WHO WAS ED?

Young Edward told his Sunday school teacher that his mother said she named him after a famous biblical character. The teacher was puzzled by his statement, so he asked Edward to explain. The boy said, "I don't really understand it either, but she said Ed was a good friend of Jesus." After Sunday school was over, the teacher went to Edward's mother and told her what her son had said. When she was finally able to stop laughing, she said, "I told him that "Ed" was a nickname for the Apostle Peter, and that Jesus really loved him a lot." The teacher still did not understand where she could get such a strange idea from the Scriptures, so he asked her to explain. She said, "Read the fifth chapter of Matthew along with Matthew 16:17, and you will see.

Because the Sunday school teacher was also the Pastor, and because he had to preach the morning message, he didn't have time to look it up. All through the service, he was obviously distracted by something, because he "messed up" several times. All he could think about was that there was a man named "Ed" in the Bible, and he wondered how he could have missed it in all the years he had studied and preached God's Word. Usually, he stood around after the service chatting with those who approached him, but today, he rushed to his office and closed the door.

He took out his concordance and feverishly searched to find "Ed." When he could not, he remembered the verse reference Edward's mother had told him. He opened his Bible and found the place. He read, "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." He sat there for quite some time trying to figure out what that verse had to do with Peter having the nickname "Ed." All of a sudden, he realized what she meant, and nearly fell out of his chair laughing.

Edward's mother had apparently told her son that there was a typographical error in the verse, and that Matthew was talking about Jesus praying for His friend, Ed, who was really named Simon Barjona, another name for Peter. She must have said something like "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Bless Ed thou art Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

Now before you think I have completely lost my mind, I am just joking. Apparently the Lord knew I needed to "lighten-up" after spending the day at the hospital while my dear wife was having very serious surgery. What was supposed to have taken about two hours, took nearly six. And even though the doctor said all had gone extremely well, I was so mentally exhausted that I went straight home and went to bed at 7:00 p.m.! So this morning, having slept for nine hours (about four more than I usually sleep), He "told" me this joke. I sure hope it was Him! But whoever it was, I needed it! God bless, and please pray for Judy.