Healing

---

And,
Jesus said...
I will come
and
heal him.
[Matthew 8:7]
*********************
Jesus and His
disciples are gathered
about, near the outskirts
of town. Many people
have come to be healed,
and listen to His teachings.

Suddenly, the disciple
Peter, who has been
standing at the front of
the crowd, begins hopping
up and down on one foot.
A rather plump donkey
has just stepped on his
right toe.
___________________
"HEY!
OW!"

"SORRY."
(The owner of the
donkey gives Peter
a sorrowful grimmace.)
"CLUT'ZEE.. has never been
real good, in CROWDS."
(Shouts in Peter's ear.)
"I think they make
him, NERVOUS!"

(Peter mutters
a curse, and replies,
irritatedly.)
"Well.....GET him
off, to the SIDE!
He DOESN'T BELONG,
right HERE! MOVE!"

(The owner of the
donkey frowns,
woefully.)
"Well.......but, I got
this LIST....here!"
(Waves a small,
dusty scroll,
in Peter's irritated face.)

"What's THIS?"

(Woeful frown.)
(Continues to wave
the hard little scroll,
hitting Peter on the
nose with it.)
"It's a LIST!
HERE.....can you give
this, to the RABBI?"

"OW!"
(Peter rubs his nose,
and mutters, again.)
"What IS THIS?"

(Woeful frown.)
(Whiny screech.)
"It's a LIST!"

(Donkey snorts,
in Peter's face,
and drops something
quite smelly just a
few feet away,
from the disciple's
other toe.)

(Peter shouts.)
"Will you get
that ANIMAL,
AWAY?"

(The Rabbi turns
to give a rebukative
look, at His irritated
disciple.)

(Peter catches The Look,
and sighs, shaking his
head. He closes his
eyes for a moment,
as if counting to ten.
Then he turns back,
reluctantly,
to the donkey-owner.)
(The owner is just
as plump, as his
donkey.)
"ALRIGHT.."
(Exasperated sigh.)
".....what IS IT?
What is this:
you have BROUGHT,
for the RABBI:
a GIFT?"

(Woeful frown.)
"Uh, UH."
(Tries to pull on the
donkey's rein. The
donkey, Clut'zee,
just snorts again,
and steps backward.
A big drop of donkey
drool, lands on
Peter's left sandal.)
"It's a list:
A LIST!"

(Peter snatches
the waving scroll.
He opens it,
squinting down,
with an exasperated
look on his face,
at the wiggly handwriting.)
(Muttering.)
"Of....WHAT:
of WHAT?"

(Woeful frown.)
(Pats the donkey,
Clut'zee, on the
fat rump.)
(The donkey passes
some wind-ful gas.)
"Well........"
(Woeful squint.)
"It's of the all the
things, I need...
to get,
HEALED!"

(Peter, dumbfounded....
begins to read the
list of woes. His brother,
Andrew comes over,
to read over his shoulder.
This is what they read:

'Things I need to get healed
by Jo'ach bar Michael:

Bad stomach
Bad back
Bad arches
Bad bunions
Bad vision
Bad indigestion
Bad kids
Bad donkey
Bad sleeping
Bad dog
Bad cow
Bad dreams
Bad luck
Bad memories
Bad teeth
Bad nerves
Bad neighbors
REALLY bad arches!
Bad aches
Bad pains
Bad knees.....
Bad allergies
Bad elbow
REALLY bad back.....
Bad ankles
REALLY bad indigestion!

Also, can I get my HEAD
HEALED? I wanna be
SMART, like my sister,
Ce'cia'lah, and my brother,
Stutz'e'lah!'

Love, Jo'ach)

(Peter rolls up the
small, dusty scroll,
and stares open-mouthed,
at the woefully
waiting Jo'ach.)
"Are you MESHU'GUN'NAH*?"

(Woeful frown.)
"WELL........"
(Frown.)
"Couldn't ya, at least
HEAL the first.. .PARTS?"

(Peter and Andrew
turn to stare at each
other.)
(Peter speaks, first.)
"I can't BELIEVE this!"

(Jesus walks over.)
[CALM VOICE.]
[SMILE!]
"What is it,
My children?"

"Just LOOK at THIS,
LORD! Should we
tell this guy, and
his MOTLEY DONKEY...
to go...and,
take a HIKE?"

[PATIENT FROWN.]
[GIVES HIS DISCIPLE
ANOTHER STERN LOOK.]
"Calm down,
My children.
What is the PROBLEM?"

"THIS!
Just LOOK at THIS!"
(Peter, impatiently,
opens up the
scruffy scroll,
again.)

[PATIENT SIGH.]
[SMILING.]
[READING.]
[CHUCKLING.]
[NODDING.]

(Jo'ach bar Michael
steps closer to Jesus.
He tip-toes:
squinting over the
Rabbi's shoulder.)
(Woeful frown.)
"WELL.....?
Can.....Ya,
HEAL ME?"

[NODDING.]
[TURNS TO HIS
CHILD, JO'ACH.]
[ROLLS UP THE SCROLL.]
[LOVING GAZE.]
"No."

(Woeful whine.)
"NO?"

[NOD.]
"No,
My beloved
Jo'ach bar Michael."

(Woeful screech.)
"BUT.......
WHY NOT?
HOW COME?"
(Stomps
impatiently,
on the ground,
like a little kid.)
"But...Ya
HEAL everybody...
ELSE!"

(The whiny screech makes
Peter grimmace,
and cover his ears.)

[LOVING GAZE
UPON WOEFUL CHILD.]
[PATIENT VOICE.]
"My Jo'ach bar Michael.....
I'm going to give you
something....
much more precious..
than perfect health,
or good night's sleep!"

(Woeful squint.)
(The plump donkey
snorts, and paws the
dirt.)
"WHAT'S THAT?"

[LOVING SMILE!]
[TENDER EMBRACE!]
"THIS, child;
to YOU, and
all your great-GRANDCHILDREN!"

(Woefully long whine.)
"WHAT,
RABBI?
WHAT?"

[GENTLE KISS ON
THE HIGH FOREHEAD.]
"A sense of HUMOR,
My Jo'ach!"
[TENDERLY LOVING
VOICE.]
[NOD.]
[SMILE!]
"A
sense...
of
HUMOR."
**********************
Go your way
and,
as you
have believed,
so let it
be done
for you.
[Matthew 8:13]


_____________________
*Yiddish: 'crazy'.

To the
Michaelson family.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE