The Madonna and the Political Prisoner, Chapter 16/2

Then I have another surprise. James comes in from the workshop. He’s obviously been listening to my exchange with Joshua.”

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’m coming with you. I won’t let you go with that madman on your own.”

“But I won’t be alone, James. Mary will be with me and Joshua of course, not to mention all of his disciples. I’m sure they’ll look after me.”

“I’m coming. Whatever I’ve said in the past, forget it. You’re still my mother. I’ll not let you loose with that lot without someone to take care of you properly.”

“But you’re against everything that Joshua stands for. Have you changed your mind?”

“No, of course not. All the more reason for someone to look after you. I don’t trust them. They’ll get caught up in controversy and it won’t be safe. I’m not having our neighbours saying that I failed to do my duty.”

“James, your duty is to Deborah and Reuben and Esther. How will they manage without you?”

“Joseph is here and Simon and Judas. And Uncle Benjamin will see nothing goes wrong.”

“Have you told Deborah?”

“Not yet, I haven’t had a chance.”

“Won’t she object?”

“She’ll do as she’s told. She won’t object.”

“That’s hardly fair on Deborah and the children, is it?”

“I doubt if Deborah will mind anyway. She’ll probably be only too pleased to be rid of me for a while. So stop arguing. I’m coming.”

“But Joshua might stop you.”

“No, James can come if he wants to.” Joshua has been present throughout this conversation. “He might learn something and even change his mind.”

James makes a noise, which I interpret as a dismissal of that idea. So I need to get my mind around this new development. Joshua has gone out to talk to his disciples who are camping just outside the village. I’d forgotten Mary. She’s been standing there ever since Joshua came in. I think she might be feeling a little put out that Joshua has not spoken directly to her.

“Do you want to go out with Joshua and the others now?”

“No, I’ll stay with you. The disciples won’t want me around. Why don’t you spend the evening with your brother and his family or with you daughter? I’ll see to myself here. In fact, I might go out to see which women from Capernaum have come with their husbands. Several go around with them, and the mother of John and James, the fishermen, often comes with us.”

So I do as I’m told. Salome is worried for me and Andrew expresses his reservations. Benjamin is reassuring though. His wife says little but Anna wants to come too. I tell her that her duty lies with her new husband. She can’t disappear just before her marriage. I do hope she really settles – she just seems to want to be with Joshua all the time. I will raise it with Joshua in the morning. I think he encourages her too much. He ought to make clear to her where her priorities lie.

I wish James wasn’t coming. He’ll be constantly reminding me that he doesn’t believe a word of what Joshua says. It’s so sapping of my energy, to have to face such opposition from so close to home all the time. But he’s made it quite clear that he won’t be dissuaded. The annoying part is that he makes it out that it’s for my own good. I wish Joshua wasn’t so philosophical about it all. Why won’t he do something to make James believe? I’m sure he could even though he says he can’t unless he believes which just makes James even more adamant, despite all the evidence, that it’s all complete dangerous nonsense. There is an element of danger, I grant him that, but nonsense? Surely he’s not so blind that he can’t see the evidence all around him?

So we go. Joshua has a dozen of his male followers with him and five of their womenfolk, plus James, Mary and myself. I thought we’d go along the Jordan route as our destination is Bethany at first, but Joshua wants to use the journey to continue his message of the ‘Kingdom of God’ and there are many more towns and villages along the road through Samaria than along the Jordan valley. This has already got James’s back up.

“There he goes again,” he sniffed this morning when he discovered Joshua’s plans. “The foreigners come first as usual. What good does he think talking to that Samaritan scum will do? When we’ve travelled to Jerusalem by that route, we’ve had as little to do with the natives as we could. We’ve just had to buy bread and fruit from the villagers and I’m sure they’ve inflated the prices and cheated us. We could have loaded up asses with all the supplies we could get from here, but Joshua said we’d rely on trade with the Samaritans of goodwill as we journey. Fool!”

I say nothing. I think one or two of Joshua’s followers are of a similar opinion, but Simon Peter, overhearing James and seeing my unease, comes over to me.

“Don’t worry about it, Mari. We’ve got used to following the Master’s wishes. We’ve learned the hard way that he always has a purpose and it usually works out so that we see in hindsight that he was right. Yeshua’s brother is only saying what some of us said at first, but we all accept his guidance and advice without any quibble now. Well, most of the time, anyway. And most of us. You can usually rely on Judas over there to think he knows best. He worries all the time that we won’t have enough money to do things Yeshua’s way but it always works out. Yeshua just smiles at him. He doesn’t argue. But we do it his way and Judas gives way with bad grace and then we make him admit afterwards that Yeshua was right!”

When we get under way, I seek to escape James’s attention and walk for a while with this Simon Peter whom the others seem to accept as the leader of the disciples. James assumes I’d spend all my time with the women. Well, there’ll be plenty of time for that, but I want to ask this man what he really thinks. After all, he’s given up a lot to be with Joshua all the time. He had a good fishing business with his brother who’s with us also. And he’s left a wife and brood of children at home. It must be hard for them. Only the younger fishermen, James and John, are unmarried and I gather James was already betrothed when he decided to leave and throw his lot in with Joshua.

So I don’t beat about the bush.

“Can I ask you frankly, Simon, why you follow my son?”

“Because he asked me to!”

“That’s no proper answer, Simon, and you know it. You don’t follow everyone who asks you.”

“Fair enough, Mari. I’d seen a lot of him before he asked me. He’d preached in our synagogue frequently, I’d watched him healing people brought to him. I’d been impressed at the way he dealt with opposition, especially the awkward questions asked by the local rabbis. I’d gone to many of his gatherings out of curiosity. He must have noticed me and I’d asked him a couple of questions from which he knew I was really seeking an answer and not just asking to trip him up.”

“Simon, answer me this. Who do you really think he is? Do you think he’s our promised Messiah?”

“Odd that you should ask me that. Yeshua asked us that very question a few days ago when we were alone with him. Some of the others said they thought he was a prophet, but I stuck my neck out and said straight out that I was sure he was the Messiah. The others were shocked. However, I noticed John nodding his head and Yeshua congratulated me on my insight and said that he’d always trusted that I would be the leader. I was surprised at this because several others are more learned than me – Matthew for example and Judas in particular. John and James too have had more education than me. Their father Zebedee had the opportunity to hire men for his vessels so they could attend the synagogue school, while my father died while I was still a boy, so Andrew and I had to go and work from an early age.”

“So you believe he really is the Messiah?”

“Yes, Mari. I wouldn’t have said it unless I believed, though I must admit I was a bit hesitant. I wondered if he would laugh at me and the others would call me a fool, but he seemed really pleased. This is it, I thought, now we’re going to spread the news and build on the expectations we’ve already raised. Then he shocked me by making us all swear that we’d tell no-one what I’d just said. It seemed a nonsense. Why doesn’t he want it known?”

“Perhaps he was being cautious, Simon. It might be dangerous for him if it became known that he was the Messiah. What would the Romans do? And Herod too? If he’s anything like his father, he’d have us murdered rather than risk his throne.”

“Well, in my view, it would be better to reveal that he’s the Messiah here where he has much support and the crowds would protect him. I worry that he’s going to declare his role when we get to Jerusalem, even in the Temple itself. That’ll set the cat among the pigeons. If he wanted an army, we could have raised thousands here in Galilee that would really scare the authorities in Jerusalem, but he says that’s not his way. He says he can rule his kingdom without violence. Well, I want to see that. I’d love to believe him, but I don’t believe the world authorities are ready to give up their power easily. I think sometime we’re going to have to fight.”

This frightens me. Joshua has never talked about fighting or throwing the occupying army out. Do these men think that’s what Joshua intends? If so, they’ve misunderstood him. Unless I have. Surely I haven’t been so wrong about my own son all these years? And if these men think Joshua is going to lead a rebellion against the Romans, James will be right. The Romans will crush us without mercy.

I don’t argue with this Simon. All the others call him Peter, a name that Joshua apparently gave him when he became a follower. I’m getting confused about names. When I hear the others talk about Yeshua, I often don’t immediately remember that they’re talking about my son. And they call him Master, or Teacher or Rabbi. I find that strange too. And several of the followers have similar names. I think there are two called Judas. Some of them call the clever one Iscariot because of where he comes from, but often they refer to him as the Zealot because he used to belong to one of the nationalist rebel groups like my father. That makes me worry about the possible use of violence even more. He obviously thinks that he’ll achieve his dream of a nation ruled by Jews alone by nailing his colours to Joshua’s mission. I hope Joshua knows what he is doing.

I feel better when I talk to the women. They’re full of commonsense and clearly adore my son. They talk about his healing powers and his sensitivity and the way he values them and the compassion he obviously has for all who suffer or are oppressed in any way.

We set off the following morning and for some reason unknown to us or his disciples Joshua has decided that we will stop for a time in the village of Nain. Joshua can’t seem to explain to us the reason for this. We all thought he was keen to get to Jerusalem as quickly as possible, but he says now that he only needs to be there for the time of Passover and that is months away. It’s only late autumn now and at least we will not suffer the worst heat of the day at this time of the year, although we may get rain storms. After we’ve been on the road for a couple of hours, Joshua confides in me that the two disciples who covered Nain in their testing expedition had somewhat sheepishly admitted that they had failed to heal some of those who came to them seeking a cure for their afflictions. They had been particularly distressed at their inability to cope with the convulsions of a young boy whose desperate father had brought him to them. Joshua had therefore decided to stop for a while in Nain, partly to restore the confidence of the two followers, but also because he felt for the disappointment and despair of the boy’s father who’d had the faith to approach the disciples with the plea for his cure.

I was pleased as the proposed stay in Nain meant that I would see my sister, Salome as well as her husband Jacob and also my cousin Susannah. In fact, when we arrive, Mary and I become the objects of rivalry between my sister and cousin as to which home will furnish us with hospitality and in the end we are allowed to stay with Salome only when Joshua agrees to be Susannah’s guest instead of remaining in tents with his followers. After being royally entertained by Salome and her husband, and hearing all about my nieces Mariam and Lydia and their children, we are asked after Isaac who is with us in Nazareth and probed for further news about Joshua and the reputed sensation he is causing throughout Galilee. He came to Nain in the early days and apparently great things were expected when two of his disciples, Thomas and Matthew, arrived last month proclaiming that they were undertaking the work of their Master and Teacher, Yeshua. Then they tell us how great an anti-climax it had been.

“They started off with eloquent words so a crowd had soon formed and they then announced that Yeshua had empowered them to heal any with afflictions. A queue soon formed and that’s when they ran into trouble. The first couple who sought help went away reasonably satisfied as the two men said they would find themselves healed although there was nothing visible at the time.”

Salome interrupts her husband. “Then Matthaeus, one of the scribes at the synagogue, brought his son, Philip, to be healed. We all knew that he’d been having serious convulsions since birth and had frequently put himself in great danger, throwing himself into fires and nearly down the well once. Naomi, his mother, says the boy has the devil in him, but Matthaeus knows it’s really just his illness. But they couldn’t do it.”

“I really felt for Matthaeus. In front of the whole crowd the boy started attacking his father and threw himself on the ground frothing at the mouth. I know his mother and father had tried to hide his condition from everyone but the close family and they’d taken the risk of exposing what they thought of as their shame in front of everyone, only for the worst excesses of his condition to be made public.” Salome nodded as her husband continued. “Thomas made a great show of appealing to God for the boy’s healing and it was obvious nothing happened. Then Matthew attempted to heal the boy and that was when he had a fit and fell writhing to the ground. It was awful. After that Yeshua’s two disciples lost their confidence completely and had to send away everyone waiting to be healed. They left the village that night amidst much grumbling and mockery from those who had witnessed their failure. Matthaeus and the boy’s mother left in tears and the lad was worse than ever.”

Salome asks me, “Do you think your son has come back here to make amends?”

“I’m sure he has,” I reply.

Next day Salome is bursting with the news when she comes back from fetching the day’s water.

“I saw Susannah at the well. She said that Joshua took Thomas and Matthew with him to visit Matthaeus privately last night and drove the madness from the boy. Susannah went with them and saw everything. She said that at first they thought the boy had been killed because he reacted so violently when Joshua commanded his healing. He lay so still on the ground that his mother began wailing. Then Joshua had helped the boy up and restored him to his father and the boy had smiled and was so calm.”

The news of the healing has spread like wildfire throughout the village and by the time that Susannah had got back to her house there was a crowd forming outside clamouring for Joshua to come out and heal others. Mary and I go to Susannah’s house and find we can’t get near the place because of the numbers gathered there. I can’t see any of the disciples and I can only just see Joshua’s head as he stands on the steps of the house. A lot of the women present have brought children to be blessed and it’s well into the afternoon before the crowd eventually disperses. Then I see the disciples assembling. James is among them. I wonder now just what he’s made of everything he’s seen. How can he continue to deny the evidence of his own eyes?

Then suddenly I hear the sound of wailing in the distance. My ears prick up and I look at Salome with some concern. What is happening?

Salome notices my alarm and says, “Oh, that will be the funeral procession of the widow Sarah’s son. It’s a tragic case. He was such a virile young man, his mother’s sole support, then last week he was suddenly struck down with a severe fever and to everyone’s shock, deteriorated fast and died yesterday. The poor woman is distraught and has no idea how she’ll survive. It was a shame that no-one thought to tell her of Joshua’s presence yesterday, although I think the young man was already gone before daybreak.”

The sound of mourning is getting closer and the procession comes into view with the widow, in black, staggering beside the bier, supported by a couple of villagers to prevent her falling. I notice Joshua is watching them approach and as the procession draws near, he suddenly steps out onto the track in their path and holds up his hand and the procession, barred by his presence, halts. We all hold our breath. What on earth is he going to do? Some of us heard a rumour a year ago that he’d brought back a young girl from death, but when I’d asked him about it, he’d just said that she was sleeping. Well, I’d assumed she was ill and unconscious rather than actually dead despite the rumour.

I watch Joshua as he bends and speaks to the woman and the men supporting her. Then he stands tall and says in a very loud voice, “Young man, stand up!” There is a sudden hush and then a huge gasp from the crowd as the body on the bier stirs, then staggers to its feet, the white burial cloth beginning to fall away from the body. A couple of the men grab the robe before it exposes the naked body of the youth. The hideous chants of grief are stilled and suddenly there breaks out a shout of joy and cheering and applause, then everyone is singing and a spontaneous dance starts. The youth is being clasped by Sarah, and I notice tears streaming from her eyes. She is quite overcome. The young man just looks dazed. Everyone has surged forward to see the miracle and hear what is being said.

‘He’s telling her to give the young man something to eat’, I overhear several people say. We go back to Salome’s home, shaken to the core. We say nothing to each other, we are just too full of what we’ve seen. When we arrive back at the house, Salome says, “I want to come with you.” Susannah nods. “Yes, I will join you too.”

I tackle James later.

“Well, James? Are you still in denial?”

“I have to admit he’s a gifted healer.”

“Is that all you think?”

“Well, he’s an exceptional healer. I have to admit that. But he’s a dangerous man. Heaven knows where the emotions he’s stirring up will lead him and us. If he does this in Jerusalem he’ll cause a riot. Then see what the authorities will do. I don’t like it, Mother, I don’t.”