First Century.
Rome. Jerusalem. Galilee.
Low tech world.
Roman armies marching always into battles.
Sons and fathers conscripted to fight and die.
Taxes.
Morning to sundown scraping out a meager living.
Few people can read.
Life sucks.
You fish. You trade. You do odd jobs. Hand to mouth.
Life is growing old soon and dying.
There are no hearing-aids, dental implants, eye-glasses or open heart surgery.
People smell bad. Rotten teeth and bad eyesight.
What is there to look forward to?
If you are a Jew....may the Messiah come! Maybe?
*** ***
But, one day you hear a wonderful story.
A real Messiah?
How do you know he is REAL?
What? Walked on water? Wow!
Miracles? Raised people from the dead? You're shittin' me! Really?? Wow!
Fed 5,000 people from a few loaves of bread and fish? Shut up!! Wow!
Where is he? I gotta hear him and meet him!!
Huh?
They did what to him??
I knew it! Too good to be true!
Say what? SAY WHAT???!!
Back? From the DEAD?? Holes in his hands??
Floated up into the sky? You're F-ing shitting me now...right?
He's gonna what?? COME BACK SOON?
KILL the unrighteous? You mean the pagans, right?
I gotta do what?
BELIEVE?
In a world where there is no Television, iPods, laptops, movie theatres, newpapers, college, career opportunities......
What ONE thing would change your world and turn it upside down?
What ONE thing would place YOU at the center of the most important story you've ever heard?
What ONE thing would make YOU part of the solution to mankind's biggest problem?
That's right. Believing a JESUS story.........and passing it on.
A mother would hear that Jesus said, "Turn the other cheek.." and not "Go to war and die".
A parent would hear "Let the children come to me" and feel safe trusting such a plea.
A Jew would think "No more Roman oppression!"
A sick person would think, "I will be able to see and walk be young again!"
That's alot of GAIN for the pain of Believing.
You get EVERYTHING in exchange for what you have: A few short years....sickness....death....anonymity.
Why would a 1st Century nobody want to believe a JESUS story?
To get everything they need and have no hope of getting otherwise!