare the meal for the first day of Unleavened bread. As the disciples did this, I remained in Bethany with some other followers of the Way. Jesus followed the disciples down to the city today and I didn’t see any of them until later tonight. As it became night, I made my way to Jerusalem to find a place to sleep and ran into Andrew. He looked confused, almost scared. I asked him what had happened and he began to relate the night’s events. Apparently, some very interesting things happened. As Jesus and the disciples were eating, Jesus all of a sudden told them that one of them was going to betray him. After everyone asked him who it was, Jesus told Judas that it was him.

When I heard these words, I was dumbfounded, and immediately searched Andrew’s face for his reaction to this devastating information. He told me he was sad and yet  perplexed, as I was. As we continued to converse, we kept questioning every aspect of Judas’ faith and how his betrayal would affect all of our lives. After we finished, Andrew brightened up a little and continued to share the rest of the events of the night. I guess as they were eating, Jesus took the bread, broke it and told them it was his body. He did the same with the wine and said it was his blood. He added that the wine was his blood covenant poured out for the forgiveness of sins. While we knew that what he had said was significant and that it meant something, we weren’t entirely sure what it signified.

                All of this took place tonight, making it a very eventful day. I plan to stay in Jerusalem for the remainder of the week with Jesus and the disciples. I have decided that I officially believe everything he teaches. There is no doubt in my mind that what he says is false. I will follow him to the ends of the earth if that’s where he goes. This is my promise to myself and God.

-Marcus Valerius

A Man and His Donkey Part 4

There I and my donkey were in the big city of Jerusalem, the chopping sounds of my donkey’s hooves on the stone paved street mingled with the general clamor of a big city. We had followed the mad preacher and his disciples for quite some time and we were glad that we could now find a place to stay. I had sold the bread in the town where the flying mass of pigs event happened so my heavy pockets jingled with every lurch in the saddle, but being the cheapskate that I am, I instead was going to stay at a cousin’s house. Leaving the main street, my donkey and I took to the alleys and eventually found our way through the rather confusing streets and arrived at my cousin’s house. By this time my donkey was suitably annoyed to the point where as I was dismounting, the donkey bucked and flung me into the wooden door which crashed inward into the house. Sprawled on top of the door, my cousin crouched down by my head and said, “I see you still have not gotten rid of that donkey of yours.” I simply grunted at the remark and rolled off the door. 

The donkey was stabled out back and I was upstairs preparing for our own meal when I noticed that next door that someone was lighting candles. Curious, I looked out the window and saw that it was the mad preacher and his followers. They went inside and that was all that I heard of them for some time. I was carrying a bag of oats back to my spawn of the devil donkey when I heard the commotion. I rushed out into the streets in time to see a large mob headed by one of the mad preacher’s disciples and the head priests. Something was going to happen and it might turn out rather ugly. I didn’t want to get involved, but something held me out there as if I were to be a witness to what would happen next. What happened next was a surprise. One the disciples cut off an ear of a high priest in defense of the mad preacher, but the mad preacher healed the ear and told his followers to stand down. From what I could see of his face was that mad preacher was expecting this and looked somewhat reluctant, but resolved to go through whatever was happening. A strange conflict of emotions to observe, I tell you. The mad preacher was under arrest for something or other and tomorrow he would no doubt be brought forth to face the Roman governor.

Mark, Pt. 3 - Even the Demons

After that day on the mountain, word about Jesus was spreading like wildfire. The gossipers of the town were having a field day. Rumors about him were flying everywhere, but one view was the most intriguing of all: some of his disciples had begun to claim that he was the Messiah. THE MESSIAH. The one that our people had been waiting on for hundreds of years, the one that God had promised would redeem our nation. And MY little brother went up to him and shared his lunch.

Don't get me started on Malachi. As if he wasn't spoiled enough, people all over the town began coming up to him, asking if he really was the boy who gave Jesus those "magical" five fish and two loaves. "My mother always taught me to share," he would say. What a ham. That made her so proud, but it really irked me. I love him, though. I've got to. He's still my baby brother. All the attention aside, little Malachi seemed to believe in this Jesus fellow. Faith like a child, I guess, as Jesus put it in one of his messages.

As exciting as the prospect of a Messiah in our midst was, I couldn't be completely sold on the idea. I still had to see more. I still had to hear more. I mean, I wanted to have a full, unabashed faith, like my brother, or Jesus' disciples, but I couldn't help but think that all of this stuff that'd been happening was just too good to be true. My father was certainly a skeptic. He warned me to take this Messiah stuff with a grain of salt and not to get my hopes up, because he'd seen false Messiahs before. Everyone just wants something that they can believe in, he said.

I understood what he meant and took it to heart, but I certainly wasn't going to stop listening to Jesus' teaching. It was too intriguing. So, I promised my father that I'd be cautious, and that was that.

I'd heard a rumor that Jesus would be sailing to the other side of the Sea, so I woke up early and dragged Malachi into sailboat to see if we could meet him and talk to him without the massive crowds. It was probably a mistake to take Malachi. We arrived at the shore, and the boat Jesus was on was still a few minutes away. When I began tying up my boat, a middle aged beggar came up to us. He touched my shoulder and I almost jumped at the sight of him. His hair was a rat's nest and his eyes were squinty and as red as fire. He began shouting things at me in a language that I couldn't understand. My first instinct was to run back to the boat and protect Malachi. He was quivering with fear as the man inched toward us. Then he saw Jesus.

The beggar shriveled up on the ground and began shouting in a crazed tone. He yelled, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!" Jesus simply asked his name. "Legion," the man said. Apparently he was possessed by many demons, and he greatly feared Jesus. Jesus then cast the demons out of the man, and into a group of pigs on a nearby cliff. They went wild and plunged into the sea. The beggar's eyes softened and he thanked Jesus, fell on his knees and began to praise him. I wanted to hear more, but Malachi was too afraid, so we began sailing back across the Sea.

As I sailed the boat, I pondered what had just happened. I had many questions. Had that really been a demon? How was Jesus able to cast it out? What does it mean to be the Son of God? And most importantly, if those demons were able to recognize and understand who Jesus really was, why couldn't I? What excuse did I have for my lukewarm faith?

Sarah-The Resurrection

He’s been caught. Jesus, the miracle man, has been caught by the governor’s soldiers. I had been walking around after hearing Malachi’s story. I had been pondering on who Jesus really was when I saw Jesus. He had been praying in a place called Gethsemane when they came up to him. The disciple that was to betray him came up to Jesus and he gave him a kiss on the cheek. The soldiers knew it was Jesus that they were to arrest. Just then, one of the disciples drew his sword and cut off one of the soldier’s ear! It was very frightening to see! But, Jesus picked up the ear (which was really gross) and placed it back onto the ma’s ear. Even at the point of being arrested, thee Son of Man is able to work miracles. A small crowd of people gathered as Jesus was put to trial. Jesus told them that he was the Son of God but they made fun of him. They started ridiculing him and spitting on him. As I was peering through the window, I saw the disciple Peter as he was at the courtyard. Just then, a girl next to me got up and told him, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” To my surprise, he told her that he didn’t know what she was talking about. He got up and went toward the gateway when another man came up to him and said, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth. Again, to my surprise, he said, “I don’t know the man!” A bit later, a small group of people around me went toward him and said, “Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.” Peter kind of lost his cool and swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Just then, a rooster crowed. I remembered what Jesus had said and I watched as Peter left and wept. By this time, I was very tired and I went to the nearest meadow and fell asleep there, since I no longer had a home. I woke up the next day to a commotion of people talking. I heard from someone nearby that Jesus had died! I could not believe it! I missed the whole, sad event. I just sat there for a long time and thought about how Jesus could die. I sat there and cried. Since I no longer had anyone to care to me, I wandered the streets of Jerusalem. I had been very sad and I felt very alone. I scavenged all I could for food. Sometimes, a nice family would give me some food. As I wandered I thought about Jesus and Centurion Marcus Arilius. I had heard from local Roman soldiers that he had resigned his post to follow Jesus. I thought about what he was doing and if he was doing well. After a few days, I heard great news! I heard that Jesus had died but somehow rose back to life! I went to the house of Mary Magdalene and asked her what happened. She told me that she had gone to Jesus’ tomb after 3 days of his death. When she got there, the large boulder there to seal the tomb was rolled away and a figure on sitting on top of it. It was an angel. He had told them that Jesus had risen from the dead and that he was now alive. I looked it this -> (O.O) as I listened to this miraculous event.

Mary of Nain-Mark 5

We went across a lake to get to Gerasenes. Once we got out of the boat, Jesus was met by a peculiar man who came out of a tomb. There was something off about him…this man was extremely strong. No one was strong enough to subdue him, and when the people bound him, he broke the chains! At night, he cried and cut himself. Once he saw Jesus, he ran and fell before Him. He said “What do you want with me Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” (vs. 7). I did not understand what was going on. At least until Jesus said “come out of this man you evil spirit” (vs. 8) He then asked the spirit what his name was. The man’s voice began to change; it was deep, raspy and sounded as if there was an entire city speaking at once. “My name is Legion, for we are many” (vs. 9) is what they replied with. Many if the people were frightened, but I was not afraid. I know that Jesus will not let anything happen, I have faith in Him. Legion begged Jesus to allow them to stay in the area; they even asked to be sent into the herd of pigs! How odd, why would any person or spirit ask to be a pig? What could happen if Jesus sent them out of the area? I do not understand. Jesus did as Legion asked, and they were cast into the pigs. Immediately the swine went berserk and all 2,000 of them ran off of the cliff! The man was cleansed and Jesus told him to go back to his family abd tell them what God has done. The man listened and went to th Decapolis to tell everyone what Jesus had done.

            Along this journey with Christ, I have learned so much about myself and about what God wants me to do. I know now that He is real and that Jesus is our Messiah. I write down what I see and hear so that other people may know it too. I see Matthew Mark and Luke taking notes as well, and I hear John the Baptist has started writhing things as well. They should get their writings together to form a sort of book.  I have seen things I know most people will not believe, but I have to testify just the same. Maybe one day, someone will come to know the truth from my writings.

Mark 5

It is has now been a few weeks since Jesus last performed the unbelievable miracle of feeding five thousand people, and yet, in this time I have still witnessed many magnificent sights. I am writing this now in the late evening, for I remembered that I have not written for a while and that today was quite eventful. This day started out completely normal, because we were simply traveling. After Jesus had taught parables to many people in various towns, his disciples and followers traveled with Him to the other side of the sea from where we had been. We all traveled together by boat and when we arrived in the country of the Gadarenes, our Lord was greeted with a great surprise, actually, a great disturbance. Immediately after exiting the boat there was a man waiting, a man who was clearly not in his right mind. I personally was worried and as I scanned the faces of Jesus' disciples, I could see they felt the same worry and fear. But Jesus kept His composure, even as this man, who appeared to be demon-possessed, approached Him by crying out in a loud voice. Later on, I learned that this man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain.
For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

I assume Jesus was aware of all this, but he still remained calm as the man
ran and fell on his knees in front of Him, shouting, at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” And as He heard this, Jesus then ordered the impure spirit to leave the man. All of this was so surprising to me, and I couldn't believe my eyes. After all Jesus had done for this man, he begged and pleaded to go along with Jesus. But Jesus told the healed man to tell people how much the Lord loves and cares for Him.