Chapter 8

“My past conversations with others while we traveled from town to town came back to mind as the intensity of Jesus’s mission became evident. I had asked many questions in those early days about who Jesus was. What was his background? Where did he come from? There were those among the company of belivers that were new to what I was witnessing and they too were hungry for information as to who this Jesus was. The humanity of us all wants to reason out our decisions with facts. There was this one man, advanced in years but so full of wisdom. His name was Levi. He was in the company of believers when I arrived and even though he was frail with age, he could outwalk any man, woman or child. He carried a staff and wore a long white beard that matched the coloring of his hair. He was affectiontaly known as Papa to many of us that came to love and respect him. He had studied the scriptures as a child and was well versed in all the words of the prophets and the Torah. He became our historical teacher and we, who longed to know every detail of Jesus, listened with avid ears to all he had to say. Papa Levi was the type of man that knew much but also listened much. He never interupted another when they were giving their opinion on matters of law or civil duty. He even listened as Peter would get worked up over an encounter with the religious leaders or the Roman guard. And no matter how off based Peter could get, Papa Levi would hold his tongue. Some thought that Jesus would spend more time with Papa Levi since he was among the most wise in the group, but instead, Papa Levi would walk with the young men or the new followers and give them the comfort and understanding of a father. And to watch how Papa Levi respected and admired Jesus was amazing. I guess in life, we think that the old have more wisdom or knowledge than the young, but not for Levi. He listened as attently to Jesus as anyone else, and maybe a bit more. Papa Levi said once that you are never too old to learn.
“Papa, Levi”, I asked one day, as we walked, “tell me about Jesus, his birth, his life.”
“Ahh, hungry ears will be satisfield”. Papa Levi always seemed to have a way of saying things.
“ Jesus was born in Bethlehem, to Joseph ancestor of King David and Mary. Both Joseph and Mary were God fearing, righteous young people. But before they came together in marriage and the marriage bed, Mary became pregnant. It was a scandelous situation in the small town of Narazeth, where both Joseph and Mary grew up. Joseph married Mary in spite of the sharp looks and shunned behavior by the town and they set off to Bethlehem, Joseph’s birthplace, to cooperate with the Roman census. That was where Jesus was born. Papa Levi would recite the prophet Isaiah’s words with a trembling, yet confident voice as we would strain to hear his aged raspy declaration. “Watch for this” Papa Levi said. “A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She’ll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God with us). By the time the child is twelve years old, able to make moral decisions, the threat of war will be over.” And from the prophet Micah, he said “But you, Bethlehem, David’s country, the runt of the litter – from you will come the leader who will shepherd –rule Israel. He’ll be no upstart, no pretender. His family tree is ancient and distinguished.” I have to admit that I questioned what Levi said, but the facts were remarkably accurate. Levi said that the Messiah would come through a virgin. That the spirit of God would impregnate the girl and the boy would be the Son of God. All human, all Divine. And that there would be no sin in this Messiah. I watched Jesus most carefully after hearing that from Levi. Did I see human sin in Jesus the way I saw it in everyone else? I heard Him get angry at times and rebuke those who so clearly took advantage of others, but to sin? No. I never saw that. Even though I heard frustration in His voice, even with His most loved disciples, I never saw sin rise up in Him that was obvious in the rest of us. Levi would quote many other words from the prophets. Some that disturbed me. Many, I didn’t understand. I think I chose to hear only those I wanted to hear. Levi told me that Jesus was in Nazareth, in the meeting place when he got up and opened the scripture of Isaiah and began to read from the text. “The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God annointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. God sent me to announce the year of his grace..” Levi said that the text was about Jesus and that he was the one God had annointed. Jesus even said “You’ve just heard scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.” Needless to say, there was an uproar in the meeting place. Most of the people in the meeting place knew Jesus from a young age and were angry with the claim He had just made. According to Levi, Jesus was run out of town by the His own neighbors who then tried to throw Him over a mountain cliff. Peace follows Jesus but also scandals and fear. His birth seemed to spark a scandal and who he claimed to be, the Son of God, ignites another. And it’s funny how a scandal can turn into a holy event. Mary, Jesus’ mother, who was scorned for years and thought by some to be crazy because of the claim she had made with regard to her conception of Jesus, was now revered by many. I have come to know Mary and I am honored to share her name, but she is a woman just as I am. Yes, that God would choose her to be his instrument to bring about the Messiah is amazing, but she is human like the rest of us. She worries about Jesus like any mother would. I wonder if she sometimes wished He would stop teaching because she feared for His safety and heard the threats that surrounded Him. There was once a woman in a crowd that Jesus was speaking to. She blurted out, “Blessed the womb that carried you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” This world is fickle at times. One moment you are reviled and the next you are revered. I loved Jesus’ response. “Even more blessed are those who hear God’s word and guard it with their lives!” With that one statement, He validated the worthiness of His mother and her role in His life but moved the Glory of His purpose to His father, God. For me, Levi opened my eyes to the history of Israel and to the facts surrounding Jesus’ life. The words of the prophets left no wavering in my mind about the valitity of who Jesus claimed to be. And knowing that Jesus had come to heal my broken heart and to set me free from my own brand of captivity was overwhelming.”