The Tunic (Part 15)

(The Tunic is a fictional story based on the Passion of Jesus. The story began on post March 18, 2019.)


  Livia rushed to prepare dinner for Cato.  She was very behind.  With any luck he would come home a little later today, and then she would not have to explain anything. When things were getting close, Livia asked, "Remus why don't you go outside and watch for Papa.  Maybe you could show him some of the trails you have been enjoying."
  "Yes, I want to show him my new favorite one! I hope he comes soon."  It wasn't long before Livia could hear Remus shouting.  "He's here!  He's here!" Livia watched as Remus pulled on Cato's hand to follow him.  Livia knew Cato would not be able to refuse him.  She smiled.  Everything would be ready by the time they returned.
  However, Cato did not look too pleased when they returned.  Livia wondered what was wrong.  Livia knew it was best not to question his mood, so she quickly served super avoiding his stare.
  "So, Remus tells me you had visitors today," began Cato.
  Livia quickly looked at Remus trying to determine what exactly he told Cato.  "....yes . . . two neighboring woman stopped by. . . . .They brought us some fresh bread."  Livia glanced up to read Cato's face. He was definitely staring harshly at her.
  "And?" question Cato.
  "And, I'm afraid Remus ate it all.  He was quite hungry."
  "It was very good, Papa!"
  "And what did you talk about?" inquired Cato.
  Livia could tell by the tone in his voice he was not happy.  "Oh, you know, just woman talk.  I thanked them for the bread, they told me about their family.  The two woman are sisters and live with their brother not too far from here."
  "Mama, I told Papa how their brother was dead but then Jesus told him to come out of the tomb!  Tell Papa that story. I really liked listening to that one.  They had lots of good stories about Jesus, but that one was my favorite!"
  "Yes, Livia, please tell me that one.  Please tell me how you talked to complete strangers about Jesus!  I moved you here to be safe!  Did you just jeopardize everything?!"  Cato's face was red and his voice harsh.  "I'm going to great extremes to keep my family safe, and you are willing to risk everything?  Did you tell them who I was?  Did you tell them what I did?!"
  Livia hated when Cato was upset like this.  She knew she had done nothing wrong, but she did not want to provoke him any further.  She just stared at her food and remained silent.
  Cato pounded the table.  "Well, Livia?  Will you not answer my questions?"
  Livia kept her eyes lowered.  Her voice quivered as she answered.  "Cato, I did not talk about you."
  Cato stared at Livia.  "What did you say, then?"
  "I stated only that we had recently moved here from Jerusalem."
  "Did you tell them why?"
  "Of course not."
  "Did you tell them about the tunic?"
  "No."
  "Why would they just come over and start talking about Jesus?"
  "Cato, the woman know Jesus very well.  They have heard him preach.  He has stayed at their house.  He brought their brother back ...." Livia thought twice before she finished her sentence.
  Cato stood up and yelled, "Jesus brought the man back from..... what?"
  Livia quietly let the words escape from her lips.  "Jesus brought Lazarus back from death."  Livia kept her eyes focused on her plate as she heard Cato storm out of the house.
  "Mama why is Papa so mad?  The woman were very nice.  I liked them."
  Livia did her best to blink back her tears as she softly answered Remus, "I liked them, too."

(To be continued...)

-Susan

The Tunic (Part 14)

(The Tunic is a fictional story based on the Passion of Jesus. The story began on post March 18, 2019.)


  "Mama, Mama! I'm back!", yelled Remus as he approached the house.  Livia came out of the house smiling, eager to see Remus. She was very surprised when she saw the two woman with Remus.

  "Remus you haven't gotten yourself into any trouble, have you?," asked Livia.
  Remus laughed, "No, Mama.  I helped them carry their water to their house and they rewarded me with some delicious bread.  We brought some for you, too!"
  "Hello, my name is Martha and this is my sister Mary.  We were very fortunate to cross paths with your son today.  He was very kind to help us."
  Livia smiled as she introduced herself, "I'm Livia.  Please come inside."  As they walked inside Livia told the sisters, "We have just recently moved here. It is just a temporary arrangement.  You are the first neighbors we have met."
  "Where are you from?" asked Mary.
  "Rome, originally," answered Livia, "but we have been living in Jerusalem for over a year now."
  "Oh, is that were you met Jesus, in Jerusalem?" asked Mary.
  Stunned, Livia did not know how to answer.  Why did these woman think she knew Jesus? Livia bit her lip for a minute.
  "It's okay, don't worry.  We are friends of Jesus, too. Remus told us that both of you were  healed by Jesus. Please share your story with us.  We would love to hear it!"
  Livia quickly looked at Remus for an explanation who was completely oblivious to Lidia's stare and apprehension.  He was busy enjoying the bread. Lidia had no idea who these woman were or if it was even safe to talk to them. She could almost sense Cato's disappointing stare and his warning to be quiet.  Livia nervously looked at the sisters wondering what she should say.  "Well... I think it would be rude of me to just start talking about myself...You are the guests, please tell me about yourselves."  Lidia wondered for a second if she had successfully dodged their question.
  Martha and Mary loved to speak about Jesus and eagerly began to share their story.  Martha began, "Well Mary and I live down the street with our brother Lazarus," she paused for a moment to see if Lazarus name meant anything to Livia. " Lazarus was just recently very, very ill.  We sent word out to Jesus that he was in need of healing.  We waited.  Lazarus grew weaker each day and then...."  Martha wiped a tear from her eye and Mary reached over and gently squeezed her hand.
  "It is okay, Martha.  He is back with us."
  "Yes, I know, but it is still very difficult to remember that moment."  Livia felt slightly uncomfortable as if this moment was too private to be sharing, yet she desperately wanted to know what happened. Martha took a deep breath in and then clasped her hands over her heart as she let the words unwillingly escape, "He died."
  Livia gasped.  "Oh, I'm so sorry..."
  Martha shook her head and said, "Don't be.  It was a part of God's Plan. God allowed Lazarus to die, so that Jesus could bring him back to life!"
  Livia's eyes grew wide as she tried to understand what Martha was saying. In an instant she remembered Cato speaking of Jesus bringing a man back to life.  "Oh, I can't believe this," Livia thought to herself, "Is Lazarus the same man Cato was referring to?"
  "Jesus came four days after we had placed Lazarus into his tomb.  In the midst of us all mourning, Jesus came and I met him on the road. I remember His words vividly.  He said, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,  and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?'  I told Jesus that I believed that he was the Christ, the Son of God! I then quickly went to find Mary back at the house.  Together we showed Jesus Lazarus' tomb. The stone was rolled back and Jesus said in a loud voice,'Lazarus, come forth!'  And Lazarus walked out of the tomb still wearing all his wrappings!  Jesus brought my brother back to life! I was filled with incredible joy!"
  Livia could feel her heart beating with joy as Martha spoke each word. "Please tell me more," Livia begged.  "I want to know every detail!"
  Martha and Mary took turns telling Livia everything about Lazarus' death. Livia couldn't believe the close relationship the family had with Jesus. Both woman could repeat everything Jesus had shared with them. Hours passed before any of them even noticed.  Livia hung on every word the women spoke.  She desperately wanted to know everything about Jesus.  He was even more incredible than she had imagined.
  "Livia, please, tell us how Jesus healed you and Remus," Mary asked politely.
  Livia wasn't sure she should share her story.  What would Mary and Martha think of her if they knew her husband had been one of the Roman soldiers which had crucified their dear friend?  Livia knew she could learn so much more from these two.  Both of them believed without a doubt that Jesus, too, had been resurrected.  After all Jesus himself had said, "I am the Resurrection and the life!"  Livia thought quickly.  "I would love to share our story, but I"m afraid I must begin my chores before my husband returns.  Could we get together again soon?"
  "Yes.  We would enjoy that!  Next time you will tell us all about your encounter with Jesus!" said Mary.

(to be continued....)

-Susan

The Tunic (Part 13)

(The Tunic is a fictional story based on the Passion of Jesus. The story began on post March 18, 2019.)

  Cato continued to search for the truth.  Day after day he searched for the body of Jesus without success. Even Jesus' closest disciples couldn't  be found.  All these unknowns made Cato very nervous.  He managed to find a small house just outside of Jerusalem in Bethany for Livia and Remus to live until things settled down. Cato still feared he may be punished for his role in Jesus' crucifixion.
  As the days turned into weeks, Cato found that people were more willing to speak about Jesus.  Cato was surprised to discover that Jesus was a man of peace and compassion.  His miracles were even more numerous than Cato had originally thought.  With each passing story, Cato yearned to learn more.  Jesus was far more interesting than Cato had imagined. His death made absolutely no sense.  
  Livia was not pleased with the move to Bethany.  She desperately wanted to learn more about Jesus.  She was afraid that living outside of Jerusalem would prevent her from ever meeting the risen Jesus.  Each night Livia would pray,  "Jesus make yourself known to me. I desire to spend my life thanking you."
  Remus seemed to adjust more quickly to the move.  He was always so happy now.  He was eager to discover the world.  Previously, he had thought his life would consist of sitting in a chair and watching the world go by.  Now that he was free of pain, every day offered unlimited possibilities.
  A week after they had moved to Bethany, Remus asked Livia if he could take a morning walk.  "Just promise me you will be careful and not go too far," pleaded Livia as she attended to her household chores.
  "Don't worry, I promise to be good," Remus replied with a smile.  As he made his way down to the end of a long road, he noticed two woman struggling with their basins of water.  "Could I help you carry your water?"  he asked.
  The women smiled.  "Thank you so much.  We are blessed to have a strong young man help us."
  Remus flashed the women a big smile.  He liked thinking of himself as strong.  "Well I wasn't always this strong," Remus answered.  "Before Jesus healed me, I could barely walk."
   "You know Jesus, too?!  Oh, we would love to hear how Jesus healed you.  Jesus is a close friend of ours.  He healed our brother as well.  Please tell us your story."
  Remus told the women about the fire and how he had been badly burned. "Walking hurt so much.  Usually I just sat, and sometimes, even doing nothing was painful.  Then my mom placed Jesus' tunic on me and I felt something change in me.  And now I can walk and run and carry heavy stuff! I'm healed!"
  The women were fascinated with Remus.  "Remus we made some fresh bread this morning.  Perhaps we could bring some to your mother. We would love to meet her and talk more about your healing."
  "Fresh bread sounds delicious!" replied Remus. "My mom and I are trying to learn more about Jesus.  Maybe you could tell us what he is like?"
  "We would love too!" answered Martha.  

(to be continued....)

-Susan

The Tunic (Part 12)

(The Tunic is a fictional story based on the Passion of Jesus. The story began on post March 18, 2019.)


  Cato found Livia and Remus waiting outside for his return.  Remus again came running towards him.  Cato thought it was the most joyous and beautiful sight ever.  Moments earlier Cato was completely exhausted, but now seeing Remus, he was filled with new energy.
  "Papa, Papa have you heard?!"
  Cato quickly dismounted from his horse and ran towards Remus.  "Have I heard what?"
  "Jesus might be alive again!" Remus said grinning from ear to ear.
  "Where did you hear that?" questioned Cato.
  "Mama and I took another walk around town and we heard people talking about it!  Isn't it great!"
  Cato didn't know what to say.  He drew his lips tight together afraid the wrong words might escape. He loved seeing Remus smile again.
  Lidia sensed her husband's stress.  "Remus let's all go inside and eat dinner. I'm sure Papa is hungry and tired after such a long day. He needs some rest."
  "Can I play outside for a little longer? I already ate."
  Livia looked questionably at her husband and shrugged her shoulders.  "We didn't know when you would be home.  I gave him an early dinner.  He gets so hungry know that he can run around and play."
  Cato nodded yes and headed inside.  He really didn't know what to say to Remus' news, and appreciated Livia giving him a chance to collect his thoughts.  Dinner smelled delicious and Cato realized he hadn't eaten all day.
  Livia placed a generous plateful in front of Cato.  Cato seemed lost in thought.  She knew she had to chose her words carefully.  She thought for a moment as Cato enjoyed his dinner.  "You're home late today. You must have had a very busy day."
  Cato let out a sigh.  "It was a long, unsuccessful day of searching."
  "Oh?....What were you searching for?" asked Livia.
  "The body of Jesus."
  "What?  Is it true then?  It's missing?" Livia asked trying to restrain her excitement.
  "His body is missing from the tomb.  No one is claiming to have taken it and we can't find it.  And believe me, we have searched.  Pilate is furious!  He wants his body found and nobody knows where it is.  We've been door to door asking if anyone has any information.  So far we have come up with nothing."
  "Nothing?"
  "Well...we have some stories that Jesus predicted he would rise again.  There are stories that he had healed people who had died and brought them back to life.  One man, Lazarus, was in the tomb 3 days when he raised him to life."
  "Cato that is amazing!  How could an ordinary person perform such miracles?"
  "They are stories Livia.  How can people be brought back to life?  I have never seen it happen.  If a man had this kind of power, then how could he not have stopped his own crucifixion?"
  Livia remained silent for a few minutes while Cato continued to eat.  She knew in her heart that she had been healed by Jesus, but she had no explanation as to why this God would allow His son to be crucified.  It was such a horrible way to die.  But...what if Jesus really was alive?  Livia desperately wanted to meet him now.  She wanted Remus to meet him!  She wanted to say thank you, she wanted to....follow him?....Yes, she wanted to be a follower of Jesus!  Very cautiously Livia allowed a few words to escape.  "I hope he is alive."
  Cato froze with the sound of her words.  "Livia, you are a sensible person.  Please stop this nonsense.  It can't be possible.  Livia I helped crucify the man.  He is dead!  We put a sword through his heart.  I removed his body from the cross and placed it in his mother's arms.  The man is dead!  People don't come back from the dead!"
  Livia never liked confrontations with Cato, but she couldn't help herself.  "Cato look at your son.  How do you explain his healing?  Look at my arms.  How are the scars gone?  How is the terrible pain gone?"
  Cato shook his head and pounded the table.  "I don't know...I don't know...."  Cato closed his eyes as his hands tried to stop his head from spinning.  How were they healed? Terrible pain? Livia had never spoken of her own pain.  All these months she had remained silent, focusing only on Remus.  Cato was confused, he was tired, and .... a little scared. He could feel his heart racing. What if Jesus really could rise from the dead?  Would he come get revenge on Cato for crucifying him? Would his followers try to get revenge for Jesus?  Is his family even safe here while he is gone all day?  If anything ever happened to them again while he was gone, he couldn't live with himself. Maybe they should move.  He has to keep his family safe. Where could they go?  Can you even hide from God?  Cato's thoughts pounded one after another on his brain demanding answers. (Suddenly breathing became difficult. Why was he perspiring so much?) He would do whatever he had to do. He knew how to fight. His face felt flushed and he just wanted to scream when he felt Livia's soft touch on his shoulder.
  "Cato, I'm sorry.  I should have remained silent.  I'm sorry I have angered you."  When Cato opened his eyes, he saw his wife's beautiful, tear stained face begging for forgiveness.  Instinctively, he took her hands in his and gently kissed them. He let out a very deep sigh.  "Livia, it has been a very long day.  I have no answers tonight, but I promise that I will search for the truth."

(to be continued...)

-Susan

The Tunic (part 11)

(The Tunic is a fictional story based on the Passion of Jesus. The story began on post March 18, 2019.)


  Cato was about to report into work when he saw one of his fellow soldiers running towards his horse. The soldier was obviously very upset. He looked at Cato and just started yelling.  "It's not my fault!  I didn't take his body!  No one did! The whole ground started shaking and there was a powerful source of light. It was too bright to even look at it!  But I saw something move the stone away with ease.  Trust me it wasn't human! He never carried out anything from the tomb, because the tomb was empty!  It's not my fault!  I don't know what happened to his body!  It's just not there!"
  "What are you talking about?  Whose body is gone?"
  "The King of the Jews--that Jesus preacher--the one we just crucified!  I'm getting out of here!  Pilate is furious! Someone is going to pay for this and it's not going to be me!"  The soldier jumped on his own horse as swiftly as possible and commanded the horse to run.
  Cato could feel his body shaking. What did this even mean? Why would anyone take the body of Jesus?  For what purpose?  Suddenly a few more soldiers came running from the court yard.
  "I don't see him anywhere! We will deal with him later."  They looked at Cato and yelled, "Pilate wants everyone to report directly to him right now!  We've got problems!"
  A few moments later Cato found himself and others in front of a very angry Pilate. " We need to find Jesus' body and get it back into that tomb! If we don't we are probably going to see another riot!" screamed Pilate.  "There are reports that Jesus rose from the dead!  The Jewish leaders claim his followers stole his body! I think everyone has lost their minds!  Find me that body and the ones responsible for taking it!"
  Cato and his fellow soldiers searched the streets.  No one was claiming to have stolen the body.  Few would even talk to the soldiers out of fear.  No one seemed to know where his small group of followers were hiding.  They spent the entire day searching with little to report. Only a few people were willing to speak. They all claimed Jesus predicted he would be raised up.  He had just recently rose a man named Lazarus from the dead. Also there were reports of two young children being raised from the dead.
  When they reported back to Pilate, Pilate was again furious.  He sent them back into the streets. It was obvious no one was going to talk to a Roman soldier about what had occurred.  After a very long and unsuccessful day, Cato and the others were allowed to return home but ordered to begin the search again early tomorrow.
  Exhausted, Cato rode home trying to understand how someone could rise from the dead?  In the army, he had seen men die all around him.  No one ever comes back once they die.  None of this made any sense. Cato's mind couldn't understand any of this, but his heart began to secretly hope Jesus was alive. It was such an odd feeling to have.

(to be continued...)

-Susan

The Tunic (part 10)

(The Tunic is a fictional story based on the Passion of Jesus. The story began on post March 18, 2019.)



  That night Cato tossed and turned in his sleep. He kept seeing images of Jesus as he slept. His hands, His feet, the blood running down his face. In the dream he would look at the crowd and all he could see was the woman's eyes.  The pain in her eyes seemed to mirror Jesus' eyes. Behind the cross he could see the white tunic blowing in the wind.  Cato fell to the ground and cried out in sorrow, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.  I didn't know what I was doing." Cato woke up trembling.  His heart was racing. The dream had seemed far too real.
   After he calmed down, Cato convinced himself to fall back to sleep.  This time his dream contained a brilliant flash of white. Now Jesus was no longer on the cross. He was standing in front of a large crowd. He saw Livia and Remus in the crowd kneeling in front of Jesus.  They were worshipping Jesus. He just stood there watching, when suddenly Remus started shouting, "Papa join us.  Believe Papa, believe."  When Cato looked back at Jesus, he was again hanging from the cross. Afraid, Cato turned his gaze away from Jesus. He looked down at his own feet and that's when he saw it.  He was holding the tunic in one hand and a bag of coins in the other.  Cato began sobbing uncontrollably.
  "Cato, Cato, wake up.  You are having a bad dream."  Livia looked concerned.
  Cato opened his eyes and looked around. He let out a big sigh.  It was just a dream. "I'm sorry I woke you up.  Go back to sleep, Livia. I'm fine."  That's what Cato said, but he knew he wasn't. He couldn't make sense out of anything.  His guilt laid heavily on his chest and pressed against his thoughts. Falling back to sleep became impossible.  He just laid there for a long time. His thoughts bounced back and forth in his head.  He tried to remember exactly what was said about Jesus. He wished he would have paid closer attention. When the sun finally spilled its light across the room, Cato decided to get up and begin the day.

(to be continued...)

-Susan

The Tunic (part 9)

(The Tunic is a fictional story based on the Passion of Jesus. The story began on post March 18, 2019.)

 For what seemed to be a very long three minutes nobody spoke. Livia scanned the room hoping the water was still there, but it was gone as well. 
 Finally Cato spoke. “I came home and no one was here....where were you?”
  “Remus and I have been all over town. Walking, running through the streets and fields!  It has been the best day ever!”
 “Papa do you want to see how fast I can run?”
 “Yes!  Yes, I do, but please let me look at you first.”  Cato looked up and down at Remus’ legs.  They looked perfect. It was as if he had never been burned.  He took Livia’s arms in his hands and examined them.  No scars.  Cato couldn’t explain what he was seeing.  He shook his head back and forth.  “Please tell me how.  How did this happen?”
 Livia described as best she could what had occurred and how it felt. Cato just gave her a blank stare. If he had heard anyone else tell this story, he would not have believed them. It was crazy.  It made no sense.  
 “Cato it is a miracle!  Do you not believe me?”
 “Of course, I can see with my own eyes the miracle in front of me. But how could a dead man’s tunic heal you?”
 “You said he claimed to be the son of a god, right?  The women drawing water this morning were discussing all the miracles he had performed.  In my head, I wished he could have healed us--"
 “Livia I helped crucify that man!  Why would a god heal my family when I killed his son? I didn’t show any mercy. Why would he show mercy to me?  It doesn’t make sense. There must be another reason.”
 “I don’t care that it doesn’t make sense, Cato.  I know what happened. I felt something incredible as if I was being touched by a powerful source of love.  More powerful than anything I have ever felt.”
 “Papa, please believe.  It’s true!  I feel so happy!  Mama and I are going to find out all we can about him tomorrow. What was his name again?
 "Jesus."  Just saying his name made Livia smile.
 "Okay, tomorrow we will find out more about Jesus. But right now can we just go outside and I will show you how fast I can run!”  Remus was too excited to sit and talk anymore.
  Cato looked at his son's giant smile.  He thought he would never see Remus smile like that again. "Yes! We will all race and see who is the fastest!"
  

(To be continued....)

-Susan