The Madonna and the Political Prisoner, Chapter 13/1

Chapter 13 AD 24

We didn’t hear any news about Joshua for several months – other than that he’d managed somehow to escape unscathed from our Nazareth riot and had returned to preach and act where his presence was more acceptable. We experienced a few days of hostility, which was mollified to some extent by James telling anyone who would listen that we all thought Joshua was mad and had no further dealings with him. I told James that his views were his own and were not shared by many of the family, but James told his brothers and sisters to say nothing more, so that everything would blow over sooner. I know Simon and Salome do not agree with James, nor do Susannah and my sisters, but they’ve been told by their husbands to say nothing to prevent hostility in the village arising again. Rabbi Joel came to see me and apologised for asking Joshua to speak and being inadvertently the cause of the upset.

“Joel, don’t blame yourself. You gave my son the chance to proclaim his message and he took it. The fact that some of the congregation were offended by what he said was not your fault.”

“I feel bad about it though. I thought the reaction against him was extreme. The mood changed very suddenly. His actual interpretation of the passage from the prophet Isaiah was both thought provoking and eloquent and, on the whole, was well received. It was only during the asking of questions afterwards that the mood became ugly. The words of your son, James, were a slight inflammatory. If he hadn’t said what he did, and require an answer from Joshua that was too direct for the hearers, I think we’d have had no trouble. It was a pity. He said a number of things I’d have liked to take up with him.”

“So you do not condone the actions of the men that Sabbath?”

“No, Mari, I do not. I agreed with a lot of what he said and I’d have liked to have said more in his defence, but the mob didn’t give me a chance. I’m afraid my colleague, Jonas, was behind much of the opposition. He was strongly against giving Joshua the scroll to read from and interpret, but Joshua is a learned man, expert in the interpretation of our scriptures and he is gaining a remarkable reputation in northern Galilee. It seemed natural to ask him to speak. Many people are saying that he’s the Messiah, you know. I’m sure you’ll be vindicated one day. I’d love to see all that you were sure you’d been promised come true. I just hope I live long enough.”

Life went on without many further excitements. The carpentry business flourished and we had no worries on that score. The boys were able to repay Clopas much of what he’d invested to help them when they needed support most. We celebrated a couple more births in the family. Festivals came and went. Benjamin’s daughter, Anna, another of my many grandchildren, was betrothed although she’ll wait until she’s fourteen before we have the wedding ceremony. I don’t see as much of her as I’d like, but she comes occasionally to the house when Benjamin calls to discuss the accounts in the workshop. Benjamin doesn’t go to Sepphoris now, but he advises James and Reuben who have taken on the regular sourcing of materials and keep their ear to the ground about potential work or likely contracts they could bid for.

Anna is with me today. I think she’s come for a bit of advice. She sits down at my feet and twiddles in her fingers some of the cloth I’ve been sewing. She looks up at me, and goes to speak, then thinks better of it. She’s embarrassed to ask me, I can tell.

“Well, young Anna, out with it. Don’t be shy with me. You know you can ask me anything, don’t you?”

She still hesitates. She’s a pretty young thing, slim and quite delicate. I wonder if it isn’t too soon to be arranging a marriage for her. Eventually she plucks up courage.

“Grandma, you’ve had lots of babies. I’ve heard people say that it’s my duty to give my husband a son as soon as possible after we’ve wed. Is that right?”

“Who’s been telling you that, my love? They’ve no right to put pressure on you. And how can you choose whether your first born will be a boy or girl?”

“Oh, just people. I heard Nathaniel’s mother talking to her sister the other day.” Nathaniel is Anna’s husband to be, the son of a merchant in Sepphoris that Benjamin has had many dealings with.

“Don’t worry, Anna. I’m sure when the time comes and you have a baby of your own, everyone will love the child, whether it’s a boy or girl.”

“Will it hurt, Mari?”

‘Is that what’s bothering you, child? Hasn’t your mother told you all about that?”

“Well, yes, I s’ppose so.”

“But you don’t know whether to believe her so you’ve come to your old grandma?”

So we have a quiet chat. I’m really surprised how little she knows. Her mother’s obviously told her the basic facts, but not the feelings, the things that girls – and boys – really ought to know. When I’ve said all I have to say – for the moment anyway, she suddenly changes the subject.

“Where’s Uncle Joshua, Grandma? Why doesn’t he come home?”

“Why, do you miss him, Anna? I know he used to play with you all, but didn’t know he spent much time with you.”

“Oh yes he did. He’s my favourite uncle. He used to teach us lots of new games and tell us stories, all the children liked him best.”

“Well I never did! I knew he was popular.”

“He used to meet us in the fields when we were weeding or harvesting and he’d help us sometimes. And then afterwards we’d sit down and he’d make up stories for us. We used to shout out a word and he’d invent a story round that word. Why do people criticise him now?”

“Who criticises him, Anna? Do your mum or dad?” Perhaps I shouldn’t put her on the spot like this, but I want to know what Benjamin really thinks. I see him as one of the most objective and open-minded of the men and he always defended Joshua’s decision to go for training in the rabbinical school. But perhaps Anna hears different things in her own house. Benjamin might watch his words in front of me because he doesn’t want to admit he doesn’t believe my story.

“Oh, no, Grandma. It’s my uncles and the other girls. When we’re at the well or in the fields, I hear the gossip. They often talk of when Uncle Joshua caused a riot in the village and they say he said some really bad things about the people who live here. Did he?”

“Well, it depends whether you thought what he said applied to you. They wanted him to do all the things he was rumoured of doing in Capernaum here in Nazareth. And he said he couldn’t because people here didn’t believe he could do it. You see, everyone thought they knew him because he’d grown up among them and they found it hard suddenly to think of him as a miracle worker and even as the promised Messiah. Now let me ask you a question. What would you think if your father suddenly told you that your big brother, Matthew, was a prophet and would be the Messiah foretold in our scriptures?”

She laughed. “Matthew? Of course I wouldn’t believe it. It’s ridiculous, I know him too well, I know his secrets. I know he’s my brother and I shouldn’t tell tales about him, but, well, you have to behave yourself and be pious, don’t you, to become a prophet?”

“There you are, then. You see how hard it was for people who knew Joshua well, especially his brothers, to think of him as the coming Messiah. Not that I ever found Joshua’s behaviour such that would rule him out for that reason. But pious? I don’t think that’s obligatory for a Messiah. Belief and trust in the Lord God, yes. My Joshua has a profound faith, but he has no particular concern for the rules and rituals of our traditional ways of religious observance. That’s one of the reasons why some people, especially the most outwardly religious, criticise him. They think he’s making up his own rules as he goes along.”

“Do you really think he is the Messiah, Grandma? You must know him better than anyone. Don’t you find it hard to believe?”

“Yes, Anna, I do believe he is. Sometimes I’ve doubted, that’s only natural, but there are reasons for my belief I’ve told only a few people. I think you need to know. Things happened to me when I was your age. Your father and Aunt Salome and Aunt Rebecca know and supported me when my life became very difficult. Curl up here, my love, and let me tell you.”

And I tell her everything. She listens open-mouthed to me and even cries when I tell her about the threats to me and the unborn Joshua. When I tell her about Rabbi Eli and the whipping in the synagogue she gets all indignant and angry and I stroke her hair and tell her to calm down, because it all ended happily. But has it? It hasn’t ended yet.”

* * * * *

Benjamin and Reuben came to see me earlier today when they got back from a visit to Sepphoris to obtain payment for a contract that had just been completed. They’d picked up all sorts of gossip about Joshua and what he was said to be doing all over Galilee.

“Mari,” said my brother, “he really is a phenomenon. There’s too much being said for it to be idle gossip. Apparently stories are coming back and circulating widely that he’s leading a new movement, a real swell of support throughout towns and villages not just in Galilee, but over in Perea and in the Decapolitan cities as well. They say he’s performing extraordinary miracles of healing – no-one has a clue how he does it. He is even able to heal lepers, they say, and wretched beings whose mental faculties have long since abandoned them. And his preaching – they say he’s extraordinary. People flock to hear him because they can understand him, his stories and examples are very earthy and come from real life. He’s practical, not like the priests and rabbis.”

Reuben nods. “Yes, it’s just as Cousin Ben says. Joshua’s famous. Loads of people are apparently following him round listening to his every word and he has a large band of followers. Many of them are saying that he’ll be gathering a rebel force to drive the Romans out.”

I’m worried when I hear that. I think it over for several days and go to see my brother again.

“Ben, what you were saying about Joshua the other day. Do you think he’s in danger? If his words and deeds are so well known, will not the authorities move against him? Won’t they fear he’ll lead a rebel army?”

“I think the Roman spies are pretty sophisticated. I don’t think they’ll worry about a motley crew of Galilean peasants chasing after a miracle worker. Spies will have seen what he really does. Curing people of diseases won’t come high on the fears of the Roman occupying forces. And, from what I can tell, the things he says are more likely to upset the traditionalists, the Pharisees and scribes, rather than the military authorities. That’s what I’ve heard, anyway.”

“I’m still worried for him. These things can be so easily misinterpreted and the authorities don’t exactly check too carefully before they act. Remember what that brute Herod did when he heard the rumour that a possible claimant to his throne had been born in Bethlehem. He didn’t stop to check, but acted ruthlessly to cut out any possibility. Why are the authorities now likely to be any different? Do you trust them? I don’t.”

“Well, there’s not a lot here we can do about it. He’s far away and he has a lot of support. He’s unlikely to back off now, even if his horde of followers and hangers-on would allow him to.”

“I’d like to see for myself and talk to him. Can’t we find out where he is and go to see him?”

“Is that really what you want, sister? Would that put your mind at rest? If so, I’ll have a further word with others in the family. Perhaps we should all go to see him.”

“Please, Ben, please would you talk to James and the others. I’d like him especially to come as he’s been so antagonistic and unbelieving. He must see what’s really happening.”

“Alright, Mari. I’ll do as you ask. I’m inclined to agree with you. We must make another attempt to get together with him again, see if we can reconcile him to our village and get him working here as he’s obviously done so successfully elsewhere. Leave it with me for a few days and I’ll see what the others think.”