The Lion and The Lamb Pt.5

The Lion and The Lamb

Part 5

    The fire in the pit, surrounded by round medium sized rocks, was memorizing and hypnotic. There was a warm aura around it that caused me to be at peace, this peace was beyond what I can explain. While I was intrigued by this undying flame that would not consume the fuel of sticks and branches, I noticed that there was a small cooked fish. I could not identify where it had come from or what kind that it was but it had an alluring image about it. Next to that mouth-watering fish, was a loaf of flat, golden crusted bread. This golden bread also seemed to draw me to it, my mind wondered about it, why it was there also. While my mind wondered about these two things, investigating the fish and bread, a breeze carried the scent of these items to my nose causing my empty stomach to desire these delicious items of food.

“Take and eat…” the Lamb offered the food to me, “I brought them for you.”

    I reached carefully for the bread first, in hopes that the flame would not do the same as the other did in the dark forest.

“Do you not trust me?” the Lamb inquired.

“I’m afraid…” I responded with an uncertain voice, “I don’t know if I’m going to get hurt.”

“You are a child,” the Lamb counseled me, “you did not know that those berries would kill you.”

“But you were there…” I explained to Him, “instead of me. Why?”

“I told you that I had walked the path before,” the Lamb started to narrate a story, “I was with twelve of My sheep, leading and teaching them the ways of My Father. They often had a hard time listening to me because they had not understood what I have been telling you, that I had been sent to save you, child. I was betrayed to wolves in sheep’s clothing by one of My sheep. The wolves put me onto a tree accusing Me of lying and that I claimed false sonship of My Father.”

The Lamb looked up at the tree next to us and I noticed three pierced points in the bark. I gazed in amazement of this grand tree, its main branches reached out like arms of a Father waiting to embrace His children.

The Lamb continued on, “While I was on that tree suffering, cut and bruised and crowned with thorns, I took those berries and ate them so you would not have to eat of them anymore. You see I did this for you, that you could come and know Me and My Father, so you can enter His den. I died from My Father’s wrath that was for those berries that your ancestors, the first, that cultivated and ate of the berries before you and died because of those evil berries. Three days I was buried in a cave covered by a large stone that not just one could move. The wind and fire came and rose Me,” I looked at the fire and felt the breeze on my face and skin.  “He brought Me back to life, by My Father’s command. The stone was rolled away and I was home with My Father, but I came back to My sheep. They did not understand at first but as I left them again to go back to My Father, they now understood.”

    There was long moment of silence between the Lamb and I. Tears were in my eyes as I saw the image of the Lamb again but when I went to look at Him again, He had a smile on His face. A grin of love and joy as if a Father found His lost child. The tears in my eyes were once of fear and shame but then became tears of joy, as I finally understood why.

“What can I do?” I asked with a broken heart, “what can I do to repay You?”

“There is nothing you can do,” the Lamb requested of me, “just take, eat and remember what I did for you.”

    After He had said these things, I reached out to grab that golden loaf of bread and took my first bite of food that I have had in a long time. I took my first bite of the bread and it was soft and fresh, it was perfectly baked. Once I swallowed that first bite my stomach became instantly satisfied and I desired to eat more so I took another bite and another till it was gone and in a moment it was! I then grabbed the fish to eat it and once my hand touched it, the fish was still warm from the fire that it was next to. Then I took a piece of the meat from this fish and placed it in my mouth and it was juicy and perfectly spiced. The fish was freshly cooked and it gave me the desire to eat more. I finished the food to which I was asked to eat and I was satisfied and full. My body felt recharged and refreshed.

“We must keep going,” the Lamb suggested, “it’s time to go to My Father.”

I watched as the Lamb got up on its scarred legs and walked toward the tree line.

“I don’t want to leave you.” I begged with the Lamb.

“I must go to My Father to prepare for you.” the Lamb revealed to me.

“Where am I to go then?” I asked the Lamb.

“Keep on the path,” the Lamb instructed me, “let the Dove lead you.”

“I don’t want to go back into that forest,” I pleaded with the Lamb.

“Remember, you won’t be alone.” the Lamb comforted me as He turned around to disappear into the treeline of the forest around us.

    I stood there in silence and awe of the adventure ahead of me. Once again I looked to the forest and found the path to which I was to set foot on again, I looked as far down as I could to see where it would lead but my eyesight only gone so far. The sun began to set behind me and a golden light shone up on this new entrance to this forest and I thought to myself, “at least the sun will be behind me.” My feet started to lift themselves and in my heart I felt the confidence I needed to continue on this journey. As I started to head to the entrance of the trail, I saw a white bird on the corner of my eye take off and fly straight in the forest over the path and something strange happened, the edges of the forest grew up ripe green hedges around the Dove.