Sojourn with the Nubians

CHAPTER 38

Yeshua, Miriam, and their children travel to the community of Kush, along the Nile, to live among the Nubians for some seasons. Yeshua and Miriam teach them about Elohim, the one true God, and many abandon the beliefs of the Egyptians. Yeshua has a keen interest in all things, and one day, he goes with a group of Nubians to watch how they fish and gather food. A youth foolishly gathers some crocodile eggs and is attacked and maimed by the crocodile that was guarding the nest. Yeshua calmly approaches the crocodile and soothes it, allowing everyone to escape carrying Suhen, who is near death, with them. Yeshua then miraculously heals Suhen, and great is the wonder among the Nubians.

 1 And it came to pass that from time to time, Yeshua and Miriam and their children left their home at Memphis to journey up the Nile and into the desert and wilderness beyond the Nile, sometimes for many moons, to commune with God and to learn of other people and cultures.

 2 On these journeys, Yeshua always sought out the priests and leaders of the area to speak with. And some turned him away in scorn, but others taught him of their beliefs in openness.

 3 He forgave those who scorned him, but they received no blessing. But those who welcomed him, he blessed with a greater understanding of truth and sometimes with small miracles.

 4 It was perilous for one small family to travel alone. And many were the times when bandits thought to attack and rob or enslave them. But always the hand of God was upon them and protected them, and never did any evil befall them.

 5 In his travels into the wilderness, Yeshua came to know the animals that roamed the Earth as friends. And he loved them as great as he loved the little children, for they were innocent and pure in his eyes. And he learned to speak to them in their minds and touch their hearts with his.

 6 And many were the soldiers or robbers or slavers who thought to do harm to Yeshua and his family, only to flee in terror when the crocodile rose from the banks of the Nile to defend him, or the Lion bounded into their midst, or the eagle dropped from the sky upon them. For wherever he walked, the animals who were his friends looked upon him with gladness and greeted him and protected him and his family.

 7 As Yeshua went among the towns and villages of the Nubians of Kush, near the first cataract of the Nile, his heart was glad for their simple ways and the honesty of their feelings, as there was no guile in them.

 8 And it came to pass that Yeshua and Miriam and the children lived among the Nubians of the first cataract for some seasons and learned of their culture and the ways of their beliefs. And they spoke often with their matriarchs and their elders.

 9 Yeshua and Miriam taught the Nubians the ways of Elohim, the one true God. And many Nubians began to follow the ways of Elohim and abandoned the gods of the Egyptians and of the Sun and of the Moon and of the stars, for Yeshua and Miriam taught them that Elohim was the God of all that is and even the very light of the Sun and the stars came forth from Elohim.

 10 As Yeshua had taught Babuaten the true history of the pharaoh Akhenaten in like manner he taught the Nubians how the grandmother of the pharaoh Akhenaten was a Nubian and how his younger brother lived among the Hebrews in Goshen and came to be known as Moses and led the followers of the one true God to a land of promise.

 11 And it came to pass that Yeshua was continually curious about the ways of the Nubians and one day asked to go with a group of men in small boats on the Nile to catch fish and gather water plants for food.

 12 Thus, it was that Yeshua left in the company of eight Nubians and came to the banks of the Nile, where they launched themselves into the river in three boats.

 13 Two of the boats spent the morning fishing, both by spear and net, and also harvested fish in large traps set in the river shoals and by basket dangled from the boat. The third boat, in which Yeshua rode, used the trunks of young trees cut with several curled roots at one end as rakes to pull up edible plants from the bottom of the river shoals.

 14 Yeshua had a keen interest in everything that he saw and engaged the two Nubians in his boat with many questions.

 15 At noonday, the three boats pulled up on shore in a tall grassy area underneath a large palm tree to have a meal. Some of the men had brought food with them, and others began preparing some of the fish and plants they had gathered during the morning.

 16 The youngest among them was a youth of about sixteen years by the name of Suhen, and he went off some distance from the shore, it was assumed, to attend to private matters. But he quickly returned with great excitement, holding some large eggs and saying, “Look, look, I have found a crocodile nest full of eggs; come quick and let us harvest them before the mother returns.”

 17 Yeshua made to caution to them to say that it was not wise or respectful to steal the unhatched young from a mother’s nest, but as a group, they were so excited about the find that they had all run into the grass to raid the nest before he could say a word.

 18 He followed slowly after them, pondering what lesson he could teach them. Suddenly, there was a most awful scream of terror and then the cries of many men. Yeshua rushed forward to find that the mother crocodile had returned, and she was larger by thrice than the largest man.

 19 With movements of amazing speed that would not be thought possible from such a short-legged and heavy creature, she attacked all around her as she defended her nest.

 20 The Nubians tried to mount a defense with their spears, but none could find the mark upon the swift moving crocodile. She knocked several to the ground with powerful sweeps of her thick tail, and the young man who had first discovered the nest had already been caught in her powerful jaws and lay limp on the ground, bleeding and severely mauled.

 21 Then into the chaos and fear walked Yeshua, as placid as a summer morning. And he called upon the Nubians to move back into the tall grass and to stand perfectly still.

 22 The crocodile saw him as he moved toward her and rushed forward to rend him, but Yeshua stood calmly and opened his arms wide, with his palms facing forward and held at the height of his waist. With a lurch, the crocodile stopped still in its attack, but continued to swing its tail back and forth ominously. Then its tail came to rest, and it began to move its body up and down on its short legs.

 23 After a few minutes, the crocodile settled down upon its belly and lay still, and Yeshua came up to it and put his hand upon its head. And the crocodile opened wide its mouth, showing its many large teeth, sharp like daggers. But it did not bite Yeshua.

 24 He called then the men to come and take the wounded youth and return to the boats. In haste, they did as he bid, and all left save one named Takka, who remained standing still in the grass. And he saw Yeshua sit down beside the large head of the crocodile and put his arm around its neck.

 25 And thus Yeshua remained for several minutes, communing with the most feared creature of Egypt and giving his peace unto her, and then he and Takka returned to the men who were waiting for him at the boats; and they had feared that perhaps the two had been eaten by the crocodile.

 26 Suhen, the young man that had been mauled, was near death and bleeding from many wounds. Yeshua came up to him and, kneeling beside him, began to move his hands all across his body but without touching him. Then he placed his hands upon his head and said, “Father, forgive this man, his youthful carelessness and thoughtlessness. If it be your will, I ask you to heal his body and restore his health.”

 27 Upon his words, the eyes of Suhen opened, and he called to his friends.

 28 Then Yeshua called upon the men to quickly gather mud and to thickly cover his body with it insomuch that he could not even move. And they did as he bid.

 29 Four men then carried him and lowered him into a boat, and then they all cast off their boats into the river and hurried to return to their community.

 30 As they traveled, the clay began to dry upon the body of Suhen in the hot Sun, and Yeshua bade the Nubians to let it remain upon him as they returned in the boats to their village.

 31 Upon their return, there was great commotion in the town as word of what had happened was quickly passed from one to another.

 32 Yeshua instructed that Suhen remain in the mud for three days, with new mud placed on him whenever the dried fell off, and to be given only a tea made from particular plants which he showed to them. After three days, all the mud was removed, and his wounds were completely healed. Seeing this miracle, one such as they had never supposed possible, the Nubians praised God for the wonder and looked to Yeshua in awe.