Six Miles From Jesus

By Jonathan Rishel

Would You Kill the Savior of the World? Uzzi and Ezekiel have spent their entire lives hearing of the promised Messiah. While training at the temple, they hear of a baby born in a manger, who seems to fulfill all the prophecies. The rabbis tell the boys to ignore the rumors, but how can they not check it out? Bethlehem is only six miles away! Will Uzzi and Ezekiel choose to listen to the rabbis or seek out the truth for themselves? The choices we make as children can greatly affect our lives. The choices made by these young men will change their lives forever. One will be led toward love and mercy, while the other is driven down a dark path full of hatred and murder. Join these friends on their journey and see the Easter story like never before""through the eyes of the enemies of Christ! Whether you are planning on performing this story as a play or reading it for pleasure, Six Miles from Jesus will touch your heart! Filled with many relatable characters and spiritual truths, this book is a must have for any library.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644580967

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Six Miles From Jesus

Jonathan Rishel

Copyright © 2019 by Jonathan Rishel

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Song: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Grandma: (Child enters acting moody) Good morning, sweetheart! Are you excited for the Sunrise Service?

Child: I guess so. It’s not like I really have a choice!

Grandma: What does that mean? I thought you always loved the Sunrise Service.

Child: Well, normally I do but this year Mackenzie is having an Easter egg hunt at her house. Mom said I couldn’t go because we have church. All my friends are going to be there!

Grandma: I see. I know it is hard missing out on something but I’m sure you will get lots of other chances to play with your friends.

Child: There will be lots of other chances to go to church too! Why can’t I hang out with my friends now and do church later! And then there’s Mallory! She was teasing me because I will be stuck at church while everyone else will be having fun! It’s not fair!

Grandma: Sweetheart, I understand there’s pressure from your friends to be with them and you will be missing out on some fun things but think of what Jesus did for you. This is our chance to show Jesus our love for Him.

Child: I don’t want to! Why should I go out of my way to show Jesus that I love Him? He already knows that I do!

Grandma: (sits in thought for a few seconds) How far is six miles?

Child: I don’t know. Not that far.

Grandma: So, if there was something you really wanted and that you have been waiting for your whole life and it was only six miles away what would you do?

Child: I would go find it. If it was that important I would go one hundred miles to find it!

Grandma: Good. Let me read you an Easter story. It’s about two friends, Uzzi and Ezekiel. They were young Levites training to be priests. But these young men had a choice to make, one that would affect the rest of their lives.

Child: What choice was that?

Grandma: Listen to the story and you will find out.

Scene 1: (Arriving at temple to begin training)

Uzzi: I can’t believe we are finally old enough to train and learn here at the temple, Ezekiel!

Ezekiel: Yes, we have waited so long, Uzzi. I can’t wait to serve our great God, Jehovah. Where do you think our Rabbi is?

Uzzi: He will probably be coming soon. I just hope I can remember all the laws. I have been studying them for so many years. I have them all in my head but what if I forget one? I can’t afford to mess up if I’m going to move up and become somebody important in the temple.

Ezekiel: I’m nervous too. Just remember though, that it’s not our head knowledge that Jehovah looks at but our hearts. Like the Psalmist said "With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

Uzzi: Yeah I know but I want to make a good impression on our Rabbi. I still can’t believe my dad arranged for us to study under Rabbi Hillel.

Ezekiel: Look, here he comes now.

Hillel: Sorry I’m late boys. We just had something very unusual happen! I’m sure both of you know Zacharias.

Uzzi: Yes, we know him.

Hillel: Well, it was his turn to enter the Holy of Holies. He was in there for a long time.