If you would prefer to listen to this story as an audio recording, CLICK HERE.

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NOTE: As has become my annual practice, starting this week and for the three weeks that follow, i will be posting four short stories about four different people who encountered Jesus during the months leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection. You will find each of these individuals in the Gospel accounts, however i have added fictional elements to each of their stories so that we might see each one … as they journeyed through their lives leading up to their encounter … and as they continued their journey in the days that followed. You will read the parts of their stories you may already know … and the rest that could have been. Though some of the other characters and details contained in each story may be fictional, you will find the truth conveyed about the One they each encountered to be very REAL! My prayer is that through the stories, you will see Jesus and be reminded of the Good News of the cross and the empty tomb as we enter into this season of remembrance. To that end, let’s look at their stories:

The Paralytic (This week – March 23)

The Grieving Mother (March 30)

The One Caught In The Act (April 6)

The Man Who Owned The Upper Room (April 13)

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My name is Yanis. I grew up in the hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee not far from the road that now leads from Tiberias to Nazareth. The men of my family have been shepherds as long as anyone can remember. I never had to wonder what I would do when I grew up. Because I am my father’s oldest son, there was never any question that I, too, would be a shepherd – and one day my father’s flock would become mine….