Jimmy Hepler
My name is Crispus. I am a vendor at the local market of Capernaum, and I sell barley crisps. They are famous for being crispy. I also sell fermented goat milk as a side, and I do pretty well, business-wise. My home is near the bakery, and the neighbors are the goats. So, things are pretty quiet. I do not have a wife, or children. But I do have a pet goose named Ahkkmedd.
I heard rumors one day of a man who claims to be the Messiah. His name is Jesus, from Nazareth. Many people were following Him from place to place, and He was said to be doing amazing miracles, like healing the blind, sick, lame, and teaching about God, repentance, and forgiveness from sins. When He walked through Capernaum, I went to see Him as He passed. A Roman centurion, a bossy man, went up Him on his knees, asking Jesus for something. From what I heard, the centurion’s servant was sick, about to die, and he wanted Jesus to heal him. When Jesus offered to visit the man’s home, the centurion answered with faith: he said Jesus could heal his servant from a distance. I was surprised! The centurion used to be such a mean man, bossing the townspeople and stealing things. But now, he, a Roman officer, was on his knees before a Jew! Jesus told him his servant had been healed. Just then, another of the Roman officer’s servants arrived and said the sick servant had just been healed! Right then I believed Jesus is the Messiah, God Himself on earth. I packed up my things and started to follow Jesus then. As I stuffed the necessities into my bag, I thought over what had happened. The stories about the miracles are true!
I harnessed Ahkkmedd with a leather strap, put a small saddle on him, and draped a few small packages of Crispus Barley Crisps, and headed out the door. As I walked with Ahkkmedd following, I pondered what had happened today. With the Messiah here, what will He do? Is His Kingdom here on earth, or will it be in the future? Whatever the case, Jesus is the Messiah, and I had to follow Him. He keeps saying something about Him dying. I wonder what He means? I’ll see, though, as I follow Him around. I am trying to grasp His message of repentance.
good work Jimmy.
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