Open Writing

As Ah've said, Jesus — same as John the Baptist afooare 'im — went abaht preychin'. But 'e went abaht dooin' gooid, an' all. Ower an' ower ageean tha can read of 'ah Jesus nobbut 'ad ter touch someb'dy an' say a few words ower 'em — an' the'd bi cured.

Mind you, t' Gospils mak it plain 'at Jesus niwer set aht ter be a doctor-man, or owt like that. 'E wor fust an' foremooast a preycher — theeare ter save sowls, nut bodies. An' yet 'e felt that sorry fer fowk 'at 'e just couldn't 'elp 'issen — an' so if 'e saw somebody in t' crahd 'at wor reight badly, Jesus 'ould brek off preychin' an' mak 'em well ageean. T' trouble wor 'at crahds started follerin' 'im arahnd on accahnt o' these merricles o' healin' — an' nut to 'earken ter what Jesus 'ad ter say.

T' start of it all wor one day when Jesus wor preychin' in t' synagogue at Capernaum — a little tahn just by t' Sea o' Galilee. A synagogue, tha knaws, is a Jeewish place o' worship — nowt fancy, but plain an' 'omely, same as a chapill. T congregation wor reight ta'en up wi' this young preycher — Jesus wor nobbut abaht thirty, does-ta see?

'We've 'eard nowt like this afooare', fowk wer' sayin', "E speyks same as 'e knaws just what 'e's on abaht, wi' real authority — nut like them theeare Scribes an' Pharisees.'

But all of a sudden ther's a chap bawlin' aht o' top of 'is voice, interruptin' t' preycher:

"What's tha come 'ere fo'?', 'e shahts. 'Jesus o' Nazareth! What's tha got ter do wi' us? I knaw! Tha's come ter destroy us — that's what it is!'

'Tak no gaum on im, Jesus!' said fowk i' t' congregation. 'Yon feller's barmy — shakked i' bits!'

Jesus, hahiwer, turned an' looked streight at this poor chap, an' bawled back — nut at 'im, but at t' evil sperrits 'at t' poor sowl thowt 'at 'e wor possessed wi':

'Nah, 'od thi noise! An' come reight aht o' this man!'

Well, t' lunatic starts ditherin' an' shakkin' all ower, then suddenly 'e lets aht a terrible screeam — an' it wor just same as if t' evil sperrits 'ad left 'im, 'cos iwer after that 'e wor as reight as rain.

Well, as sooin as t' service wor ower Jesus left t' synagogue an' went ter wheeare Simon Peter lived — nobbut a short walk dahn t' street. Simon an' Andrew 'ad invited Jesus fer a bite an' a sup, along wi' James an' John. But when the' got theeare the' fahnd 'at Simon mutther-in-law wor i' bed wi' a fever — proper badly, sh' wor, liggin' theeare a reight poor object. T' Gospils mak no mention o' Simon Peter wife — though if 'e 'ad a mutther-in-law it stands ter reeason 'e mun 'a' been wed. 'Appen it wor t' wife 'oo got 'im ter tell Jesus 'er mutther wor badly — wi't' flew, or whatiwer feverish ailments fowk 'ad i' them days.

When Jesus 'eeard 'at t' mutther-in-law wor poorly 'e goes an' stands bi 'er bedside, speaks a two-a-thri words — same as if 'e's commandin' t' fever ter leave 'er body — then 'e taks 'er bi t' 'and, an' 'elps 'er ter stand up an' walk abaht. An't' strange thing wor this: nut only 'ad t' fever vanished, but t' mutther-in-law felt that well ageean 'at sh' started 'elpin' ter serve t' meal! What Ah'm tellin' thee is reight. Simon Peter wor theeare. 'E saw it all — and it wor' 'im 'at telled Sent Mark.

Well, tha can just imagine what 'appened when t' tale abaht Peter mutther-in-law spread rahnd Capernaum. Bi t' end o' t' same day — just as t' sun wor settin' — ther' wor a gurt crahd o' fowk gathered ahtside. It seeamed as if t' whole tahn wor theeare, all waitin' ter see if Jesus 'ould come aht an' cure mooare poorly fowk. The' weren't disappointed. Jesus comes aht, an' goes rahnd liggin' 'is 'ands on t' 'eeads of all t' fowk 'at wer' in a poor way, curin' iwery kind of ailment, from them wrong i' t' 'eead, ter them that lame the'd ter bi carried theeare on stretchers — an' even fowk 'at wer' blinnd, or as deeaf as a pooast.

As time went on, an' as Jesus went rahnd all t' tahns an' villages in t' province o' Galilee, 'e cured no end o' fowk wi' all sooarts of 'orrible diseases, even leprosy. These lepers, tha knaws, wer' fooarced ter stay away from other fowk altogether. T' law said 'at the' 'ad ter keep strictly ter thersens an' niwer come near ter nobody. Nah, one day ther' wor a bunch o' these poor divills — ten on 'em, all told — rooamin' abaht feelin' reight sorry fer thersens — an' then the' saw Jesus, on 'is way dahn ter Jerewsalem. The' bawled aht to 'im from t' other side o' t' rooad — 'cos the' dursn't come onny clooaser:

'Jesus! Please, maister! Tak pity on us!'

Jesus called back tul 'em:

'All reight, then! Off yer go an' show yersens ter t' preeasts!'

Nah, t' law said 'at lepers could only lead a normal sooart o' life if some'ah t' leprosy cleared up, an't' preeasts, 'avin' examined 'em, could give 'em a clean bill of 'ealth. So when Jesus telled 'em ter go ter t' preeasts 'e meant just one thing: the' wer' bahn ter bi cured.

Well, these 'ere ten lepers tak Jesus at 'is word, an' off the' go. An' as the' go the' see all t' nastiness clearin' away from the'r skin — an' the' can 'ardly believe the'r een. One on 'em — just one aht o' t' ten (an' 'e wor a Samaritan, by Gum!) — turns rahnd an' shahts aht praises ter God at t' top of 'is voice. Then 'e runs all t' way back an' thraws 'issen dahn at t' feet o' Jesus — ter gi'e thanks.

"Od on a minute!', says Jesus. 'Weren't ther' ten lepers cured o' the'r leprosy? Wheeare's t' rest on 'em? Wheeare's t' other nine? Is this lad 'ere — an' e's an off-comed-un, nut even a Jeew — is 'e t' only one 'at can bi bothered ter come an' gi'e thanks?'

'Nah, stand up, lad', says Jesus, 'Tha'd best bi on thi way. An' allus remember this: it's thi faith 'at's med thi well ageean.'