Chapter 4
The next day, Jesus was in the cold park of Tundratown beginning his mission of preaching to the citizens of Zootopia. "Ask and it shall be given." Jesus preached, as a small crowd of seven animals listened. "Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened for you!"
The crowd continued to grow as Jesus preached. "Your father in heaven longs to give you good gifts." He spoke as he walked up to an elephant and lion with a brown mane.
"Our father in heaven?" the lion asked, looking at his friend, the elephant, for an explanation.
...
"This man is different from the other teachers!" a young zebra piped up. He sat up on a tree without leaves trying to get a better look at Jesus over a large crowd that had gathered around him.
"Maybe it's because he preaches his own message rather than God's…" a ram wearing a blue suit and tie said smugly as he leaned against the tree.
"No, he says things in a new way…" the young zebra argued.
"There's no harm in listening…" said a tiger wearing an orange suit and tie.
"Look at all of them…" muttered the ram, seeing all the citizens gathering around Jesus' feet as Jesus called out for them to come closer and listen.
…
Judy and Nick, who had gone back on duty, were in the Tundratown park keeping an eye on the large crowd, hoping that there wasn't going to be a riot. They both wore their police uniforms and sat on the hood of their police car.
"It's the same lion!" Judy said in a joyful voice when she caught a glimpse of the white lion. "It's the carpenter lion we saw in Savannah Central!"
"Really?" Nick asked, cupping his hands around his eyes to see into the crowd. "We need to get a closer look. Hang on, Carrots; I'm going to move the car forward a little bit."
Judy smirked at the nickname and held on to the hood while Nick got in the driver's seat and moved the car forward a little bit.
"Yep!" said Judy, as they got close to the crowd but not so that they were disturbing them. "It is him! Come on up on the hood, Nick! We have to hear what he says!"
…..
"Come to me, and listen, and act on my words." Jesus continued, taking a seat on a rock as a group of five children gathered at his feet. Funny thing is, three of the children were prey animals, but they didn't fear him. Neither did the parents of the prey children. When they looked at Jesus, a calming feeling came over them.
"If you do that, then you are like a very wise man who built his house on a rock…" said Jesus as he began a parable.
….
A turtle wearing a sunhat stood on a large rock, hacking away at it with a pickaxe. This turtle was the wise man. ("But," Jesus preached. "Anybody who listens to what I say and does nothing about it is like a stupid man who builds his house on the sand.") A young monkey came along and, seeing a strenuous job the turtle was doing, sneered at the turtle and called for his friends, who built him a mansion out of wood and vines. This monkey was the stupid man.
While the monkey enjoyed a life of leisure and care-free, the turtle stood on the rock hacking away at it and building his household, brick by brick, foundation by foundation, and all other things that a house needs. ("Build your life like how you would build a house: on deep foundations." Jesus preached. "Don't just take the easy way, take the hard way. Listen to my words, let them go deeper, open your hearts and minds to the truth, be ready for the day when trouble comes, when difficulties arise and terrible storms rage all around you.") A large storm moved towards the turtle and the monkey. The turtle went into his house and closed the windows while the monkey did the same. The floodwaters came up and destroyed the foundation of the monkey's household, sending him, his possessions, and everything to the deeps. But as for the turtle, the firm foundation on which he put his house protected him, and the house stood. The turtle opened the windows to his house, knelt before God and thanked him for protection.
…
"Build your house on the rock." Jesus concluded. The ram with the blue suit and the tiger with the orange suit stood there and marveled at how the story was told.
…
Judy's head started to swim again and she felt weak, pressing her paw/hand (whatever you prefer) against her forehead. Nick looked over at her. "Did you catch the cold?" he asked somewhat worriedly, pressing his hand against her forehead. "Your fever is coming back…"
Judy shooed his hand away. "Let me watch… I want to hear the white lion's message…"
"Come to me, all who are thirsty and hungry. I will never turn you away." said Jesus, as he continued to preach.
"I want to stay…" Judy said weakly, but then she fell faint and would have slid off the hood of the car if Nick didn't grab her.
"Oh no… Carrots…" Nick said silently and sadly as he got her back in the police car.
…
A few meters away, watching from an abandoned fish-chopping building, sat three spotted hyenas. They were responsible for many riots and uprisings in Zootopia, which resulted in many injured and/or killed. They called themselves freedom-fighters, but most people and the ZPD called them vigilantes and criminals.
"So, here's what we do: We go up against Pilate's troops; overthrow the ZPD and that will be the sign from God that the people are free from slavery." said the leader of the hyenas, Barabbas, who was holding a large bowie knife in his hand.
Barabbas had dirty brown fur that was shaggy looking on his head and narrow black eyes. He wore a black leather jacket, a grubby tan undershirt, black sweatpants, and an eye-patch over his right eye. He got his eye slashed from a fight he had been in a long time ago.
"No! The people love him! They follow him everywhere he goes!" shouted Judas, who was watching Jesus preach.
Judas was a hyena with dark yellowish fur that was spiky looking on his head and had big black eyes. He wore a brown jacket, a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and black fingerless gloves.
"Look, you're a great dreamer and you have fine ideas, Judas." said Barabbas.
"Oh yes! He has many fine ideas! He wants to have a house like Herod with many baths and fine floors and all kinds of stupid things!" shouted Penance, another Hyena who was a little bit crazy in the head. He had dark grey colored fur that was spiky on his head and green colored eyes. He wore a black leather biker vest, a grey tank top, and dark green colored trousers.
Judas grabbed Penance and was about to pop him one when Barabbas separated them. "Stop fighting!" he growled, looking like he wanted to knock their heads together. "We all the same and we believe in the same God! We fight together because we believe!"
"I believe!" Judas shouted his reply.
"In what, Judas?!" Barabbas asked angrily. "What do you believe in?! Should we join up with this lion from Nazareth?"
"They say he has… powers from God."
"Oh yeah! You've definitely gone off your rocker!" Penance muttered, stoking a small fire he built.
"What do kings and emperors fear?" Judas asked. "What is the one thing they fear? They fear the people! When they rise up and follow behind one animal!"
….
Judas could imagine it all going through his head. He saw the great white lion, dressed in the armor of a soldier, slaughtering the ZPD and Pilate's men with a pistol and a knife. He saw the large building where Mayor Lionheart worked being blown up and collapsing. He saw him and Jesus, both covered in the blood of their enemies, standing victorious over the slaughtered carcasses of their enemies.
…
Judas' bloodlust couldn't be curbed anymore. He left Barabbas and Penance in the abandoned building and went off to join Jesus and hear him preach.
"Dream on, Judas…" muttered Barabbas, picking his teeth with his claw. "Dream on…"
"Yeah!" Penance called after Judas. "Dream of your house and all those nice things in it!" He looked at Barabbas with a crazy grin. Barabbas just rolled his eyes.
Author's Notes: I noticed that one of the reviews for my story is to the tune of the "Hairbrush Song" from Veggietales. I grew up on Veggietales, and I am a fan of it, actually. Interesting fact: The "Hairbrush Song" was actually going to be called "Where is my Razor?", and it would end with a meat cleaver falling from sky! I thought that would be an interesting bit of information to know.
R&R,
Heroboy005
