Short Stories

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“Mommy, why do I have to rest today?”
“Because it’s in God’s law, Joshua. You know we always rest on the Sabbath. We need to rest. Especially today.” Elizabeth sat down quietly; she didn’t have strength today to answer her four-year-old son’s continuous questions. The preparations for the annual Pass-over always took a lot from her but yesterday atop of it all there had been a dreadful uprising in Jerusalem.
For a while there was great excitement as the famous young prophet came to Jerusalem a few days ago. The crowds even welcomed him with joyous shouts of: “Hosanna!” (A Hebrew expression of praise meaning: “oh save!”) when he entered the city. There was such festivity you would say a King has entered Jerusalem. And then yesterday events took an unexpected turn as the religious leaders took the matter into their hands and marched the young man to his death. She had never seen a crowd swept up like that before. People were shouting like mad men: “Crucify him! Crucify him!” She closed her eyed and tried to think of something else. It was almost as if the shouts were still ringing in her ears.

“Mommy?” her son was kneeling at her feet. His big blue eyes looked up at her, shining with life and curiosity
“Mommy, what does my name mean?”
She smiled down at her son, and reached up and pulled him onto her lap. Of course she told him many times, as her Jewish culture placed a very high emphasis on one’s name, but little Joshua never got tired of asking.

“You know what it means!” she said playfully tickling him in his side. His giggles rang out like a string of festive bells.
“Yes, but the story Mommy, I like the story!”
“Joshua, as you know, your name has a very, very special meaning.
It means ‘Yahweh saves!’ It reminds us that God will send us someone special to save us. Years ago He saved our people from Egypt and after Moses died, He sent Joshua to lead them into the Promised Land and to help them fight off all the giants. The Promised Land was such a wonderful place that all the land flowed with milk and honey. The land was so abundant that at harvest time, they had to let two strong men carry one bunch of grapes. The whole land was filled with blessings from the Lord. And now we put our trust in Him for someday He will send someone again, someone to lead us to a place of hope and peace, a place full of blessings. There we will be able to rest completely like sheep in a lovely green pasture. So Joshua, now our people are waiting for that someone special. Someone very special, like you!” she sent him into a spurt of giggles again.”

“Mommy, isn’t Jesus and Joshua almost the same?”
She looked at him in complete surprise. He has just voiced her own tumultuous thoughts in such a simple statement.
“Yes darling, the two names have the same meaning.” She said quietly.

She sat back again and as she closed her eyes she remembered a time when she saw Jesus. It was a hot day and she had walked miles with Joshua. The crowd was overwhelming and bustling with life and energy. People were talking and discussing things. Other people brought sick relatives and friends and they were all shouting and pushing forward to find a place near the teacher. She was weary and was just ready to settle on a place near the edge of the crowd, when something truly incredible happened. The crowd suddenly opened for no reason at all, and there was Jesus looking straight at her with the kindest eyes she had ever seen, motioning for her to come sit near him. She moved forward slowly and before she could stop him, little Joshua ran forward and jumped into the Teacher’s arms. She started to apologize, but as she met His gaze, instead of reproach she saw love and laughter. Immediately she felt like smiling too. She sat down close to him and a wave of peace washed over her as she relaxed in His presence.
Jesus, still holding little Joshua in his arms, began to teach, saying: “Are you tired? Are you worn out? Come to me. Get away with me and you will recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.”

The morning after the Sabbath, Elizabeth went out to the market place, as was her custom on the first day of the week. As she walked, through the streets she could only think of Jesus. Images filled her mind of the young man carrying his cross, tired and beaten, through these same streets. The events of the last few days kept repeating in her mind. “Hosanna!” “Crucify him!” The earth shaking. Sky darkening. The cross boldly on that hill outside the city and the incredible man who hung on it. Dead.

“Come to me, I will give you rest”

She wanted to believe. There was so much evidence pointing to Jesus being the Christ, the Saviour; the One they have all waited for. The One truly able to give complete rest. Yahweh saves… But as loud as the evidence was the silence of his death. Three days. Surely a true Saviour would not end up in a grave.

Tired and confused, she decided it was better to put her focus on something real and tangible like the food she needs to buy for herself and Joshua today. With determination she continued onto the market place.

Then, she looked up to see one of her good friends literally running to her, radiant with excitement.
“Elizabeth, I have news!”
“Mary! What happened? You are positively glowing!”
“My friend, I’ve seen Him. This morning I went to His grave. He wasn’t inside, but I saw Him!”
“Slow down, what are you saying?”
“He’s alive Elizabeth. He rose from the dead. Jesus overcame death!! I’m on my way to tell His disciples, but something told me to wait for you. You needed to know.”
Tears were forming in Elizabeth’s eyes and she just stood there astonished at how the God of heaven has reached down in a single moment to touch her. She knew what this meant. Her life would never be the same again.
“Yes, yes I did Mary. Thank you”

Not wasting a minute, she turned around and ran back to her house. She swept up her boy in her arms.
“What is it Mommy? You look so happy!”
“Joshua, Joshua!!! I have to tell you another story about ‘Yahweh saves’. And this one will not happen someday, it has happened NOW!


“ God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation …
And so this is still a live promise. It wasn't canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today."
The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people.
God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. “
Hebrews 4:7-10 The Message

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