TAKE A NEW PATH
1Then some of the people there told Creator Sets Free (Jesus) about the people from Circle of Nations (Galilee) whom Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) had put to death and mixed their blood with their own ceremonial offerings.
2He said to them, “Do you think it was because of their bad hearts and wrongdoings that they suffered? Do you think their hearts were worse than all the others in Circle of Nations (Galilee)? 3No, I say to you! But if you, the people of Village of Peace (Jerusalem), do not change your ways of thinking and take a new path, you will all die in the same way.
4“What about the eighteen people on whom the tower in Sending Village (Siloam) fell? Do you think they were worse than all others living in Village of Peace (Jerusalem)? 5No, I say to you! But if you, the people of the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem), do not change your ways of thinking and take a new path, you will all die in the same way.”
6So he told them this story, “There was a man who planted a fig tree in his garden, but when he came to find fruit, there was none. 7He said to the keeper of the garden, ‘I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three seasons and have found none. Cut the tree down! Why waste good dirt on it?’
8“But the garden keeper answered the man, ‘Give me another season. I will dig around the tree and fertilize it. 9If it has no fruit after that, then cut it down.’”
CONFLICT ABOUT THE DAY OF RESTING
10On another Day of Resting, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was teaching at a gathering house. 11There was a woman there who had a spirit of weakness for eighteen winters. Her back was bent and twisted, so she could not stand up straight.
12When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) saw her, he told her to come to him and said, “Honored woman, you are set free from your weakness.” 13He put his hands on her, and right away she stood up straight and gave thanks to the Great Spirit.
14The headman of the gathering house was offended because Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had healed on the Day of Resting. He stood up and told the people, “Are there not six other days to do your work? Come on one of those days to be healed, not on the Day of Resting.”
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) helped the woman back to her seat. He then turned to the headman with a look of sorrow mixed with anger on his face.
15“You who wear false faces!” he said to the headman. “Is there anyone who would not untie his horse on the Day of Resting and take it to a watering hole? 16This woman is a daughter of Father of Many Nations (Abraham). Accuser (Satan), that evil trickster, has kept her this way for eighteen winters. Why should she not be set free on the Day of Resting?”
17The enemies of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) were put to shame by his words, but the hearts of the people jumped for joy because of the wonderful things he was doing.
THE GOOD ROAD WILL FILL THE EARTH
18“What is Creator’s good road like? What can I compare it to?” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked. 19“It is like a man who planted in his garden a single grain of mustard seed,35 where it grew into a great tree, large enough for the winged ones who soar in the sky to find lodging in its branches.
20“Again, think of Creator’s good road 21like the yeast a grandmother uses when she makes frybread dough. She mixes a little yeast into a large amount of flour, then the yeast spreads throughout all of the dough.”
WILL ONLY A FEW FIND THE GOOD ROAD?
22Creator Sets Free (Jesus) continued to travel on to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). As he passed through the villages on the way, he would stop and teach the people. 23At one of these villages a man asked him, “Wisdomkeeper, will only a few find their way onto the good road and be set free?”
24“Yes,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to the man, “so make it your aim to enter in by the narrow way that I have taught you. There will be many who try to enter some other way but will not be able.
25“Once the elder of a home has closed the door, others will come pound on the door and say to him, ‘Elder! Elder! Open the door for us!’
“But the elder will tell them, ‘I do not know who you are.’
26“‘But did we not eat and drink with you?’ they will argue. ‘Did you not teach on our village pathways?’
27“‘No!’ he will say to them, ‘I do not know where you are from. Go away from me, you bad-hearted trouble makers!’
28“For there will be much weeping and grinding of teeth in anger when you see Father of Many Nations (Abraham), He Made Us Laugh (Isaac), Heel Grabber (Jacob), and all the prophets of old, feasting in the Land of Creator’s good road, but you are on the outside looking in! 29People will come from many Nations, from the east, south, west, and north, and sit down to join in the feast.
“So you see,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to the man, 30“some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”
The man’s face became pale as the meaning of the words of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) sank into his heart.
NO PEACE IN VILLAGE OF PEACE
31At that time some of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) came to him and said, “You should leave this place! Looks Brave (Herod) is looking for you—to put you to death.”
32He answered them, “You can tell that sly coyote to look out! I am forcing out evil spirits and healing the sick today and tomorrow. On the third day I will finish the work I came to do. 33That is why I will go from this place today, tomorrow and the day after. For a prophet cannot be put to death this far from Village of Peace (Jerusalem)!
34“O Village of Peace (Jerusalem), you who kill the prophets and stone to death the ones sent to you! How I have longed to gather your children together, like the eagle gathers her young under her wings, but you would not have it. 35Look! Your house has fallen and will be left in ruins!
“I speak from my heart, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes representing the Great Spirit!’”36
HEALING AGAIN ON THE DAY OF RESTING
1On a Day of Resting, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was invited to the house of a headman of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) for a meal. All were keeping their eyes on him.
2A man with a sickness that made parts of his body swell up came and stood in front of him. 3Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the scroll keepers, who are experts in tribal law, “Is it permitted to heal on the Day of Resting? Yes or no?”
4The spiritual leaders glared at him in silence. 5So he took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him on his way.
He then turned to the spiritual leaders and said, “If your child, or even a horse, fell into a watering hole, would you not pull it out on the Day of Resting?”
6The spiritual leaders had no answer for him.
HUMILITY INSTEAD OF SELF-IMPORTANCE
7He noticed how the invited guests had chosen the best seats at the table, so he gave them some wise counsel.
8“If you are invited to a wedding feast, do not sit in the best seats, for someone with greater honor may be invited. 9Then the host will come to you and say, ‘Give your seat to this person.’ Then, hanging your head, you will have to take the lowest seat.
10“Instead, take the lowest seat and the host may say to you, ‘Friend, come and sit in the seat of honor.’ You will then be honored in the eyes of all the guests.”
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked around the table at all the guests.
11He said to them, “The ones who put themselves above others will be brought down, but all who humble themselves will be lifted up.”
12Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then turned to the headman who had invited him and said, “When you have a feast, do not invite only your friends, relatives, and the ones with many possessions, who can repay you. 13Instead, invite the poor, the blind, and the crippled, who cannot repay you. 14Then you will be honored when the good-hearted ones are brought back to life again.”
15One of the guests at the feast said to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), “Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who will feast at the tab
le in the Land of Creator’s good road!”
STORY OF THE GREAT FEAST
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) could see they still did not understand, so he told them another story.
16“There was a man who prepared a great feast and invited many people. 17When the feast was ready, he sent a messenger to tell the ones he had invited, ‘Come to the table, the feast is ready!’ 18But one by one they all began to make excuses.
“One said, ‘I must go and tend to my new field. Please excuse me.’
19“Another said, ‘Please excuse me also, for I must try out the horses37 I just traded for.’
20“And another, ‘I cannot come, for I have just been married.’
21“When the messenger told the man their answer, he became angry and said, ‘Waste no time! Go out into the village pathways and invite the ones who are poor, crippled, blind and lame.’
22“When the messenger returned, he told the man, ‘I have done what you said, but there is still room for more.’
23“So he told the messenger, ‘Go out to the mountain trails, look behind all the bushes, and urge them to come, so that my house may be filled with people. 24None of the ones I first invited will even taste of this feast!’”
COUNTING THE COST
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was coming near to Jerusalem.
25Large crowds were following him, so he turned to them and said, 26“The ones who come to me must put me first, above all others. To walk the road with me, they must love and respect me above their own fathers and mothers, wives and children, and aunties and uncles. They must love me even more than their own lives. 27Only the ones who are willing to follow me and carry their own crossbeam are ready to walk the road with me and learn my ways.
28“Who would build a great lodge without first making sure he had enough trees to finish it? 29If he only built the floor and then ran out of trees, others would laugh at him and say, 30‘How will you finish what you started?’
31“Would a chief go to war against another chief if he only had half as many warriors? 32No! He would send messengers ahead to make a peace treaty!
33“You must count the cost of following me, for all who are not willing to give up all they have are not ready to walk the road with me and learn my ways.”
34Then he added, “Salt is a good thing, but if it loses its saltiness, how will it get its flavor back? 35That kind of salt is thrown away. It is no good for the garden or the manure pile.
“Let the ones who have ears hear what I am saying!”
THE WORTH OF THE LOST ONES
1Tribal tax collectors and other outcasts would often gather around Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to listen to him tell his stories. 2But the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the scroll keepers would complain about this. They would say things like, “This man welcomes outcasts to join him at the table and eat with him.”
3On one of those occasions Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered them with a story.
4“Who among you, if you were caring for one hundred sheep and one of the lambs wandered away, would not leave the ninety-nine and search for that lost lamb until you found it? 5Would you not put that lamb on your shoulders, hurry home, 6and invite your friends to a celebration, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost lamb!’?
7“In the same way, the spirit-world above will celebrate even more over one outcast who finds the way back home than for ninety-nine who are already safely there.
8“Let me say it another way,” he explained. “What man who has ten eagle feathers38 and loses one would not light a torch, sweep the house clean, and look everywhere until he found it? 9Then, after he finds it, would he not gather his friends together for a celebration? 10In the same way, Creator’s spirit-messengers will celebrate when even one outcast finds the way back home.”
A STORY ABOUT TWO SONS
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then told them another story to help them see even more clearly.
11“There was a man with two sons. 12The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me now my share of what is coming to me.’”
This was a great insult to the father, for this would not have been done until the father had crossed over to death.
“But the Father, who was good-hearted and loved his sons, divided all he had with his two sons anyway.
13“Not many days later, the younger son took his share and went far away to another land. He began to spend it all on wild living and soon had nothing left. 14The time came when there was not enough food in the land for everyone, and he found himself poor and hungry. 15So he went to work for a rancher, who sent him out to feed the pigs. 16He became so hungry that he wanted to eat the husks he was feeding the pigs, but no one would even give him a meal.
17“Soon the younger son came back to his right mind and said to himself, ‘Look, here I am naked and starving, but the servants who work for my father are well fed! 18I am going back to humble myself to my father. I will tell him that I have dishonored both him and the spirit-world above, 19and I am no longer worthy to be called his son. I will ask him just to let me be a hired servant to work in his fields.’
20“He then made up his mind and began to go home. While he was still far away, his father saw him walking. The father’s heart opened wide and he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.
21“The son said, ‘Father, I have failed the spirit-world above and you. I am not worthy to be called your son.’
22“But the father ignored his son’s words, turned to his servants, and said, ‘Go! Find my best regalia and put it on him. Give him a headdress of feathers for his head and new moccasins for his feet! 23Go get the fattest calf and prepare a great feast for a celebration. 24This is my son! He was lost, but I have found him. He was dead to me, but now he is alive!’ Then they all began to feast, sing, and dance.
25“Now, the older son was just returning from a hard day’s work in the field. He heard the music and dancing, 26so he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27The servant told him, ‘Your brother has come home and your father has prepared a great feast for him, because he is alive and well.’
28“Hearing this, the older brother became very angry and refused to go into the lodge. The father saw him brooding outside, so he went to him and urged him to come in.
29“The older son said to his father, ‘Why can you not see? I have worked hard for you all my life, and done all that you have asked of me, but you have not even given me one small goat to have a feast with my friends. 30But when this son of yours, who wasted all you gave him on sexual favors with women, comes home, you kill the fattest calf for him.’
“The father looked kindly into his older son’s face.
31“‘My son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always close to my heart, and everything I have is yours. 32But it is a good thing for us to celebrate with glad hearts, for your brother was dead but now is alive. He was lost, but now we have found him!’”
POSSESSIONS AND THE GOOD ROAD
1He then told the ones who walked the road with him another story:
“There was a man with so many possessions, he had to have someone to oversee them all. The rich man was told that his overseer was mishandling his possessions. 2He sent for the man and said to him, ‘Why am I hearing these things about you? Give me an account of all I possess, for I can no longer trust you to oversee my belongings.’
3“The man said to himself, ‘What will I do? I am too old to dig ditches and too proud to beg from others.’
“Then an idea came to his mind. 4‘I know what to do so that others will help me and give me a place to live.’ 5He went to each person who was in debt to the rich man.
“He said to the first one, ‘How much do you owe?’ 6‘One hundred containers of oil,’ the man answered. ‘Make it to be fifty,’ the overseer told him.
7“He then said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ ‘One hundred baskets of wheat,’ he answered. ‘Make it to be eighty,’ the overseer said back to him.
/> 8“When the rich man found out what the dishonest overseer had done, he shook his head but admired the man’s craftiness.
“Do you see what this means?” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked. “The children of darkness are sometimes wiser in the ways of this world than the children of light are in the ways of the spirit-world above.
9“So then, use the possessions of this world to help others in need, who will become your friends. Then when possessions run out, these new friends of Creator’s good road will always welcome you into their homes.
10-12“If Creator cannot trust you with the possessions of this world, then how will he trust you with the treasures of the spirit-world above? But if you do well with the small things of this world, you will do well with the great things of the spirit-world above.
13“No one can be loyal to two rival chiefs. He will have to choose between them, for either he will hate one chief and love the other, or he will honor one and resent the other. You cannot be loyal to the Great Provider and to possessions at the same time.”
14When the Separated Ones (Pharisees) heard him, they shrugged their shoulders and rolled their eyes, for they loved their many possessions.
15Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “You always make yourselves look good to others, but the Great Spirit sees your heart. What many see as valuable he sees as worthless.
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