Open Writing

On t' fust day o' t' week afooare t' Passover Jesus an't' disciples wer' walkin' dahn t' Mahnt of Olives, makkin' fer Jerewsalem. Jesus let on 'at 'e wor bahn ter ride inter t' city in style — just as t' prophets 'ad said t' Messiah 'ould one day do.

'Then wi mun finnd thee an 'oss, Lord', said one o' t' disciples.

'No', said Jesus. 'What does t' Scripture say? T prophecy o' Zechariah — "Behold! Thy King cometh unto thee — lowly, riding upon a donkey ..." An 'oss is a symbol o' t' Roman sodgers an' military might. A donkey is a symbol o' peace an' gentleness.'

'Well, wi mun finnd thee a mooak, then', said t' disciples.

'It's all arranged', said Jesus. 'Ah want two on yer ter go inter t' village yonder, an' yer'll finnd a mooak teed up. It's a young 'un 'at's niwer been ridden afooare. Untee it — an' if onnybody says "What's tha doin'?" just say tul 'em, "T' Lord 'as need on it — but 'e'll send it back as sooin as 'e's done wi' it".'

So t' two on 'em set off, an' the' fahnd this 'ere young mooak near t' cross-rooads, teed up ahtside t' 'ahse, just as Jesus 'ad said. The' wer' agate unteein' it when t' awner comes aht an' starts playin' hummer.

'Ey! What does-ta think tha's doin'?', 'e bawls.

'T' Lord 'as need on it', the' replied. 'Wer' nobbut lendin' it. It'll sooin bi back.'

T' awner suddenly changed 'is tune an' let 'em tak it. Jesus 'ad evidently arranged it all afooare, tha sees, an' "'T Lord 'as need on it" wor a sooart o' password ter keep it secret, like — 'cos 'e
didn't want t' Scribes an' t' Pharisees ter stop this ride inter Jerewsalem.

Well, the' browt t' mooak ter Jesus, an' 'e strooaked it an' talked to it a bit, knawin' 'at it 'ad niwer been brokken in an' niwer been ridden afooare. T' disciples put a coit o' two on t' animal's back ter mak a bit of a saddle, an' then 'elped Jesus onto it.

Off the' went, t' mooak trottin' dahn past t' Gardin' o' Gethsemane an' up towards t' city. As the' drew near t' gates, t' procession went nice an' gently — an't' disciples started doffin' the'r coits an' liggin' 'em dahn in t' rooad i' front o' t' mooak. It wor ter gi'e Jesus a royal welcome, tha sees — so's t' mooak didn't 'ave ter walk ower mucky grahnd.

Well, crahds o' folk started gatherin' on booath sides o' t' rooad inter Jerewsalem — mooast on 'em followers o' Jesus 'at 'ad come thru Galilee fer t' Passover. When the' saw 'at t' disciples wer' liggin' the'r coits in t' rooad, the' started doin' t' same — an' then some on 'em cut dahn branches off t' palm trees an' started liggin' 'em i' t' rooad — an' wavin' 'em abaht, an' all.

All t' fowk wer' smilin' an' laughin' — an' gatherin' all rahnd Jesus — an' shahtin' o' tops o' the'r voices:
'Hosannal God save t' King 'at comes in t' name o' t' Lord!'

An' all t' bairns joined in, an' all, callin' aht i' the'r little pipin' voices: 'Hosanna ter t' Son o' David!'
It wor a reight grand do, this ride inter Jerewsalem — Jesus bein' welcomed as t' Lord's Anointed ...
Ah, but the'r wer' some on 'em 'at didn't like this one bit — t' Pharisees an' such-like.

'Sither, maister!,' one o' t' Pharisees bawls aht ter Jesus. 'Listen 'at what fowk are sayin'! The're callin' thee t' Messiah! That's blasphemy! Tha mun tell 'em ter shut up!'

'Nay', says Jesus, 'If Ah tell these fowk ter keep silence — then t' stooanes i' t' rooad 'll cry aht!'

T' procession ended up at t' Temple — a marvellous gurt buildin' put up bi King Herod. T' courtyard wor full o' noisy crahds, changin' the'r brass ter get rid o' t' Roman coins, an' buyin' an' sellin' doves fer sacrifice — an' ther' wer sheep an' cattle an' all sooarts — just like a bloomin' market! Jesus walked abaht, lookin' at it all, but 'e said nowt. Then wi't' disciples 'e left t' city, sent t' mooak back, an' stayed aht at Bethany — wheeare the' knew the'd all bi safe.

T' next mornin', though, Jesus went back inter Jerewsalem an' streight ter t' Temple courtyard. Suddenly t' disciples 'eeard 'im bawlin' aht, an' saw 'im knockin' ower t' tables o' t' moneychangers an't' dove-sellers, an' then the' saw 'im sam up a two-a-thri lengths o' rooape an' use 'em like a whip ter drive aht all these fowk — an' all t' sheep an' cattle. What a commotion! What a carry-on! T' disciples thowt Jesus 'ad gone barmy!

'It's written i' t' Scriptures,' Jesus shahted above all t' noise, 'My Temple shall bi an 'ahse o' prayer fer all t' nations o' t' world — An' — shame on yer! — yer've turned it into a rowdy market, an' a den o' thieves!'

Well, that wor t' last straw as far as yon Scribes an' Pharisees an' preeasts wer' concerned. The' started lookin' fer a way ter rid thersens o' Jesus, once an' fer all. An' it wor sooin after that 'at the' did a deal wi' Judas Iscariot — one o' t' twelve disciples ... Why iwer did Judas do it? Fer t' brass? Nay. It wor nobbut fer thirty pieces o' silver — abaht a month's wages, that's all. Some say it wor simply 'at Satan took 'od on 'im. Others think it wor 'cos Judas wanted t' sooart o' Messiah 'oo'd raise a gurt army an' drive aht t' Romans — nut a peace-lovin', gentle sooart o' Messiah, ridin' on a mooak.