The serpent and the skirt

I have seen the full history of human clothing. I was there the day it was invented. Two human beings, ashamed of their sinfulness, became aware of how vulnerable and exposed their bodies were. I had tempted them to behave a way they never thought they would, and the shock and disappointment was too much […]

The Closeted God

Throughout the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is constantly asking people not to tell others about him. From chapter 1 in which he drove out demons and “would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was,” (Mark 1:34) and throughout his ministry, Jesus warns those heals and who witnesses the miracles he performs […]

One Soul, Part 7: David

My nights spent hiding in the field were torturous. I wanted to know what was going on. I needed to know that Jonathan was okay. What if King Saul took his rage against me out on his son? I would never forgive myself if Jonathan had been hurt. On the morning of the third day, […]

One Soul, Part 5: Jonathan

My life felt as if it was ending. Seeing David marry my sister Michal was bad enough. My stomach boiled with envy thinking about the two of them together. And now David was gone. He had to flee because my father was paranoid about losing the throne and wanted to kill him. He wanted his […]

One Soul, Part 3: David

“Here is my elder daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife; only be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” King Saul smiled down at me, his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It felt as though just yesterday I had been a poor […]

One Soul, Part 1: Jonathan

I had never seen anything like it. A young man from Bethlehem showed up on the battleground and single-handedly slayed the Philistine giant. We were all too afraid to fight him, even my father the king. But this man defeated the giant with nothing more than a slingshot. “Abner,” my father snapped, eyes glued to […]

Philip the Evangelist

I always prided myself on how inclusive I was. When the Twelve first appointed me to assist in food distribution, I served both Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews impartially. After my friend and colleague Stephen was killed on charges of blasphemy and all of Christ’s followers were forced to flee to escape persecution, I fled to […]