Author's Note: Greetings in name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I want to start by once again thanking you all for the kind reviews. I pray for God's blessing on each and every one of you and that He would use you mightily for His kingdom. No one has guessed who Adrienne Bolling is, so that contest is still open. In today's chapter, we will find out why Mr. Peabody needed to identify Peter and John, and Mary and John Mark will begin to play a more prominent role. So, here is Part 4 of THE Pivotal Moment in History!
Kidron Valley, Wednesday 5 April A.D. 30, 9:00 AM
Once the WABAC had settled back down on the valley floor, the time travelers climbed out and walked back up the hill and into the city
"We may have a little bit of a wait, children," Mr. Peabody explained as they arrived at an open area surrounding a well.
"What are we waiting for Mr. Peabody?" Sherman asked slightly confused.
"Not what, Sherman, who. Peter and John," Mr. Peabody replied, and as if right on cue, the time travelers saw the two disciples round the same corner they had passed a few minutes ago.
"That's Peter and John?!" Sherman asked, unable to contain the excitement in his voice.
"Who are Peter and John?" Penny asked.
"ONLY the greatest two disciples!" Sherman exclaimed, forgetting in his excitement that Penny didn't even know what a disciple was. They moved closer to hear what the two disciples were saying.
"I don't see any man with a jug of water, John!" Peter said to his friend. "I think the Master sent us on a wild goose chase."
"Now Peter, you must have faith," John replied. "The Master said to find the man with a jug of water and follow him to his house where we will prepare for the Passover meal. The Master has never steered us wrong before. Besides, we just got here. Let's at least wait a few minutes to see if he shows up." At that moment, a man carrying a jug came into view and walked up to the well. Penny recognized him instantly.
"Sherman, look!" Penny whispered. "The man with the jug! It's John Mark!"
"So it is, Penny," Mr. Peabody replied. "Look, he's leaving with the water and Peter and John are following him. Quickly, we must follow them." And they took off after the disciples.
John Mark's Home, Wednesday 5 April A.D. 30, 9:45 AM
As John Mark approached the house, Peter and John hurried to catch up to him while the time travelers closed to just within earshot.
Once Peter had gotten John Mark's attention, he said, "The Teacher says to you, 'Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?'" John Mark was about to reply, but at that moment three men came bursting out the front door with Mary chasing and shouting after them.
"And don't you dare come back you thieves!" she roared at them. "I'll make sure you never serve at another table in this city again!"
"Mother, what was that all about?!" John Mark asked her incredulously. "What did our servants do?"
"They tried to steal from us, that's what!" Mary spat. "They tried to steal your father's sword!"
"Well, then I guess this would be a bad time to tell you that Peter and John are here asking to use the upper room for the Passover meal tomorrow night." John Mark replied. Mary turned to the two disciples.
"Oh, hello Peter, John," she acknowledged them both. "I apologize for what you just saw, but-"
"It's quite alright, Mary, it's quite alright," John said cutting her off. "But what are we going to do about the meal? The Master said that this was the place where we would eat. But without any servants, how can we serve the Master?"
"Perhaps we could be of assistance," Peabody said as he walked up to the group with the two children in tow.
"Why, it's Peabody!" exclaimed Mary. "And Sherman and Penny! We haven't seen you in a few days. How have you been?"
"We've been fine," Peabody replied. "I couldn't help but overhear your predicament and I think I have a solution that would be to everyone's benefit. Sherman, Penny, and I could be your servants, at least through the end of the week, in exchange for food and lodging. That would give you time to hire new servants, a place for the Master to eat tomorrow night, and better lodging for us than our current accommodations in the tent city."
"You mean we have to work on this trip?!" Penny whispered to Sherman.
"Quiet, Penny!" Sherman admonished her.
"Oh, that's a wonderful idea, Peabody!" Mary exclaimed. "John Mark, take everyone up to the upper room immediately and begin making the preparations."
"Of course, mother," John Mark replied as he beckoned for everyone to follow him.
John Mark's House, Thursday 6 April A.D. 30, 3:00 PM
Sherman and Penny were alone in the kitchen preparing to bake the bread for that evening's meal. They had their backs to each other as they worked.
"There's something else I don't understand about you Christians, Sherman," Penny said.
"What's that Penny?" Sherman asked.
"Well, it seems like a conspiracy almost," Penny began.
"What are you talking about?" Sherman prodded, somewhat confused.
"It seems no matter where I go, there's always at least one of you around."
"One of who around, Penny? Christians?"
"Yeah. My parents at home, you at school, you AND Mr. Peabody at your place. What do you guys do? Call each other and say, 'Tag, Penny's in your area now, go get her!?'" Penny exclaimed.
Sherman chuckled. "No, WE don't have to."
Penny sighed. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"God loves you, Penny," Sherman replied. "He's nuts about you and He wants you to love Him back. That's why it seems like He's sending people after you. I had no idea there were so many Christians in your life. I was just making conversation at lunch. But I realize now that God was using me to try to introduce you to Him. That's one of the ways He operates."
"Well, YOU believe it," Penny muttered, focusing intently on the dough she was working with. Silence followed for a few minutes. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Sherman continued working with the dough until he noticed the bag of flour sitting on the floor beside him. A light bulb went off in his head. He knew how to break the tension. He scooped up a handful of flour and turned to face Penny.
"Penny," he began. "Turn around. I think you have something on your cheek."
"Whe-" Penny began to ask as she turned, but was suddenly met with a face full of flour.
"Oh, I'm sorry Penny," Sheldon said, laughing hysterically. "It wasn't on your cheek, it was your whole face!"
"OH! Oh, Sherman!" Penny screeched as she wiped some of the powder from her eyes. Instinctively, Penny reached behind her for the dough she had been working with and flung it at Sherman.
"Ha ha ha- Oomph!" Sherman grunted as the dough collided with his face. Now it was Penny's turn to laugh.
"You were right, Sherman. I did have something on my face. And now we match!" Penny said in between laughs. A full scale food fight soon erupted, the children laughing so hard they were in tears. They carried on for several minutes until they collapsed in a heap on the floor, laughing hysterically and the tears still flowing.
"Than-Thanks, Sherman," said Penny as their breathing slowly began to return to normal.
"For what?" Sherman asked as he tried to wipe some of the flour from her forehead.
"Everything."
"Sherman! Penny!" an authoritative voice suddenly interrupted them. The two children stood to their feet and turned to see Mr. Peabody in the doorway. "What in the world happened here?! No, don't tell me, I don't want to know. Just clean it up and get back to work."
"Peabody, what is all the commotion down here?" came John Mark's voice from just outside the door. As he turned the corner into the kitchen, his jaw went slack, but it didn't stay that way for long. "What happened here?!" he roared. "The Master will be here in a few hours and my mother is going to have a fit when she sees this kitchen!"
"We're sorry, John Mark," the children replied sheepishly.
"Well…just get it cleaned up and finish baking the bread," John Mark finally said as he turned to leave the room shaking his head.
"Just because we don't have time to punish you now, don't think we're not going to talk about this when we get home," Mr. Peabody said sternly as he turned to follow John Mark out. The two children turned to look at the mess they made. They looked back at each other, and promptly burst out laughing again.
Author's Note: I know this chapter might have been a little slow, but tomorrow the action really picks up with the Last Supper. Hopefully, the final scene in this chapter tided you over a little bit, at least for the Penmanship lovers out there. As always, reviews are welcome, keep reading, and God bless!