Chapter
1~
"The
sun made its way higher in the east, above the rugged hills of Galilee, and
cast its warm rays earthward. The sunlight glinting off the water made one of
the young fishermen lift a hand to shade his eyes from the glare as he looked
out over the Sea of Galilee. It was still early, but already the sun’s warmth
brought beads of sweat to the youth’s brow as he stooped to help his father
pull their nets onto the shore. It had been a good night for the two of them,
and their nets were heavy with fish.
Yet,
Daniel knew once they paid their dues on what they had caught, they would not
be nearly so profitable. There was to be no getting rich in this business; the
young man had learned that long ago. Muscles rippled in the back of the young
Galilean as he hauled the nets out of the boat. One might think years of
training in a gymnasium had made his body so lean and strong, but it wasn’t so.
Life in the small fishing village of Capernaum wasn’t easy for most in 30 A.D.
and the Ben-Ezra family was no exception.
Seventeen year old Daniel had been helping his
father at this trade for many years now. There had always been enough to get by
on in Daniel’s house, but sometimes just barely. Daniel’s father wasn’t as
young as he used to be and regretfully Daniel found a larger and larger amount
of work being placed on his shoulders over the last few months. But, he was
strong, and his broad shouldered frame was able to handle the work.
A
breeze blew over the land, ruffling the young man’s shoulder length hair. The
sunlight made the highlights in his copper hair shine like spun gold. Daniel
reached a hand to brush his hair from his forehead, which glistened with sweat.
His handsome face held a pleased expression on it as he surveyed the night’s
catch. Daniel’s father, Matthew, was pleased as well. “Jehovah has been kind to
us, eh Daniel?” he said. The young man mumbled a reply, but all the while was
thinking how hard his two hands had to work every day for these “blessings”, as
his father called it.
The
two of them set to the task of sorting the fish into baskets. The large, edible
fish would be sold, but there were always those fish which were not good to eat
or too small. Creatures besides fish frequently found their way into the nets
of fishermen as well and had to be thrown back into the lake. When the sorting
was done, Daniel helped his father load the baskets of fish into the family’s
donkey cart and Matthew headed off to sell the day’s catch. Matthew stayed
behind on the beach; there were nets to be mended and a boat to be cleaned.
After
the boat had been scrubbed, Daniels stretched out the nets and surveyed which
one needed mending. He found a spot on a smooth rock, under the shade of a
flowering bush and began the task of mending the nets. His callused hands moved
skillfully over the net, sewing back together any torn places. His mind was
elsewhere however. As usual, his thoughts went to his future and his ultimate
dream; to go to sea and work on a large sailing vessel.
Unlike
many of the men in his village, his aspirations went beyond the small town of
Capernaum and the lake his father had been fishing on all his life. Capernaum
was so unexciting. Like many young men, Daniel longed for excitement and
adventure. There certainly wasn’t much too be found in his hometown. If he
closed his eyes, the youth could almost smell the brine of the sea, and feel
the rock of the ocean waves beneath him. Daniel was brought back to reality by
a sharp pain in his finger. All his daydreaming had caused him to jab himself
in the hand with the needle he was using to mend the net.
He
sighed in annoyance as he looked around him. He was still in Capernaum, sitting
on the shore of the lake in Galilee. Perhaps he would find some excitement on
their upcoming trip to Jerusalem at Passover. Daniel’s heart beat faster at the
thought of seeing the grand city once more that he hadn’t visited in years. There
were many splendid sights and sounds to be witnessed in the city of Jerusalem;
from the bustling marketplace with almost anything one could want displayed
there to the many shops and grand houses that the city was home to. But, there
was no greater sight than the grand temple made by King Herod’s design.
When
approaching the city, this was all one could look at in awed wonder. The outer
walls of the temple where plated here and there with pure gold that gleamed so
brightly in the morning sun that it would hurt the eyes of the onlookers if
they did not quickly turn their eyes away from the sheer brilliance of the
sight. As a boy, his first glimpse of the holy temple was indeed the most
thrilling moment of Daniel’s life so far. It was grander than any fortress or
castle Daniel could imagine. Most of all, it had evoked such pride and
patriotism in Daniel when he had beheld it. At that moment, he had never been
more proud to be a Jew; a son of David.
This
was perhaps the last place his people had to call their own; a place dedicated
to the God of their fathers, and the one place where the Roman army with its
boot on the neck of Israel did not dare to go. Inside the walls of this great
temple was a place where Jews young and old stood united in a common objective;
to give praise and honor to their God. Daniel finished mending the net he was
working on and after tossing it into their boat, he headed home. Thoughts of
their upcoming journey to Jerusalem put a smile on Daniel’s face for the rest
of the day."
*This is the first chapter..I'm still working on the book (If life will slow down a little bit and I can get done with school I will definitely finish it!) although it is about half way finished I think. This book is about a rebellious and angry young Galilean fisherman living in the time of Jesus, a hard time to be living in as we know from historical accounts. In the book, he finally meets Jesus and his life is changed forever.
