The “Thirty Minute Series” of Short Stories:: Volume 1

By Ian McPhee

What did a blind man, a leper, a Roman centurion, and a little child have in common? Who were they? What was their life story?

The answer is: they all shared one very important moment in time, and their lives were impacted and changed forever...They all met Jesus, the Messiah!

The Thirty Minute Series is the authors imaginings about these people, mentioned only once in the Bible. Some of them were not even mentioned by name. These were real people who lived, and were just like you and me.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490839233

Ian McPhee

Ian D. McPhee was born in western Scotland, in a town called Dunoon. He and his wife, Maureen, immigrated to South Africa in 1966, where they lived, on and off, for twenty-five years. Ian and Maureen have been married for over fifty years, and now live in San Diego, California, in the United States of America.

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Copyright © 2014 Ian McPhee.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-3922-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-3921-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-3923-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014909798

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/09/2014

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Contents

Two mites were more than enough

A Parents Heart

Lest you be like a little child!

The Man of Faith

‘Come on Old Timer’

Render unto Caesar

But, what are they amongst so many?

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Dedication

Firstly, and without doubt, I must dedicate these short stories to the Lord for His immense love. His complete and perfect plan of salvation, and to Jesus, who was faithful to God’s plan and saw His salvation completely fulfilled. As Jesus himself said, "It is finished’. That perfect life of Jesus inspired these stories.

To my dearest wife, soul mate, and best friend Maureen, for her patience and being the first to read the stories and for putting up with my time spent in front of my computer screen.

To all those who have accompanied us through our spiritual journey. Our missionary friends, Graham and Ilene Beggs who have both gone home to receive a crown of glory. To Pastor James and Ruth Dabney in San Diego, who prompted me to publish these stories, and to the many ships that passed in the night who influenced our lives….Thank you all!

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EL SHADDIA

‘GOD ALMIGHTY’

‘GOD THE ALL SUFFICIENT ONE’

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Volume 1

Two mites were more than enough

Bethlehem, Judea

4:30PM.

The cobblestone streets of Bethlehem in Judea hurt Tishbeth’s feet, for her sandals were almost worn out. The uneven and chipped tops of the cobblestones dug into the souls of her feet as she trudged wearily up the road. She was thankful that the last dying rays of the setting sun were still warm, for her threadbare shawl held little warmth against the cold night that would soon follow. The colors around the edge of her shawl, that had at one time been vibrant, were now faded, giving the appearance of someone who knew hardship. Her shawl did not belie her life.

Her thoughts quickly turned to her family. She had spent most of her meager income, on food and essentials. She hoped they were warm enough at present, for their clothes were not much better than hers for blocking out the cold nights.

It was her sole purpose in life to provide, as best she could, for the children. So, long after everyone was tucked up in bed, she could be found still sitting in her little kitchen wearily spinning flax to make yarn that would eventually be woven into warm clothing for them. It was not good quality flax, but it was the best she could afford.

Several women she passed greeted her, and she did her best to smile back with assurance, but the returned smile matched her weariness.

All who knew her felt sympathy for this dear soul, for she tried so hard to be a provider for her rag tag family. However, the one thing they did know, was, that there was not a more devout woman in the town when it came to the things of the Lord God of Israel. She would often spent an hour in the synagogue praising God, although too many times, especially recently, her thoughts were more on her plight, and that of the children, and less on the Lord God. As she knelt in the woman’s section of the synagogue, worrying thoughts assailed her mind like..…Where will I get work tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that? or more alarmingly, What would happen if I cannot not find work at all? or worse still, What if I am unable to work because of sickness, or injury? These thoughts plagued her and were her constant companion. The unpleasant thoughts flooded her mind, like a tidal wave smashing against rocks, and at times almost swamped her. The cares of the world had besieged her mind and body.

Tishbeth’s husband, Moab had died unexpectedly 3 years before. He had left her with 5 young mouths’ to feed. Her oldest son Moab, was now 18years of age, and, as was the Jewish tradition, named after his father. Her oldest daughter was Mary. Her son Moab, had recently married a woman called Nerak, but he and his new wife had moved to Nain, a small town in the foothills of Judea.

Mary, who had just turned 17, had only recently left home to take up a position as a governess to the four children of a weaver, named Uriah, and his wife Meggat. They were sellers of blankets and shawls. They were the ones who had generously offered to weave the cloth from the yarn that Tishbeth was busy spinning at night for the children.

Uriah and his wife, like so many people of the time, could not read, or write. They had a small home in Bethlehem, but because they had to move from market town to market town, to earn a living, there were no permanent roots for their children, and therefore no schooling. They wanted to ensure that their children would not grow up as they had, and wanted them to be able to read and write, so they had employed Mary, both as a tutor and as a governess. The children traveled with their parents, to wherever their business took them, and so did Mary.

Moab, and Mary both felt guilty that they were unable to help their mother financially, in fact, the main reason Mary had taken the poorly paid governess’s job was more to ease the burden on her mother, than for the work. She most certainly did not want to move away from the town, for she had a vested interest in staying…..His name was Joshua. However, her governess position demanded that she moved wherever Uriah’s family moved to.

Joshua, was her first and only love, was serving his 5rd.year apprenticeship with a local basket weaver, and therefore was poorly paid. He would not be able to afford to marry for at least 12 months. That was when he qualified in his trade. Only then, would his wages be enough to start a new life, and a family. Joshua was broken-hearted when Mary announced that she was leaving. Especially when she could not say when she would return. If Joshua was broken hearted, Mary was more so…..as was her mother. Tishbeth had tried desperately to talk her out of taking the position, but Mary was resolute. Tishbeth knew why Mary was moving, and sorely disapproved. She had told Mary so, and that she should wait at home until Joshua finished his trade.

We will manage somehow! Please stay at home, Tishbeth had pleaded, but Mary knew that she was a burden…..another mouth to feed……. and since she was in a position to do something about it, she had grabbed the chance. Although unhappy, she was prepared to put her desires aside, in order to help her mother, and the children, whom she loved dearly. She did it because to her it was the right thing to do.

While Moab and Mary were her biological children, the other three children, a boy of 5years, and two girls of 7 and 10years of age, were the children of her late husband’s brother, Yaacob. Robbers had murdered Yaacob on his way home from a trip to Jericho. His wife, Zeva, had died soon afterwards, reportedly from a broken heart. Tishbeth’s husband had taken the children under his roof, and accepted responsibility for their security and protection. This was an accepted practice under Jewish law, but unfortunately when he died, that burden fell to Tishbeth. If her husband had had another brother, then he would have had to accept the responsibility for his brother’s widow, and the children, but there were only the two brothers, and they were now both deceased. Because there was no one else, Tishbeth happily carried the burden on her shoulders. However, she constantly worried about how she would feed and clothe them adequately. She dearly loved the children, and would not have wanted them to be anywhere except with her. The children loved her dearly in return.

It was sad to see the young ones faces anxiously watching for her return each day.

The thought was never far from their young minds, that she, like their parents, would somehow desert them, and not return home one day. However, when they saw her coming, the joy on their small faces was enough to make the weariness drop off Tishbeth’s shoulders. She would watch them running up the street in wild abandon to welcome her home. No matter what had happened, or how arduous the day had been, this was most definitely the best part of her day. They would clamor for her attention as they told of their day of playing in the street, or what they learned at the local Rabbi’s little school. She would smile at their antics, and affectionately pat them on their heads, or offer words of encouragement as she hugged them, over and over.

Once home, they would watch anxiously as she opened up her little cloth bundle, to see what she had brought home to eat. Too often their smiles would drop, but only for a second or two, when they saw the meager offering. The hardest part for Tishbeth was seeing their faces, and feeling that she had let them down, and in knowing that she had been unable to support the children the way she would have liked. She had sold everything of value that she had long ago, and now relied solely on any type of work she could get just to support her ‘precious possession’, as she lovingly called them.

The children, as with most children, did not understand why there was not enough food on the table at night, and why they often went to bed still hungry. Such things were beyond their limited perception, however, at no time did they complain. They were thankful that they had someone to love them and keep them secure, and she did that in abundance.

After the children were tucked up in bed, she would sit at the old wooden table in her tiny kitchen spinning her flax, sadly reminiscing about how things used to be, and how quickly they had changed for her, unfortunately, not for the better.

Oh Lord! she would sigh, How am I going to support these dear children? What happens if I fall ill, or get injured and cannot work, what am I to do then? I cannot abandon them. Oh Lord, please give me wisdom, and a double portion of your infinite mercy.

Tishbeth was the daughter of a merchant of good standing, and had come from a loving home. She had met Moab when he had come to do some construction work for her father, and not long after, they had married. Moab was a gentle, and good man, and they were happy. He had started his own little business with money given to him by Tishbeth’s parents, but because of his good and trusting nature, many unscrupulous men had taken advantage of him and he had lost the business, and was soon back to doing any small jobs that he could find. Tishbeth never complained or derided him for his failure, for she knew he sorely reproached himself that he was not supporting his family. The situation worsened when he took his dead brothers children under his roof, but the couple both knew that it was right and proper.

Her parents had moved away from Jerusalem to Corinth many years before Moab’s death. She was saddened when they moved, for she loved them dearly, and as an only child, she felt the loss acutely.

At this moment in time she just wished to fall into their loving arms, and feel secure once again, knowing that everything would be okay. However, that was a dream long past, and one she could not dwell upon, for it was too painful to contemplate. She was the breadwinner now, with absolutely no help or support from any direction. She never told her parents about her predicament for she did not want to burden them with her problems.

She had never remarried, for no other reason than she was too tired and sick of heart to even consider marrying again. Besides, who would want her now? Perhaps when she was young and full of life she would have had suitors lining up for her hand, but not now. For the first time in her life she felt old, which belied her 35years.

Her inner strength came from the times she spent on her knees in front of the Lord God of Israel, which was into the late evening hour after the children had gone to bed, or early mornings, before they arose. No matter how dire the circumstance she found herself in, she never stopped worshipping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This was not something born out of her desperate situation, but it was something that she had always done because she wanted to, for she dearly loved the Lord God.

However, now more than at any time in her life, she needed His support and blessing. She would pray for each of the children by name, then for her parents, then for the sick in the neighborhood, for everyone she knew about who had a need, then finally for her own situation. Tishbeth had learned long ago that she was less important, and more fortunate than many people around her. This servant attitude towards others had gained her immeasurable respect from those who had the good fortune to know her. She had become the one person that people sought out in times of trouble or confusion, and her advice was highly prized. She was someone that gave of herself and asked nothing back. When people shared their intimate problems with her, they knew that their conversations were totally private and confidential. Unlike these people, there was no one that she could turn to……except her Heavenly Father.

Totally unbeknownst to Tishbeth, she did have a secret admirer called Shem-Hadad. who lived in the Jordan Valley, several miles north of the Sea of Galilee. However, he had been born and raised in Bethlehem in Judea. When he had lived and worked there he had been a lowly shepherd, the son of a shepherd, and grandson of a shepherd. He had loved Tishbeth from the very first time he laid eyes on her in the marketplace. He had only loved her from afar, because his status in life was not exactly promising. He had never plucked up the courage to approach her, or even speak to her… after all….a lowly shepherd boy had nothing to offer a wealthy man’s daughter, who also just happened to be the most beautiful girl in the world.

He had concluded that he was not a very exciting prospect for any girl, but more especially Tishbeth. He had just kept his feelings for her bottled up inside.

He had moved away from the region to better himself, and to make his mark on the world. Only then would he return and ask her to be his wife.

All that changed when he found out that she had married Moab. He did not return to Bethlehem as he had planned. He could not bear the thought of living in the same town and seeing her every day married to another. His lovely lady had now been placed out of his reach.

That had been some 19years ago. In all that time he had never married because of his burning love for Tishbeth. He had resolved long ago, that if she could not be his wife, then he would never marry. Besides, it would be unfair to any bride, for he could never love anyone else the way he loved Tishbeth…..why, even the sound of her name caused his heart to leap, even after all these years.

His position in life had altered considerably, and dramatically.

He was no longer a lowly shepherd, but was now a wealthy livestock and landowner, and a very highly respected businessman in the lush Jordan River valley, south of Mount Hermon…….but, when it came to the thought of Tishbeth, he still felt inadequate, and poor in spirit.

Many people wondered why this attractive and successful businessman had never taken a wife. He had been offered the hand of the daughters of many business colleagues, and had refused them all, even though some of them were very beautiful and desirable.

No one understood his refusal of these beauties, for he had never told anyone of his lost love.

Shem-Hadad’s life had been graced with mystery, and a spiritual awakening.

It had all started when he as a young boy of 6 years of age. He had been out in the fields with his uncles, Bartholomew and Joshua, and his father Hagar, plus his older brothers, looking after the flock of sheep and lambs, in the fields known as the 'Tower of the Flock', for the temple sacrifices.

It was an abnormally quiet night, and the air was eerily still as if some great cataclysmic event was about to happen. The shepherds, who were all hardy men, and not susceptible to old wives tales and the like, now sat and shifted uneasily around the fire, shooting furtive glances into the shadowy darkness, and at each other. Hagar’s oldest son threw more wood and thorn bushes on the fire, more for security than heat. The thorn bushes flared up brightly with a sudden intense heat and light. The extra light pushed back the shadows of the surrounding areas outside the thorny hedge surrounding the campsite, but revealed nothing untoward. The thorn bush was quickly consumed by the greedy flames and the light faded. Once again the darkness marched back in on them. They pulled their shepherd staffs closer, in case they were needed to defend the sheep against whatever this unknown thing was. They knew that something was not as it should be, for even the sheep were restless and milled about. The shepherds supposed the sheep had sniffed the scent of a wolf, or wildcat on the prowl in the distance, and they sat fully vigilant and watchful for any predators. The only sound they heard was the scuffing of the sheep’s hooves on the hard ground, as they moved in ever decreasing circles, the sheep on the outside trying to get nearer the center of the flock for protection. It is a strange phenomenon, but sheep go very quiet in the presence of the unknown.

All at once, the air was filled with a low melodic humming sound that was not earthly. The sky directly above them started to brighten perceptibly. The shepherds looked up and saw a bright cyclonic circle in the sky, and a bright beam of light shone directly onto the old stable situated about a mile away, and owned by Abel the innkeeper.

The shepherds nearly fell over themselves in panic and fear. They dropped to their knees in awe and reverence. From out of the cascading circle of light an angel appeared, and with a loud voice proclaimed; For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and this shall be a sign unto you. You will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Hosanna in the Highest, Peace, Goodwill towards Men.

This announcement was followed by a great choir of angels singing praises to God, and to Emmanuel, meaning ‘God with us.’ Then the sky slowly darkened again, and the voices of the angel choir diminished, then finally ceased all together.

The silence that followed was every bit as nerve racking as the heavenly sight had been. The shepherds could only look on in amazement at the rapidly dimming light, then to each other, each person looking to the others for any type of explanation for this incredible event.

The shepherds understood by the message that the manger mentioned by the angel, was in fact the old stable, and they suspected that some great event was taking place there. Although they did not fully understand what! The shepherds looked at one another with unsettled and nervous glances for they had been summoned, and were expected to go and see this unfolding event that had come to pass. Their reluctance was born out of disbelief that lowly shepherds would ever be invited to see some manifest of a heavenly event. After all, who were they, that the God of Israel had called them to see the Promise of Israel…the Christ Child?

However, their curiosity soon overshadowed their reluctance to believe that they had been selected, and it soon got the better of them. Hagar instructed his two older sons to watch over the flock, while he, his two brothers, and his youngest son Shem-Hadad, went down the hillside to see this thing that was told them. The two sons left behind brooded sulkily at not being part of whatever was happening down in the valley.

Hagar, his two brothers and his youngest son Hadad, as his name was shortened to, made their way down the hillside. They slowly approached the broken down entrance to the stable, and cautiously stepped into the light coming from inside. What they saw, to their amazement, were parents with their newborn infant son. The two adults were so happy with their new arrival, and kept smiling at each other, and then at the small bundle wrapped up in a shawl, lying on some clean straw in an old drinking trough. The child’s mother looked up, and on seeing them, smiled and beckoned them inside. As they reluctantly moved forward, Hadad crept in closer to his father’s side. He nervously glanced around to see if others were there, but only saw the father, whose name was Joseph, the mother, and the baby. He was certain that rough hands might grab him at any moment, and they would be unceremoniously thrown out from the presence of the family. However, instead of any chastisement, the new parents smiled and welcomed the shepherds, and the boy. Hagar lifted his cloak to cover his head, as a sign of reverence, as did the other men.

The child’s mother, Mary, was a radiant 16year old, and she motioned them closer and drew the shawl away from the babies face. The baby’s characteristics were no different than any other child that Hagar and his brothers had seen, except, the radiance and authority that emanated from this child was so tangible. Hagar immediately fell to his knees, then onto his face in the straw. His brothers quickly followed suit. They all recognized that this baby was someone very special. They knew, in that instant, they had beheld the Face of God.

Hadad looked uncertainly at his prostrate father and uncles, and not knowing what to do, promptly sat down, but he was drawn to the child and stood up again, and in all innocence, came right up to the side of the manger and looked down at the baby. The newly born baby, turned his head and looked directly at Hadad, and it was as if the baby blessed him with just a look, for as he looked down into the child’s face he felt a great surge of joy fill his heart. It was a joy that he would never loose for the rest of his life, although at times, it would be masked by the cares of the world.

Hagar slowly got up to his knees, and cautiously raised his head towards the child. He saw his youngest son, in all his childlike innocence, standing alongside the trough with a beautiful smile on his small countenance, his small hand resting on the shawl, and the baby with his tiny hand gripping Hadad’s finger. Hagar praised God aloud for the privilege, and great gift of being in the presence of the Child of Salvation, the Promise of Israel.

Another reason that Shem-Hadad would never forget that night was that for the first and only time, he saw his father shed tears of joy.

Once they had all left the stable, they ran as fast as they could into the town, to tell the rest of their families what they had heard and seen.

As if to confirm that ‘special’ night’s events, another curious thing happened some fifteen months later. They were again out in the field with the sheep. From their vantage point high on the hillside overlooking the town, with its population of about 500people, they saw a caravan with three very finely dressed men arriving along the Jerusalem road, and heading into town. It was just at dusk. At first, the shepherds looked and saw what appeared to be a star in the heavens, but unlike any star they had ever seen. This one moved across the heavens. It was an incredibly bright star, and seemed to be leading the caravan to a house in the town.

Being up on their vantage point and looking down on the 100 or so flat roofed houses, the shepherds had a grandstand view of the entire proceedings. To their amazement, the star stopped, and its light streamed down on a home near