The week before Pentecost Jesus appeared to them again, although he stayed with them only briefly. After a private meeting with his mother and Mary Magdalene, he asked the eleven to follow him to Bethany. The twelve left together, but only the eleven returned two days later. "Where is Jesus?" Clopas asked when they returned and shared what had happened and what Jesus had told them. Peter raised his hand to quiet the group. "While enjoying a meal with him, Jesus told us," 'Do

The next week was a whirlwind of prayer, fellowship and a continual wondering when Jesus would visit them again. Peter was becoming more convinced that Pentecost was the time Jesus was going to usher in his kingdom. At first, the group stayed inside Clopas' house, avoiding the chance of reprisal by Hadar and Caiaphas; while Addi was more concerned about Gavriel's efforts. As the first week passed, the information gathered from Cleopas and Lycus was that because of the death o

As they walked, jogged and sometimes even ran down the dark road leading back toward Jerusalem, they would talk about the scriptures that had been shared and their meaning. "God had told us all along when and where his kingdom would come!" Cleopas said between breathes. "It was right there all along, I just can't believe I missed it," he said and shook his head. In Isaiah 2, he told us; "This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days t

They spent the Sabbath inside, resting and praying. Cleopas and Lycus had gone out to gather the spices and perfumes from friends for Mary and the other women to prepare to take to Jesus' tomb on Sunday. Early in the morning a knock on the door found Maor standing there with Peter, Bartholomew and James. As Addi listened to their conversations, it sounded as if the entire core group of disciples were now all together in one place. Even without Jesus, there was a renewed spiri

As they walked through the city, Lycus stopped and bought some wine and milk. Although he carried most of the bulky stuff, he had Addi take some of the smaller stuff that was heavy. Addi never questioned it, but Lycus could tell that Addi was wondering why the need for food. "We may need traveling food if those of us remaining are forced to flee the city in a hurry. I don't know how many of us will be left, so we'll gather all that we can carry," Lycus stated as they made sev

Addi was sitting at a table with his father, listening and cherishing every word that came out of his mouth. It had been a long time since he had heard his father speaking, but now the memory of his father's voice was as clear as if it were yesterday. He remembered the day, now 16 years ago, that he had gone into his office and asked him what he was reading, and his father said the book of Isaiah. "Why?" Addi asked, knowing now it was the same question every child his age ask

Addi ran down the various streets on his way to the Sheep Gate that led to the Kidron Valley when only moments later, Lycus caught up to him as he ran. "Where are you going?" Lycus asked as he slowed his pace. "The Sheep Gate," he said between breaths. "You're taking the long way, follow me," he replied and took the lead, turning down a side street, then down another. Addi had never been to this part of the city and strove not to lose Lycus in the process. However, try as he

Addi was nervous at the thought of seeing Gavriel. Despite Cleopas' efforts, he was concerned that somehow he had managed to follow him to Alcaeus' and now knew about his plan. Could Alcaeus have betrayed him? He wondered. If so, there would be more than just Gavriel waiting inside. Addi realized if they were indeed working for Gavriel, all Gavriel had to do was to ask Heber and the other guards to take him captive or kill him. The thought of coming so close to thwarting thei

The man at the door was the same young man who had delivered so many of Cleopas’ former messages to Addi. Recognizing him, Addi simply stated; "I need to speak with Cleopas here at the earliest opportunity." As he had done on each of their prior meetings, he again seemed to take a moment to search for something deeper in Addi’s expression. To Addi’s surprise, and far different from their previous encounters, this time he seemed content and even happy in what he found. He nodd

As Addi broke the wax seals of the leather tube and the outer scroll covering, he began to think about his father who had spent a great deal of time researching and reading in his office But Addi never understood exactly what it was he was researching and why. He suddenly realized where he and his father were different. His father had spent his time studying and researching within the scriptures trying to discover who the Messiah would be, not just believing and following wha