Today in LLP class, we learned from Jo Biggerstaff about Christian Formation(read:education). In the afternoon, we taught short classes in pairs. One team picked this section in Luke and taught about the concept of midrash. Here is an edited version of what I wrote in class.
Dear Mom,
Are you sitting down? You are not going to believe what happened to me today. I can walk! No, really, I can walk, run, leap, you name it. Yes, I know I have not been able to use my legs for 10 years, since the accident. Today, Ezra, John, and Zeke got tired of watching me beg at the synagogue every day. I thought when they picked me up, that they were going to take me down by the synagogue like they always did. Instead, they took me to the house of Matthias.
The crowd around the house was huge! They tried to get to the door but failed. They tried pushing their way through, but the people pushed back. Finally, they went around to the back to the house and went up on the roof. They tore a hole in the roof, Mom! I tried to get them to stop, but they just kept on lifting tiles. Once they had a big enough hole, well barely big enough—I have scrapes on my arms from the roof, they lowered me down on ropes. Yeshua bar Yosef sat teaching. Once I was on the floor, he got into an argument with some people about sin and healing me. At that point, I wanted to shout “Just let me walk, and then I can go to Temple and deal with my sins.” Sounded to me like he was in trouble with the other people, something about a god-complex. He said something about sins and then he told me to take up my cot and walk.
When he said that, I froze. I had not walked in 10 years. Would I remember how? Would my legs be strong enough? Would my twisted ankles straighten themselves out? What if I could not get up? What if he failed to heal me? This all raced through my mind in a heartbeat and a half. I sat up. So far, so good. I swung my legs around and they obeyed. I leaned forward and put weight on my feet. I could finally see my ankles, my beautiful straight ankles. I almost could not get up at that point. I wanted to simply stare at my beautiful straight ankles and admire the spectacular symmetry. I pushed off with my arms from the cot, and my legs held my entire weight for the first time in 10 years. You would think that after 10 years, my legs would be weak and tire easily. Mom, I swear they felt like they had the day before the accident. Once I left the house of Matthias, I all but ran home! I set my cot aside and walked around for a while. I was afraid to sit down for fear that I could not get back up. Finally, I had to sit to rest. I sat and rested, then I got back up. I sat again and got up again at least 20 times before I finally sat and laughed! I really was healed. I laugh until I cried, I cried until I wept. I wept until I was all wept out. I thanked God for sending me to Yeshua bar Yosef. It will take me a day or two, but then I will be walking home to visit for a week or so until I come back here to get back to work. I, Michael bar Mahlah, will be able to stop begging and get back to work. See you in about a week when I arrive on foot. Thanks be to God.
Love,
Michael
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