The two Nicholases sat for dinner with Dan, his wife and two small children, and after sharing the news from their respective corners of the empire, the conversation turned to young Nicholas’ question. Dan said, “What I tell you, you must be cautious in repeating. Some may misunderstand it as treasonous talk. 165 years ago, the Jewish people rose up a second time against the rule of Rome. At first, the fight drew us all together. Most of us supported throwing off Caesar’s yoke, and many believers in Christus were among them. But then Shimon, the leader of the revolt, gave himself the title, Bar Kokhba, the son of the star. He was calling himself Meshiach, or you would say Christus, the Anointed one from God. He made the revolt about him. The believers in Christus could not support him without rejecting Christus. Shimon then treated them as traitors. After his defeat, all the Jews now call him Bar Koziba, son of the lie, but the damage was done. To this day, we Jews who follow Christus, the others see as enemies.”
Nicholas and his uncle spent the night in the assembly hall and Dan’s story hung over Nicholas like a shadow. He could see it was hard enough for a Greek to turn from his gods and follow Christus, but even more so for a Jew. Most of the time, he could blend in with his culture, but a Jew could not.
The next day they hiked up the road through the hill country while old Nicholas told stories of their Lord and what he did in the city once called Jerusalem. They came at last in view of a little town on the top of a high ridge. Only a few crumbling towers remained of its walls. Young Nicholas could make out the camp of a Roman garrison at its southern end.
Old Nicholas exclaimed, “There it is! The city where our Lord conquered death.”
“That’s it?” wondered young Nicholas aloud. He didn’t know what to expect, but he didn’t expect this. The city had a wide avenue with a forum running north and south, but there was not much more to it besides that. It looked like a sleepy Roman village, not the place where God had made his name known among men.
Nicholas and his uncle spent the night in the assembly hall and Dan’s story hung over Nicholas like a shadow. He could see it was hard enough for a Greek to turn from his gods and follow Christus, but even more so for a Jew. Most of the time, he could blend in with his culture, but a Jew could not.
The next day they hiked up the road through the hill country while old Nicholas told stories of their Lord and what he did in the city once called Jerusalem. They came at last in view of a little town on the top of a high ridge. Only a few crumbling towers remained of its walls. Young Nicholas could make out the camp of a Roman garrison at its southern end.
Old Nicholas exclaimed, “There it is! The city where our Lord conquered death.”
“That’s it?” wondered young Nicholas aloud. He didn’t know what to expect, but he didn’t expect this. The city had a wide avenue with a forum running north and south, but there was not much more to it besides that. It looked like a sleepy Roman village, not the place where God had made his name known among men.
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