| Narrator:
| It was Capernaum, near the market place. Ranah and Ornah, their
baskets full of the food they had purchased, were on their way
home. |
| RANAH: | I always enjoy going to the markets, Ornah. You meet so
many people. |
| ORNAH: | Catch up on the news, too. It's no good just being cooped
up in the house, Ranah, is it? |
| RANAH: | I agree. I do hope Miriam's young lad gets better soon. |
| ORNAH: | Doesn't sound too good. There's so much sickness around.
It's bad news, really. |
| RANAH: | You know, Ornah, too much thinking about life can get you
down. |
| ORNAH: | What was it the Rabbi read out in synagogue last sabbath? |
| RANAH: | You mean about "a time to live and a time to die"? |
| ORNAH: | Yes. "Life is useless, all useless..." |
| RANAH: | Something depressing about that. Even Solomon in all his
glory has his down moments. |
| ORNAH: | But it's true to life, Ranah! Just think about it. We've
been to the markets today. We go to the well to draw some water.
We cook meals for our husbands and hungry children. We sweep the
house, tidy up, wash the clothes... and what will tomorrow bring? |
| RANAH: | My husband gets very worried. The taxes to Rome have gone
up so much. Our family budget is just so tight. He has work now,
and, it seems, will do for some time. But the land has been occupied
by the Romans for so long. |
| ORNAH: | I get worried about the widows. We are fortunate with our
strong husbands. A widow's life must be so miserable! |
| RANAH: | And what's worse, the tax-collectors don't give them any
consideration at all! |
| ORNAH: | Tax-collectors! They only think about themselves. What
I would like to see happen to them... |
| RANAH: | Careful, Ornah, we're not supposed to think that about
people! |
| ORNAH: | I know, Ranah. And that's the other thing - we can't do
anything without feeling guilty! |
| RANAH: | We're supposed to be God's people, but don't deserve to
be! |
| ORNAH: | When the Scriptures are read, I feel uncomfortable. |
| RANAH: | Those Pharisees seem to multiply all the rules and make
us more uneasy. |
| ORNAH: | True. But I mean I get uncomfortable about what's there,
not what's added. |
| Narrator: | Jesus was about. They had heard stories about him. Let's read
what he said. |
| Reader: | Matthew 11.28-30. |