Johann Quisumbing

An Adventure Story of Yeshua bar Yosef by JQuisumbing

Yeshua gazed up at the ceiling. Most houses in the region had a second storey where grain is often processed and dried. For those with means, the upper level would have an additional room built for guests. Rivkah’s house had such a room, albeit a narrow and tiny one, leaving the rest of the roof open for mundane uses. As a mason, he had built roofs just like this one. His eyes appreciated the craftsmanship. He traced the  central beam, a roughly hewn log, that spanned the length of the room. The surface of the ceiling looked like shining stone but it actually was a stucco mixture of the local clay, hay, crushed lime, and water; smoothly applied by a trowel. Unseen under it were cross beams and layers upon layers of dried tiles made from similar materials compressed and sundried. Then, as a final touch, the surface of the roof would be strewn with soil, sand and straw, compacted down.

“Rabbi, from whom do you get your authority to do what you have just done?” It was the voice of one of the visiting Pharisees from Jerusalem tasked to investigate him. 

Yeshua looked at him, then said, “Listen!” Then, he returned his gaze back up at the ceiling.

A pounding sound became audible above them. Then it sounded like someone or someones were digging through and sure enough, a narrow beam of bright sunlight appeared through a tidy hole in the ceiling, piercing through the darkness of the room. Jesus and a few others had to step back as some of the ceiling debris was falling. Soon more holes appeared. It was not long until a large gaping hole appeared as large chunks of the ceiling were pulled back by grasping hands of four men. Simon was livid and was about to shout at them, but Jesus calmed him down, whispering that this was supposed to happen.

Then, the sunlight was momentarily darkened by something rectangular. It was a pallet of some sort. And it was being lowered by ropes by those same four men. Laid out on it was a decrepit looking man. His scraggly bearded face was lined and drawn–in, with bony cheeks protruding. His arms and legs were unusually gaunt; practically skin and bones. Shimon and four others reached up and took hold of the pallet and gently laid the paralytic before Yeshua.

In his mind’s eye, he saw that this man was once proud and arrogant. He was racing his friends down a steep hill when he tripped and broke his neck. For two years hence, he depended solely on others, wasting away and waiting to die. What made it even hard for him was that he knew everything that happened to him was justified. He was without Hope and lacking faith. He was not even sure if he wanted to be healed. 

So, Yeshua looked up at the men who brought him. All four of them had hope and confidence written all over their faces. When they found out that the Messiah was in the city, they did not hesitate. Whether he objected or not, they picked him up and carried him for 5 miles until they reached the already crowded street. As they waited their turn, the rumor that the healer may not be able to see everyone was circulating. One of the men went up to a disciple and begged if they could bring their friend in already. The disciple apologetically gestured towards those who were waiting ahead of their little group. 

Unperturbed, the man who inquired went around the corner of the house and found what he hoped to find; stairs leading to the roof of that house. Inspired, he quickly went back to his friends and led them up to the top where they started to dig and make an opening. Yeshua saw all this in his mind’s eye.

“Your faiths are great,” he said to them with a smile. He focused on the paralytic and quietly said, “My son, your sins are forgiven you.”

The paralytic’s eyes met Yeshua’, giving a slight hint of a smile. Then, he heard  an echoing voice in his mind saying, ‘This is blasphemy! Who but the Lord God can forgive sins?’ It was the thoughts of one of the scribes who was looking at him in shock.

Maintaining his gaze on the paralytic, he said softly, “Scribes of Jerusalem… Teachers of the Law, why do you reason about these things in your hearts?”

He turned his face to look at them directly. “Have you not ascertained my identity yet? Have you not eyes to see or ears to hear?” They remained silent, afraid to speak. “Behold this man who lies paralyzed before you. Which is easier to say to him, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your pallet and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the Earth to forgive sins…”

Yeshua looks down at the paralytic who looked up at him with questioning eyes. He smiled reassuringly, then Jesus extended his hand out for him to grasp and commanded, “Get up!” 

Sensing something happening to his body, the man reached up to clasp Yeshua’ hand, not realizing that he had moved an arm that had been lying useless since his accident. He was awed to find that the arm that held Jesus’ hand was skin and bones no more. It was restored back the way it was. He raised his other hand up to find the same. He started to laugh with joy as Yeshua pulled him up on legs that were once shriveled but were now healthy and strong. 

“Now, pick up your pallet and go home,” Jesus said, laughing with him.

The room erupted with praise and clapping. One of the scribes looked at him with doubt written on his face. But the other one was up on his feet with his hands up in praise. He shouted, above the loud cheering, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Yeshua retreated into the back room, signaling for Mariam to follow with the woman whose arm was in a sling. After he healed her arm, he told Mariam to tell the others to dismiss the crowd and send them home. He then proceeded to go out the back door.

“Master, where do you go?”

Yeshua paused at the door and said, “First, to pray. Then, to call for a scribe of my own.”

TO BE CONTINUED

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