Chapter 6: Wandering through the land

A sign to speak out

When I return, I find Peter in a state of unrest. The temple tax collectors have noticed that we have returned to Capernaum. They know that we did not go to Jerusalem for Passover and have come to Peter to collect the temple tax. Two silver coins per person, twenty-six in total, not counting the families. Peter has promised that we will pay immediately, but we don't have that kind of money. "What do you think, Simon," I ask him, "from whom do the kings of the earth collect tolls and taxes? From their own children or from other people?"

"From others."

"Then the children of God are exempt from temple tax."

"But if we don't pay, we'll be prosecuted."

"But we simply don't have the money. Or do you remember the man who cast his fishing net into the harbor and caught a fish with a coin in its mouth? The fish, which had been living on the garbage at the bottom of the sea, had a double silver coin in its stomach. Enough for you and me together. Nothing is stopping you from trying it too."

Should I be afraid, now that our presence has been discovered so quickly? Strangely enough, I am not. The knowledge that I will die in Jerusalem also gives me a certain peace.

On the other hand, I know we must remain cautious. At the slightest disturbance in Galilee, Herod will have us arrested.

We travel around and don't stay anywhere for long. We come to Nain, Cana, Gischala, and so many other villages. Everywhere we go, we have friends who haven't seen us for more than six months. And still people want to come with us. But they don't know what they're getting themselves into. Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man does not even have a bed of his own. Someone asks us to wait until he has said goodbye to his housemates. I point to the man who is bent over his plow, pulling it through the field. He works doggedly, pushing forward. If he looked back, none of his work would be done. Feel free to go home, but we must continue. I ask another man who is with us if he will follow me, but he apologizes, saying that his father is old and will soon die. Very noble, but it is a deadly excuse. "Go back, then, but proclaim God's kingship in your own neighborhood."

*

Despite all the uncertainty, we form a cheerful group of vagabonds traveling through the country. Until we reach the gate of Nain. At that moment, a funeral procession comes out of the gate, carrying the body of a young man who has just died. It is a large procession, but only one elderly woman is walking where the family should be. She must be a widow, because there is no father. In a flash, I see my own mother walking behind my own bier. I step toward her to comfort her. "Don't cry, he will live again," I say. Everyone stands still, looking at me in amazement. I touch the bier and I see life in the young man. I talk to him. He opens his eyes and stands up. Then I call to his mother: "Woman, see, your son."

With those same words, the prophet Elisha had once returned a son to his mother. She lived in Shunem, near where Nain is now. Her husband was old and they had no children who could take care of her in her old age. At that time, Elisha had made her a promise: "In a year's time, you will have a son." "Oh, sir, I ask nothing of you. Do not hold this promise before me," she had replied. Yet she had given birth to a son. But when the boy grew up, he was struck by the sun and she laid him on a bed, thinking he was dead. Bitterly saddened, she went to Elisha. His gift had brought her more grief than her childlessness ever had. But when he stretched himself over the boy's cold body, it became warm again and life returned to him. I long for my own mother. She didn't ask for me either. But must I really tell her that I will die before her?

*       *

I pay a brief visit to my home. As I had hoped, my brothers are preparing for the journey to Jerusalem, because the Feast of Tabernacles is approaching. "Why aren't you going to Judea? If you have something to say, you shouldn't hide in the hamlets of Galilee. Let the world see what you are worth." They laugh. "You go ahead. I'm not going; my time will come later."

After they leave, I talk to my mother about my encounter on the mountain and the woman in Nain. I tell her that I know I will die on Passover in Jerusalem. She is not alarmed. "Yeshua, I have something else to tell you. When you were forty days old, we went from Bethlehem to the temple to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving for your birth. We didn't have enough money for anything special, so we sacrificed two doves. When we entered the temple, two old people came up to us, Simeon and Anna. Simeon took you in his arms and asked your name. 'Yeshua,' he repeated, 'the Lord saves'. When I close my eyes, I can still hear him: 'Now, Lord, I can die in peace. For with my own eyes I have seen your salvation: light for all nations and glory for Israel'. Then he looked me straight in the eyes: "This child will cause many in Israel to fall and rise. For he will bring to light what is in their hearts. He is a sign that many will contradict. And a sword will pierce your soul." I have always been afraid of the meaning of his words. I tried to forget them. But you cannot run away from God.

Sukkot in Jerusalem

My brothers' laughter still gnaws at me. We decide to go anyway, but not openly. We don't go along the Jordan like most of the other revelers, but take the route through the hills of Samaria. Towards evening, two of us walk into a village to ask for a place to sleep. But none of the Samaritans in the village want to give shelter to pilgrims on their way to hated Jerusalem. When the men return with the bad news, John and Jacob become angry. "To hell with them. Let them burn like the attackers of the prophet Elijah." But that angers me. "You are sons of thunder. But the Son of Man did not come to destroy people, but to save them." And we go to another village.

*

Everyone builds a hut out of autumn branches, next to their house or on the flat roof. Those who can spend the festival in Jerusalem. For a week, they camp out in remembrance of the journey through Egypt. For a week, everyone is homeless like us.

We arrive in Jerusalem halfway through the festival. In the temple square, under the colonnade, I take my place among the teachers. The question and answer game about the texts in the Law and the Prophets with the pilgrims begins. Some teachers of the law listen in. They do not expect this from a construction worker from Galilee who never studied with a teacher.

But when I say that God himself is my teacher, they become hostile.

"If you really did what the law says, you would understand me. But now you want to kill me."

"You are possessed. Who wants to kill you?"

"During the Feast of Purim, I healed someone in Jerusalem on a day of rest and was almost stoned. But an eight-day-old child must be circumcised, even on a day of rest. And the priests also offer sacrifices in the temple on the day of rest. Why then am I not allowed to heal someone? Hear the words of the prophet: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'"

Further on in the crowd, I see people from the temple guard coming toward us. I call out to them, "It won't be long before I go to the one who sent me. Then you can search as much as you want, but no one will be able to lay a hand on me." After saying this, we spread out among the crowd and leave the temple.

On the last day of the festival, we go back into the city. For many, this is the most important day of the festival. New water is poured over the altar as a sign of the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit. From the pool of Siloam, in the lower city, fresh spring water is brought in a procession to the temple mount. The people carry branches of palm, willow, and myrtle in their right hands and paradise apples in their left.

The water is poured out to the sound of trumpets. The priestly choirs sing. Together with tens of thousands of people, we respond:

            This is the day that the Lord has made

            let us rejoice and be glad.

            O Lord, give us salvation.

            O Lord, give us prosperity.

After the last prayer, I stand up and call out loudly: "Come then! Yes, whoever hears, say now, 'Come!' And whoever is thirsty, come! And whoever wants to, take the Water of Life for free."

The people recognize me. There is a buzz among the crowd. Many Galileans greet me as the Anointed One. But some Judeans shout disapprovingly, "The Anointed One comes from here, from Bethlehem in Judea, not from Galilee." They almost come to blows, but we escape in the commotion.

That evening, Nicodemus manages to pass on a message to us. The high priest's family and a number of members of the Sanhedrin have been meeting. Harsh accusations have been made against the temple guards for failing to intervene in time on two occasions. The leaders were also bitter about the "country folk" who had rallied behind me in such large numbers. Nicodemus reminded them that no one is condemned until they have been heard and the trial is over. But they laughed at him and suggested that his Galilean origins were playing tricks on him.

The next day, I go to the treasury in the heart of the temple. Some members of the High Council are there for the closing of the feast. They look up in surprise: 'Is it you, Yeshua of Nazareth?'

'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will no longer walk in darkness, but in the light of life.

"You testify about yourself; how can we know what is true?"

"My Father confirms my testimony."

"Where is your father, then?"

"My Father is in heaven. I teach what I learned from my Father. Learn from me the truth, and the truth will set you free."

"We are not slaves; we are sons of our forefather Abraham."

"You are slaves to sin. And because I say that, you want to get rid of me. Abraham was not like that, and that is why you are not his sons."

"God is our father."

"If God were your father, you would have recognized me as your brother. But your father is the devil, who speaks lies and wants to kill me. That is why you reject me."

"You see that you are possessed."

"You insult me, but my Father will glorify me with eternal life. Truly, if anyone accepts my words, he too will have eternal life."

Most of the leaders here belonged to the Rationalists, who do not believe in life after death. One of them responded irritably:

"Even Abraham and the prophets died. Do you think you are more than they were? You are just a young man."

"Abraham looked forward to my coming when he heard that in him all the earth would be blessed and that he would see a father for many nations. Now he sees it happening and he is glad. Truly, before Abraham was, I am."

Some mutter something about stoning false prophets. Once again, I hide in the crowd.

On the following day of rest, we walk through the Water Gate near the Pool of Siloam into Jerusalem. A young man is begging at the gate. A sign says that he has been blind since birth. A disciple asks how God can allow someone to be born so unhappy. "I can understand that the parents might be punished for their sins with a blind child, but what could the child have done wrong to be born like this?" I don't have an easy answer for him. "It's not about the sins of the parents or the child; it's not even about whether he can see. It's about God's work becoming visible in his life. And God's work is that I give you the light in your eyes." I spit on the ground, rub the mud on his eyes, and tell him, "Get up and wash yourself in the pool of Siloam."

Later that day, I hear how his healing has caused quite a stir. His neighbors had heard that I had healed him. They immediately took him to some spiritual leaders. His parents were also called in to determine whether he had really been blind. Some said that I had broken the Sabbath. Others argued that if God had given healing, they could not consider it a violation of the law. When the young man joined the discussion, the first group dismissed him with the argument that the opinion of someone born in sin did not matter.

I ask the people where the boy lives. When I find him, still surrounded by excited people, I speak to him. "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

He recognizes my voice. "Who is he, sir? For if you say so, I will believe in him." "You see him as you have heard him. For now the difference is becoming clear. Those who were blind can see, and those who thought they saw well are blind."

One of the teachers of the law who was standing there said, "Are you saying that we are blind?"

"Those who are blind have not sinned, but blinded leaders who claim to see where things are going are sinful."

Workers for the harvest

On the way back to Galilee with the pilgrims, it strikes me. So many people long to see God's kingdom, but they don't know how. So many people are being driven away and worn down like sheep without a shepherd. All around me, farmers are sowing their fields. But my harvest is rotting in the ground. I ask the people to pray to the Lord of the harvest that he will send workers. About seventy men come forward. They want to follow me. But that is not what I mean. The risks of such a large group are unacceptable. I send them all away, two by two. To all the towns and villages where I myself would have liked to go.

Go on your way. Do not yet go to the Gentiles or to the Samaritans, but first seek the lost sheep of Israel. I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not carry a purse, a bag, or two pairs of shoes.

Do not speak in the streets, but go into the houses. First say, 'Peace be to this house.' If there is a child of peace there, your peace will rest on him. If not, you have lost nothing. Stay in that house, do not move from house to house. Heal the sick and tell them that the kingdom of God is near. You received without paying, so give without asking for anything in return. Eat what is set before you, for the laborer is worthy of his wages.

And if any town will not welcome you, go to the next one and say, 'We wipe our feet on your dust, but know that the kingdom of God is near you.'

Do not offer the holy things to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for Sodom on the day of God's kingdom than for that city.

Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the Gentiles had seen what you have seen, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But when the judgment comes upon this city, it will be more bearable than in Sodom.

Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. Whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet as a prophet receives a prophet's reward. Whoever receives a righteous man as a righteous man receives a righteous man's reward. Whoever gives even a cup of water to one of these little ones because you are my disciple, will certainly not lose his reward.

I can feel how exciting this is. If they succeed in their mission, the message of God's kingship will be unstoppable. Even if the forces of darkness have eliminated me.

I myself also travel to a number of towns and villages. And every time I meet my emissaries. They are enthusiastic. For God heals bodies, souls, and spirits through their hands. The devil has been dethroned. My workers are overcoming the forces of darkness, and nothing can stop them. But I warn them not to be happy or proud because of this. Their joy should be in the fact that their names are written in the population register of the heavenly king.

And I pray aloud: "Father, I praise you, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden this from the learned but revealed it to these little ones. This is how you wanted it to be, and this is how it happened. You have given me everything, Father, and no one knows the Son better than the Father. No one knows the Father better than the Son, and those to whom the Son has revealed him."

And to my disciples: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, but they did not see it; to hear what you hear, but they did not hear it."

Temple dedication in Jerusalem                  

The days are getting shorter and the feast of the Dedication of the Temple is approaching. The Twelve and I are walking to Jerusalem. We take the route from Jericho through the mountains of the Judean desert. The Temple Dedication is not really a pilgrimage festival, and the roads are lonely and even dangerous. But beyond Bethany, across the Mount of Olives, we see the city lying at our feet. Jerusalem is beautifully decorated for the Temple Dedication, the festival of lights. Behind many windows stand eight-branched candlesticks. Every day of the festival, an extra candle is lit in remembrance of the recapture of the temple from the Syrians two hundred years ago. At that time, the idols were removed from the temple and the light in God's sanctuary was rekindled.

We do not go into the city yet, but return immediately to Bethany, where we are staying with Lazarus and his sisters. There are few candlesticks in this village, because the Secessionists do not like this festival, which commemorates the beginning of the rule of the Rationalist priests they detest. But there is warmth. Martha and Mary have prepared a delicious meal. With each course, they bring new delicacies to the table.

Upon hearing of our arrival, Nicodemus visits us with a friend. It is Joseph of Arimathea, also a teacher and member of the Sanhedrin. He looks forward to the kingship of God with us. He has wanted to speak with me for a long time. We discuss freely about the law and its many hidden riches. After a while, Mary also stays to listen. I love that she joins us. I pull my feet in and make some room for her on the bench where I am eating. Joseph says:

"What must I do to receive eternal life?"

"What does the law say, how do you read it yourself?"

"For me, it's about what we pray every day: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength,' and also in your thoughts. And besides that, this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"That is a good answer; whoever does that will have eternal life."

But I'm not letting them off the hook that easily: "Who is my neighbor?"

I tell them a parable:

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way, robbers attacked him, beat him, and took everything he had, even his clothes. They left him half dead. By chance, a priest came by that road that day. He saw him but walked around him. A Levite, a temple servant, also came by and walked on by. But a Samaritan who was traveling came to him and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him, bandaged his wounds, and treated them with oil and vinegar. He put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he gave the innkeeper some money and said, "Take care of him. If it costs more, I will repay you on my way back." What do you think, which of these three was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?

"The man who let his heart speak."

"Doesn't that apply to us as well?"

Martha comes up to him and says, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve all by myself? Tell her to come and help me." "Martha, Martha, you are so concerned and worried about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her."

Then Mary asks me why I never married. I know what she means. Everyone in Israel is supposed to marry and have children. Only the castrated and the Separated do not marry. "My father Joseph was unable to marry me off, and when he was able to, he died. There are those who do not marry because of the kingship of God, like you, the Separated. So it is with me."

We look at each other for a moment. Then I say goodbye and go to my sleeping place. My heavenly father does have a wedding in mind for me, but not as Mary means it.

       *      

The next morning, after morning prayer, I read from the scroll of the prophet Ezekiel. Once again, I am impressed by my father's care. And I see clearly what he prepared me for as a little boy. I will feed my sheep, God himself will feed them.

            Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel:

            Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves.

            You eat the flesh, you clothe yourselves with the wool,

            but you do not feed the sheep.

            The sick are not healed, and the wounded are not bound up.

            the strayed are not brought back, and the lost are not sought,

            but you rule over them with harshness and violence.

            They are scattered because there is no shepherd,

            and they become food for the beasts of the field.

            Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will be their shepherd! I will demand my sheep from them.

            I will put an end to their shepherding.

            The shepherds will no longer feed themselves,

            I will rescue my sheep from their mouths.

            I myself will feed my sheep; I myself will make them lie down.

            I will seek the lost and bring back the strayed,

            I will bind up the wounded and heal the sick.

            I will feed them as they should be fed.

            Then I will appoint over them one shepherd, who will feed them:

            My servant David. He will shepherd them. He will be their shepherd.

            They will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them,

            and that they, the house of Israel, are my people,

            declares the Lord.

            You are my sheep, the sheep I shepherd;

            you are my people, and I am your God,

            declares the Lord.                                                     Ezekiel 35, selection

That day we walk to the double colonnade at the edge of the temple square. I stand up and tell the people a parable:

"Whoever does not enter the sheepfold through the door but climbs in by another way is a thief and a robber. The shepherd enters and the sheep hear his voice. They come to him and follow him out. They follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger, but they will run away from him because they do not know his voice."

'I am the door of the sheepfold. The sheep that enter and leave through me find pasture and safety. Others have made holes in the wall of the sheepfold to steal the sheep and slaughter them. But the sheep did not know their voice and tried to escape.'

'I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. He is very different from the one who is not a real shepherd and only tends them for money. The sheep are not his own, they do not care for him. When a wolf appears, he abandons them, and the wolf devours them and scatters them. I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I lay down my life for my sheep."

I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock. My Father loves me because I lay down my life for my sheep. This is my Father's will."

The people recognize the words of the prophet Ezekiel. And the sheep nod in agreement, but the shepherds grumble, "He is possessed, why are you listening to him?"

Someone says, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Anointed One, tell us." More people press him, some hoping for liberation, others hoping that he will say something they can use to report him to the Romans. "I have told you who I am, but that is not enough for you. My deeds speak for themselves. But those who do not belong to my sheep do not recognize my voice. My sheep hear my voice and follow me. I give them eternal life, and no one will snatch them out of my hands. For my Father has given them to me. He is the Most High, and no one can snatch them out of his hands. I and the Father are one."

Then someone shouted, "This is blasphemy. He is making himself equal with God." Some pick up stones. I call out again, 'It is even written of the judges of Israel, "I said you are gods," how then can you stone me for saying that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?' Unfortunately, that was a wrong remark. With such sophistry, I only make the pious more angry. We barely escape.