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Dream Maker: A Child's Life of Jesus (THEY MET JESUS) (Volume 2)

By Katheryn Maddox Haddad

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1 ~ THE ZEALOTS

After the King of Palestine (Herod the Great) died, and the next king was de-throned, Palestine was ruled by a foreign governor from Rome named Pilate. Governor Pilate's king was the mightiest man in the world ~ Caesar.

Caesar claimed he was a god, though most people knew he wasn't. The people in Palestine hated Governor Pilate because he tried to bring flags with pictures of Caesar ~ the pretend god ~ into Jerusalem.

Judas was a common name in Jesus' time, and there was one Judas who was a volunteer commander with hundreds of men following him to fight the foreign Romans now ruling Palestine. People called them terrorists or zealots.

Simon was another common name in Jesus' time. Simon the Zealot decided to join Commander Judas in hurting a lot of enemy Romans so they'd leave their country. People today might call him Simon the Terrorist because he was so mean. But some day soon he will meet Jesus and start to soften his heart.

Zealot Commander Judas led his troops to a city named after Caesar called Caesarea. There he demanded that Governor Pilate not take his flags of the pretend-god, Caesar,
into Jerusalem.

Instead, the zealots were surrounded by stronger Roman troops who threatened to hurt them. Zealot Commander Judas decided to have all his men lie down on the ground to let the Roman troops hurt everyone of his hundreds of soldiers.

Pilate had just got his job as governor of Palestine. He was afraid he would lose his job if he hurt so many people all at once. So, he decided to let the zealots go. He also decided not to take the flags into Jerusalem with pictures of the pretend god, Caesar.

Young Simon the Zealot heard that John the Baptist was claiming the Jews would get a new king soon, so decided to go hear him.

Simon liked it when John the Baptist told the Roman soldiers to be sorry for treating people bad.

But Governor Pilate did something else to make the Jews mad. He spent money people had donated to the Temple to make pipes to get water into the city from springs outside of the city.

Zealot Commander Judas was again ready to attack the Roman governor.

Governor Pilate heard about it and was ready with his own army who hurt the zealot soldiers very badly. Simon escaped.

After this, nothing much was heard any more about the Zealot Commander Judas. Many of his soldiers got discouraged and quit,
just like Simon. They began looking for a better way instead of violence. Some thought Jesus was that better way.
Simon started to think maybe he shouldn't be a terrorist ~ a zealot ~ any more.



THINK & DO

1. Getting into fights just makes people want to fight more. Jesus taught that the best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him or her your friend.

Will you go see someone who you fight with a lot and try to make friends? Perhaps you can share some cookies together. You will be happy you did. Probably they will be happy too.

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