When Herod was the king of Judea, there was this priest, Zacharias, he was called, who
was married to a woman called Elizabeth. They were a good-living pair, the Batheram, but
they hid in any way and were well-own in their years. And so it was that one day, when Zacharias
was working at the temple, it fell to him to take the incense into the temple while
other people were outside praying. Now it happened that all of a sudden, an angel of
the Lord appeared, just like that. There he was, stoning on the right-hand side of the
altar. Well, the good Zacharias had right fright, I can tell you. The angel said to
him, listen, don't be afraid, Zacharias, I'm here to tell you that God has heard your prayer.
Your wife, Elizabeth, is going to bury a son. You know, he called the wain, John. The Batheram
will be delighted when he's born, and other people, they'll be delighted too. John will
be a great man, full of the power of the Holy Spirit, and will bring all the people back
to God. Well, then Zacharias says to the angel, he says, no, no, this isn't possible. I'm
an old man now, and my wife's getting well-own in years too. The angel says, I am Gabriel,
who stands before God. I have been sent here to give you this bit of good news, so just
listen, will you? Because you didn't believe what I've told you, I am going to strike you
dumb, till the time the wain is born, you stand in me. All I've said will come to pass.
And with that, the angel disappeared. Meanwhile, the people outside were all waiting for Zacharias.
What could have happened to him, they said to themselves? I mean, what's keeping him
so long in the temple? And Zacharias appeared, sure enough, he couldn't speak, no one word.
The people kind of knew, he must have seen some sort of vision in the temple. Poor Zacharias.
He started making signs to them, but no, no, he couldn't speak. And so when his working
days in the temple were finished, Zacharias just went home to his own house. And soon
afterwards, Elizabeth had a wain, just as the angel had said.
Six months after speaking to Zacharias, the angel Gabriel was sent by God again to a wee
place in Galilee, Nazareth it was called. And Gabriel had a message for a lassie, a
virgin who was engaged to a man called Joseph, and the lassie's name was Mary. The angel
said to her, Joy be with you, Mary, blessed are ye among women. Mary was feared and wanted
but it was all a boot. But the angel said, Don't be feared, Mary, for ye have found
favour with God. Listen, ye will conceive and bear a son, and ye are to call him Jesus.
He will be a great man, Mary, the son of the most high. The Lord will give him the throne
of his forefathers, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will
be no end to his kingdom. Mary was confused, but who could this come a boot? She said,
For I havenae a man, ye see. The angel replied, The Holy Spirit will come upon ye, and God's
power will rest on ye. Ye're bearing will be God's own son. Ye mind yer cousin Elizabeth,
have that? Couldn't ye have a family? Well, she herself is gone to have a wain, even in
her old age. For God, ye see, nothing is impossible. Mary believed that it was true and said, I
know belong to the Lord. Just let it be, as ye see. And the angel went away fair.
No long after that, Mary hurried off to the hill country of Judea, to the place where
Zacharias lived. She went to call on her cousin Elizabeth, and when Elizabeth had Mary's
voice, the wain inside her stirred, and she herself was filled with the Holy Spirit. She
cried out, Mary, O blessed are ye among women, and blessed is that bearing ye will bear.
Who am I that the mother of the Lord should come to me? Ye are blessed, Mary, for ye believed
in God's promise. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, before she went off
with him again.
When the time came, Elizabeth gave birth to a wee boy, and when her friends and relatives
heard about God's kindness to her, they were all fair chuffed. A week after, when it came
time to have the wain named, they were going to call him Zacharias, just like his father,
but Elizabeth told them, no, no, he's to be called John. Aye, but none of your families
called John, they said. Then they made signs to dumb Zacharias the father, asking what
name he would pick for the boy. Zacharias wrote down his answer. He will be called John.
Right there, and then his mouth was opened, and he began to talk. Obviously, praise God,
the neighbours, they were all staggered at this, and the story was the cracker of hell
had ye, dear. What kind of boy is this going to be, they were saying. But it was obvious
that the Lord did something special in mind for him.
In the time of Caesar Augustus, the Romans ordered a census to be done of the whole country.
This happened when Cyrenius was the headman of Syria, so all the folk went to be registered,
each one to his own tune. Now, there was this gynar, Joseph was his name, living in Nazareth
in Galilee. He'd heard that everyone had to report and check that his name was on the
electoral roll, so he made his way to Bethlehem, the birthplace of his ancestor, King David.
Aligned with Mary, his future wife. Now, Mary was expecting her birth, and her time was
nearly due. When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no place for them in any of the
inns, but one of the innkeepers, take pity on them, let them stay in his stable, and
during the night, Mary gave birth to a wee boy. Meantime, that very night, there were
some shepherds living out in the fields nearby. Came an eye of their sheep, suddenly an angel
of the Lord appeared to them, and, oh, the night sky was fairly up. The shepherds were
all, they were all gobsmacked, but the angel says to them, don't be feared, for I bring
you good news, good news for the whole world. This very night, in David's tune, Bethlehem,
a savior has been born. He is Christ the Lord. You will find the wane, all wrapped up, lying
in a stable trough. Well, at once, the whole sky was festooned with angels, praising God
and saying, glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will to all men. When the angels
went back into heaven, the shepherds looked at one another, and yelled, come on, let's
go to Bethlehem and see what's happened. So they went down, hurrying all the way, and
right enough, there they found Joseph and Mary and the wee wane, lying snug in the feeding
trough. These shepherds, they were fair-tuned with the wane, and tell all the folk what
had happened, and what the angel had told them about the birth. Everyone was dumb, who
wondered at the story, but Mary kept it to herself, and wondered what it all meant. Then
the shepherds went back to their fields, praising God for the visit to the angels, and because
they had seen the wane, just as the angel had told them.
Jesus was born in the tomb of Bethlehem, during the time of King Herod, and soon after, some
astrologers came to the east, asking, what is the newborn wane, that they're crying the
King of the Jews? We saw his star, and we are here now to worship him. King Herod was
guy put out when he heard this, and all Jerusalem along with him. He got a meeting with all
the Jewish high-hegans, and he put the question to them, what is it that this Christ is to
be born? They answered, in the tomb of Bethlehem, in Judea, years ago it was prophesied, and
you, Bethlehem, are known the least among the rulers of Judea, for out of you will come
a leader to rule over my people of Israel. Herod then took the astrologers aside, and
he asked about the date the first saw the star. He sent him off to Bethlehem, saying,
try and find the bear, and when you do find him, tell me, and I'll go myself and worship
him. After the meeting, the astrologers stepped out again, and right enough, the star was
shining bright over Bethlehem, a man that was fair, bursting with joy. They went into
the house, they saw the wedding of his mother Mary, and they kneeled down in homage, and
they opened their bags, and they gave presents, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The wise men
warned by God not to go back to Herod, then went home by another road. After they went
off, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream, and said, take your son and his mother
and escape to Egypt. Stay there till I tell you, for Herod is seeking out the way to destroy
them. So Joseph set out, taking the wee wane and his mother off to Egypt, and when Herod
saw that he'd been tricked by the astrologers, he was gay mad, and he gave orders to kill
all the wee boy bears, or two years old and under, in Bethlehem, and all the places where
they were. But it happened that Herod died, and soon after, an angel appeared in a dream
to Joseph in Egypt, saying, you can get back now to Israel. Those that were seeking to
kill the wee nerdene. So Joseph went back right away with the boy, Jesus, and his mother.
When they were living in Nazareth, John the Baptist appeared, preaching out in the desert
of Judea. See you, John was crying to the folk, God's kingdom is on its way. Check
that you're all ready, put your lives right with God. The prophet Isaiah, by the way,
had told about John's coming, prepare the way of the Lord, straighten out the road.
John wore a rough jacket, tied around his waist with a leather belt, and he lived on
locusts and wild honey. When he preached, he cried out, I baptize you with water for
repentance, but the one coming after me is far stronger. I'm not even fit to tie shoelaces,
know what I mean? See this man, he'll baptize you with the fire of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus heard that John had been put in the jail, he went after Galilee. From then
on he started his preaching, saying, turn to your sins and turn to God. One day as Jesus
was taking a wee bit down along the beach, he saw two brothers, Simon, Peter, and Andy,
casting their net into the water. Come on with me, Jesus said to them, I'll teach you
not to catch fish, but to catch men. And right there and then they left the fishing
and went with Jesus. A wee bit further along the beach, Jesus saw two male brothers, Jimmy
and John, mending their nets with their feather, he that was kind of zebedee. Jesus called
to the brothers, and at once they left their feather and went along with Jesus. At this
time he went to a place called Capernaum, started teaching on the Sabbath day. The folk
were bamboozled at the patter of the man, because he spoke like one that really kent
the truth. Wasn't he just repeating the religious spiel of the day? Now, there was a man in
a synagogue under the influence of some evil spirit. He started up his ranting and screaming
at the tap of his voice, you liars, Elaine! What have you got to do with us, you nazarene?
Have you come to kill us, eh? Oh, wait now, I can who you are, you're God's holy one.
Ad yath weist, Jesus ordered the spirit, come out of the man, give him peace. And the evil
spirit threw the man to the grun, and went away from his body, way out there in Ony Mare
Hearn. Well, the folk were all dumb funer, as you can imagine, started asking, what kind
of man's this? He just gives orders to evil spirits, out they come. From then on, Jesus
was the talk of the steamy right enough. And so, when the sun went down that night, the
people all brought their sick friends to Jesus, and with one touch of his hands, they were
healed.
The time had come now for Jesus to start and preach in earnest. He knew he would need folk
to help him, so he picked a dozen men to tell out the good news of God's kingdom. These
are the names of the twelve. Simon, usually called Peter, Andy, Peter's brother, Jimmy,
Zebedee's son, John, Jimmy's brother, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, him that was
the taxman, James, the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon, him that was the freedom fighter, and
Judas Iscariot, the one that was the turned traitor.
One day, an expert lawyer tried to trick Jesus. He said to him, Mr, I'm keen to have this
everlasting life that God has promised. How do I get it? Jesus said, you have the answer
right there in your law book, my friend. What does it say? The lawyer replied, you've got
to love the Lord God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and you've got to
love your neighbor as well as you love yourself. No bad, said Jesus. Just act like that and
you'll please God. But the lawyer wasn't a contender to that and asked him again, aye,
but to just exactly who is my neighbor. Jesus decided to illustrate his meaning with a wee
story.
One day, he said, a man was traveling along the dangerous road from Jerusalem to Jericho.
Suddenly, some ruffians laid into him, whipped all his gear in his clays, and left a pair
Savilehoff dead. Now, a Jewish priest happened to be going down the same road. He sees the
man lying there, turns his head, and gives him a nifty body swear. In the same way, a
Levite comes in the scene, offers no help, and just leaves the pair old punter lying
there. Finally, a Samaritan comes along the road. He sees the man, and he's touched with
pity. He goes over beside him, kneels down, and cleans his wounds. Then, he puts him on
his own donkey and fixes him up at the nearest inn. He looks after him during the night,
and in the morning, squares up with the innkeeper. He even promises to look in on his way back.
Jesus then turned to the lawyer, knew then, which one of the three was a neighbor to the
wounded traveler. Oh, dead easy, says the lawyer, the man that was kind to him. Jesus
answered, right then, Jimmy, just you do the same.
When Jesus went on into Jericho, there was this man called Zacchaeus. He was the heed
tax man for the district, and so was quite rich. In fact, he was really loaded. But though
he had plenty of money, he wasn't what you might call happy, and was dead keen to meet
this Jesus he had heard of. Zacchaeus, being a wee man, cannae get near on account of the
great crowd of folk running about Jesus, so he decides to slim up a second more tree beside
the road to watch.
When Jesus eventually comes along, he spies Zacchaeus, looking up, he shouts, hey there,
wee man, come down, will you? I've decided to invite myself to your house for a meal
this afternoon. To say that wee Zacchaeus was fair chuffed is pretty mildly. The rest
of the folk, by the way, were not very pleased that Jesus was going to eat with a man that
they call a crook, but already Zacchaeus is a changed man. He says to Jesus, Lord see
me, I'm going to give half of my money to the poor, and I'll promise to look after
all the folk that I've cheated through. Well, Jesus turned round to the dumb funner crowd
and told them to hudderwischt. This man was a sinner, he said, his fun piece at last.
Jesus said, there was once a man that had two sons. The younger one says to his father,
hey father, can I ask you a favour? How no give me ye my share of the family gear right
now? Did ye save me waiting till ye did? The father was hurt so he was, but he agreed,
and he split his property between the two boys. A wee while later the young son picked
up all his gear and left him for the bright lights in the big city. It wasn't long before
he'd wasted the whole fortune on the bevy and the parties and living it up. Just when
he was hitting rock bottom, a terrible famine swept over the country. He needed work really
bad, but all he could get was a job with a farmer, feeding the pigs. He was that famished
that he could have eaten the beans that he was feeding the pigs. Nobody took pity on
him at all. Finally he gets wise to himself and he says, I'm half my head, so I am. Even
to him my father's servants are well looked after, and here's me starving. I'll just
need to bolt my pride and go home. I'll confess to my father that I've done rank and ask him
to sign me up along with the servants. So he gets up and heads for the hame, and still
a long way from the house when his father catches sight of him and he runs out to meet
him. He throws his errands round about him and he kisses him. The boy's greeting him,
I'm sorry father, I'm honest, I'm sorry. I'm just a loser, I'm no fit to be God's
your son. But his father shouted to the servants, hey, get some nice clean clothes out for my
boy and a ring for his finger. Aye, and I want you to kill the prize calf, we're going
to have ourselves a real ding dong a night. Now the big brother's coming in about this
time for the fields, and when he comes near the house, here's all the commotion, the music
and the jigging. And he calls out to one of the servants and he says, hey, what's up?
Your wee brother's come back, came sir, and we're celebrating like your father even killed
the prize cow for the feast. The big brother was peeling. He wouldn't get into the house
so the father comes out to reason with him. And he answers his father, he says, hey, ha
don't da, just listen to me for a minute, I've slept for you all these years and you
didn't even give me a party once. And knew that wee and the half comes back and he's
been out and ran down so he has. Spent all your money and bevy and birds and you killed
your best cow for him. The father was hurt at all this. Son, he says, you've been here
with me all the time, you must know that everything that's mine's yours. But you see, it was right
to celebrate. I thought my son was dead and he's come back to life. He was lost and knew
he's come here.
One day, the wee band of helpers that Jesus had picked out was reporting back to him about
all their preaching ploys. Right then, says Jesus, I can see you're tired, so we'll start
oot in the boat and get away from the crowd for a wee bit. We could all be day and we
could all be day. So they set off across the loch. But guess what? When they landed, they
found the hail shoreline mob of folk all desperate to hear Mayor Sermon. Jesus was hurt sorry
for them and they started once again with his teaching. As the day wears on, Jesus'
disciples say to him, it's getting on boss, you better send them after the Mayor of Stoun,
I'll all be famished. Not at all, says Jesus, you just give them something to eat. Away
with you, maester, they gasp. With all that luck out there, it would cost us a fortune.
Andy speaks up. Listen, don't laugh, will you, but there's a wee boy here who's willing
to part with his piece. It's no allotment, five rolls and a couple of fish. Jesus tells
them all to sit down in the grass. He took the rolls and the fish, raised his head to
the heavens and said the blessing. Nobody could ever quite understand just exactly what
happened next. But the hail crowd were good food enough to eat till they were all full.
Rolls and fish were broken and every one of them got a fair share. More than that, afterwards
they gathered up year 12 baskets of the leftovers. Would you credit this? There was over 5,000
men, women and wains taking part in this muckle meal. Fair astonishing, so it was.
When Jesus went into Jerusalem, the whole place was in an uproar. Some folk didn't
care about Jesus and asked who he was. The crowd said, this is the great prophet, Jesus.
He comes from Nazareth and Galilee so he does. But when Jesus went into the temple, he was
furious at what he saw going on. Barres everywhere, buying and selling, wheeling and dealing,
so at once he heaved out the tables of the money changers and upset the stools of the
pigeon dealers, crying out, God said this temple is for prayer and worship. You ought
to have turned it into a den of cheats. Well, after the rammy died down, some blin and crippled
folk came up to Jesus in the temple and he was glad to cure them all. But when the heed
priests and the doctors of the law saw the miracles Jesus was doing, and even heard the
wee wains in the temple crying out, oh, praise be to the son of David, well, they weren't
any best pleased. So Jesus just left them to it and went out of the city to his lodgings
in Bethany. Guaranteed soft eating, really. Fifty pence for a big fine. I wish if a tear
won't give me, bring me some money.
After they saw Jesus working his miracles, lots of the Jews put their faith in him. The
Jews put their faith in him. But there were others who didn't want to believe his message
and reported all his activities to his enemies. The heed priests and Pharisees moaned, what
have we gone to do with this heed banger? If we lay him away in the whole country, he'll
believe what he says. Oh, there'll be a right stiche and the Romans will put the hems on
us all. Then Caiaphas, who was the chief priest for that year, spoke up, saying, you're all
right fools. You know nothing. There's no need for the whole country to perish. You
know, see, it'll suit us better if just one man dies for the sake of the people. In fact,
Caiaphas didn't work out this plan by himself. No, he didn't realize that he was fulfilling
a prophecy that Jesus was to die so that all the children of God would be brought together
right around the world. So by that time on, the Jewish leaders started planning to kill
Jesus. Up at this time, Jesus stoked his public preaching and went off to the tomb of Ephraim
and stayed there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover was getting near, of course, and
many folk had arrived in Jerusalem before the feast and started. They were busy looking
for Jesus in the temple, wondering, what do you think? Will he turn up for the feast?
No, it's not likely. For they had priests and Pharisees had good orders to put Jesus
in chains, saying, if only a person sees Jesus, it must be reported at once. When Jesus had
finished all his teaching, he told his disciples, see the Passover feast. It's going to start
in two days' time. And I must tell you something, a traitor will turn on me and I'll be crucified.
The disciples stared at each other, flabbergasted at what he'd said. They whispered among themselves,
what's the story? Who would betray the Master, do you think? Meanwhile, all the heed priests
and the elders of the people gathered together in the Kurtachyphus, the chief priest. They
laid plans about who they were going to get hold of Jesus quietly and then kill him. But
it can't be done during the feast, they all agreed. Oh, there would be a rite to the mash.
Then one of the twelve disciples, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priest
Caiaphas and said, what will you give me if I lead you to Jesus? They couldn't do 30 coins
and give them to Judas. So for that time on, he watched out for the best way to betray
Jesus.
Late that night, Jesus sat down to eat with the twelve apostles. Jesus took the bread
and said a prayer of thanks. He broke the loaf and shared it round the disciples, saying,
this is my body that will be gained up for you all. And then he took a cup of wine and
haunted it round, saying, and this is my life blood that will be shed by me to forgive your
sins. But mark this, I'll drink no more wine until I drink it fresh in the kingdom of God.
Jesus then took his disciples to the one side and told them, I'll soon have to leave you
all. And though you search for me, you cannae follow after. So listen, here's my new command
for you. I want you to love one another, just the way I loved you all. That's the only way
that you can prove to folk that you're my followers. There's no greater love in all
the world than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends. Don't let your
heart get heavy. Trust on God. Trust on me. And mind, there are plenty rooms in my father's
house. I'm going there to prepare a place for every one of you. When things are ready,
I'll come back for you. And we'll all be together once again.
Then Jesus led his friends to a garden they called Gethsemane, near the Mount of Olives.
While he was speaking to them, Judas Iscariot arrived, along with a mob kitted up with swords
and clubs. They'd been sent by the elders and the heathed priests. Judas had given them
a signal to watch out for, saying, keep your eyes on me and I'll give a kiss to the man
that you're after. The traitor made straight for Jesus and embraced him saying, hello maester.
Jesus answered them, Judas my friend, just do your deed, but do it quickly. The mob grabbed
Jesus and put him under arrest. Simon Peter was mad at them. He drew out his sword and
carved off the lug of the heathed priest's servant. But Jesus wouldn't have that and
warned them, Peter, Peter my son, put by your sword. I'll tell you, every man that lives
by the sword dies by it. And then Jesus put his horn to the man's lug and healed him.
Jesus then turned to the mob saying, did you really need to come out for me with your swords
and clubs? You can't have sat doing every day with you teaching in the temple and you
never put a finger on me. The disciples I knew were shattered. One and all, they took
to their heels and deserted their maester. Jesus was then hustled after for the elders
and scribes were gathered and was stood in front of Caiaphas, the chief priest. Big Peter
followed a hint and sat doing a line with the servants wondering what would happen next.
The council was determined to hang Jesus but they can't find that they had the only real
evidence against him. Then a couple of still pigeons came up and said, see this fly man,
he said he could smash up the temple of God and fix it up again in three days. The chief
priest rose up to his full height. Will you answer me, he says, what is it that all the
folk are saying about you? Jesus didn't say one word. Then Caiaphas began to lose the
heat and yelled at him, a clergy by the living God, are you the Christ, the son of God? Jesus
answered, it's you that's saying it, but I'll tell you this, in the future you will
all see the son of man sitting at God's right horn and returning on the clouds of heaven.
Little Caiaphas, near when he sat at that, started to rip at his own clays screaming
out blasphemer, we may need a mayor witnesses, you've all heard them, what's your verdict?
Then they all cried out, guilty, guilty, he deserves to die. Then they began to strike
at Jesus and spit on his face and taunt him, aye then Messiah, gone you prophesy new for
Christ, who hit you? Meantime Peter was sitting out in the courtyard and this bird comes up
to him and says, are you not a pal in that Jesus, the man for Galilee? Don't know what
you're blaring about said Peter. Then he went out into the porch and another lass says
Potson and she cries to the folks to honor her on her boot, see this one here, he was
along with that Nazarene. Once more Peter denied it and he swore at them, I've told
you, I don't know the man. But Mary the folk thought for a bit and said to Peter, just
hold on a minute by the way, you are so one of them in that Jesus, for the way you speak
gives you away. Peter started to curse him, I'm telling you, telling you the truth, I
don't know that man. Just then a cock began to crawl and Peter was reminded what Jesus
had told him, before the cock crawls you'll deny me three times. Big o' nausea was, Peter
crept outside and began to greet.
When Judas the traitor saw Jesus condemned, he was a guy sorry man, so he went back to
the Jewish heed men with the money. I was crying so I was, I put an innocent man to
his death. That's your in problem, Judas they tells them, it's no concern to us. So Judas
threw the coins out of the flare of the temple, then he walked to the outskirts of the city
and what did he do? He hung himself.
In the morning all the elders and the heavy team gathered round Jesus ready to put the
final clamp on him. They yanked him off to the governor, Pilate was his name. Right then,
man tell us, are you the king of the Jews Pilate asked, name is Nabut. Jesus answered,
my kingdom does not belong to this world. No, it does not belong here. Then Pilate came
back, but you are a king then so you say. You say that, Jesus answered. For that purpose
I was born, I have come to bring truth to the whole world and people seeking this truth
will hear my voice. Then Pilate trying to be clever said, so what is this truth?
During all this time the mob in the streets were screeching out, crucify the Nazarene,
crucify, crucify him. Pilate came out to shush them up and tried to reason with them. This
man Jesus he said, he said, he's innocent, he doesn't deserve to die, spare him. Listen,
this is the time of your pass over, for that I'll set free just one prisoner, I'll set
free Jesus, what do you think? The punters started bawling out their bile, no, no, no
him, give us Barabbas, we want Barabbas. Now this Barabbas, he was a real hard nut, a terrorist
in fact. He was inside on a murder rap. All this time Pilate was beginning to get a bit
cemented, he was wearing an oarame breconut, he knew fine that Jesus wasn't guilty on a
crime. Yet he kept thinking to himself, release Jesus with this, this mob, hyena run, no chance.
So he set free Barabbas. Mind you, he wanted to show that he washed his hands of the hail
business, so he set for a basin of water and scrubbed his hands in front of the mob. Then
he sent Jesus off with the soldiers to be crucified. The soldiers forced Jesus to carry
his own cross to the place of execution, Golgotha, on the outskirts of the city, but on the way,
Jesus was staggering under the great weight of it, and a man in the crowd, Simon Vissarini,
was made to carry the cross instead. At Golgotha, the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, hoisting
him up along with two robbers, one on either side. Some of the folk passing by were yelling
up at him, hi you, hi, if you're the son of God, come down for that cross. And others
started to moan as well, he saves others, but he cannae save his cell. If he comes down
half there, we'll believe him, even knew. He trusted in God and said he was his son,
until then, let the father save the son. When it came to the middle of the day, the whole
country was plunged into a spooky darkness. At three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out
for the cross, oh God, my God, why have you left me? Then one of the criminals on the
next cross said to him, hey pal, are you not supposed to be the Christ? Can you prove it
then and save yourself? Aye, and I'll stay while you're about it. But the other criminal
shouted out, oh belt up you, we deserve to die, but this man didn't do any harm. Then
he whispered out to Jesus, will ye keep mind on me? And Jesus said, today you'll be with
me in paradise, I promise. And then Jesus cried out in his agony, fader into your horns,
I give my spirit. And with these words, Jesus breathed his last. Suddenly the veil of the
temple was ripped, feet tapped at bottom, the grunts shook, rocks split and graves burst
open. When the soldiers saw the earthquake, they were guy-feared. And one of them whispered,
aye, for sure, there can be no doubt about it, this man was God's son. On that same night,
one of the supporters of Jesus, a well-heeled man for Arimathea called Joseph, went to
Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate ordered the body to be gay an hour, and Joseph
wrapped it up in a clean linen cloth and put it in his own new tomb. Then a huge stain
was rolled out to stop up the door for the tomb.
Early on the Sunday, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James went to the grave taking
sweet-smell anointments to put on the body. But when they got close up to the tomb, the
first thing they saw was that the huge stain had been moved out the way. Well, they went
in kind of faint-like, and then all of a sudden two men were standing in front of them. The
women were terrified, they couldn't even look up. But the men said, tell us, why are you
searching among the graves for someone who's alive? He's no here. He's come back to life
again. Do you not even mind what he himself told you when he was with you in Galilee,
that the Christ must be honed an hour to evil men, nailed to a cross, and be raised to life
again on the third day? Then sure, they remembered what Jesus had told them. So they hurried
back in great joy to Jerusalem, and they told the eleven disciples and all the others, he's
alive. Jesus is alive. On that very same day, two fiends of Jesus were on their way to a
village called Emmaus. While they were talking about what had happened, Jesus himself caught
them up and began to walk along the road with them. They saw him all right, but they didn't
recognize that it was Jesus. Do you mind telling me what the two of you are going on about?
Jesus asked them. One of them, Cleopas, replied, oh, jigs, pal, are you the only one in the
whole of Jerusalem that hasn't heard of the terrible things that have been happening?
Oh, like, what terrible things, said Jesus. About that, Jesus, by Nazareth, Cleopas answered.
He was found guilty by a rain-heed priest and pit to death by them Romans. Aye, nailed
them on a cross, so they did. Man, he was a great prophet. God kens that. But we were
hoping he would be the kind of leader that would set us free for the Romans, but ach,
it just didn't work out that way. Then Jesus said to them, do you not understand what the
prophets have said? That Christ was supposed to suffer first before he reached his glory.
As they were coming near the village, Jesus was for pressing on, but they said to him,
hold on with us, pal, it's getting dark. So Jesus went home with the two disciples and
they sat down to eat. Jesus said the blessing and took up the bread and sheared it out.
Right there and then they saw it for themselves. They minded, this was, aye, what Jesus did.
This was Jesus writing off and he was alive. All of a sudden, they vanished out of their
sight. They turned to one another in astonishment. I tell you, free one said, no wonder our hearts
felt in fire when he was talking to us on the road. They set off right away for Jerusalem.