ISBN 978-0-9970685-0-4
50895>
U.S. $8.95
9 780997 068504
the son A Private Journal Dorcas Lady Good
Published 2005 by Mark in the Margin P.O. Box 1218 Newton, KS 67114-8218 www.markinthemargin.com Scripture texts used in The Son are repeated, along with their references in “Sacred Scripts” at the back of the book. The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C., and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Scriptures taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission. New King James Version (NKJV), copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982. Thomas Nelson Publishers Inc., Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved. The Son – A Private Journal Copyright © 2015 Dorcas Lady Good No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or by any information storage without permission in writing from the copyright owner: Cover design, book design and layout by Jim L. Friesen Library of Congress Control Number: 2015920151 International Standard Book Number: 978-0-9970685-0-4 Printed in the United States of America by Mennonite Press, Inc., Newton, Kansas. www.MennonitePress.com
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“The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” —Luke 2:40 The New American Bible Revised Edition Saint Joseph Edition
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Introduction Growing up as a boy in the small town of Nazareth of Galilee in first century Palestine few would have been aware of the extraordinary events surrounding the birth of Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph. The fact that his birth had taken place while his parents were on a trip to Bethlehem of Judea for the census was not necessarily unusual. After all, babies have a way of coming when they are ready, not necessarily when their parents are ready. And Mary, always gracious and polite, was not one to brag about her child. Besides, who of her friends, for example, would believe that at the birth of her son, angels had appeared in the starlit sky over Bethlehem announcing his birth to a small group of bedraggled shepherds. And that these same shepherds had hurried to the stable where she and Joseph had found emergency lodging for the night, wanting to see her baby. Or who of them would believe that later while they were still in Bethlehem three magnificently robed Magi from the Far East came to where they were staying bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. “We have seen his star and have come to honor this new King,� they had said as they stood at the door waiting to be admitted. v
Or even more preposterous, who of them would believe that while she was still unmarried, the angel Gabriel had visited her and announced that she, Mary, had been chosen to be the mother of God’s son. That Jesus had been divinely conceived. That Joseph was not Jesus’s birth father. No…there was no way she could tell them these things! Come to think of it, whom could she tell? Whom should she tell? And even more important, who should tell Jesus? Should she? Should Joseph? Or would he intuitively know this without either one of them having to tell him? On her bed at night, Mary would fall to sleep with such questions running through her mind. On one such night, an idea occurred to her. “I’ll keep a journal. This will give me a chance to practice my writing. Joseph will be pleased to know that I am using the skills he taught me, along with Jesus, over the past several years. And I know he’ll be there to assist me if I need help in this endeavor. “I’ll record what I observe about him. Things he says. Things he does. Perhaps what others say about him. Not necessarily every day, as papyrus is expensive, but when I notice something or hear something that impresses me, I’ll jot it down.” And so she began…
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The Journal
Today, when I started my journal, Jesus wanted to know what I was doing. I told him that I was going to start a journal…a recording…a writing down of some of my thoughts…but that it was going to be a private journal. Something for my thoughts alone. I suggested he might want to start a journal of his own now that he was five years old and would soon be going to Hebrew school.
Joseph
Joseph! What words can I use to describe him? Dreamer. Carpenter. Lover. Provider. Scholar. Teacher. The list could go on and on! He was the one who suggested I might like to study writing and reading along with Jesus. And he has been 1
such a good teacher. Always patient with us and respectful of our questions. At the end of our lesson today I said to Joseph, “Thank you for your patience with us.” “Patience is a hard thing,” Jesus said. “It takes a long time!” Joseph and I could not help but laugh!
The First Day
Sending Jesus off to the house of the teacher this morning was the hardest thing I have had to do since his birth. Joseph and I had prepared Jesus for this day. He would begin his studies at the “house of the teacher,” adjacent to the synagogue. There he, along with other boys his age, would begin their formal education by reading from tablets, followed by rolls containing small portions from the Scriptures. As I handed him his lunch, his large, luminous eyes danced with excitement! He was ready!
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As he stepped out of the door with Joseph, who would be walking with him up the hill to the synagogue for his first day of school, I could no longer hold back the tears. He had just taken a few steps, when he suddenly let go of Joseph’s hand, hurried back to where I was standing in the doorway, threw his little arms around my waist, and said, “I love you, Mother!” “I love you, too!” I said.
The Synagogue
The synagogue is our house of prayer; our house of worship. The synagogue is also our community center; the place where we meet for matters of interest to the community. But, above all, the synagogue is a place of study: the study of our faith, the study of our culture…for all ages. The synagogue is our life.
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The Poem
Now with Jesus at the house of the teacher during the day, my mornings are my own. In the tradition of our people, Joseph believes that the education of children should be conducted in the early morning when “the mind is fresh.” This has been a good discipline for me, as well. I will now have more time to spend reading. I am very drawn to poetry. I’m thinking of memorizing a portion from the Book of Proverbs. It’s a poem. Joseph introduced me to it. He said it would be easy to memorize as each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. I’ll work at it verse by verse. Perhaps I’ll begin today. Let’s see. Who can find a woman of worth? Far beyond jewels is her value. Who can find a woman of worth…
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A Perfect Choice
Joseph is not only a master craftsman, but he is a master teacher as well. In the tradition of our people, he sees instruction as a sacred responsibility. “God is the divine Teacher,” he says. “As such, he not only imparts knowledge to men, but also inspires them to teach in turn.” He is proud of his trade and takes time with Jesus educating him in the use and care of all his tools. Whether it is a compass, a chisel, a plumb line, or an adze, he carefully explains how it is used in the creation of the original, one-of-a-kind piece of furniture that is his trademark. But…and this is what I admire…he doesn’t stop there. He has made his shop into a place where imagination flowers. To observe Joseph and Jesus working together is to observe a creative team at work solving problems by designing solutions. I observe all of this and I marvel, “In choosing Joseph to be my husband, God also chose Joseph to be the earthly father for his Son. What a perfect choice it was!”
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Destined for Greatness
I ran into Rabbi Misha at the market today. We happened to meet at the herb stand owned by Darias’s father. I’ve been trying to patronize his stand since Jesus’s incident with Darias. When we had finalized our purchases, Rabbi Misha drew me aside. “Mary, I’ve been wanting to talk to you.” My heart sank. “Is there a problem?” I asked. “Oh, to have a hundred such problems!” he replied with a hearty laugh. Then, he became serious. “Mary, your son is gifted. You know that don’t you?” “Well,” I said, “I know he has a very active mind and is very creative. But I think that perhaps parents are too close to a child to assess accurately his or her giftedness.” “Not merely gifted,” Rabbi Misha continued, “he’s destined for greatness. You need to prepare yourself for that.” And with that we parted.
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Epilogue Looking back over my journal, I am poignantly aware that many of my thoughts and observations were left unwritten. Unwritten on my papyrus perhaps, but not left unwritten on my heart. I still believe, however, that the life of every child needs to be documented in some way...things he or she says...things he or she does...things others say about him or her. If we can capture glimpses...even if it’s only now and then...of the uniqueness of this life God has entrusted to us...then we are, in fact, documenting the infinite design of God himself.
Mary
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ISBN 978-0-9970685-0-4
50895>
U.S. $8.95
9 780997 068504