Pilate page 30

Pilate page 30 by ric gustafson.


It was late in the afternoon. An aide walked up to Pilate who was swimming. " My Prefect, there is somebody here to see you".
" Who is it?" he grumbled as he got out and dried himself off.
" It is a member of the Sanhedrin".
" Ok". Pilate got dressed and walked into the palace waiting room.
A member of the Sanhedrin approached. " My Prefect, I am Joseph of Arimathea".
" Yes, Councilor".
" A fellow Councilor and friend Nicodemus and I seek your permission to bury the body of Jesus of Nazareth".
Surprise came over Pilate's face. " He is already dead".
" Yes my Prefect, shortly after the ninth hour".
Just then, a shaken up Flavius Artemis returned with his execution detail.
" Flavius, did you break the legs of the prisoners?".
" Yes my Prefect, the two robbers but not the third prisoner".
" Why not?".
" He was already dead so one of my men put a lance into his side".
Satisfied with the answer, Pilate turned toward the Councilor.
" Yes, you have my permission to bury the prisoner".



The End.




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Sergius Paulus and Elymas part 1

Sergius Paulus and Elymas part 1 by ric gustafson.


My name is John Mark and I am on a boat along with my brothers in Christ, Paul and Barnabas. We had just left the city of Seleucia, which is a port city of Antioch of Syria. I came to Antioch from Jerusalem with Paul and Barnabas to visit the Antioch church. When we arrived, we noticed members of the church fasting and praising the Lord. The local church was praying for guidance as they considered an overseas mission beyond the confines of Antioch. All of us prayed and felt that the Holy Spirit gave us the answer.
The three of us decided to go and preach to the Gentiles whereever we could reach them. The first decision was where to go and how to get there. Barnabas suggested the island of Cyprus which was his native land. We all agreed to that and made plans to acquire a boat, stock up on provisions and sail from Seleucia which is about sixteen miles west of Antioch.
As we traveled, Barnabas told us a little bit about Cyprus. The island is about 140 miles in length and 60 miles wide. Barnabas said that the island was administered by a Roman proconsul by the name of Sergius Paulus. He also said that some christian communities had sprung up on the island and that they could serve as bases of operation.
When we arrived at Cyprus, Barnabas suggested we go to Salamis, which is in the eastern part of the island. We had a warm welcome there and the people were receptive to our message. Next, Barnabas suggested Paphos which was the provincial capital and the home of the proconsul.





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Pilate page 29

Pilate page 29 by ric gustafson.



Pilate was sitting in his study writing when there was a knock on the door. " Yes".
" My Prefect".
" Yes".
" My Prefect, there are several priests here to see you".
He walked over to the group that had formed. " Yes, what is this intrusion?".
" My Prefect, the titulus that you affixed to the top of the Rabbi's cross is wrong".
" It is" was Pilate's reply as he scratched his chin. " Why would you think that?".
" It reads Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews".
" That is correct".
" My Prefect, it should say that he claimed to be the King of the Jews".
" What I have written, I have written". He left the priests standing where they were and walked back to his study.
He wrote on the parchment that the basis of sentence was constructive treason. The sentence was crucifixion and there was no appeal.




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Pilate page 28

Pilate page 28 by ric gustafson.



Pilate was concerned because the unruly crowd was getting larger. He was also worried that a riot might occur. He clapped his hands and an aide walked over. " Bring me a golden basin of water".
It was put in front of the Prefect. " This court cannot pronounce this prisoner guilty but because your Sanhedrin has condemned him to death, the prisoner will be crucified".
The crowd yelled it's approval.
Pilate faced the crowd and dipped his hands into the basin. " My hands are clean of this man's blood". He dried his hands.
He clapped his hands for a guard. " Release Bar-Abbas".
He pointed at Flavius Artemis who was the centurion of the Antonia Fortress. " Flavius, take this Jesus and the two highway robbers to the Skull to be crucified".
" Yes, my Prefect".
Pilate watched as they put the wooden tranverse beam over the shoulder of Jesus and then led them away.




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Pilate page 27

Pilate page 27 by ric gustafson.


Pilate walked back outside with a confused look on his face.
Rabbi Ananias spoke up. " My Prefect, if you let this man go free you are not Caesar's friend".
Caiaphas spoke up. " Anyone who would make himself a king defies Caesar".
Fear came over Pilate as he studied the ring that was on his finger. Tiberius gave him the ring because of his loyalty.
The crowd yelled " crucify him".
" Shall I crucify your king?".
The crowd yelled back " we have no king but Caesar".
Pilate looked over at Jesus who was bleeding, sweating and weakening physically. " Jesus of Nazareth, do you have anything to say in your defense?".
Jesus stayed silent.
It was late in the morning and Pilate wanted to be done with this entire affair.




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Everyone take care. Love Ric.

Pilate page 26

Pilate page 26 by ric gustafson.


A bloodied Jesus now stood next to Pilate.
" Behold the man".
" Crucify" yelled the crowd.
" You crucify him" Pilate replied as he looked at Caiaphas. " Take him and crucify him yourselves". Pilate was losing his patience.
Caiaphas walked up to the Prefect. " According to our law, this man should die because he claims to be the Son of God".
" The Son of God!". He looked over at Jesus.
" My Prefect, this is the worst blasphemy in Hebrew law".
Pilate looked at Caiaphas. " This is a new charge so I will have to have a private hearing inside". He clapped his hands and a guard led Jesus into the palace.
" Where have you come from?".
Jesus was silent.
" You won't speak to me" Pilate said in frustration as he stared at Jesus. " I have the authority to release you or crucify you".
Jesus looked up at the Prefect. " You would have no authority at all over me if it had not been given from above".



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Salt and Light page 1

Salt and Light page 1 by ric gustafson

Jack Dallas knocked on the heavy wooden door.

" Come in".

He walked into a heavily decorated executive office.

" Hello Jack" RJ Sullivan said as he pointed toward an empty seat near his desk. " Please have a seat".

" We're going to miss you Jack" he said as he sat down in his chair and smiled at his employee.
" Over the years you became the best salesman I ever had". " After all these years" Jack replied with a sigh. " I feel now is the best time to retire".

Mr Sullivan spotted an index card on his desk and handed it to Jack.


" Jack, I have one last job for you". Jack stared at the card. " The Walker Potato Chip Factory". " Jack, we've been getting many complaints about light bulb issues and bland potato chips". " Bland Sir!". " Potato chips with no salt". a tidbit about salt: Egyptians used salt to make mummies. Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric.

Pilate page 25

Pilate page 25 by ric gustafson. The sweating lictor lashed the prisoner's back with much vigor. Pilate clapped his hands and the lictor stopped. What came next was an old Roman custom of mocking the prisoner. A soldier found an old purple lictor's robe and put it on the bloody prisoner. Another soldier took branches from a thorn bush and formed it into a prickly crown. It was roughly jammed on top of his head and a reed was put into his right hand. As Jesus silently stood there, the entire company of soldiers fell onto their knees and saluted him. They yelled " hail, King of the Jews". One by one, the soldiers walked past Jesus some slapping his face and some spitting on him. After a while, Pilate clapped his hands. " Enough of this". He led Jesus outside again to face the evergrowing angry crowd. research help: ' Pontius Pilate' by Paul L. Maier Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric.

The Spiritual Bubble

The Spiritual Bubble by ric gustafson.


Officer Anna Mae Zalis pulled up in front of the small yellow colored one story house and checked the sheet to make sure the address was correct. When the call came in, her partner Romero Gonzalez and her were only a few blocks away. An occupant at the address would not come out and had not come out for days. Anna Mae was a christian and carried a little pocket bible and used it sometimes in these situations.
Anna Mae yawned as she and Officer Gonzalez got out of the cruiser and walked toward the front door. Both officers were tired because their eight hour shift was about over. Anna Mae rang the doorbell as her partner stood on the opposite side of the door. Nobody answered so she rang it again. Nobody responded so she rang it a third time.
" I don't hear anything" Officer Gonzalez said as he listened and watched for anything coming from the house. " Let's go our shift is about over".
Both officers started to walk away from the house.
" Who is it?" a male voice said from inside the door. " What do you want?".
" Sir, I am Officer Zalis and this Officer Gonzalez of the police department" she said as she moved next to the door. " We would like to talk to you for a few minutes".
" Ok, come in" the voice replied as the deadbolt lock was unclicked from the inside. Both officers walked into a long entryway which led into a sparse living room.
Anna Mae heard a strange noise, turned around and saw a strange sight. A young man was standing in front of her and was wearing a strange contraption on his head. " What in the world is that?".
" I'm sorry" the young man said as he took the strange thing off of his head. " I couldn't hear you because I had my helmet on".
" What is that?" Officer Gonzalez asked as he examined the helmet.
" I built this helmet" the young man said as he picked it up and fooled with one of it's knobs. " This helmet keeps good christian thoughts in my brain and keeps bad thoughts out".
" So you've created like a spiritual bubble here in this house where nothing bad can come in".
" That's right, If I always stay in this house and wear this helmet" the young man replied as he smiled. " No bad thoughts will ever come into my head".
Anna Mae pulled out her pocket bible and opened it to a familiar scripture. " Let God give you good and pure thoughts and let him take care of you".
The young man thought for a moment. " You mean I don't need my helmet or have to stay in this house any longer".
" Nope, just believe in God and he will keep your thoughts pure". She held out her hand.
With tears coming down his face, he handed the helmet to Anna Mae. " Thank You" said the young man as he hugged Anna Mae. " My life has changed forever".


The End.




Spread peace to all you meet. Love Ric.

Heaven Bound Airlines

Heaven Bound Airlines by ric gustafson.


Charlie woke up, opened his eyes and tried to focus on his surroundings.
" Charlie".
He turned his head and noticed a stewardess staring at him. " Charlie" she said as she smiled at him.
" Yes" he replied as he looked around. It appeared that he was on an airplane.
" Charlie, can I get you anything?".
" How do you know my name?".
" I know everybody on this flight" she exclaimed as she helped another customer.
" Where am I Angeline?" he asked as he noticed her nametag.
" You are on Heaven Bound Airlines and we are heading for home".
" Home" Charlie thought for a moment as she put a pillow behind his tired head. " Where is home?".
" Heaven of course, everyone on this flight is going to the same destination".
" Who are these other people?".
" Other christians just like yourself, going home".
Charlie remembered that right before he woke up on the plane, that he was in a hospital room surrounded by family.
She put his seat tray down and put some orange juice and pretzels on it. " I thought you might enjoy a little snack even though it's going to be a short flight".
He noticed that all the passengers seemed happy and glad to be on the flight. He finished drinking his juice and eating his pretzels and then Angeline took them away and put the seat tray back up. He closed his eyes.
Just as quickly, she shook his shoulder and softly told him the plane was landing. He said goodbye to her and then waited patiently to disembark the plane.
Charlie and the other passengers left the plane with smile on their faces. They were home now thanks to Heaven Bound Airlines.


The End.





spread peace to all you meet. Love Ric.

Pilate page 24

Pilate page 24 by ric gustafson.


Pilate studied the note that was just handed to him. It was written by his wife. In the note she warned him to stay away from the Rabbi from Galilee. He frowned and then put the note into a front pocket.
He looked out over the crowd. " Which of the two Jesus's shall I release to you, the Nazarene or Bar Abbas?".
A unified cry rose up" Bar Abbas, Bar Abbas".
" Then what am I to do with Jesus of Nazareth?".
The cry got louder. " Let him be crucified".
" Why, what has he done?".
" Crucify him".
" Why, I do not find him guilty of any capital offense" Pilate replied as he tried to reason with the crowd. " I will therefore flog him and then let him go".
" Give him the death sentence" screamed the crowd. " Crucify him".
Pilate's patience ran out. He pointed to a nearby lictor.
" Take the prisoner into the palace courtyard and give him a light scourging".



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Everyone take care. Love Ric.

Simon the sorcerer based on Acts 8

Simon the sorcerer based on Acts 8 by ric gustafson.


Simon threw the stick on the ground and it became a snake. The crowd clapped it's approval. He took the same stick, struck a rock and water came out. He smiled knowing the people of this Samarian village adored him and his little magic tricks. The people nicknamed him Simon ' the Great Wizard' and he loved being the most famous one in town.
One day, he was performing a trick on some of the townspeople when a young man walked up to him.
" The Kingdom of God is at hand, I come in the name of Jesus Christ".
Later, Simon found out that the young man's name was Philip and that he was a follower of that Rabbi from Galilee who was crucified outside Jerusalem. Most of the townspeople who used to watch Simon were baptized by Philip and did not care about Simon any longer.
Simon decided himself to be baptized by Philip. After doing so, he followed Philip everywhere.
The apostles had heard about Philip and how the Word of God had been accepted in Samaria.
Peter and John went there and prayed that the newly baptized might receive the Holy Spirit. They put their hands on the people and they received the Holy Spirit.
Simon offered the apostles money if they would give him the ability to bestow the Holy Spirit on people.
Peter said to Simon " You can't buy the gift of God with money".
Simon replied " pray to the Lord for me".
Peter and John returned to Jerusalem preaching the gospel in many Samarian villages.





Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric.

Pilate page 23

Pilate page 23 by ric gustafson.


Pilate studied the note that was just handed to him. It was from Herod Antipas saying that he was returning the prisoner. The note also invited Pilate and Procula to a dinner party.
He looked up to see that the prisoner and the crowd had returned. " You have brought this prisoner before me under a charge of subversion" he said as he stared at Caiaphas. " I do not find this man guilty of the charges". " Tetrarch Herod Antipas has brought the prisoner back to me". He looked at the unruly crowd. " I will therefore flog him for disturbing the peace and let him go.
The people yelled " crucify him".
Pilate was worried because this hearing was getting out of hand.
All of a sudden, he smiled. " As is the custom each Passover, I will release one prisoner".
He stared at the evergrowing crowd. " Jesus Bar-Abbas or Jesus of Nazareth".




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Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

Pilate page 22

Pilate page 22 by ric gustafson.



Pilate stared at the crowd. " Is there anyone who can offer evidence in favor of this prisoner?".
No one came forward.
" Again is there anyone who will testify on behalf of this prisoner?".
Rabbi Jonathan spoke up. " My Prefect, this man is a born troublemaker".
" Why do you say that?".
" This man's teachings are stirring up the people starting in Galilee and spreading all the way to this city".
" Rabbi, did you say that this prisoner is from Galilee?".
" Yes Prefect, he came from Nazareth".
Pilate's eyes lit up. " So the prisoner is under the authority of Tetrarch Herod Antipas".
Caiaphas spoke up. " Yes Prefect, he is".
" Caiaphas, is the Tetrarch in Jerusalem at the moment?".
The chief priest looked at the others. " Yes Prefect he is".
" I will send the prisoner over to him".
Caiaphas consulted with the other priests. " As you wish my Prefect, we will accept that".




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Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric.