The Young Lad Who Lost His Nightshirt

By William B. Caldwell B.S. M.Div.

There was a young lad who lived in Jerusalem whose family followed the laws and traditions of the Jewish culture. This young man was taught by the rabbis and heard witness from the crowds who would gather to listen to Jesus’ teachings and comments on His healing powers.

One of his favorite miracle stories was the healing of the blind man at the Pool of Siloam.

This young lad, John Mark, and his family knew Jesus well. They provided their Upper Room for Jesus and His disciples to celebrate the Passover meal. Preparations took place for this special event with both a joyful and a sad time before the conclusion of Jesus’ earthly life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973671558

William B. Caldwell B.S. M.Div.

The Reverend William B. Caldwell has been a United Methodist pastor in the Florida Conference for the past sixty years. He attended the University of Florida before serving as a medic in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. Upon returning, he attended Florida Southern College where he earned a B.S. degree in history. In 1961, he attended the Candler School of Theology at Emory University where he earned his Masters of Divinity. While at Emory, he was the Associate Director of the Wesley Foundation at Georgia Tech, and following his graduation from Emory, he served as a pastor in several churches in the Florida Conference. Since 1980, he has studied on numerous occasions under the tutelage of Dr. James Fleming at the Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies in Israel. In his retirement over the past twenty years, he has enjoyed raising orchids and tending roses in Cape Coral, Florida. He and his wife of 58 years, Julie, enjoy being with their two daughters, Ginger and Colleen, along with their families, Hugh, Gerard, Brent, Ben, and Carol.

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Copyright © 2019 William B. Caldwell, B.S., M.Div.

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Interior Image Credit: Marilyn Frank

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations are from Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-7156-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-7157-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-7155-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019911378

WestBow Press rev. date: 08/05/2019

CONTENTS

Introduction

Acknowledgements

The Young Lad Who Lost His Night Shirt

Jesus serves passover meal

Brief Comments

INTRODUCTION

O ver the many years in ministry, I have been giving brief children’s sermons as an addition to the main order of worship. The topics and characters were Biblically based, using the Old and New Testaments.

As noted earlier, I traveled many times to the Holy Land, and the Bible came alive to me then; the visual memories became embedded in my mind, heart, and soul.

From these eye-opening experiences, there came a tugging on my soul to share stories of a young person’s first-hand experience as it most likely would have occurred.

The young man herein was from a Jewish family, steeped in rituals and customs. His family and he became great friends with Jesus and ultimately played an integral part in the last days of Jesus. This lad’s story permeates the second book of the New Testament.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

W hen I began to take on the writing of this book, I thought of the many children who sat at my feet in the churches where I served as pastor. It was those times that I gave a children’s sermon. Many thanks to those now adults, who were respectful, listened, and were open to The Word. My appreciation goes to their parents as well. Those parents encouraged me over the years to write. Today, I am 88 years old, and herein is my first attempt.

Individually, the following persons were my unique and special supporters, whom I deeply appreciate:

Karen Salanda, who typed the entire project where needed.

Marsha Looysen critiqued the content, offered constructive ideas, and did all the proof-reading.

Marilyn Frank has created our illustrations with her inimitable talent and suggestions.

Matt Phillips has technologically gathered all the parts and constructed the completed original document.

Dr. James Fleming, my friend and my professor in Israel, whose wisdom and knowledge has touched me immeasurably.

To each of you, I say, Thank you very much.

That having been said, I want to personally mention my very beloved wife of 58 years, Julie. She has stood by me throughout this whole project with gigantic patience, grace, and fortitude. Thank you, honey, I could not have done this without your support.

THE YOUNG LAD WHO

LOST HIS NIGHT SHIRT

A story about a night shirt? you may ask. And to that, I would reply, Yes, but before we get to that night, there are some things I need to tell you in order to help you picture the results.

My name is John Mark. My family’s home in Jerusalem has a furnished room above our sleeping quarters, and that room is reached by the outside staircase. When you enter this upper room, you will find in the center a table that is U-shaped. The center of this table is where the servant may serve the meal. Around the outside of this table are cushions, and those eating this meal will lie down on their left side and use their right hand to eat the meal.

In one corner of this special room there is a cabinet where we keep table lamps, oil for the lamps, and extra dishes.

Next to the door is a table called the hospitality table. It has a flask of sweet oil,