The pieces of ashy snake blew away on the wind until no trace of the ugly creature remained. John had said the name Jesus, and the snake blew up. There was power in that name, and he’d just witnessed that power. Amazing.
He still couldn’t figure out how all of this was happening.
One minute he was on the plane flying back home, the next minute he was sitting on an ancient wooden fishing boat with the disciples.
And then eating breakfast with Jesus!
He couldn’t believe it.
As the last reptile flake floated far away and disappeared, John noticed that the normal colors of the world quickly returned.
Blue sky.
Green grass.
White clouds.
Yellow sun.
It was amazing compared to the bleak land he had just seen.
John looked around for Jesus, but he was still alone. The crowds of people had all gone away.
He noticed that there was a well-worn path close by that led up and over a hill. John decided to follow it and see where it led.
He traveled quite some distance before he finally saw another person. It looked like an older man who was walking slowly. John ran up to him and introduced himself.
“Hi. I’m John.”
“Hi, John. I’m Simon.”
“Where are you going?”
“To Jerusalem for the festival.”
Jerusalem?
John had an idea. “Do you know Jesus?”
The stranger said, “I’ve heard of the man but have never seen Him in person.”
John knew that Jesus spent a lot of time in Jerusalem. “Ask around when you get to the city. You just have to meet Jesus! Your life will never be the same.”
“Okay, young man. That sounds good. I will keep my eyes open for this Jesus.”
John thanked the man and walked on ahead of him. The land of grass and hills stayed the same.
After a while, John was glad to see more people ahead of him on the path. They weren’t dressed like modern people but instead wore cream robes and fabric wrapped around their heads. He caught up to them and followed, hoping they would lead him the rest of the way to the city.
John felt confident that he would find Jesus there.
At some point the landscape changed. Far ahead, a huge stone city spread out before them. It was beautiful. Like a floating fortress …
Someone in the group called out, “Jerusalem!”
John saw a rectangular castle-looking building that had four towers. He asked one of the travelers about it.
“That is the Antonia Fortress. Herod built it. It’s the headquarters of the Roman soldiers. They have six hundred soldiers stationed there to keep order in the temple courts.”
John still couldn’t believe that he was getting to see all this! Ancient Jerusalem. Unbelievable!
He followed the crowd as they walked up to the impressive walls of the city and then through an opening.
“This is called the Sheep Gate,” said one of the women. “This is the entrance that sheep and lambs are brought through to be sacrificed.”
John took in the scene. They were standing under a covered walkway.
A man in the group said, “This is just north of the temple. Pilgrims who journey to our city use the pool to purify themselves before they worship.”
John wasn’t sure what that meant, but he made a mental note to look it up later. He did think it was interesting that Jesus was known as the Lamb who went to the cross as a sacrifice for people’s sins, and they had just walked through the Sheep Gate.
They walked under the archway and into the city. John saw a huge rectangular structure. Inside there were two square swimming pools. Next to one of the pools, a lot of people were in the water, and many were also standing on the edge. Some were even sitting on the ground.
An older man with stringy white hair saw John staring at the water. He came up beside John and started talking. “That pool is called Bethesda. The word means house of grace. We also have a word in Aramaic, hesda, which means shame, or disgrace. The people who go into that water and get healed find grace can come from the pain they’ve had to deal with their whole lives. Those who can’t move, who sit like beggars, are a disgrace to some who see them and wish they would leave.”
John thought about what the man said. There were so many sick people in this place. People who couldn’t see. People who couldn’t stand. It made him think of his own father who had his own pain. To John and his mom, he was acting like a disgrace with all the gambling and anger. But to Jesus, he had a chance of finding grace and forgiveness.
All the healthy people walked by like the sick weren’t there. Everybody except Jesus. He appeared at the edge of the crowd and then stopped.
“Someone, please help me. I’ve been sick for thirty-eight years.”
The voice belonged to a man lying on the ground.
Jesus saw the man. “Would you like to be healed?”
“Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is moving. While I try to get in, another one gets in first.” The sick man pleaded with Jesus for help.
The stranger who had been explaining things said, “An angel of the Lord comes at certain times and makes the water move.”
John remembered that part of the story.
The man continued, “Whoever gets into the water first after the angel moves it is healed of whatever sickness he or she has.”
Jesus said, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
Immediately, the man was healed.
“Thank You, Jesus! Thank You, Jesus!”
He picked up his mat and walked.
John had just witnessed another miracle.
The crowd went along with their routines, most not noticing the miracle that had just taken place.
Jesus turned to John. “That man does not know who I am.”
John didn’t know what to say. Instead, he just followed Jesus and the others past the pools to the temple courtyard.
John’s attention was taken by a scream off to his left. He looked and saw people running in every direction. A mass of chaos in the streets of Jerusalem. John looked and couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
The cause of all the screaming was a lion!
Right there in the middle of the people.
An uncaged, wild beast.
But something was wrong.
This lion didn’t look majestic like Aslan in the Narnia movies.
No, this lion looked wicked.
Instead of bright, clean golden fur, this lion looked dirty. Like it hadn’t seen water or rain in a very long time.
And this scary creature wasn’t wide and strong and regal. This lion appeared much too thin for its big frame. Lanky, like its extra-large, greasy coat had been draped over its bones with hardly any muscle in between.
That’s when the lion spied John. It took a few steps in his direction and bared huge fangs that looked more blood red than white.
The roar was loud and powerful.
The lion pounced to attack.
John ran.