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| Inside the Gospels 1986 |
In 1986 a number of fictional short shorts under the title Inside the Gospel was published in the hope of renewing interest in Christ's message. The stories that appear here follow the same format, exploring the emotions of people seeking the divine healer.
There will be signs . . .
His best friend wasn’t like other doomsday
prophets who gave people dates and times. The bite of his words was
usually mitigated by a contrasting promise of hope. Looking around the unkempt crowd, Bart wondered at the sudden downturn of his leader’s preaching.
Even the Pharisees avoided discussions of the world's.
He realized that people were eager
for the words, as if they had a sense of justice only calamity could answer.
Perhaps the miseries that had fallen upon them needed to end, and they looked
forward to that end. All the cures in the world couldn’t take away the daily drudgery humanity was consigned to. These listeners hungered for some sign
that would end the boredom.
Another fellow preaching in the
Northern provinces had offered hope. That smooth talker promised a quick fix and talked
about doomsday happening during Tiberius’ reign, the monarch who had oppressed
them far too long. Folks had followed him to the caves to hide out from the coming destruction.
Took their whole families, even their flocks. Bart figured they’d have to wait
forever or until the authorities rousted them.
Bart worried about his friend’s
preaching. There was hardly any difference between it and the crazy fellow’s offerings.
He too spoke of the lights going out and weird happenings in the sky. Bart
wasn’t into astronomy, but he knew when the sun darkened or the moon turned
orange, it wasn’t a good thing. He had seen people terrified by such events,
and his prophet was talking of people dying of fright.
He nudged his partner Matt, “Did I miss something?”
Matt, looking confused mumbled, “Hey, we’re all in the same boat.”
“You’re a fisherman, too,”
Bart quipped, trying to ease the tension?
Matt shushed him, “Listen; just Listen!
“Raise up your heads and stand
erect,” said their leader over the heads of the crowd of the beggars. Then,
as if speaking only to them Jesus added, "Your redemption is at hand.”
Luke 21:25-28
