5 1/2 Jesus Plays Monoply - Ancient Board Games

Ever since I was a kid, I liked to play games. Matchbox cars, catch, hockey, cowboys and indians, cops and robbers, but board games such as Clue, Checkers, Parchisi, and Monopoly; those were some of my favorites. The video world seems to have taken over, and kids are a lot less imaginative then they once were, but they still like to play games.

I was thinking about the disciples and Jesus. They hung out a lot. It seems like it was so serious all the time. All that preaching, healing, casting out demons, the Pharisees creating tense moments, and Jesus sort of letting them experience life long enough to teach them a lesson. I was thinking, what if some of pop cultures best sellers were available to the King of Kings, it might have lightened things up, don't you think?

-1 Monopoly: Count out your play Minas, Talents and Denarii and drop a couple of hundred under Free Chariot Parking. Set aside the plastic houses and stables, and choose a game token: the donkey, the chariot, the fishing boat, the sword, the goat or the sheep and place them on GO. Take a Chance or Community Chest card, and see where you land.

-2 Clue: The classic who dunnit game. Bible characters: Cain, David, Moses, Paul, Jezebel and Judith are the usual suspects. Their weapons are crude but deadly: axe, spear, rope, quiver and bow, and the sword.

-3 Scrabble: Complete with a Greek/Hebrew Lexicon and congrated verb dictionary.

-4 Trivial Persuit - the B. C. Version: This would have been quite something. Limited, but surly better than sun dial reading.

People & Places - it probably would have read like an Old Testament who's who and not a lot of fun - well unless they used the names of the temple prostitutes that Jesus wrote on the ground when the woman was caught in adultry.

Arts & Entertainment - Cave drawings, and the names of the crucified... maybe stupid things Peter did.

History - another limited category

Science & Nature - What's that?

Sports & Leisure - The Olympics and fishing

Wild Card - Amazing Stuff Jesus did...

-5 Chutes and Ladders: There is only two places this is going - especailly if it s the evangelical version.

-5 1/2 Casting Lots

How about you, do you have a favorite game you play with Jesus?

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Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

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