Exhausted, Ezra sat down not far from the path he had traveled. His twisted foot made walking difficult and slow. He noticed that most of the crowd was sitting further down the hill closer to the teacher called Jesus. Ezra knew he would have difficulty walking the rough terrain in order to get any closer. For nearly two hours, Ezra sat and listened to Jesus speak about love of one's neighbor and forgiveness. Jesus seemed to emphasize love. Ezra had never heard someone speak like this before. Jesus encouraged everyone to return to their homes and pray to the Father. Ezra loved the idea of calling the Almighty One, Father. Jesus made prayer seem so easy and natural.
As Jesus withdrew, the crowds closed in on Him. Ezra could hear voices calling out to Jesus for blessings and healings. Ezra felt the familiar pain as he stood up. He wished he, too, could get closer to Jesus, but he knew that even if he made it down the hill, he would never make it back up. "Stupid foot," cursed Ezra. As Ezra glanced one last time at Jesus, he wondered if Jesus could see the crowd's faces from down there.
Slowly, Ezra began the long walk home. Ezra picked the path that would be most deserted. He wanted some quiet moments to consider Jesus' message. An hour later he rounded the last bend on the path, when suddenly Ezra stopped. He ducked behind a lager boulder to his left. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Jesus was about 30 feet in front of him praying on His knees with His eyes and arms lifted towards the heavens.
Silently, Ezra watched and listened to Jesus pray. Ezra strained to hear Jesus. He noticed there were moments when Jesus would be silent, but nodding His head in agreement. Ezra was astonished! Jesus was actually having a conversation with God! It was amazing! More than anything, Ezra wanted to have a relationship like that with God. He could hear Jesus mention so many who were in need. He was asking the Father for physical and spiritual healings. Ezra was taken aback when he realized He actually knew the people whose names were being mentioned. And then he heard one name that changed everything. Ezra heard Jesus pray for him! Jesus knew his name? his pain, but how? He had just seen Jesus preach for the first time today. They hadn't even met face to face yet. Jesus was praying to the Father to heal Ezra's foot. Then he saw Jesus stop talking for a minute, and Jesus appeared to be listening. Jesus nodded His head in agreement and said, "You're right. It's not his foot that's holding him back..... Yes.... I will..."
Then Jesus turned around and glanced in Ezra's direction. "Ezra come out from behind that rock and pray with me."
(to be continued...)
-Susan
