Angel On My Wing

By Lee Ecker

Captain Paul Barnes, USAF F16 pilot on exchange duty with the Israeli Air Force finds himself spinning in darkness after he ejects from his damaged aircraft over Lebanon.

As the daylight returns, he finds himself drifting down into a secluded mountain glen 2,000 years in the past landing among the shepherds who saw the angels proclaiming the birth of the Messiah.  One of the shepherds falls prostrate in front of him believing he is one of the angels returning, then literally giving Paul his daughter Sara to guide him back to Jerusalem.

After discovering where and when he was, Paul and Sara begin a long journey to find Jesus and become his disciples.  It wasn't enough for Jesus and He commissions them to return to the twenty-first century, where they search for His church and return to Israel as missionaries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lee Ecker
• Release date: Jan 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224554720

Lee Ecker

Lee Ecker obtained a commission in the Air Force ROTC program along with his Bachelor's Degree in Math with a teaching cerfificate at Michigan State University.  He later earned a Master's Degree in Counseling at Southern Illinois University During the Vietnam War, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross while flying an airdrop mission to a besieged Special Forces Camp at Dak Seang. He retired from the Air Force and later as a Captain with USAirways and is currently serving as Passtor of a small Community of Christ congregation.  He and his wife Sandi, have three sons, Jerry, Jon and Corey, and several grandchildren.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The two lead F16 Falcons were scarcely visible in the shimmering heat that danced over the runway enriched by the dark asphalt stretching over two miles into the glare of the bright desert sun.  Captain Paul Barnes (United States Air Force) kept an eye on number three, his leader, as he made a final scan of his instruments.  He held the brakes, pushing the throttle forward to the full military power limit waiting for the signal from his flight leader.  As number one and two broke ground, his flight leader nodded.  They simultaneously advanced the power to full afterburner as they released their brakes.  The acceleration forces momentarily thrust him back into the seat, but his concentration never wavered, as he willed his aircraft to remain tucked in tight with only a few feet separating their wingtips.  As soon as the aircraft was airborne, he raised his landing gear, automatically followed by the flaps, without taking his eyes off the lead aircraft.  Barnes slipped a little closer, eased slightly lower seemingly making  the two become one, welded together.   Turning in perfect synchronized harmony, they flew a cutoff maneuver designed to aid in their join up with the two aircraft ahead. The Star of David emblazoned on the aircrafts side was now clearly visible in the clear blue sky.  His supporting role in today's mission flying the fourth aircraft in a four-ship formation was a rare event for Paul.  He was accustomed to leading, taking charge.  But today, Paul had to put his complete trust in the formation leader, with only an occasional glimpse of the world outside, or a quick scan of his instruments.  Paul had flown numerous missions with each of the trio making up the rest of the formation in the six months he had been assigned as an exchange officer with the Israeli Air Force.  He trusted them with his life.  Recently they had been pulling alert at a remote desert airfield; thus for the past two weeks there had been little excitement, and no flying to break the monotony. Even as number four, it felt good to be back in the air again.  The view was spectacular as they slipped into a looser formation that allowed him to watch the beautiful Mediterranean coastline stretching from Southern Israel to the Lebanese border and the sprawling city of Tel Aviv slipping beneath them.

Their mission today was a routine patrol, designed to keep Israel's vengeful Arab neighbors painfully aware of the Israeli air su­premacy in the region.  Tensions were continually mounting, threatening to erupt into all out war, making every mission a potential combat situation.  For Paul, as an American officer, flying combat missions with the Israeli Air Force was strictly prohibited. Like today, however, he often flew missions with heavily armed combat aircraft.  His orders were clear——Stay out of Combat!  On a mission like the one he was flying today, he would not take part in any retaliatory strike, as often did the Israelis.   But, if necessary, along with number three, Paul would provide air cover.  They would engage in combat only to protect the lead aircraft against a counterattack when they were the most vulnerable.  Paul hardly ever saw an aircraft other than the friendlies, since their Arab neighbors almost always gave them an enormously wide berth.  The Israelis were dominantly victorious in the few enemy air encounters over the years since the 1967 seven-day war.  It wasn't likely he would see any combat on this tour of duty, and that was fine with him.  He hadn't lost his love of flying, although he had certainly lost his taste for fighting in the flak-filled skies over Iraq in the first few days of the Persian Gulf War known as Desert Storm.

His mind wandered back to the hours he spent on alert before the mission discussing religion with his Israeli pilot friends.  He always enjoyed those sessions when he could practice his limited knowledge of the Hebrew language and although infrequent, find someone who could speak to him in Aramaic, the ancient Persian language he studied in college.  Today they had spoken English because of their hot debate.  He kept thinking, wondering how they could be so closed minded and obstinate on almost every issue.  Their culture was so like his and yet so different, he mused, probably because of the constant threat of annihilation that had been with them long before the coming of Christ into their society.  But why, as a nation, they would never accept Jesus as their Messiah was something he supposed he would never under­stand.  He didn't know for sure what kind of Messiah they were actually looking for; he hoped to discuss that with them sometime soon.  He had always supposed that they were looking for a heavenly being who would save them from their enemies, establish his kingdom, and rule like an earthly king.

His mind was brought back to the present and their mission as the radio crackled, giving them coordinates, ordering an airstrike into Lebanese territory; describing the large number of anti-aircraft gun emplacements in the area.  He didn't pay much attention to the details because he knew those weapons didn't have the range to reach him at the altitudes he would be flying and they were identical to those in their pre-flight briefing.  If he did enter into the action, he would disregard them taking any action necessary to protect the flight from air attack.  If there was an air attack, he didn’t think the antiaircraft guns would be hot at the same time.  As they crossed the border, number one and two left for the strike while number three and four split wider to maintain maximum surveillance and still provide cover for each other.  The dark columns of smoke were all that was visible from their altitude as the bombs were laid directly on their targets.  After three or four target runs number one and two, low on fuel, began their climb, heading south without waiting for three and four to rejoin.  A flight of four Russian built Mig 23's with Iraqi markings rose over the mountain range to the east and pounced upon them.  Paul jammed his throttle into full afterburner, breaking right and streaking almost straight down.  He accelerated from subsonic holding speed to over Mach 2 in seconds on the tail of the first Mig while his lead broke left after another. 

He armed his missiles and immediately locked onto his unsuspecting target. 'Like sitting ducks,' he thought, as he pulled the trigger and broke left, trying to avoid overrunning his target.  The U.S. - built heat-seeking 'Sidewinder' missile unerringly nestled up inside the hot tailpipe of the lead Mig.  He didn't wait to see the resulting explosion, seeking out the third and fourth Mig.  Momentarily forgetting his partner's whereabouts, he flew through the second fireball, unable to avoid all the chunks of shrapnel bursting from the bombs and missiles slung below the second Mig 23 his partner had destroyed seconds earlier.

Smoke rapidly filled the cockpit as his engine began to surge, with jet fuel spewing erratically from the damaged fuel controller into the accessory section of the engine as well as the combustion chamber.  Paul turned South, trading his excess airspeed for altitude hoping to make it deeper into Israel in the ever more likely event he would be forced to eject.  Number three began a rejoin maneuver giving him a running condition report.  It doesn't look good!  You're trailing heavy black smoke . . .   Before his wingman could finish, the radio went dead as Paul heard a series of pops above the whine and engine surges.  His engine fire light illuminated and he decided to wait no longer; reaching down beside his seat, he pulled the arming handles and squeezed the triggers, blowing the canopy and catapulting his seat away from the burning aircraft.  The air­craft exploded a split second after he cleared, sending him hurtling at an even greater speed out of the immediate danger of the detonating missiles.

He couldn't remember blacking out, but darkness surrounded him like a shroud, like night fall in the middle of the day.  He felt no pain, but he experienced an eerie numbness of mind and body, with an accompanying unnatural sense of vertigo and loss of reality.  He kept falling, falling into an endless pit feeling numbingly cold, constantly spinning, with bright lights flashing in and out of his brain, with intermittent loud buzzing in his ears.  He lost all sense of time and space, fighting to gather his senses and take stock of his condition consciously aware that he felt no pain.  He had definitely separated from his seat, but his parachute which was set to open below 14,000 feet had not opened.  His mind and thoughts reeled with the staggering loss of physical input.  It was like the middle of the night except he could see absolutely nothing, no stars, no lights from cities below; he couldn't even make out the outline of his hands in front of his face.  He fought to control his rising panic, unable to face the possibility of complete blindness.  He desperately wanted to pull the ripcord, and for several minutes fought with his will power to overcome that intense overpowering tendency to disregard his automatic equip­ment.  Finally when he didn’t think he could wait any longer; he pulled hard, somehow expecting the parachute not to open.  When the chute opened he felt the opening shock of a magnitude several times stronger than he remembered or thought possible from his previous limited experience.  The spinning sensation ceased abruptly and a faint glow began to form around him, increasing rapidly to midday brightness, as he slowly drifted toward a landing in the rocky terrain far below.

Chapter 2

It is so!  Sara retorted with all the vehemence her ten-year-old body could muster.

My father told me again and again not to believe a word of it.  Your father either made up the story, or he's living in a dream world.  Mary was just as emphatic.  He said your father is insane and has been out of his mind since the day your mother died!

Not true and you know it!  It's just-—well no one will believe him. It's simply awful what the people in the village say.  And those other shepherds who saw the whole thing are cowards and won't talk either.  They don't want anyone laughing at them.  Sara tried without success to hold back the tears streaming down her face.

Mary, who was a little older, loved her cousin Sara like the sister she never had, and not wanting to say any more to upset her, relented.  I believe him and I like the story.  Maybe we can get him to tell it again tonight.  Let's forget about it for now and go explore the caves.

Sara dried her tears as her mood swung with the change in Mary's tone of voice.  All right.  I'll race you to the entrance.

Mary always enjoyed coming into the mountains south of Jerusalem and spending a few days or a few weeks with Sara depending on Mary's father's traveling schedule.  Her father often traveled to faraway places like Egypt and conveniently left Mary with relatives or left her home by herself in Magdala for long periods of time.

Both girls were pretty, but Mary, whose young body had already begun to mature, showed promise of becoming a great beauty.  Her flaming red hair was waist length and fluttered in the breeze as she sped on ahead of  Sara.

Sara was more at home among the rocks on the trail leading to the caves and could easily have won the race, but she was content watching Mary and the pleasure she showed in triumph before slipping inside the entrance to a small cave in the side of the mountain.  Sara found the lamp, still lit from their explorations earlier that morning, and followed Mary deeper into the cave where they soon became entranced in their make-believe world where no one else could enter.

Later that evening when Sara's father Adelphis returned from tending his sheep, Mary and Sara begged him to once again tell his story.  Sara pleaded, Father, we want to hear the story again.  Sometimes I wish I could go to Bethlehem and see him myself.

But, you must know he isn't there any longer.  Adelphis tried to explain, He was just a baby then, but it's been such a long time.  Besides he probably didn't even survive that bloody first year. Nobody talks about it much anymore, but Herod's soldiers killed every manchild in Bethlehem shortly after his birth.

Mary objected, But if he was the Messiah, like you said, he couldn't have been killed.  Wouldn't God have protected him?

Adelphis sighed, I don't know, child.  I hope so.  But even if he is still alive, he wouldn't be living in Bethlehem!  The promise of the angels was of peace on earth, all because of him.  Someday, I hope to live to see him in all his glory!

Sara was thoughtful for a minute, Then, maybe other people far from here would believe you.  You could tell your story to the whole world.

Adelphis laughed, rumpling her hair, Well, maybe.  But the world is too big and I'm getting too old.  I don't know much about it except what Mary's father tells me, but the world is a lot bigger than this mountain we live on.

We don't care about the rest of the world, just tell us about the angels,  Mary begged.

Adelphis could hold out no longer and began his tale, savoring each moment in his memory.  "Well, there were four of us shepherds there that night, besides your brother, even though they won't admit anything happened.  We had been settled in that little grove for several hours before they appeared.  It was a clear night, very dark and quite cold.  We had a fire going and everyone was getting a little drowsy.  The sheep were especially quiet, and we were just trying to decide who would keep the first watch.  Your brother was still quite small and he wanted to be treated like an adult, but he was already fast asleep.  I don't know how much he actually remembers or how much he knows because of how many times I've told the story.  But I can tell you this much, he knows he saw the angels.  Anyway, one of the other shepherds drew the first watch and moved out of the grove and started his watch.  It was so dark, and then all of a sudden, it was as bright as the noon-time sun, but somehow even though it was so different, it didn’t bother the sheep.  The light we saw was focused all in one spot, yet it surrounded the angels who seemed to be standing in thin air ten or fifteen feet above the ground.  There were at least ten, maybe more, and oh how beautiful they were.  I've never seen such beauty and they began to sing as sweetly as birds with voices that filled our souls with longing to sing with them.  And you both know I can't carry a tune.

Then, I felt a sense of unworthiness and I fell to the ground afraid to even look at them.  Their presence thrilled me, but I did not believe I could possibly be good enough as a man to witness such a thing, so I closed my eyes.  I don't know what the others did, but I know what they saw.  The angels stopped singing and one said in a low, clear voice, 'Don't be afraid.  Stand and listen while we bring you glad tidings of great joy which shall be for all people throughout all the world.  You have waited long years for the Messiah to come.  Tonight is the night.  He was born in Bethlehem just a few minutes ago.  You shall find him in a stable.  Go there and worship him.  Remember what you saw and heard this night and do not be afraid to tell the world that your Messiah is with you even now.'

They began to sing again and they stayed with us the entire trip down the mountain while directing us to a small cave made into a stable in Bethlehem.  There we saw the newborn baby and fell down and worshipped him.  He was a beautiful baby, but he really didn't look any different than any other baby.  His mother and father were there and they were just ordinary people, but I believed the angels when they said he would be our Messiah!"

Chapter 3

Fourteen years later, Adelphis led his sheep slowly down a narrow mountain trail, seeking any small patch of vegetation where they could graze and he could maybe find a little shade for protection in the hot afternoon sun.  It had been several days since the last brief rain shower, and he would soon have to seek greener pastures in the mountain valleys high above.  Huge boulders were strewn along the trail where he often found relief from the strong winds and bitter cold nights.  They were passing such an area which had several boulders forming a natural circle large enough for all his sheep and several more.  The boulders were on the trail side, with steep jagged mountain rock on the other.  There were only a couple narrow inlets where he could easily defend against marauding robbers or wild animals.  Even though it was a beautiful place to set up camp, he didn't use the area very often anymore, except on rare occasions like today, when grass was difficult to find elsewhere.  To him this was sacred ground, the one place he would never forget.  Nor would he forget the angelic voices singing, praising God, and proclaiming to him and his shepherd friends the birth of the Savior a few miles away in the small town of Bethlehem. 

He led his sheep inside and watched his two dogs settle down, guarding the entrances without waiting for his command.  He fell asleep in the slight shade of a small boulder, again dreaming of the night he saw the angels and his subsequent visit to see the Christ child.  How could that one child save his people?  The method didn't matter.  He knew without a doubt that it was so.  He steadfastly remained true to his testimony, that angels visited him on this very spot on that beautiful clear night many years earlier.

Adelphis woke with a start.  His dogs were barking incessantly at a strange being dropping out of the heavens on billowing white wings.  It was descending toward the exact same place he saw the angels hover above the earth.  He remained motionless, staring up in awe as the being's features grew larger.  He certainly wasn't an expert on what angels should look like, judging from the Rabbi's remarks in the neighborhood synagogue after he repeated the angel's story.  But he could see that this being was entirely different from any human he had ever seen before.  The head was larger, very shiny, bright white with no hair.  The eyes were large, flat, dark green which stretched clear across his face, reflecting the bright sun.  His nose was like a small wrinkled elephant's trunk dangling from his face, but he had no mouth.  His body was clothed in an olive green, indecently snug-fitting garment with huge exterior veins stretching down the sides of his legs.  His arms were reaching toward heaven.  His chest was crossed with a harness attached almost invisibly to the wings gently lowering him to the ground.

Adelphis crouched behind the boulder he had been leaning against, hiding and watching in awe as the strange being disconnected his wings, carefully gathered and folded them, piling and hiding them in a depression and covering them with rocks..  He removed an outer shell from his head and removed his nose trunk.  He pulled a small dark package from a pack attached to his wings and began to talk, in an unknown language, directly into the box.  Mayday!  Mayday!  Blue Four to Blue One.  How do you read?  Over!  The box made a few crackling noises, and a few words were heard spoken in a unfamiliar Arabic tongue.  The being repeated, Blue One, Blue Three, Blue Two, This is Blue Four on the ground! How do you read?  Adelphis tried to make out the words, but could not understand one word he said.

Paul put his radio away, shaking his head, thinking, 'It never works as advertised!'  Except for the few words spoken in some Middle East dialect, probably Farsi, which he didn't understand, it seemed no one else was monitoring the emergency radio frequency.  He glanced around, seeing only a small herd of sheep and two shaggy dogs that were just beginning to quiet down.  The dogs were obviously well trained and could sense he posed no danger to them or the sheep.  He had no idea where he landed, but estimated he must be quite some distance south of the Lebanese border.  He hoped he was back inside Israel, but decided he wouldn't take any chances until he could get his bearings.  He found a slight depression, buried his parachute covering it with rocks, gathered his survival pack and headed toward the trail up the mountain.

He hated to leave the secluded glen; it was so peaceful, far removed from the war-torn areas of the Middle East, even to the casual observer.  But he was instantly on the alert as an old weather-beaten shepherd rose from the ground to meet him.  Without hesitation, Paul instinctively reached for his .38 Smith and Wesson revolver tucked inside his flight suit.  The shepherd's garb made him look like an Arab, except for his multicolored robe.  However, there was no mistaking his intentions as he fell back to the ground on his knees with his head to the ground in an attitude of worship.

Paul shoved his pistol back in the holster, and without thinking called out in English, Please stand up; Who are you?  Where are we?  There was no answer as the man continued to bow before him.  He tried again, this time in his broken Hebrew, Please, stand up!  Tell me; Where am I?  There was still no answer.  He reached down grasping the front of the man's robe attempting to pull him to his feet.  Paul immediately released him, as the two dogs, sensing imminent danger to their master, advanced snarling and growling menacingly.

The shepherd slowly stood, giving quick sharp commands to the dogs with an accent difficult for Paul to understand.  He had never heard the accent before, although he could understand fluently the Aramaic spoken.  The dogs went peacefully back to their posts, totally subdued, tails dragging between their hind legs, as the shepherd turned back to Paul and spoke.  Master, your servant stands humbly before you!

Paul switched to Aramaic, I'm not your master!  Who are you?

I am Adelphis, a simple shepherd.  Are you not one of them that came before?  I heard, I remember and I believe your words. 

You must be mistaken!  I've never been here before!  I don't even know where I am.  Am I in Israel?  What is your nationality?

I am of the tribe of Judah.

Paul was astonished and looked puzzled, Are you Israeli?  Why aren't you speaking Hebrew?

I am of the house of Israel.  But you must know these things.  You came down from heaven! I saw you land with your pure white wings.

Did you see what happened up there?  Did you see what happened to my aircraft?

The old man shook his head, bewildered, What's an aircraft?  I saw nothing except you, coming from heaven just like the angels who came before!

Is your home far? Do you have a telephone?

My house is near, but I don’t know the word telephone!

Paul came to the conclusion he must have landed in a remote area, far from civilization, where airplanes, parachutes and telephones were not known.  He had a thousand questions along that line, but thought, at least for the moment, it would be best to let the shepherd think he came down from heaven.  He knew of no such remote area in Israel, but the shepherd was obviously Jewish, even if he didn't speak Hebrew.  He needed some reference and inquired, How far are we from Jerusalem?  The shepherd's eyes lit up.  Not far, less than half a day's journey.

Where is the nearest highway?

Only a few kilometers to the West, there's an old road just over the hill over yonder, he pointed to a hill a few hundred yards distance.

Please, can you take me there?

Adelphis was torn, vacillating between his love for his sheep and his master, but he would do anything God or one of his angels asked.  And he did have his dogs to watch the sheep.  They would be okay for a few minutes, and he decided quickly.  All right, follow me.

Paul picked up his pack and followed along the narrow path until cresting the indicated hill.  He could see no highways, just a narrow dirt trail, and in the distance a couple of men wearing similar multicolored flowing robes riding on camels traveling West.  But, where is the main highway?

Just a few kilometers to the West, that trail will join the main road.  Turn to the North for Jerusalem, or to the South to go to Bethlehem.

His mind began to whirl; where was he?  He thought he must be going crazy.  He obviously couldn't be far from Jerusalem, but where was all the traffic, and where were all the grape vineyards?  He had traveled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem several times since coming to Israel.  He turned back to the shepherd, Where are all the houses, cars, and trucks?

What...  What are cars and trucks?

He was getting nowhere fast, Please, what did you say your name was?

Adelphis.

Well, Adelphis, maybe you could take me to Jerusalem?

I can't leave my sheep!  My son and I must stay here.  But if I may offer a substitute, my daughter will go in my place.  We have a couple of good, quality donkeys you are welcome to take with you.  If you don't waste time, you can get there long before dark.  There are just too many thieves and robbers on the road for safe travel after sundown.  Just wait here for a few minutes, and I will get my daughter to lead you.

True to his word, Adelphis returned within minutes with his daughter leading the two beasts of burden.  She was covered from head to toe except for her bright sparkling dark brown eyes visible above her veil.  She kept her eyes downcast, except when she thought Paul or her father wasn't looking.  Adelphis handed Paul a robe and headgear similar to his own with a simple explanation.  You'll stand out worse than a Roman soldier, but dressing more like us might help.  Every thief in the country will be drawn to you as it gets closer to the hour of darkness.  Of course, if you want to attract attention . . .  

No, that sounds like good advice!  Paul was relieved.  He didn't want to draw undue attention to himself, at least before he discovered where he was.  The angel story might convince the shepherd, but it wouldn't fool any of the Arabs he might meet along the way.  He wondered why Roman soldiers would be in Israel, but he let the thought pass.  He hesitated for only a moment, not wanting to be mistaken for a spy, but decided to chance it and donned the robe over his flight suit.

Paul tried to object when Adelphis adjusted the headgear, but Adelphis wouldn't listen.  He sternly refused to be dissuaded, The robe will do no good without something on your head.  You might as well go buck naked!  Besides, this will keep the sun from burning your pale skin.

Paul glanced at the girl, who showed no reaction to her father's crude remark while mounting her donkey.  He allowed Adelphis to hold the donkey's head as he mounted, then followed the girl as she led them toward the open trail.  They rode in silence for several miles before stopping to rest the animals at a crossroads along the passage.  The countryside looked totally unfamiliar with absolutely no visible landmarks that he could identify.  He saw few travelers and all were dressed in similar fashion.  She pointed toward the North, That's the road to Jerusalem, and to the south is Bethlehem.

But where is the main highway?

That's it, the only one I know!

All right, let's head for Bethlehem.  It is closer, right?

Yes, we can be there in less than an hour if we hurry, and the road to Bethlehem is much safer.

There were many more travelers along this road, and Paul knew he stood out from the rest even with his wavy blond hair covered, but he could not hide his light complexion.  His heavy flight boots sticking out at the bottom were even more conspicuous.  A few passers-by took lingering second looks but did not cause any problem in any other way.

Paul caught the girl covertly watching him and turned toward her.  Why do you keep your face covered from me?  Is it because of who I am, or because of the heat and dust?

She answered timidly, My father says it is not fitting and proper for an unmarried young maiden to show her face to you, or to any man.

Why not?  After all, he did send you to Jerusalem with me, without a chaperone!  And the way he talks in front of you certainly doesn't show much respect.

My father has his reasons.  He would not send me with just any total stranger.  But he is convinced, you are an angel sent directly from God, and he would never refuse your request.  I have no choice.  I must conduct myself properly as a lady, regardless of the way Father speaks.  Besides, he didn't mean any disrespect.  Are you an angel?  You don't look like one to me.

No!  But what's an angel supposed to look like?  I'm probably as far from one as possible, considering I just shot a man out of the sky today.  Why does your father think I'm an angel?

He saw you come from heaven just like the other angels.

What other angels?

Several years ago, before I was born, angels appeared to father and some of the neighboring shepherds, telling them the Messiah was born that night in Bethlehem.  Father and some others went to Bethlehem and saw a newborn baby which the angels said would someday be a king.

Paul began pinching himself to convince himself he was not dreaming.  But, that's not possible!  Jesus Christ was born two thousand years ago!  Does your father have these hallucinations often?

Please, don't make fun of Father!  He can't take much more and keep his sanity, and I can't either.  We'd better be moving along; it won't take much longer.

Let's walk for a while and then we can talk some more.  Paul didn't wait for her to object, but he waited until they were underway before speaking, What kind of experience did your father have?

She didn't want to discuss it anymore, but she remembered her father's instructions to treat and honor him as if he was a messenger from God.  Father says they were all sitting around a campfire one clear night right there where you landed when, suddenly, there appeared a host of heavenly beings, singing beautiful songs and praising God. One of them told them not to fear because the long awaited Messiah was born that night in the City of David.  The angels directed them to a stable in Bethlehem where they found the babe.  Anyway, father talked about his experience with some of the Rabbis and priests at the Temple in Jerusalem and they laughed at him.  Now, since that night, all the villagers laugh and ridicule him whenever we go to town.  They keep asking him, 'Where is the king of the Jews?'  Now Father would rather stay and tend the sheep and send me on his errands in town.  They still laugh, but I can take it.

Paul's mind was reeling; Jesus Christ wouldn't be coming back the same way the second time; would he?  Could the old shepherd be hallucinating?  Paul never understood why the Jews rejected Jesus, but would God send his son to them a second time?  Would he give the Jews another chance?  No, just thinking about it made it sound silly.  Maybe he was still unconscious or asleep, dreaming. Nothing made sense.  He turned back to her and asked, Why are you, a Jew, wearing that silly veil?  I thought that was an Arab custom.  I hope you're not leading me into a trap.

"No, I have no reason to do that!  It was all father's idea.  I don't usually wear this veil among the shepherds, but when traveling I must.  As it is, he thinks I will never get married.  I'm already an old maid because none of the families around here would ever consider me as a suitable match for their sons.  They wouldn't allow their sons to marry the daughter of a man they believed possessed by an evil spirit!  Anyway, father insisted, and I must lead you to Jerusalem.  This way, if no one connects you with us, you will be treated