The Way

Amy woke early as usual, getting up, brushing her teeth, combing the snarls out of her curly hair. As she got dressed in her blouse and skirt, she started thinking about what had happened the week before. The man that came through town was dirty, and he smelled bad too. But what he talked about to our small group was so different. He spoke about having peace in our hearts, beyond the pain and misery of the lives they all led. How could this be possible, they all thought. And the smelly man said, a god named Christ came down from the heavens, and he was the most powerful god in the universe, for he made all of the others. This god came to Earth, as a human baby, went through life as a human, with all of our problems, and never did anything wrong. Showing people how they should live. Then his own people thought he had demons, because when he touched people, they got healed, and he even brought people back to life.

Well, we thought this was so interesting, so when he started his meeting the following night, there were more of us, for we all talked to our friends and families about this god that came down to Earth. But when old man Charlie came in, sliding on his deformed legs, everyone got quiet, and we all looked up at the smelly man to see what he would do. Well, he just went down the isle, looked down at old man Charlie, and told him, the god Christ has forgiven all of the things he had ever done, and that he can get up and walk, because this god Christ has already healed him. To go and learn the rules of this god. There were screams, and shouts, as Charlie’s legs starting popping, and stretching out underneath him, then Charlie stood up and wobbled, and leaped up into the air. He and everyone else were crying, so happy for Charlie!

Then the stranger went back up the front of the group as if nothing had happened, and started talking again about this man god. And how his own people beat him, and spit on him. They even turned him over to the governor to be killed. And they stuck him on a tree, with nails in his feet and hands. And after he had died, his closest friends came to say their goodbyes after the day of rest, and he was not there. The stranger said the man god was raised from the dead. Well this was too much for a lot of us, because how could someone come back from the dead. Well the next night, our group was quite a bit smaller, but we were still curious, mainly because of what had happened to old man Charlie, who by the way walked into the meeting, all grins and teeth. He looked so happy!

Well this night the stranger was talking about being holy, but this was confusing, because no one could be holy, except the gods. But according to the stranger, when this man god rose from the dead, he forgave everyone’s wrongs, and in so doing made  it possible to live holy, if we would just believe and learn this god's ways. We all wanted to be holy, who wouldn’t? Because we knew if we were holy, then that would mean no wrong could be found in us. And the gods would not hold anything against us. So now he had our attention.

As we were getting ready to depart for the night, Beverly, the lady from down the street, came in crying, she was looking for Jeremy, the funeral man, because her little boy had finally died. He had a very contagious disease. Well, this stranger asked were the boy was, and Beverly took the stranger to her house. Well we all waited outside; because we knew we would all get sick if we went in. But the stranger just walked on in. In about ten minutes, Beverly came out screaming , her face was all white. She ran right up to Jacob, the town holy man. She said her son was alive and there were no more signs of the disease on him.

Jacob dropped his books and went running up to the door with Beverly, but he stopped, because he knew how bad this disease was. But when the stranger came walking out the door, with Beverly’s son walking beside him, we all fell down and bowed before the stranger, for only a god could do this. But the stranger got mad, and said we should not do that, because he was just as human as we were. So we got up, and followed him back to where he was staying. Here was when he told us about becoming followers of the Way. So we all said we wanted to, he said that we need to know that we had done wrong, and to feel sorry for what we had done, and to let this God become our only God, to learn His ways, and love His laws. Some of the group said they could not do that, and left. The rest of us did what he said. Then after we had accepted Yeshua as our God, he said we needed to die and be washed of our sins and that Christ would live in us. So we went to the river and got washed. He dunked us under water and said we were washed clean in Yeshua's name. We came up one at a time, all smiles. After he had washed us in the river, he said one more thing needed to be done; he said that when Yeshua was raised from the dead and went back to heaven, He left His Spirit to help us. So we were all prayed over, and he asked Yeshua to fill us with the Spirit of God. And that the Spirit in us would enable us to do what he had done, and that the Spirit would lead us to live our lives for our new God, and teach us what His rules were.

Just before the stranger left, he said we should help all of the other people that became followers of the Way, if they needed things; it was our responsibility to help them. So we got all of our stuff together, and whatever another family needed, if we had extra, we gave it to them. Jacob, the town ex-holy man, took his entire expensive books, and sold them, he took all of his money he got for the books, and other things, and gave it to the others that were broke.

Me, I gave away all of my dresses, and blouses, I kept the one I am getting dressed in now. We are so happy, even though the soldiers have come and shot twenty eight people yesterday for following the Way. Today is so special to me, it is my turn to stand before the judge and tell my story about Yeshua. 

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Standing in the open courtyard, with thirty other people, Amy looks up and down the row. She only recognizes two others, there is Jenifer, her brother’s wife, and Beverly. She smiles at Beverly, who returns her smile and mouths a heartfelt “thank you”.

Two weeks ago, she had turned her life over to Christ. All thanks to a stranger, coming into town. That was such a wonderful week, her mom’s friend’s son was raised up from being dead from a deadly disease, and old man Charlie got his legs healed. She can still see his smile, so happy he was to actually being able to walk again. He had gone over to the next town and told them the same story the stranger had told us. He had twenty five people follow the Way, the first night, they all knew Charlie, and had seen him sliding along the ground for years. Now here he was, standing in front of them, telling how he was cured. That first night, three others were healed of broken bones. And one lady had an arm grow back, where it had been amputated five years before. Charlie died two days later, but he was so happy.

Amy’s brother had died yesterday, but not before he was able to share about Christ to about forty five people, he too got to see three people raised from the dead; one had been dead for two days. What a great time he had, he was so happy when they pulled the trigger.

Jenifer is so strong in Christ, she was beaten by a guard, and had both legs broken, then last night a fellow follower of the Way prayed for her, and here she is standing in line with me, what a loving God we have! Jenifer has shown about seventy five people about the Way, and how Christ loves them. I know she is so excited.

Beverly got to see her son raised from the dead, and then got to see him go out the next day, to lead two hundred people to Christ, and got to baptize about half of them before he was captured and shot. I know she is so proud of him, what a strong son she has, even at only fourteen years old.

All of these others, they must be here because of friends of hers. What a bunch of smiles up and down the line. The guards seem so sad, except Tom, whom she was able to tell about Christ. He was so excited, waiting to see a great miracle, And the judge, he was so white faced, when I told him last week about Christ. I was so happy when I heard he had been shot with the group yesterday.

Well, here we are, all ready to meet our God, I am so excited; this is going to be so exciting, to meet the Man that created me, and then died for me. I can hardly contain myself; my mouth hurts so much from the smile.

Oh, here he comes, the commander, here we go, and wow this is so awesome. Wait, what is he doing, he is walking past the guards, why is he getting in line with us. Oh wow, he must have talked with Henry, oh wow another one going to see the Master. This is so exciting!

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Tom is so excited, so full of peace.

There in line is the little girl that he had met the night before, she had been sitting in her cell, with such a peaceful look on her face. Didn’t she know what was going to happen tomorrow? It bugged him for hours, how could anyone be so calm?

He had finally gotten a break, so he walked down to her cell, and there she was, still so calm, she even seemed happy? What was going on, did she know something about tomorrow’s orders that have not been passed on to us yet?

He stood there, looking at her, when she turned, and saw him just standing there, what a puzzled look he had in his eyes. Amy asked him what was wrong, he looked so troubled?

WHAT, I look troubled, what is this? He asked her, what do you mean, I am not the one in the cell, he says. But then she turns the question into another question, by asking, are you sure I am not the one really free here, and you are not the one locked up? With that, Tom reached through the bars with his rifle butt, and smacked her good in the mouth. He thought, smile about that! He was so angry, how dare this brat ask him something like that!

After wiping the blood from his rifle butt, he is getting ready to leave, when she says through swollen lips, the strangest thing, “Sir, I forgive you”. With that one statement, he fell to his knees, sobbing, he felt so bad about hitting the little girl, now here she is saying “I forgive you”.

So, for the next half hour, she shares what she knows about this Christ. How He came to Earth to forgive all the sins people commit, and that all we have to do is believe that He is the one true God, and live according to His rules. How could this be, how could someone like me be holy, he thinks. All the people he has killed, not even thinking anymore, about the smell. What is it now, four years on the firing squad? There have been about two hundred suicides since he was assigned here. Heck, he had thought about it a few times. It was so hard to sleep at nights, with those smiling faces leering and taunting him.

But now, this little girl tells him he is forgiven. It would be so nice to know this was really true. To be able to have peace in his heart like this little girl. What is she, about ten years old. And to have such an inner piece. So, he asks her, what else does he need to do, to get this forgiveness? Learn His rules, she says. That Christ did it all, all he had to do was to believe and love His ways

Well, he sat there and prayed with her, and felt such a peace come over him. She told him when he gets off shift, to go out and wait at the corner of 5Th and Elm, and a man in a green striped shirt would ask him for a piece of candy. He was to follow this man to the river, there he would get baptized, and filled with the Spirit of God.

So, as he waited, he felt so silly, but yet so peaceful. Wait, what is this, here he comes, the man with the green striped shirt. No, I don’t have any candy Tom tells him, that’s ok, follow me. So to the river the two go, and down in a secluded bay is about three hundred people waiting to get baptized, and in the water is about forty people, dunking people under water.

In line he sees three other guards, they see him, and start to duck their heads, but instead, waive at him to come over. Sheepishly Tom walks over to where the other guards are. They said they met some of the people of the Way in the prison too. They were only guards; they never had to fire a shot like Tom did.

After being dunked under water, the man says to Tom, be filled with the grace and power of Christ, be filled with the Holy Spirit of Christ, go and make more disciples, learn His laws, for he now has the same Spirit of Christ.

Wow, such a change in my life he thinks. This so powerful, surly God will let the little girl live, she is so strong in the Master, and has led me to Christ, he says to himself. So for the first time in nearly four years, Tom has a peaceful night sleep.

Morning comes, the sun shining in Tom’s eyes. He stretches, and yawns, what a great day this will be. He is so excited to see what will happen, he knows something powerful will happen, he can just feel it.

The quartermaster hollers down the barracks, well it’s time, let’s see what this God will do.

Out in the yard, the prisoners are already lined up. And they all have such beautiful smiles and such peace in their heart. The quartermaster tells the guards to stand ready. Then the strangest thing happens, the Commander of the prison walks out, escorted by Joe, he never comes out here. What’s going on? He walks right past the quartermaster, what is going to do, will he hit one of the prisoners? Wait, he is getting in line with them. What is this, what kind of joke is this? Why did Joe bring him out here?

The quartermaster has his orders; he has to obey the law sent down. So he says again, stand ready, we wait for the usual three seconds, then FIRE. Instinctively, Tom pulls the trigger, WAIT; Amy is standing right in front of Tom. He sees her fall to the ground, still with the smile on her face.

And that is when the sobs begin, he kneels there, sobbing so hard, and he notices he is not the only one, half the line has fallen with him.

The quartermaster, calls attention in ranks, we all stand, it is instinct, with thirty five years in service, when you hear attention, your body automatically obeys. He hollers, dismissed. What, didn’t he see me fall and cry, is he teasing us? We walk back to our barracks, those that had fallen, are walking slowly, looking at each other, questions coming racing through their heads. What is going on?

So here Tom is, sobbing in his bunk, when one of the fellow guards from the river walks up and asks what is wrong? Tom tells him what has happened, even though he had accepted Christ, he still shot Amy.

The fellow guard asked Tom, did Amy not explain that Christ forgave all sin. Even having to shoot Amy, this too was forgiven. But it still tears my heart, Tom explains. The fellow guard tells Tom, then praise the Lord, for this means that the Holy Spirit is alive and well within his heart.

Now go and make disciples like you were told to do.

by GS Robison