On a Birthday

Peter's birthday thoughts

I feel pity for myself on my thirtieth birth day. Thirty years of slavery!!! That’s what I can call my life. God, Do you really exist? If yes, why don’t you heed our prayers? Why don’t you understand our pain? How can you stay cool when the whole Israel is suffering under this brutal Roman Empire? When will the Messiah come? Will he be able to lead us from slavery to freedom? Will he gift us with the independence for our holy gifted land? I must believe it…as you have proved it once with Moses. Moses could lead the entire Israel from Egypt. Moses divided the red sea to refrain Pharoah from harming Israel. His prayers helped Israel to get food, water even in the desert and finally the commandments for salvation.

The condition of current Israel is no good in comparison to the Israel under Egypt. God, we are suffering similar problems here. Please send our Messiah to drive these barbarous Romans out of our land. Apart from Romans, we are also penalized by pharisees and Sadducees. They consider us fishermen and other poor people as their servants. They don’t consider us as part of Israel. We, the poor are being punished by both internal and external forces. Where is our salvation? Who will save us from these tearful days?

Scriptures say that the erstwhile Israel waited for 400 years for their savior. Do we also need to wait that long? Romans invaded Judea even before the birth of my father. Though I am not sure about the exact time, Israel must have been under this avid foreign governance for more than 60 years as my father is sixty years old now. When will you save us? You are the one who provided your people with light at night and shadow in the day at the desert. Yah, my God, please save us from this foreign rule.

Today, they imposed a new burden on us, the tax for employment. If we want to work, we need to pay tax to Caesar. Even farmers and fishermen need to pay. Why should we pay tax to a foreigner for living and earning in our own land? What should we do? Why do I live like this as Good for nothing? If I were born in a family of pharisees or Sadducees, I could at least speak in the Sanhedrin to put pressure on the local governance. Alas!!! being the son of John: the poor fisherman, I can do nothing other than suffering and I am doing that earnestly.

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