Daily Bread

Rivka. Daily Bread. Father leaves tomorrow. I know. Thank you. Come along. Whoa! Hold on. Ah! Come on boys. Where is Mariam? She is coming. There you are Mariam. How are the flocks today? Dawud says that all is well. Good, good. Mariam, while I'm away you will have a lot of responsibility with your mother and your sister. I know, Father. I'm ready to do whatever is needed. And you are growing up. And we can't keep you here forever, you know. I'm not in any hurry to go, Father. Yes. My cousin, Jonas, came and spoke to me last evening. What about, Father? About you and his son, Enoch. He proposed arranging a marriage. A marriage! What did you tell him? They have a good family and his son Enoch is a good young man, responsible. But how can I marry him, Father? What are you saying, girl? He's, he's not like me. We don't think the same way. Think the same way? Is there something you're not telling me? Has this boy mistreated you? No, of course not, Father. Nothing like that. Good. Then I will settle this before I leave in the morning. Oh, Mother, I couldn't marry Enoch. It wouldn't be right. Wouldn't be right? These things have been right since the beginning of time. My cousin Jonas, a good family, a fine son Enoch, and my beautiful daughter Mariam. What's not right? But he's not a follower of, of Jesus, Father. You are joking with me. I am not a follower of this Nazarene! Are you going to reject me too as your father? What ideas have you and that friend of yours put in this girl's head? Mariam, go see your sister. Your daughter refuses to marry Enoch because he's not a follower of Jesus? I know you want what is best for Mariam, Moussa. But couldn't you give her some choice in the matter? Choice? Enoch is a good choice. He is a respectable young man, and his father... is my kinsman, my cousin. He approached me. And they are interested in our daughter. So it is easier for you to make an arrangement with Jonas than with someone else? Yes, it is simpler. Can't something be simple, in my life? Simple for you, Moussa, but what of Mariam? This will be for the rest of her life. A lifetime alone would be better? Well you are leaving tomorrow. She's still young. Leave the matter rest until you return. I may never return, you know. Think of Nahum. Oh don't say such things. I am the provider, the head of the family. I must think of these things. Ayoub will be here and Dawud. Dawud might get arrested tomorrow. I will be here to take care. Will you? Have you forgotten how unwell you have been? I cannot forget. We must trust God. He will provide. As He has provided? As He has always provided. This is how He has provided. And I will not be here. Think of Mariam, Moussa, and consider her feelings. Leave the matter for now. God will provide. What will I tell my cousin, Jonas? You will think of something. What did he say? Don't worry. I really don't believe he will do anything before he leaves. I don't want my husband and me to be like oxen. What do you mean? This morning I saw Yacoub struggling with his oxen. Though they were yoked together, they pulled in different directions, and went nowhere. And that would be you and Enoch? Wouldn't it? If I follow Jesus and he does not? Very well said Mariam. So. How is your sister? Tired and sick, but hopeful. Ah. Good. As long as she is feeling sick she is still with child. I shall miss him. Yes. Father is a good man. Yet he does not follow Jesus. Everything in its own time, dear. Sometimes I am confused. I am making trouble for Father by refusing Enoch and I hope I'm right. But what if I'm wrong? What if we are wrong? How can I know that Jesus is the Way? How can I know that His words are true? Oh, because they were foretold thousands of years ago. After God created the world, and Adam and Eve sinned against him, God told the woman that her seed would crush the serpent's head. And that someday... one of her offspring would destroy the power of sin and Satan. And God spoke through the prophets hundreds of years before Jesus came. The prophet Isaiah declared that our Messiah would be born of a virgin. The prophet Micah prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem, which is the "House of Bread." Jesus is our hope and our nourishment. Prophet Isaiah also declared that the Messiah would be despised and rejected; he would be beaten and he would die for us. And he endured the suffering that should have been ours, and the pain we should have borne. Because of our sins he was wounded. Beaten because of the evil we did. But we are healed because of the punishment he suffered and made whole by the blows he received. Jesus took upon himself our shame. And when he rose from the grave, He crushed the power of Satan and death, just as God had promised Eve. Jesus fulfilled all of God's prophecies by the way he lived and died, and rose again. Oh, we can trust the Scriptures, Mariam, because... they have proven to be true. They are the Word of God. The All- powerful One inspired them and He protects them. He is zealous to keep them pure. And they feed us, like this bread. But they are even more nourishing. The Apostle Paul wrote that "All Scripture is inspired by God... and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error... correcting faults and giving us instruction for right living." When you talk about Jesus and the Scriptures this way, I feel certain. But how can I keep that certainty in my heart all the time? How do I live like I believe this, Mother? That is your adventure, Mariam. We all grow in our faith as we learn to trust and obey God's Word. And as you surrender to Him day by day, He will give you all of the faith and the wisdom that you need. Dawud, are you all right? How can I be all right when my own father is leaving us to help build palaces for Agrippa? Dawud? You know that I must go. And you must watch over your mother... your sisters... and your brother. Promise me that, my son. I will do what I can. I will depend on you. Goodbye Father. God be with you. How would you respond to a situation like the one in this story? How does Mariam show her respect for her father while disagreeing with him in some important ways? How did Mariam’s mother help her with her doubts? How can we determine what is true? What did this episode show you about doubt and faith?