During the year after Passover, Zebina found such pride in Joash and his hard work with the field of wheat. He has truly been a blessing in my life, especially with the loss of my beloved Seth. How would I have ever managed without him?

And now, the relationship between he and Elizabeth, John’s sister, had blossomed into full blown love. They were to have their betrothal in two weeks. Joash had it all planned out. One week to cut the wheat and the second week to thrash it. John agreed to help him.

One day, as they took a time of rest under a shade tree, John said, “Looks like we’re going to be brothers when you marry my sister!”

“Hmm, I’ve never had a brother,” Joash mused.

“Me either. How fortunate for you,” John grinned.

“Hey, how fortunate for YOU!” Joash gave his soon-to-be brother a shove with his arm. They both rolled around laughing.

Zebina chuckled when she looked out the window and saw them scuffling about. “Things have certainly changed for the better since last year,” she said out loud. She hummed a merry tune as she cut up the vegetables from her garden.

That afternoon, she spied Hannah in her own garden. Zebina walked over to visit and tell Hannah that Mary would be coming to help with the food and decorations for the betrothal.

Suddenly, they both turned when they heard a desparate cry from Joash. He yelled John’s name. Again it came, “JOHN!” Immediately, Zebina ran in that direction. All she could think about was the sound of that cry—like Seth. She ran faster. “Please, Lord, protect him, help him,” she called, in between gasps of air.

“Joash. Joash, where are you?’ she called. “Joash.” Suddenly, she froze. She spied him in the field, lying in the wheat. “No, God, NO!” she screamed. About that time, John had reached him. Zebina could see John roll Joash on his back and heard him yell, “Joash, I’m here. What has happened? Joash, can you hear me?” John shook Joash’s  shoulder. “Joash, can you hear me?” He lifted Joash’s arm, but it was obvious that his arm was limp.

Zebina ran the last few yards. When she arrived, out of breath, John looked up helplessly at her. His face became contorted as he cried out and kept saying, “No, no. Not, Joash.” Zebina felt trapped in her own body, still trying to get her own breath from the run. She finally knelt down beside John, holding him. She knew that the same thing that took Seth, had now taken her son. But she must check. She gently released John and moved over to Joash. But when she laid her hand across his chest—no breathing.

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Dear friends,

In the next blog, two weeks from today, we will conclude our story.

It looked like Zebina and Joash were finally having a beautiful life, but as we know, life has its ups and downs. Yet, God still had something unbelievable in mind for Joash, but we’ll have to wait until next time to discover what Luke tells us in his Gospel. I urge you to catch up on chapters that you may have missed so you’ll be ready for the grand conclusion! It is this passage in Luke that prompted me to imagine “the rest of the story” and try to understand how and why it came to be.

I love the idea that God might have provided a friend for Mary as she traveled her challenging journey. Fortunately, Matthew and Luke gave many stories for me to include in the early life of Mary, stories she could have shared with someone like Zebina. The thought that Jesus having a boyhood friend provided a realistic childhood with which we could relate. After all, we believe Lazarus. Mary, and Martha were also long-time friends to Jesus’ family. I’m anxious for you to hear the end.

Blessings on your next two weeks.

~ Joyce ~