One who was dead comes back to life

The soldiers who were guarding Creator Sets Free began to mock and beat Him with their fists. They put a blindfold over His eyes, "Prophesy to us! Tell us who struck You!" they laughed, insulting Him with cruel words and twisted faces.

As the sun began to rise the Grand Council of elders, along with the head holy men and the scroll keepers, (scribes) all came together. They brought Creator Sets Free (Jesus) into the council house.

"If You are the Chosen One, then tell us!" they demanded.

"If I say that I am, you will not believe Me, and if I ask for your answer, you will not tell me, and then He said, "but from now on the True Human Being will be seated at the right hand of the Great Power."

Then with one voice they asked, "Are You the...the Son of the Great Spirit?"

"You have said it," He answered them, "I am."

"Why question any more witnesses?" the council ruled. "We have heard it ourselves from His own mouth."

Questioned by the People of Iron

When they were done they tied ropes around Him again. All the ones who had gathered there got up and followed as they took Creator Sets Free to Spear of The Great Waters (Pilate), the governor of the People of Iron.

Spear Of The Great Waters represented the People of Iron. His job was to keep the "peace" and make sure there were no uprisings among the tribes. He came out of his headquarters to hear the charges against Creator Sets Free.

So they began to accuse Him, "We caught this man misleading our nation and telling people not to pay taxes to the government of the People of Iron. He tells the people that He is the Chosen One, a Great Chief."

The governor turned to Creator Sets Free and asked Him, "Do you say that You are the Chief of the Tribes of Wrestles With Creator?"

"It is you who have said it," He replied.

Spear Of The Great Waters turned to the head holy men and said in front of all the people, "I see no reason to find this man guilty."

But they kept accusing Him and saying, "He is making trouble with the people of the Land of Promise, spreading His teachings from Circle of Nations to Jerusalem."

Spear Of The Great Waters turned to the holy men and said, "You told me this man was a troublemaker, but I questioned him and found Him not guilty of your accusations. One of your own people questioned Him, found nothing wrong with Him. Can't you see that this man has done nothing that deserves death? I will have Him whipped and release Him."

By tradition the People of Iron would release one criminal during the festival. But they all shouted, "No! Not Creator Sets Free! Instead release Son Of The Father!" Now this man was a troublemaker who had caused an uprising and had been imprisoned for murder.

Spear Of The Great Waters wanted to release Creator Sets Free so he asked again what they wanted to do with Creator Sets Free. The crowd began to roar, "Death! Death on the cross."

Spear Of The Great Waters quieted the crowd, and a third time and told them that he found this man not guilty or worthy of death. I will have him beaten and then set Him free."

The crowd would not back down, louder and louder they demanded His death on the cross again and again, until Spear of The Great Waters finally gave them what they wanted. He made his official decision, released Son Of The Father, a man of violence, guilty of uprising and murder, and he turned Creator Set Free, the man of peace, over to what the people wanted.

Nailed to the Cross

The soldiers then marched Creator Sets Free away. A man named He Hears, from the village of Spirit Waters in northern Africa, was just entering the Village of Peace. The soldiers forced him to walk behind Creator Sets Free and carry the crossbeam for Him.

A large crowd of people trailed behind. Some of the women were wailing and crying out loud. Creator Sets Free turned to them and said, "Daughters of the Village of Peace, weep not for Me but for yourselves and your children. The time is coming soon when people will say, 'It is better for the women who have borne no children, for they will not have to watch them die.' People will say to the mountains and the hills, 'Fall on us and cuver us over.'

"If they do this to a green tree what will they do to the trees that are dead and dry?"

Two other men, both of them criminals, were also walking the road with Him to be put to death.

When they came to the place called "The Skull," they nailed the hands and feet of Creator Sets Free to the cross. They did the same for the two ciminals, putting one on each side of Him.

"Father-forgive them!" Creator Sets Free cried out. "They don't know what they are doing.'"

The soldiers divided up His garments and gambled for them by drawing straws as the people watched.

The people watched as the spiritual leaders mocked Him, "He set others free," they said, "why can't He free Himself if He is Creator's Chosen One?"

The soldiers offered Creator Sets Free wine mixed with bitter herbs," and mocked him, "If you are the Great Chief of the tribes," they laughed, "then set yourself free."

Above His head, carved into the cross-beam were these words in three languages-CHIEF OF THE TRIBES OF WRESTLES WITH CREATOR.

One of the thieves next to Him spewed out angry words, "If you are the Chosen One, then save yourself and us!" Then the other thief spoke up and said, "Have you no fear or respect for the Creator. We are guilty and suffering for our own wrongdoings, but this man has done nothing wrong!"

The man turned to Creator Sets Free and said to him, "Honored One, remember me when You come into the power of your Good Road."

Creator Sets Free looked at the man and said, "I tell you from my heart, before the sun sets today, you will walk with Me in the beautiful garden."

At the same time Creator Sets Free cried out with his last breath, "O Great Father, My Spirit is in Your hands!"

One of the head soldiers of the People of Iron, who saw all these things, honored the Great Spirit by saying, "He must have been an upright man, not deserving death."

Death Defeated

It was now sunrise on the first day of the week. The women who had prepared the spices and oils were on their way to the burial cave. When they arrived they saw that the large stone in front of the cave had been rolled away. They went inside, only to find the body of Creator Sets Free was gone!

They were standing there in amazement and wonder when suddenly two men appeared beside them dressed in shining white regalia. The women, trembling with fear, bowed down low to the ground on their faces.

The men said, "Why do you look for the living in the place of the dead?" He is not here, He has returned to life. Do you not remember what He told you in Circle of Nations? That the True Human Being would be turned over to the ones with bad hearts. They would put Him to death on the tree, but He would come back to life on the third day."

Then the women remembered what He had said. They hurried back to tell the eleven message bearers and the others what they had seen and heard. There was Bitter Tears of the village of Creator's High Lodge, Woman Of His Goodwill and Bitter Tears, the mother of Heel Grabber, and other women with them.

These women told the message-bearers and the others what they saw with their own eyes. But the men did not believe the women, thinking it was only empty talk.

But Stands On The Rock ran to the burial cave. He bent down to look inside and saw strips of cloths lying there, but no sign of the body of Creator Sets Free. He then walked away wondering what had happened.

The Message Bearers See Him

Before the men finished speaking, suddenly Creator Sets Free Himself was standing there among them. "Peace be with you!" he said to them.

Filled with fear, they all moved back from Him, thinking He was a ghost. "Why are you trembling? He asked. "Why do you doubt what your eyes see? Look at my hands and feet. Touch me. A ghost does not have flesh and bone-as I have."

Then He showed them His hands and feet. They still could not believe their eyes, and with glad but fearful hearts they could only stare at Him.

Then He said to them, "Give Me something to eat." They gave Him some cooked fish and He ate it in front of them. As He ate He said this to them, "When I was with you before, I told you that all the words of Drawn From the Water, the Prophets, and the Sacred Book of Songs must find their full meaning in Me."

He then opened their minds so they could see the full meaning of the Sacred Scrolls, and said to them, "The Sacred Scrolls foretold long ago, the Chosen One would walk a path of suffering, He would then die and rise to life on the third day.

It was also foretold that beginning in the Sacred Village of Peace, the Good Story would be told to all nations. This story will change hearts and minds and release people from their bad hearts and broken ways.

© 2015 OneBook Adapted from Shining Light Tells the Good Story, a First Nations Version of the Gospel of Luke

Do you know?

There are unique names given to the main characters in this biblical account of the death and coming back to life of Jesus, Creator's Son. Can you figure out the names of these people as recorded in The Gospel of Luke?