GOOD AND BAD FRUIT
33“You must grow a good tree to get good fruit. If you grow a bad tree, you get bad fruit. For a tree is known by its fruit.”
Then with fire in his eyes Creator Sets Free (Jesus) turned to the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and spoke with a voice like thunder.
34“You nest of poisonous snakes! How can you who are evil speak any good things? What is in your hearts will come out of your mouths. 35Good people speak from the good medicine stored in their hearts. Evil people speak from the bad medicine stored in their hearts. 36But I tell you, when the day comes for the final decision, human beings will have to give an answer for every worthless word spoken. 37The words that come out from your hearts will decide for or against you when you stand before the Great Spirit.”
AN UNUSUAL SIGN
38Then some of the scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees) spoke back to him.
“Wisdomkeeper,” they demanded, “show us a powerful sign to prove who you are.”
But Creator Sets Free (Jesus) turned their words back on them, for they had just seen him do a powerful sign.
39“Only a bad-hearted and unfaithful generation would keep demanding signs,” he answered. “The only sign that you will be given is the sign of the prophet Wings of Dove (Jonah). 40Just as he was in the belly of a great fish for three days and nights, the True Human Being will be in the womb of the earth for three days and nights.
41“When the time comes for the final decision to be made about the people living today, the people of Village of Changed Minds (Nineveh) will stand in agreement against them. What they did will show your guilt, because they changed their hearts and minds when they heard the message of Wings of Dove (Jonah). Look! One who is greater than he stands before you now.
42“The female chief of the South will also be there as a witness against the people of this generation. Her reputation will show your guilt, for she journeyed from a land far away to listen to the wisdom of the great chief Stands in Peace (Solomon). Look! One greater than Stands in Peace (Solomon) is standing right in front of you.
43“When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through dry and desolate lands, looking for a place to rest. When it finds none, 44it says, ‘I will go back to the house I left.’ It returns to find the house empty, swept clean, and put in order. 45The spirit then finds seven other spirits, more evil than itself, who all go in and live there, making the person worse than before. This is how it will be for the generation of people living today.”
ALL MY RELATIVES
46While Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was speaking to the people, his mother and brothers were outside wanting to talk with him. 47Someone noticed and told him, “Your relatives are here, waiting outside to see you.”
48“Who are my relatives?” he asked the person who told him.
49Then he looked around the circle of people, lifted his hands toward his followers, and said, “Here they are! 50The ones who walk in the ways of my Father from the spirit-world above are my relatives—my mother, brothers and sisters.”
THE STORIES BEGIN
1Later the same day Creator Sets Free (Jesus) left that place and found a quiet spot to sit by Lake of Chief Garden (Gennesaret). 2Once again, people began to gather around him. The number of people was so great that he sat down in a canoe and pushed out a little ways from the shore. The people gathered at the shoreline on the water’s edge and sat down to listen to him.
The Great Storyteller began to tell his stories, teaching people about Creator’s good road.
STORY OF THE SEED PLANTER
3Here is one of the many stories he told them: “Listen!” he said. “A seed planter went to plant some seeds and began to scatter them about on the ground.
4“Some seeds fell on the village pathway, and the winged ones pecked at the seeds and ate them all.
5“Some of the seeds fell on the rocks where there was only a little dirt. The plants sprouted up quickly, 6but when the sun came out, they dried up because they had no roots.
7“Other seeds fell into the weeds, and thistles sprouted around the seeds and choked the life out of them.
8“But some seeds fell on good ground, grew strong, and gave a harvest. Some gave one hundred times what was planted, some sixty, and others thirty. 9The ones who have ears, let them hear and understand!”
WHY TEACH WITH STORIES?
10The ones who walked the road with him came to him and asked, “Wisdomkeeper, tell us why you use stories to teach the people.”
11He answered them, “To you the honor has been given to understand about the mysterious ways of Creator’s good road from above. This honor is not given to those who are not ready for it. 12The ones who understand will gain wisdom and be ready for more—much more. But the ones who do not understand or walk in the ways of wisdom will lose even the little they have.
13“This is the reason I tell the stories, ‘for they have eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear,’37 and hearts that do not understand.
14“These are the ones who give full meaning to the words of the prophet Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah) when he said, ‘They will hear but not understand the meaning. They will see without knowing what it is they see. 15Their hearts of stone have made their ears dull and their eyes dim. If only they would see with their eyes and hear with their ears, they could open their hearts to the Maker of Life and he would heal them.’38
16“But Creator’s blessing rests on you, for you have eyes to see and ears to hear. 17I speak from my heart, there were many prophets and goodhearted people who longed to see what you see and hear what you hear but never did.
THE MEANING OF THE STORY
18“So then,” he said to his followers, “listen with your hearts and I will tell you the meaning of the story of the seed planter.
19“The seed in this story is the message from the Great Spirit about his good road.
“The seed planted on the village pathway represents the ones who hear but do not understand the message. The evil trickster sneaks up and snatches it from their hearts.
20“The rocky ground represents the ones who hear and receive the message with a glad heart, 21but because they have no roots, their faith is shallow and does not last. As soon as the message brings them trouble or opposition, they stumble and fall away.
22“The seed planted among the weeds and thistles represents the ones who have heard the message, but they are too busy worrying about their earthly existence. The desire for more and more possessions leads them down a false path, and they never grow into mature human beings.
23“The good ground represents the ones who, when they hear the message, understand it and let it grow in their hearts to produce a harvest, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.”
WEEDS IN THE GARDEN
24Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told the people another story. He said, “Creator’s good road from above is like a man who scattered good seed in his garden. 25But during the night, while his family slept, an enemy sneaked in and scattered bad seeds in with the good ones. 26When the plants began to grow, the weeds also grew with them.
27“When the family’s garden workers saw the weeds, they said to the man, ‘Honored One, did you not plant good seeds in your garden? Where did these weeds come from?’
28“The man answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’
“‘Should we go and dig out the weeds?’ the workers asked.
29“‘No,’ the man said, ‘they are too hard to tell apart now. You might dig out the good plants with the bad. 30Wait and let them grow together until it is time for the harvest. At that time I will tell the workers: first go and gather the weeds into bundles for burning, then gather the grain into my storehouse.’”
MORE STORIES
31Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then told them more stories about the good road: “The good road from above is also like a man who plants a single grain of mustard seed, 32one of the smallest of seeds. But when planted in a garden, it grows
larger than all the other plants and takes over the garden.39 It becomes a great tree with many branches, large enough for the winged ones who soar in the sky to find lodging in its shade.
33“Again, think of the good road from above to be like the yeast a grandmother uses when she makes frybread dough. She mixes a little yeast into three big batches of flour. Then the yeast spreads throughout the dough, causing it to rise.”
34Creator Sets Free (Jesus) would use only stories like these when he spoke to the crowds. He taught nothing to the crowds without using a story. 35This brought full meaning to the ancient prophecy, “I will tell many stories, stories of the ancient ways, things hidden since the beginning of the world.”40
MEANING OF THE GOOD AND BAD SEEDS
36When he was finished, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) left the crowds and went into the house where they were staying. The ones who walked the road with him went in with him and asked, “Tell us the meaning of the story about the good and bad seeds in the garden.”
37“The True Human Being is the one who plants the good seeds,” he answered. 38“The garden is all the nations of the world. The good seeds are the children of the good road. The weeds are the children of the worthless ways of the world, 39and the enemy who plants the bad seeds is the evil one. The harvest is at the end of the age, and the helpers are spirit-messengers.
40“Then, when this age ends, the weeds will be gathered together and burned in the fire. 41The True Human Being will send his messengers to remove the stumbling stones from the good road, along with all who hold onto their bad-hearted ways. 42They will be gathered into bundles and used to feed the fire of a great oven. There they will weep many tears and grind their teeth together in anger and frustration. 43Then the ones who are in good standing will shine like the sun in the Land of the Father’s good road. The ones with ears should hear and understand.”
MORE GOOD ROAD STORIES
44“The good road from above is like a hidden treasure a man finds buried in a field. He buries it back into the ground and is then happy to go and trade everything he has for that field.
45“The good road from above is also like a trader in goods who is looking for the finest of beads.41 46When he finds one of great beauty and worth, he trades all his goods so he can have it.
47“Here is another way to see the good road from above: A large fishing net is let down into the great waters. Many different kinds of fish are caught in it. 48When it is filled up, the fishermen pull it to shore. Then they sit down and separate the good fish into baskets and throw away the bad fish.
49“It will be the same when this age comes to an end. The spirit-messengers from Creator will be sent to separate the ones who are in good standing from the ones who have bad hearts. 50The bad-hearted ones will then be thrown into a pit of fire, where they will weep with many tears and grind their teeth together in anger and frustration.”
51Then Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked his followers, “Now do you understand the things I am saying to you?”
“Wisdomkeeper,” they said, “we do understand.”
52He smiled and said to them, “Every scroll keeper who has learned to walk in the ways of Creator’s good road is like the head of a family, an elder who opens the medicine pouch of his heart, sharing wisdom that is both new and old, bringing new understanding to the old ways.”
HIS OWN VILLAGE REJECTS HIM
53When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was through telling his stories, he traveled to his boyhood home of Seed Planter Village (Nazareth). 54There he entered the local gathering house and began to teach the people, and they were amazed at his words.
“Where did this man get his wisdom from?” they asked. “Who gave him this powerful medicine? 55Is this not the son of the wood carver? Is his mother not Bitter Tears (Mary)? And his brothers He Leads the Way (James) and He Gives More (Joseph) and He Hears (Simon) and Speaks Well Of (Judas) 56and all his sisters—are they not here living among us?”
57And so the people stumbled from the path because of him.
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) with a sad heart said to them, “A prophet is given honor everywhere except in his own village, among his own clan, and in his own house.”
58So he did not do many works of power there because they failed to put their trust in him.
LOOKS BRAVE AND CREATOR SETS FREE
1Looks Brave (Herod), who ruled the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee), began to hear reports about Creator Sets Free (Jesus).
2He said to his servants, “This man must be Gift of Goodwill (John) who performed the purification ceremony.42 He has returned from the world of the dead. That is why he can do these powerful things.”
THE DEATH OF GIFT OF GOODWILL
3-4Looks Brave (Herod) had arrested Gift of Goodwill (John) and put him in chains because he had been speaking against him for breaking tribal law by living with Daring Woman (Herodias), the wife of Friend of Horses (Philip), who is the brother of Looks Brave (Herod).
5Looks Brave (Herod) would have put Gift of Goodwill (John) to death right then, but he was afraid of what the people would do, for they honored him as a prophet.
6When the birthday of Looks Brave (Herod) came, the daughter of Daring Woman (Herodias) danced before all the guests. Looks Brave (Herod) was so pleased 7he made a solemn promise to give her whatever she wanted. 8Her mother jumped at the chance and told her daughter what to ask for.
The daughter said to Looks Brave (Herod), “Give me, here and now, the head of Gift of Goodwill (John) in a basket!”
9The heart of Looks Brave (Herod) fell to the ground. But he had made a solemn promise before all of his guests. 10So he sent a soldier to the prison, had him cut off the head of Gift of Goodwill (John), 11put it in a basket, and bring it to the girl, who then gave it to her mother.
12The followers of Gift of Goodwill (John) took his body and gave him a proper burial. Then they went and told Creator Sets Free (Jesus).
CREATOR SETS FREE RETREATS
13When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) heard how Gift of Goodwill (John) had been put to death, he found a canoe and went off to a deserted place to be alone for a while. But the crowds of people, when they heard about it, went after Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from their villages. 14And when he came to shore, they were waiting for him. He felt deeply for them, so he healed the ones who were sick.
HE FEEDS FIVE THOUSAND
15When the evening came, his followers said to him, “This is a deserted place, and the day is almost over. Let us send the people away to the villages in the country- side so they can find food to eat.”
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked around at the great crowd of people, for there were over five thousand who had gathered there.
16“There is no need to send them away,” he said to his followers. “You feed them.”
His followers could not believe their ears!
17With one voice they said to him, “All we have is five pieces of frybread and two fish!”
18“Bring them to me,” he told them.
19Then he had all the people sit down on the grass. He took the five pieces of frybread and two fish and held them to the sky. He looked up, gave thanks to the Great Spirit, and began to break the frybread into smaller pieces, which he gave to his followers to give to the people. 20Everyone ate until they were full! When they were done, they gathered the leftovers—twelve baskets full! 21Not counting the women and children, there were about five thousand men who had eaten.
WATER WALKER
22Right away Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had his followers get into the canoe and go ahead of him to the other side of the great lake, while he sent the people back to their homes.
23After that he went up into the mountainside to be alone while he sent his voice to the Great Spirit. He stayed there and prayed as the sun set and the stars came out.
24His followers were still in the canoe, far from land. The wind blew strong against them, and the waves pounded the canoe and began to toss it about.
25Late
into the night, just before the morning light, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came near them, walking on the water! 26When his followers saw him, they cried out in terror, “It is a ghost-spirit!”
27But he heard their cries and called out to them, “Do not fear, take heart. It is I.”
28“Wisdomkeeper, is it you?” Stands on the Rock (Peter) shouted back to him. “If so, tell me now to come to you on the water.”
29“Come!” he said to him without any hesitation.
With reckless abandon, Stands on the Rock (Peter) climbed over the side of the canoe and began to walk on the water toward him.
The wind howled and the waves splashed against him as he made his way toward Creator Sets Free (Jesus).
30But when he felt how strong the wind was, fear took hold of him. He began to sink and cried out, “Wisdomkeeper, save me!”
31Creator Sets Free (Jesus) quickly reached out and took hold of him. “Man of small faith,” he said, “what made you hold back and doubt me?”
32The wind stopped blowing and the waves grew still as they climbed into the canoe. 33All twelve of his message bearers gave honor to him, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of the Great Spirit.”
ALL WHO TOUCH HIM ARE HEALED
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