Olivia: The book of Matthew

Chapter Forty- Six

It is almost dinner time. The food grandma is cooking, smells amazing. I bring my Bible to the counter near where she is cooking. I don't even need to ask, because she sees me immediately.

happily pointing her knife in my direction, "Yes, this is the perfect time to read the last chapter, and then we can discuss it over dinner!"

I am filled with excitement and I know it might sound silly to Most, but at this moment, I realize I am where I am supposed to be. If you had asked me before yesterday if I would have ever thought I'd be living with someone that shares my passions and dreams, I would have said no, but this, here with my grandma, is my slice of heaven. As I continue to read verse 28, I get really excited when I read the title.

It causes me to all but shout, "Jesus Has Risen!"

My grandma throws me off when she suddenly tosses flour into the air and spins around excitedly shouting, "Amen and Hallelujah!"

She slams her hands down on the counter and more flour flies everywhere and she continues to shout excitedly, "God is good!"

I smile and giggle at her, and I toss a cherry at her face, and it hits her directly in the nose is a shout, "All the time!"

My grandma points at me and laughs, "just so you know we are going to have to clean this up later!"

I laugh in a nod and understand, "Best to finish the book of Matthew first!"

She nods in agreement and happily spins around as she continues to cook while patiently waiting for me to start. I read about how the two Mary's go to look at the tube. I get excited when I read that there was a violent earthquake caused when an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and went into the tomb and rolled back the stones and sat on it. My Imagination runs wild as I imagine seeing him. It says his face is so bright it could be compared to that of lightning! His clothes are so bright, but not as much as his face, that we compare it to snow.

When he speaks to the woman, he says, "Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified..."

I stand up as I continue to read, "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.."

I stop and I look at my grandma and laugh as she impatiently encourages me, "don't stop when it gets good.. continue silly girl!"

I laugh and I continue to read as the angel instructs them to go quickly and tell his disciples:

'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him. Now I have told you.'

I sip on the amazing homemade tea that my grandma made me and, I run to the bathroom. As I come back, my grandma is pulling her homemade biscuits out of the oven.

Teasing, "Girl, if you don't hurry and read to me, I won't give you any of my biscuits!"

I joke back, "you'd starve me?"

She quickly defends, "oh no, you would eat. You just wouldn't be able to have any of these amazing biscuits."

I laughed and dramatically pleaded, "Oh no, not the biscuits! Withhold anything but the biscuits! Grandma, I cannot live without biscuits!"

She rolls her eyes and warns me, "You tease now, but wait until you taste them!"

I calm down my laugh and continue to read about how the woman hurried away from the tomb. They are both excited and terrified as they attempt to find the disciples.

I can't help but laugh when I read Jesus meets them and all he says to them is, "greetings"

They clasp their hands and they worship at his feet and I can't imagine what I would do at this moment but I continue to read as he tells them to not be afraid to tell his brothers to go to Galilee Where they will see him. I read excitedly about how they had given the news to the chief's presets.

I murmured under my breath, "I wish I could see the looks on their faces!"

My grandma laughs in agreement. I continue to read, but as I read my voice gains serious base. I clearly disagree with them paying the soldiers off and telling them.

I repeat, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."

I clenched my fist and out loud I disagreed, "don't do it!"

As I continue to read onto the next first about how the soldiers took the money and told their version of the story and how this is the story that is still circulated among the Jews to this very day. I shake my head in dismay and I take a sip of my tea. Grandma laughs as she can see that I am clearly upset. She surprises me like always as she turns around and leans down.

She looks me dead in the eye as she quotes,
"The Great Commission."

I looked down and then I looked back up at her when I noticed she was right. She doesn't break eye contact with me.

Continuing to read verse 16, "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted..."

I want to display once again how I disagree with his choice and disciples. I am too busy looking for my what my grandma is reading. I don't see that she is indeed reading it Word for Word from memory.

Quoting "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'I have given all authority in heaven and on earth to me. Therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, at the very end of the age.'"

I want to tell my grandma how impressive that was, but she stops me, "Not a Word.  Memorizing a few words isn't phenomenal. What Jesus did was phenomenal, but he continues to do in our everyday lives even though he is not physically here is what is phenomenal. If all I have to do is memorize a few words and praise him for them, is it really that phenomenal or that hard for me to do when you have just read everything that he has endured for us?"

My heart rate is heavy when I know what she's saying is true, but it sounds so beautiful the way she says that I just continue to sit in silence as I listen to her.

She gets a little closer and her eyes grow softer as she asks, "In your journey of reading the book of Matthew have you.."

I stopped her because it's as if I can feel where she's coming from with happy tears rolling down my cheeks.

I reach out and grab her hand and I tell her, "I really have found Jesus and God is in my heart."