The delegation from the Sanhedrin    

When we return to Capernaum after a few days, there is a lot of commotion around the house of Peter and Andrew, our place of residence. It turns out that the few Herodians in Capernaum are feeling very uncomfortable now that a second John has arisen in their city. They have asked the teachers of the law whether my actions on the Sabbath were acceptable. In the end, they agreed to submit the question to the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, which has now sent a delegation.

At first, the atmosphere is cordial. Although I have never been confirmed as a "master," it is not a protected title. Moreover, Jairus is still grateful to me for healing the commander's servant and, in a sense, complicit because he, as leader of the assembly, gave me the space to act there.

But the questions are nitpicky. Are we sure that the houses and cutlery are clean when we sit at the table with people who are not pious? Why are some of my students not among the pious? And more questions like that. Even more threatening is their remark that anyone who eats and drinks excessively with godless people is rebellious against his parents and a child of death. I realize that they want to prevent me from speaking more often at the meeting.

"You ask me whether my students wash their hands before eating, but let me ask you a question. Why do you violate God's commandment that we honor and care for our parents? For if someone includes in his will that he bequeaths his possessions to the temple, you allow him not to use them to care for his parents in their old age. Are not the words of the prophet Isaiah applicable here? 'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; their reverence for me is a matter of human precepts, not of God.' Surely you understand that what enters a person does not defile him, but what comes out of his mouth defiles him.'

Suddenly, our conversation is interrupted. Above us, the roof is being removed. Men are standing on the roof, lowering a mattress with ropes, on which their paralyzed friend is lying. It is so crowded around the house that they must have seen no other way to bring him to me. What audacity, what trust.

I sit down next to the man and talk to him. I notice that he is afraid of the judgment of those who see his misfortune as punishment for his sins. There is no point in denying his sins; every human being has sinned. But I have a different calling: "Man, your sins are forgiven."

The lawyers don't see the hope that's alive in his eyes. They just grumble that I don't have the right to forgive sins, that it's too easy. For that, sacrifices have to be made in the temple. They don't get that this is the healing I bring. You can remain vague about everything, praying, "Oh, if only it would happen..." but people also need hope and confidence. Otherwise, they will never be healed.

I see that God is giving the man strength again. "Which is easier for you to believe, that I say his sins are forgiven or that he is healed?" And I give him the final push: "Get up, pick up your mattress and walk home yourself." And the man gets up.

But the scholars are not convinced. "What sign can you give us that this is from God?"

"When evening comes here at the lake and the sky turns red, we say, 'Beautiful, tomorrow will be a fine day.' But when it looks red in the morning, we say, 'It looks gloomy, we're going to have a storm.' Can you read the signs of the sky, but not those of God's kingdom? I give you the sign that Jonah gave to the city of Nineveh: nothing but this one message: repent!'

I walk outside. My disciples follow me. "Do you know that the teachers of the law were very upset by your words?"

"Let them be. Everything my Father has not planted will be uprooted. It is exactly what I taught you: 'One blind man cannot lead another; soon they will both fall into a pit.'"

Peter is still thinking about something else: "What did you mean by that parable about washing your hands and eating utensils before eating?" "Don't you understand? You know that everything you eat comes out as waste when you go to the bathroom, right? It's the same with your life: it's not who you hang out with or what you see and hear that determines whether you become defiled. But what comes out of you can defile you: murder, adultery, fornication, theft, lies, and slander. That is what makes a person unclean before God, not eating with unwashed hands!"

       *       

When I come home for dinner that evening, James has something to discuss with me. "Stop this, Jeshua. You cannot treat God's servants like this. Have you completely lost your mind?" I don't feel like arguing and leave immediately.

Peter and Andreas's house is packed with people. They've been talking about me in the House of Meeting next door. Some of the legal experts have decided that I'm possessed. "It's the devil himself who drives out demons and heals the sick." I address the people in the courtyard of Peter's house.

'How can the devil cast himself out? How can a country at civil war stand against its enemies? How can a divided family survive in these times? No one can rob the house of someone stronger than himself unless the stronger man is first bound. The devil is strong, but God has bound him for us.'

Someone interrupts me. "Your mother and your brothers are outside. They want you to come with them."

I reply gloomily, "Who are they, my mother and my brothers?" And, looking around me, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God, my Father, is my brother, my sister, and my mother."

That evening, I do go back home. My mother insists that we make up. But the apologies exchanged do not sound entirely convincing.

A glutton and a drunkard       

The law: "If anyone has a rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, they shall take him and bring him to the elders of the city and say, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.' And all the men of the city shall stone him to death. So you shall purge the evil from your midst." Deuteronomy 21:18-21

The tradition: "He is only a rebellious son if he also eats too much meat and drinks strong wine, as it is written: 'He is a glutton and a drunkard' and 'Do not sit among wine drinkers or gluttonous eaters of meat'." Decisions of the High Court 70b

Despite the setbacks, we resume our routine. We are standing along the Way of the Sea near the Seven Springs when two of John's disciples come up to me. They have been with the Baptist and have a question for me. Glad to hear from them, I ask how he is doing. "They treat him well. Herod sometimes has him brought to him to talk to him. He has his own room and is allowed to receive visitors." Strangely enough, they don't sound enthusiastic. "He asks you, Yeshua, if you are doing the right thing. He wonders if he didn't make more of your baptism than it really was. Whether God might have someone else in mind after all."

It becomes dead quiet around us. Everyone is watching.

"Tell him what you see here. And remind him of the words of the prophet Isaiah. For here the eyes of the blind are opened. The lame walk, the deaf hear, and the lepers are cleansed. Dead people come to life and poor people receive good news. Blessed is he who does not take offense at this."

I know that the people around me hold the Baptist in high esteem, perhaps even higher than me. That is why I cannot leave it at that. "What kind of person did you expect to find in the desert, a reed swaying in the wind? What did you expect to see, a man in fancy clothes? You should have gone to a palace. But then, a prophet? Yes, even more than a prophet. God spoke through the prophet, saying, 'Behold, I send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. He is the messenger who paved the way. No one greater than him has ever been born. But surrender to God's kingship, and even the least of you will rise above the doubts of the Baptist.

What should I do with those who did not want to be baptized, but also reject my message? They are like children who do not want to play with each other. You know the song:

            We played the flute for you,
            but you would not dance;
            We sang a dirge,
            but you did not mourn.                                              

For the Baptist came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He has an evil spirit.' And I have come eating and drinking, and they say, 'He is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' They always find an excuse.

But let me tell you again why I accept everyone. Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one, will not leave the ninety-nine to find the one? Once found, he lays it on his shoulders and brings it home. He will tell his friends and neighbors, and they will be happy with him. In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one, does not light a lamp and search the house until she finds it? Once she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors, and they will rejoice with her. So it is with heaven: there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

Or listen to this parable. A man had two sons. The younger one came to him and asked for his share of the inheritance, and the father divided his inheritance between his sons. Shortly thereafter, the younger son left for a pagan country and squandered his money in a dissolute life. But when he had nothing left, famine came upon that country, and no one supported him. He was able to find a job as a swineherd, but the pay was so poor that he envied the pigs because they ate husks. Then he came to his senses and decided that it would be better to work as a servant for his father than to starve to death here. He thought beforehand what he would say to make amends: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son, but grant me a place among your least servants."

But when he approached his father's house, his father saw him from a distance. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and covered him with kisses. The son began to speak, but his father did not even let him finish. "Bring the best clothes for my son, slaughter the fattened calf! Let us eat and celebrate. For my son here was dead but is alive again; he was lost and is now found."

When the older son returned from his work in the fields, he heard the noise of the celebration and asked what it could be. When the servants told him, he became angry and refused to go in. Then his father came to him and asked him to come in and celebrate. But he replied, "I have served you for so many years and never disobeyed your orders. But you have never given me a feast. Now that your son, who has been eating up your property with prostitutes, has returned, you kill the best calf for him." The father said, "My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. Take whatever you want. But come now and be happy, because your brother was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is now found."

After this, I want to be alone. Even John doubts me. I would like to stop. But how can you stop something you no longer have control over?

A message from the Lord   

I go home to my mother. I complain about everything and everyone. She strokes my hair and I look at her. She seems intensely sad. Then she asks me to understand the boys. I hold her hands. 'Of course I understand them.'

Suddenly she looks me straight in the eyes. "Yeshua, sit down. I have something to tell you. You are not crazy, they should not have said that. God has a plan for you, and it pains me to see you suffering like this.

It was in the days of Herod Archelaus, king of Judea. I was engaged to your father. One day I was standing in your grandparents' house in Nazareth and there was someone else in the room. He told me that I was pregnant and would have a child whom I should name Yeshua, the Lord saves. You would be called the Son of the Most High and would inherit the throne of your father David.

I asked him how this could be, since your father and I had not yet been together. He said that you would be born of the power of God. He also said that my great-aunt Elizabeth was pregnant with John. I replied that I wanted to serve God. Then he left. Imagine, I was only seventeen years old and had never touched a man. How could I know what he was talking about?

Of course, I didn't tell anyone. But I was pregnant. It didn't take long before my mother found out. At first she accused Joseph. But when he said he wanted to break off the engagement, she was shocked. Of course, they didn't believe my story at all. They agreed to keep everything quiet and send me away from the village. I would have to give you up immediately after you were born, return, and pretend that nothing had happened. When I asked if I could go to Elizabeth and Zacharias in Judea, they thought that was a good idea. They even thought they would take good care of you, because they wanted a child so badly. They had no idea that Elizabeth was also pregnant. When I arrived at Elizabeth's house, I realized she knew everything. Can you imagine how happy I was that there was someone who believed me?

A month before Elizabeth was due to give birth, I was brought back home. Joseph had decided to marry me after all. He had had a dream in which a messenger from God told him that I had not been unfaithful, but that the child was from God. That it should be called Yeshua. He wasn't sure that the dream was from God, but he didn't want to risk disobeying God. Only when he noticed that I had also heard the name Yeshua was he convinced.

Meanwhile, Herod Archelaus had been deposed by the Romans. Judea was made a Roman province under the supervision of the new governor of Syria, Quirinius. The first thing he did was organize a census. Emperor Augustus had decreed that in order to determine the amount of taxes to be levied, the number of people in a province had to be counted. The Judeans allowed themselves to be persuaded, but the supporters of Greater Israel in the Golan and Galilee were in an uproar. The Rebel party was founded and they took Sepphoris, the city with , where your father worked. When the Roman legions approached the city, he decided not to wait for the looting in Nazareth, which was far too close.

We fled headlong to Bethlehem, where he came from. We did not make much progress because of the winter weather and because I was heavily pregnant. When we arrived in Bethlehem, the gate was already closed. So we knocked at the door of the inn for travelers outside the gate. It turned out to be full, and the guests had already gone to bed. The host conjured up a room for us in the common room where the drivers normally spend the night with their animals. I don't know if you arrived too early because of the journey, but it is the place where you were born. That same night, some shepherds came to the inn. They said that messengers had told them that the Anointed One had been born in Bethlehem. After that, we stayed with Joseph's family until peace was restored in Galilee."

I am baffled by this bizarre story. But it is my mother who is telling it.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"What proof did we have? There was already so much gossip about my pregnancy. Your father and I hardly ever talked about it. I didn't want you to be different, or to lose you. When nothing happened for all those years, you hope that maybe God had something else in mind. When your father died, I wondered if I had just imagined it all. It only came back to me when I heard that a John, son of Zacharias, had risen in the desert. I was afraid. But you believe me, don't you?" And after a short silence: "Do you want me to tell your brothers?"

"I don't know. What would they do with that? They might think you've gone mad too."

"What should we do then?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's better if I leave this house and move in with Peter for a while."

We kiss each other.

Women in Jerusalem                        

When the news spreads that I have handed over the business to my brothers, a group of women comes to the house of Peter and Andrew. I see mainly wealthy ladies, such as Mary Magdalene, Susanna, and Hannah, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward.

They have heard about the confrontation with the scribes and even about John's criticism, but they do not want me to give up the work. They understand that I no longer have an income now that I have handed over the business. But they will provide money. I am speechless. We agree that Judas, Simon's son, will manage the finances.

Moreover, they think I should go to Jerusalem to spread the good news of God's kingship and love there as well. "And finally," says Mary, "I suggest that we go with you." It is highly inappropriate to travel with a woman who is not a member of your own family. But Purim is coming soon, and then we can travel together with the other pilgrims.

Purim is a joyful celebration. People dress up and go out into the streets to celebrate how, during the exile in Babylon, the Jewish queen Esther saved our people from death. A Jew-hater had been appointed head of the government and had devised a plan to exterminate all Jews and confiscate their possessions. But because Esther intervened with the king, he fell into his own trap.

       *      

On the road to Jerusalem, not far from the city, lies the village of Bethany. There, the Secluded Ones have a place for members who are unclean and cannot enter the monasteries. Women are also allowed to live here. Their leader there is Simon the Leper, who is known as a great scholar of the law. The shelter here is not closed like the monasteries, but it is also not normal for visitors from outside to come. Still, I want to go inside, because I want to know what John meant when he said that the Secessionists see the Anointed One as the Son of God.

Simon welcomes me kindly. He knew John and has also heard that I am a prophet. After we have talked for a while, I ask him who the Anointed One is. According to Simon, the Anointed One is a heavenly prince: "Like Michael, the protector of our people, and like Melchizedek, the priest who blessed our forefather Abraham with bread and wine."

"But who then is the Anointed One, the son of David?"

'He is the messenger of Melchizedek and the shepherd of the people. He will proclaim salvation and comfort to those who mourn. For Daniel says that he will die. After him comes the Day of Melchizedek's Grace. Then he will judge God's saints, as David writes: "In the midst of the gods he holds judgment." He will draw the dead out of the power of the devil. He will destroy the devil and the powers of darkness. Daniel says that he will come to us from heaven as a son of man. We have preserved another prophecy of Daniel in which he is announced:

 There will be great distress on earth,
 nations will go to war
 and the battles between the nations will increase,
 until the king of God's people arises.
           
He will be called the Son of God;
they will call him the son of the Most High.
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,
until the people of God rise up against the power of the sword.
           
His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom
and he will be righteous in all his ways.
He will judge the earth with righteousness
and all will make peace.                                                                2Q 246, selection

Just as Melchizedek once blessed Abraham with bread and wine, Abraham's children will be blessed by him with a new covenant.

'But how do you know that he is Melchizedek? Can't the Anointed One be a man who is called the son of God and yet is the son of David?

"Yeshua, believe me, God announces two Anointed Ones. I understand that you do not immediately accept our writings, but it is already written in a song of David. David calls the Anointed One his Lord, so how can he be his son?"

Simon does not know what thoughts are rolling through my heart right now. But I know which song he means, and I can taste David's words on my tongue:

            "Thus says the Lord God to my Lord:
            "Sit at my right hand,
            until I have made your enemies a footstool for your feet."
            The Lord God has sworn, and he will not change his mind:
            "You are a priest forever
            according to the order of Melchizedek."         '                                  Psalm 110:1,4

Simon is pleasantly surprised by my response. Then he asks about my mission.

"I am the messenger of the year of our Lord's favor."

'Come and eat the Sabbath meal with us tonight, you and your traveling companions. Tell us your message. If you have no place to stay, you can spend the night with us.'

*

When I return to my friends, I see the ladies talking to a young woman. She looks like a prostitute, dressed up and wearing makeup, and that is indeed what she is. They have told her about God's message of forgiveness.

When I arrive, she asks if it is true. I nod. "For me too?" "Especially for you, because that is why God called me, to seek the lost and bring them back under his kingship." But I want to be alone for a while to think about what Simon said. "Come with me tonight to the house of Simon the Leper, where I will speak of the kingship."

When we arrive at Simon's house that evening, he introduces us to his friends, including Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary. When I see the adult women, I remember that the Secluded take pride in not marrying. We recline at his table and have the most wonderful conversations about the kingship of God. Then someone else enters. It is the woman we invited, dressed soberly this time. In her hands she holds an alabaster jar. She is crying.

She sits down at the edge of my sofa. Her tears fall on my feet. She dries them with her hair. She kisses my feet, breaks the neck of the bottle, and anoints my feet with it. I understand what she is doing. Balm costs a year's salary. She uses it to seduce men. Now she has lost it all. She is giving it up.

I see Simon looking shocked. He must know she's a prostitute. "Simon, I think I need to tell you something." "Please do," he says, "because if you're a prophet, you should know what kind of woman is sitting at your feet."

"A creditor had two people who owed him money, one about a year's salary and the other about a month's wages. When they couldn't pay, he forgave both of them. Which of them do you think will love him more?"

"Probably the one he gave more to."

"Right. Do you see this woman? I came into your house, but you didn't wash my feet. She washed them with her tears and dried them with her hair. You did not kiss me, but she keeps kissing my feet. You did not give me any balm for my head, but she poured her whole livelihood over my feet. You see that she has been forgiven much, because she loves me so much."

I touched her. "Woman, your sins are forgiven. Go in peace."

*       *

The next day, the day of rest, we leave Simon's hospitable house and walk the short distance to Jerusalem. We decide to enter the city on the north side, at the Sheep Gate. We walk past Beit Estha, a spa for the chronically ill. There are two baths, separated from each other and surrounded by colonnades. The water is reasonably warm and sometimes bubbles up with sulfur. The latter in particular is believed to have healing powers, as if the hand of a Messenger of God sets it in motion. But it only bubbles occasionally, and usually only briefly. The sick jostle each other to be the first to get in.

There is a miserable heap of a man. He tells me that he has been ill for thirty-eight years. "Do you want to get well?" "Oh, sir, I can hardly walk and have no one left to help me. When the water bubbles, the others always get there before me."

"I will help you, get up."

He looks at my outstretched hand in surprise, because the water isn't bubbling yet.

"Get up and pick up your bed; it's time to go home."

He grabs my hand and stands up. A moment later, he feels strong enough to go home with his bed.

I meet him again when I am in the temple. He is bringing a thank offering and a sin offering. I ask him why he is bringing a sin offering. "When I was walking through the city with my bed, the pious people spoke to me. They almost attacked me. 'It is a sin to carry things through the city on the day of rest. But I told them that I had been healed and that you had told me to pick up my bed and go home. Then they asked who you were.'

'I am Yeshua of Nazareth. Do not be afraid that you carried your bed on the Sabbath; God has healed you. But do not sin against the Sabbath law again, for the pious would do worse things to you than those from which God has healed you.'

A little later, people came up to me who had heard that I had healed the man. They were very excited and accused me of violating the Sabbath and leading others into sin. "If my heavenly Father heals someone on the Sabbath, I will heal him too."

"That is blasphemy, you are not God!"

"No, really, I can't do anything on my own. Only the Father gives healing. I am just a son learning from his Father."

Some pick up stones and come toward me threateningly: "Stop that blasphemy!"

But now I become more intense: 'Be careful what you do, for the Father has sent the Son to judge the world. Now is the time when the Son's voice is heard. Those who hear his voice will live forever. I am not saying this on my own. The High Council sent a delegation to John, and the Baptist testified about me. He was a light in which you were allowed to bask for a time. I have a message that is even greater than John's. And the Father testifies to that message by healing people.

You seek eternal life in the law of Moses, and in it my coming is already announced. Moses will be your accuser, for if you believed him, you would believe me too.

That was the last straw for some. We have to get ourselves to safety as quickly as possible.