First Nations Version

by Terry M. Wildman

  NAILED TO THE CROSS

  33They came to Place of the Skull (Golgotha) 34and gave him wine mixed with bitter herbs to drink, but after tasting it, he would not drink it. 35They stripped him of his garments and, after they nailed his hands and feet to the cross, they gambled for his clothes. 36The soldiers then sat down and kept watch over him.

  37Above his head on the crossbeam, carved into a piece of wood, was the accusation against him:

  THIS IS CREATOR SETS FREE CHIEF OF THE TRIBES OF WRESTLES WITH CREATOR

  38Then they also nailed two outlaws to their crosses, one on his right side, the other on his left.

  MOCKED BY HIS OWN PEOPLE

  39As people walked by and saw him, they spoke arrogantly to him, wagged their heads, 40and said, “You who thought you could tear down the sacred lodge and rebuild it in three days—can you even save yourself? If you are the Son of the Great Spirit, then come down off that cross!”

  41The head holy men, the scroll keepers, and the elders all joined in.

  42“He set others free,” they said, “but he cannot even free himself. So he is the chief of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), is he? Let him come down from the cross now, and then we will believe in him! 43He said, ‘I am the Son of the Great Spirit,’ so let the one he has put his trust in come and rescue him now—if he wants him.”

  44Even the thieves who were dying next to him joined in with the others and threw insults at him.

  A TIME OF DARKNESS

  45At the sixth hour of the day clouds moved in and covered the land with darkness until the ninth hour.90

  46That is when Creator Sets Free (Jesus), speaking in his native language, cried out loud, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani”—which means, “O Great Spirit, my Creator, why have you left me alone?”91

  47Some of the people standing there heard him and said, “He is calling on the prophet Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah) to help him.”

  48One of them ran and soaked a cloth with the bitter wine, put it on a staff, and put it to his mouth. 49But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Great Spirit Is Creator (Elijah) will come and save him.”

  HE BREATHES HIS LAST

  50But right then Creator Sets Free (Jesus), with his dying breath, lifted his voice one last time and with a loud cry gave up his spirit.

  51Suddenly the earth began to quake. Large rocks cracked and shattered. Then in the sacred lodge the great heavy blanket that hung over the entry to the Most Holy Place was torn from top to bottom.

  For the first time the inner chamber, where only the chief holy man could go, was open to all.

  52-53The burial caves opened as the stones that covered them broke into pieces. After Creator Sets Free (Jesus) returned to life from the dead, many of the bodies of the holy ancestors were raised to life from their sleep of death. They came out from their burial caves and appeared to many in the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem).

  54When the head soldier of the People of Iron (Romans) and his soldiers who were guarding Creator Sets Free (Jesus) felt the earth shake and saw what was happening all around them, they trembled with fear and said, “This man must truly be the Son of the Great Spirit!”

  WOMEN WHO SERVED HIM

  55Many of the honored women who had walked the road with him from the time he was in Circle of Nations (Galilee) were there, watching from a distance. These were some of the women who had served him during his journeys. 56Strong Tears (Mary) of the village of Creator’s High Lodge (Magdala) and Brooding Tears (Mary), the mother of He Takes Charge (James) and He Increases (Joses), were among them, and also the mother of the two sons of Gift of Creator (Zebedee).

  BURIED IN A NEW BURIAL CAVE

  57A while before sunset, He Gets More (Joseph), a man of many possessions from the tribal village of High Mountain (Arimathea), who was also one who followed Creator Sets Free (Jesus), 58went to Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate). He asked for the body of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) so he could prepare it properly for burial. The governor then gave him permission to take the body.

  59He took the body and ceremonially wrapped it in a traditional way using a clean, soft blanket. 60He then laid the body of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) in his own burial cave freshly cut from the rock hillside. He rolled a large stone in front of the cave and left.

  SOLDIERS GUARD HIM

  61Strong Tears (Mary) of the village of Creator’s High Lodge (Magdala) and Brooding Tears (Mary) were also there sitting across the garden from the tomb.

  62The next day, which was after the Day of Preparing, the head holy men and the Separated Ones (Pharisees) came to Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate).

  63“Honored One,” they said to him, “When he was still alive, that trickster Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said, ‘On the third day I will come back from the dead.’ 64We must put an end to his lies or his followers could take his body away and tell the people he has come back from the dead, making things worse for all of us. So we are asking that you order your soldiers to guard the burial cave.”

  65He said to them, “Take with you a good number of my soldiers and set them to guard the burial cave securely.”

  66So they went and placed a seal over the great stone and set the guards to watch.

  A NEW SUNRISE FOR A NEW WORLD

  1Then, on the first day of the week following the Day of Resting, as the sun began to rise, Strong Tears (Mary) of the village of Creator’s High Lodge (Magdala) and Brooding Tears (Mary) went to see the burial cave.

  2Suddenly the earth began to shake, and a spirit-messenger from the spirit-world above came down from the sky, walked to the burial cave, rolled the stone away—and sat down on it! 3He was shining as bright as a flash of lightning, and his regalia was pure white like freshly fallen snow.

  4The soldiers staggered back, trembling with fear, and fell to the ground like dead men.

  5-6“Do not fear!” the spirit-messenger said to the women. “The one you are looking for is not here. Creator Sets Free (Jesus), who was killed on the cross, has come back to life again—just as he said. Look! Here is where they laid him. 7Now hurry and go tell his followers that he has risen from the dead. Tell them he is going ahead of them to Circle of Nations (Galilee), and they will see him there. Now remember what I have told you!”

  HE APPEARS TO THE WOMEN

  8The women ran from the burial cave to bring the good news to his followers. Their hearts were trembling with fear and great joy. 9Suddenly, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was standing in front of them.

  “It is a good morning!” he smiled and said to them.

  They came close, held tightly to his feet, and gave great honor to him.

  10“Do not fear!” he told them. “Go and tell my brothers to go to Circle of Nations (Galilee), and there they will see me.”

  THE SOLDIERS ARE PAID TO KEEP QUIET

  11After the women had left the burial cave, some of the soldiers who were guarding the place went to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and reported everything to the head holy men. 12So they gathered a council together to make a plan.

  They decided to pay the soldiers well to make up a story. 13“Tell the people that his followers came and stole his body while you were sleeping,” they said. 14“Do not worry about the governor hearing of this. We will pay him whatever it takes to keep you from trouble.”

  Normally the People of Iron (Romans) would have put to death any soldiers who would have let someone steal a body they had been ordered to guard.

  15So the soldiers took the money and did as they were told, and even to this day their story has been told far and wide among all the tribes.

  FINAL INSTRUCTIONS

  It was now time for Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to return to the spirit-world above. It had now been forty days since he had come back to life again. So he gathered his followers, one last time, to give them their final instructions.

  16The remaining eleven of his followers journeyed to Circle of Nations (Galilee). There, at the mountain where Creator Sets Free (Jes
us) had told them to go, they met with him. 17When they saw him, they gave to him the honor he deserved—but there were some who still doubted.

  18“All the authority of the spirit-world above and the earth below has been given to me,” he told them. 19“So now I am sending you into all nations to teach them how to walk the road with me. You will represent me as you perform the purification ceremony92 with them, initiating them into the life of beauty and harmony represented in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 20You will then teach them all the ways that I have instructed you to walk in.”

  Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then looked into their faces with love and great affection. He lifted his hands toward them and spoke these final blessing words over them.

  “Never forget,” he said as he began to rise up into the spirit-world above. “I will always be with you, your invisible guide, walking beside you, until the new age has fully come.”

  Aho! May it be so!

  WAR CLUB TELLS THE GOOD STORY

  THE GOSPEL OF MARK

  THE GOOD STORY BEGINS

  1This is the good story about the Chosen One, Creator Sets Free (Jesus), who is the Son of the Great Spirit. This story began long ago and was foretold in the Sacred Teachings by the ancient prophet Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah).

  2“Behold!” Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah) said, as he spoke the words of the Great Spirit. “I am sending my messenger ahead of you to prepare the way. 3He will be a voice howling in the desert wilderness, ‘Clear away the stones and make a straight path for the coming of the Honored One!’”1

  PURIFICATION CEREMONY

  4The prophesied messenger appeared in the desert wilderness. He came to tell everyone to turn from their wrong ways of thinking and return to the ways of the Great Spirit. The messenger’s name was Gift of Goodwill (John). He came to perform the purification ceremony2 to show people that they had been released from their broken ways.

  5From the surrounding territory of the Land of Promise (Judea) and from Village of Peace (Jerusalem), all the people came to him to participate in his purification ceremonyb performed in the river Flowing Down (Jordan). As they came, they were admitting to their bad hearts and broken ways.

  PREPARING THE WAY

  6Gift of Goodwill (John) came wearing buffalo-skin3 garments, with a cowhide sash around his waist. The food he ate was grasshoppers and wild honey.

  7“I am preparing the way for the one who is greater and more powerful than I,” he announced to all. “I am not even worthy to bend down and untie his moccasins. 8I perform the purification ceremonyc with water, but he will perform the purification ceremonyb with the Holy Spirit!”

  CREATOR SETS FREE COMES FORWARD

  9It was in those days that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came from his home in Seed Planter Village (Nazareth) in the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee), to have Gift of Goodwill (John) perform for him the purification ceremony.b

  Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was a mature man of about thirty winters. The time had come for him to show himself to all the people and begin his great work. He waded out into the river to have Gift of Goodwill (John) perform the ceremony.

  10As soon as Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came up from the water, he saw the sky open. The Spirit of Creator came down like a dove and rested on him. 11Then a voice from the sky spoke like distant thunder, “This is my much-loved Son who makes my heart glad!”

  HIS VISION QUEST

  12Right then and there the Spirit drove Creator Sets Free (Jesus) into the desert wilderness. 13For forty days and nights he remained there, surrounded by wild animals and being tested by Accuser (Satan)—the ancient trickster snake. Spirit-messengers also came to give him strength and comfort.

  THE MESSAGE OF THE GOOD ROAD

  14Then later, after Gift of Goodwill (John) was arrested, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) traveled to the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee) to tell the good story.

  15“The time has now come!” he said to the people. “Creator’s good road is right in front of you. It is time to return to the right ways of thinking and doing! Put your trust in this good story I am bringing to you.”

  HIS FIRST FOLLOWERS

  16As he walked along the shore of the Lake of Circle of Nations (Sea of Galilee), he saw two men, One Who Hears (Simon) and Stands with Courage (Andrew), throwing their nets into the lake, for they were fishermen.

  17“Come! Walk the road with me,” he called out to them, “and I will teach you how to net two-leggeds instead of fish!”

  18Right then and there they dropped their nets and began to walk the road with him.

  19He walked a little farther down the shore and saw two more men, the brothers He Takes Over (James) and He Shows Goodwill (John), the two sons of Gift of Creator (Zebedee). They were sitting in their canoe and mending their nets. 20Right away he called out for them to walk the road with him. They dropped their nets, left their father behind with the hired help, and also became followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

  NEW TEACHING FOR NEW MEDICINE

  Once a week on the Day of Resting the people would come together at the local village gathering house to learn the ways of the Great Spirit.

  21Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took his new followers and went to Village of Comfort (Capernaum). When the next Day of Resting came, he went to the gathering house and began to teach the people. 22They were amazed at his manner of speaking, for, unlike the scroll keepers, he spoke clearly and boldly as one with authority.

  23Suddenly, a man controlled by an unclean spirit cried out loud, 24“Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from the Seed Planter Village (Nazareth), what are you doing here? Have you come to put an end to us? I know who you are! You are the Holy One from the Great Spirit!”

  25Creator Sets Free (Jesus) spoke sharply to the spirit. “Be silent!” he said. “Come out of him!”

  26The unclean spirit shook the man, threw him to the ground, and, howling with a loud voice, came out of him.

  27The people were dumbfounded and began to ask each other, “What is this teaching? What new medicine is this? He even tells the unclean spirits what to do—and they do it!”

  28His reputation spread like wildfire into the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee) and to all the surrounding territories.

  POWER OVER SICKNESS

  29As soon as they left the gathering house, they went to the home of One Who Hears (Simon) and his brother Stands with Courage (Andrew). He Takes Over (James) and He Shows Goodwill (John) were with them.

  30The wife of One Who Hears (Simon) was there. Her mother was sick in bed with a bad fever, so they asked Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to help her. 31He went and stood by her, took her by the hand, and lifted her up. The fever left her and she was healed. Then with a glad heart she went to prepare a meal for them.

  32Later that day, when the sun was going down, many sick people were brought to him, along with those who were tormented by evil spirits. 33The whole village had gathered outside the door.

  34He healed many with different illnesses and set others free from evil spirits, but he did not permit the spirits to speak, for they knew who he was.

  35Early the next morning, before the sunrise, he left and found a quiet, out-of-the-way place to be alone and pray. 36One Who Hears (Simon) and the others 37found him and said, “Everyone is looking for you!”

  38“It’s time to go to the other villages and tell them the good story,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “for that is what I came to do.”

  39So he traveled about all the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee). He taught in their gathering houses and forced out many evil spirits.

  HE HEALS A MAN WITH SKIN DISEASE

  40While in one of the villages, a man with a skin disease all over his body came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus). He humbled himself, bowed down, and pleaded with him, “Honored One! If you want to, you can heal and cleanse me.”

  Under tribal law anyone with a skin disease was considered ceremonially unclean and could not participa
te in ceremonies or attend meetings at the gathering houses. If someone touched or was touched by an unclean person, they would be considered unclean until the sun set that day. So to help people avoid this, the diseased person was required to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”

  41Creator Sets Free (Jesus), stirred with compassion, reached out and touched the man. “I want to!” he said. “Be cleansed!”

  42Right away the disease left him, and he was made clean.

  43Creator Sets Free (Jesus) sent him away at once with a warning. 44“Tell no one!” he instructed. “Go and show yourself to a holy man, so he can see with his own eyes. Have him perform the cleansing ceremony given to us by the lawgiver Drawn from the Water (Moses).”

  But the man chose not to follow his instructions.

  45Instead, he spread the news about his healing far and wide. Soon Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was unable to show his face in the local villages, so he stayed away from them. But the people continued to come to him from all directions.