I came as quickly as I could when I heard. I didn’t believe it. How could he, the man who has healed hundreds, maybe thousands—–how could he be dead? He is God, right? Only God could heal!
I came to find out for myself. After all, rumors are only rumors. I need proof, either that he’s dead or that he’s alive and people are just making up stories.
You want to know my story? How I know him? Okay, but you probably won’t believe it. I was messed up. I heard voices in my head. They told me to do all kinds of things, violent and scary things. To keep everyone safe, people chained me up, but I got out of those chains. Nothing could hold me!
I went to live in a cemetery. I figured I couldn’t hurt anyone there, but I still heard the voices. Hundreds, maybe thousands of voices! All yelling at me. I couldn’t stand it.
One day a fishing boat came across the lake. A bunch of guys in it. When they saw me, some of them wanted to leave and find another place to come ashore, but one guy, the healer, said no. He was the boss. No one argued with him.
He came toward me and asked what my name was. I couldn’t even remember my own name! All I could hear was all those voices. I called them legion, like the army, because it seemed like they were at war with me. I told him I was “Legion” because it was the only name I could think of. That set all the voices off and they were screaming in my head.
I don’t know how he knew about those voices, but he ordered them to come out of me and they did! Before I knew it, I was sitting calmly talking to him. The only voice I heard was his. I was myself again! I went back home and lived a normal life. I had been as good as dead and then I was healed!
I need to know if the healer is dead! I don’t want to believe it, but people are saying that Roman soldiers hung him on a cross until he died.
Now here we are, coming into Jerusalem. People look happy. Some are singing. They must not know about the healer being executed. No one could know that and be happy!
And then I see some of the men who were in the boat with him that day.
“Wait! Tell me! I heard he’s dead! Why? How can he be dead?” I cannot believe what they tell me!
“He WAS dead and now he’s alive! He is risen! We are going to meet him in Galilee!”
I follow them to find the one I want to follow the rest of my life. He once lived in a tomb, so we have a lot in common.
He is risen! The one who set me free is risen! Hallelujah!
–Sharon McCart
