Hello again. It’s Buck. I’m a stray canine from Cana—you know, the little town in Galilee? But you’re not reading about just another homeless dog; this pup walked the dusty roads with Jesus! Yes, the one they call Immanuel was my best friend.
I first met Jesus when he did a miracle at a wedding in my hometown. You can read about it here.
I’d been shadowing Christ awhile, so you’d think there would be no surprises. But still, two years later, they kept coming!
For instance, one day Jesus taught beside the lake–He loved the water, just like me–and when it was over we walked back toward town.
On the road into Capernaum, we passed by a tax collector’s booth. Jesus stopped to talk with the man behind the table, which was nothing unusual. But then He surprised everyone when he said to him, “Come, follow me.”
Now folks, tax people were the biggest strays of all. Nobody, and I mean nobody, wanted to join their pack. Because they collected money for the Romans, and too much at that, people like Matthew (the guy at the booth) were hated by the Jews. Yet here was my friend Jesus–picking up another stray, which was one of His favorite things to do. Why was I so surprised!?
Well, Matthew joined the Jesus pack that day, and the same evening he threw a big party for everyone. I say everyone, it was Christ and his closest friends, plus a bunch of other tax collectors and people the religious leaders called “sinners.”
I was outside the house, enjoying a big pile of scraps, when three of these “Fair-uh-sees” (sorry, Buck is a better smeller than speller) came to the door.
GRRR!
I stood, facing them, with the hairs on my back raised; even showed them my teeth! I spell their name like it sounds, but it’s strange: there’s nothing fair about how these guys see anything. If you don’t follow God their way they call you bad names. This breed of “church” people weren’t welcome here!
“Leave it, Buck,” said Jesus’ other best friend, John. Where did he come from? Oh, well. It was those guys’ lucky day, because they weren’t gonna get past me! As it turned out, they didn’t want to come in anyway. They just came to give Jesus and His friends a hard time.
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” they asked John. Before he could answer, Jesus appeared over his shoulder. Oh boy, this was gonna be good!
It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
Jesus – Matthew 9:12-13 (NIV)
Go Jesus! Go Jesus!
Those Fair-uh-sees left with their tails tucked between their legs. Well, they would have–if they had tails.
Human friends, here’s one thing Buck saw over and over: when Jesus loved people it changed their lives for the better. His mercy reached me, and other strays–like tax collectors–and we were never the same. Nobody in the world loves you like Jesus!
This piece of historical fiction (the dog part, not the Bible story) is dedicated to the memory of the real Buck: a chocolate lab who was a gun dog par excellence. That’s him below, sitting in a duck blind watching his owner for the next command. It was his intense gaze (in the photo) that sparked this story. May each of us look to God with the same level of devotion.
*The story of the calling of Matthew is found in Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:14-17, and Luke 5:27-32.
A special thanks to Beth Alisan, from lessonsfromalab , for helping make this story possible.
Thank you for reading. 🙏❤️ prayers and love.
©️2018-2023, davidsdailydose, David Duncan. All Rights Reserved.
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