Someone in Jerusalem

Replying to @jeremiah

Relax. He won’t do anything. Nothing bad’s going to happen to us. No war, no famine. The prophets are all hot air.

The harvest is over. Summer’s finished. And we still haven’t been saved.

Still no rain. The rich send their servants to the cisterns and they come back with empty jars. The ground’s cracked. Farmers covering their heads. Even the doe in the field has left her newborn fawn, because there’s no grass.

Replying to @jeremiah

And the bad ones?

Some visitors from the east are going round Jerusalem asking where the newborn king of the Jews is. Said they saw his star. Herod is not happy. Neither is anyone else.

The whole city’s in uproar. Who actually is this?

The crowds@thecrowds · The road into JerusalemHosanna to the Son of David! God bless the one who comes in the Lord’s name!

Did you hear what happened at the temple? He’s overturned the money changers’ tables. Drove the sellers out. Tables. Over.

No because they actually said “We don’t know.” In front of everyone.

Matthew@matthew · Temple courtsHe’s teaching in the temple courts and the chief priests and elders come up: by what authority are you doing all this? He says he’ll tell them if they answer one question first. John’s baptism: from heaven, or just human? They huddle. Say heaven, and he’ll ask why they didn’t believe John. Say human, and the crowd turns on them, because everyone thinks John was a prophet. So they said, “We don’t know.” Then neither will I tell you, he said.

Replying to @judasiscariot

I saw you. You came into the temple trying to hand the silver back, and the chief priests said what’s that to us? That’s your problem.

Replying to @pontiuspilate

They chose Barabbas.

The soldiers who were guarding that tomb are all saying the same thing now. His disciples came in the night and stole the body while they were asleep.

The streets are rammed. People are carrying their sick out on beds and mats, hoping Peter’s shadow will fall on them as he walks past. They’re coming in from all the towns round Jerusalem. Every one of them is healed.

Catching up? This was yesterday. Passover’s days away, the city’s rammed, and everyone’s talking about Jesus, the teacher from Galilee who raised Lazarus in Bethany. The chief priests want him arrested.

Someone in Jerusalem@jerusalem.local · JerusalemThe whole city’s in uproar. Everyone on my street is asking the same thing. Who is this?

Replying to @caiaphas.household

They’re scared of the crowds. After this week, can you blame them?

Replying to @temple.courts

That was Judas. The one who took them to him last night.

Replying to @temple.courts

Everyone’s calling it the Field of Blood.

Same in the city. The sun’s just stopped shining.

The ground’s shaking. Rocks are splitting.

Replying to @tombguard

So you were asleep. But you know who took him? Right.

I don’t know how to say this. The tombs that broke open on Friday. People who belonged to God, who’d died, have been raised. I’ve seen one of them, here in the city. I’m not the only one.

Replying to @on.the.road

Every road through Jerusalem is rammed.

Foreigners in the city. Star-watchers from the east, going round asking everyone the same thing. Where is the one who’s been born king of the Jews?

Replying to @jerusalem.local

Born king of the Jews? We’ve got a king, thanks. His name’s Herod.

And Herod’s heard. He’s rattled. When the king’s rattled, the whole city gets nervous.

Replying to @palace.staff

The king who was so rattled wants to worship the baby now? Right.

Everyone’s talking about Bethany. People who were there say Jesus called a man out of his tomb. Four days dead.

And now he’s vanished. Nobody’s seen him out and about since.

Replying to @templecourts

It’s the Bethany lot. The ones who were there when he called Lazarus out of the tomb. They’ve been telling everyone ever since.

Replying to @thebelievers

The whole road down the Mount of Olives is cloaks and branches.

The whole city’s in uproar. Everyone on my street is asking the same thing. Who is this?

Replying to @jerusalem.local

Him? The one the chief priests want arrested? Bold.

Pentecost. The harvest festival, seven weeks after Passover, and the city’s packed again. Jews from every country under the sun, all up for the feast. You can hear every accent in the world at the temple.

What was that noise?

Replying to @johnzebedee

Three thousand. Where are they all going to eat?

Replying to @thebelievers

Selling their own things, for people who were strangers a couple of months ago.

The Jesus people. In the temple courts every day, then round each other’s houses every night for bread, glad as anything, praising God. Honestly? People like them.

Replying to @temple.regular

Wait. The one who gets carried there every single day?

Lock them up if you like. Loads of people believed what they heard today. They’re saying it’s about five thousand men now.

Replying to @thebelievers

Wait. Shook?

Replying to @barnabas

Joseph? The Levite from Cyprus?

Everyone’s heard about the husband and wife. Nobody is taking it lightly. Not the believers, and not anyone else who hears about it.

People are carrying their sick out into the street on beds and mats, so that when Peter walks past, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. They’re coming in from all the towns round Jerusalem too. And every one of them is getting healed.

Replying to @temple.officer

They’re jealous. That’s all this is.

Replying to @council.insider

Gamaliel said that? Gamaliel?

Replying to @simonpeter

Flogged, and they came out happy?

Replying to @temple.regular

Priests?

Stephen, one of the seven running the food share, is doing great wonders and signs among the people now as well.

Replying to @freedmen.synagogue

So you lost, then.

Some men are going round saying they heard Stephen speak against Moses and against God. Word is, the men who kept losing arguments to him put them up to it.

Replying to @witness.stephen

Saul? The young Pharisee from Tarsus? Gamaliel’s student?

Stephen’s on his knees while they stone him. He called out: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then, loud, so everyone heard: Lord, don’t hold this sin against them. And then he fell asleep. He’s gone.

It’s started. Today. They’re going after the whole church in Jerusalem. People are leaving the city, scattering all over Judea and Samaria.

The young man who minded the coats when they stoned Stephen. Saul. He’s going house to house now, dragging men and women off to prison.

Still at it. Another street today. Men and women, off to prison.

Someone in Jerusalem@jerusalem.localThe young man who minded the coats when they stoned Stephen. Saul. He’s going house to house now, dragging men and women off to prison.

Replying to @paul

He means it. He’s in the synagogues too, one after another, having them beaten and locked up.

Replying to @highpriest.scribe

Damascus? That’s not even Judea. He’s following them to other cities now?

Replying to @jerusalem.believer

Same Saul who went through this city house by house? That one?

In and out of the same houses again. Different reason this time.

Someone in Jerusalem@jerusalem.local · JerusalemStill at it. Another street today. Men and women, off to prison.

Saul studied under Gamaliel. Gamaliel’s the one who said this.

Gamaliel@gamaliel · JerusalemLeave these men alone. If this is merely a human undertaking, it will collapse on its own. If it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may find yourselves fighting against God.

Replying to @luke

Nobody’s being dragged out of their house on our street any more.