Chapter 2

The white lion walked out of Savannah Central and started heading to Sahara square. He walked along the roads and paths, avoiding cars and crossing pedestrians until he got to Sahara Square. Smiling, he walked into the small neighborhood of Nazareth. He kept walking until he got to a small house and knocked on the door. The door opened, and a lioness stood there. She wore a light blue colored dress with a red belt. "Jesus, my son…" she smiled, hugging the white lion.

"Hello mother…" the white lion, Jesus, replied as he returned the embrace gently. He kissed her on the cheek and entered the house. "Good to be home…" he sighed.

A little bit later, Jesus and his mother, Mary, were eating dinner by the fire. "What did you tell him?" Mary asked as she handed Jesus a plate with food on it.

"Well…" Jesus replied. "I just told him I had other work."

"Your father's work…" Mary spoke as she sat down.

Jesus nodded his head. "Yes."

"You said that before… A long time ago when Joseph was still living…"

"And you remember?" Jesus asked.

Mary nodded her head. "Yes… I remember everything. It was around the time of the Passover. When we were headed for the temple…"

….

The grounds of Zootropolis were crowded with many people heading for the temple for the Passover. A family of lions were in the middle of the crowd. Joseph was the male of the family. He was a large lion with brown fur and a black mane and wore the simple clothes of a carpenter. The mother, Mary, was younger in appearance. She wore a dark blue dress and a brown coat with a hood. The son, Jesus, was a cub, about 12 at the time. His fur was a gleaming white color and he wore a blue t-shirt, black pants, and a brown satchel was slung over his shoulder.

The young Jesus pointed at the temple and went towards it. Mary was a bit frightened about her son being alone, but Joseph said that he would be fine and they would see him when it was time to leave. Jesus went into the temple but did not come out for the longest time. ("Nowhere," Mary spoke. "We couldn't find you. We searched Zootropolis Night and Day.")

The lion couple went to the temple where they saw several priests gathered around the white-furred cub, amazed and marveling at his knowledge of the law and the deciphering of its teachings. The lion couple ran forward in excitement and hugged their son. "My son! Where were you?" Mary asked. "Why did you run?"

"We've been looking for you night and day." Joseph added.

"Why were you looking for me?" The young Jesus asked. "Why were you worried? I have to work at my father's business."

...

"After that," Mary finished. "I lay awake at night. I've lain awake for so many nights…" she looked over at Jesus, who listened intensely. "When are you going?" she asked him.

"At first light." Jesus replied, getting up.

"So soon?" Mary asked, looking saddened.

Jesus smiled and placed a gentle hand on his mother's shoulder. Later that night, Mary watched her son sleep and then looked into the fire as it started to slowly stop burning. She then remembered the night that her son was born.

….

Mary was only 14 when she had given birth to her cub. When the cub was born, they marveled how his fur was a white color, not brown or tan as the other lions' fur. Just like an angel had told them, they named their son Jesus. A large star had stood over the place where Jesus was born, and the family was visited by a group of sheep who had seen an angel and came to worship him.

But that was nothing compared to what came a few months later. Three camel wise men came, for they saw the star in the east and came to worship him, bringing him gifts.

The first one brought gold. "Gold is for a king," the first one said. "The riches of his glory…"

The second one brought frankincense. "Frankincense is for prayer," the second one spoke. "A fragrant offering to God…"

The third brought mirth. "Mirth is sorrow and the day of death," the third one spoke. "The doorway into life…"

…..

The words the third one had said stuck in Mary's mind to that day. She still had the mirth, and wondered if she would have to use it for her own son.

…..

At a river about a few miles away from Sahara Square, a crowd had gathered near a river to hear the preaching of a crazy-looking lion.

This lion had brownish-golden colored fur that was matted and a black mane that was unkempt. He wore a black t-shirt, black pants, and an old green army jacket with several tears. "Repent!" the crazed lion shouted in a loud voice. "Turn from your sins! All of you!"

"How can we rid the city of all its wickedness?" asked a weasel wearing a green suit and tie.

"Begin with your own heart! Start there!" the crazy looking lion replied, going down into the river with antelope by his side. He took the antelope, dunked him underwater slowly, and pulled him back up. "I baptize with water, but there is one coming who is far more powerful than I'll ever be! And he'll baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire!"

The antelope and the lion went back on the bank. "Are you the messiah?" a wolf wearing a red suit and tie asked.

"We have to take a message back to the authorities." added the weasel wearing the green suit and tie.

"Am I God's holy one to save the people?" asked the crazy-looking lion. "NO! I'm not the messiah, nor do I dream that I'm anything but this: A voice in the wilderness crying 'Make ready the way of the Lord!"

Little did he know that Lord he was talking about was coming. The weasel and the wolf got in their expensive looking car and drove away from the river while the crazy-looking lion baptized a large gorilla.

When he was done with gorilla, he gasped when he saw the white lion coming through the crowd. "Behold!" he said in amazement. "The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!"

The crazed-looking lion got out of the river and knelt before him. "John, I have come to be baptized by you." said Jesus.

The crazed-looking lion, John, looked up in amazement. "I-" he stuttered. "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you have come to me?"

Jesus smiled and nodded. "Let it be so now," he replied. "For in this way it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness."

John nodded and stood up. "Alright then…" he replied. Together, he and Jesus went into the river till they were waist deep and then John slowly dunked Jesus underwater. When Jesus came out from under the water, a loud blast of light came from out of nowhere, shocking everyone who stood there.

"THIS IS MY BELOVED SON…" A loud voice rang out. "IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED…"

After that, they both got out of the water. Jesus shook himself dry, embraced his cousin and said his goodbye, then went on his way. "Where's he going?" asked the gorilla.

"Some battles need to be fought alone." John replied quietly. He then went back to baptizing while Jesus went out into the unexplored territory of Zootopia.