The Madonna and the Political Prisoner, Chapter 21

Chapter 21 James AD 26

They think we’re out of the woods now. Joshua’s disciples and followers were laughing all the way back to Bethany. Poor fools, they’re deceiving themselves. They actually think the Jewish religious leaders will allow themselves to be beaten by a Galilean peasant, for that’s what they think he is.

I was beginning to have second thoughts about my brother as we came through Judea and into Jericho and Bethany. He has a gift for healing, I can’t deny that. The story about him bringing Lazarus back from the dead is too much though. I know Lazarus thinks that happened as do his sisters, but I’m sure he was just in a coma, as the young man he healed in Nain must have been. And I had a certain sympathy for some of the things he was saying about the obligations of the rich to the poor, though I think he played too much with the crowd’s emotions and managed to attract men who are too foolhardy and dangerous for my liking. But he’s insane now. What does he think he’s doing? He couldn’t have tried harder to upset the authorities these last couple of days. They won’t have it, I know they won’t and we’ll all suffer the consequences. My brother is either terribly naïve or quite mad. And my stupid mother still trusts him.

They all think we’re going back to Jerusalem tomorrow and there’ll be no trouble. We’ll see. I don’t want to be right, but I fear the worst. And mother’s going to be in the thick of it. I’m damned if I stay to help her and damned if I abandon her for they’ll never forgive me back home. The disciples are as bad as mother. I’d have thought practical fishermen like Simon Peter and his brother would have seen sense but they’re as besotted with the man as my mother is. And as for John, who seems to be hovering around Mother all the time, and is encouraging her foolish opinions, he’s as daft as they come, a right dreamer. How he ever got to be a successful fisherman, I’ll never know. Probably relied on his brother James, a tad more worldly, and the hired hands they say they had.

Anyway, I’ve got little choice. Lazarus’s sister, Mary, tried to persuade Mother to stay there today on the grounds that she must be weary with all the walking, but she wouldn’t hear of it. Even Lazarus is coming today. When we get to the Temple steps, we find a crowd already gathered. I look round. I can’t see any priests or rabbis at the moment. There are one or two Temple Guards about, but they look bored. I’m sure it’s just a façade to put us off. They’ll gather their forces and hit us when we least expect it, because we’re complacent.

Joshua starts off by healing the sick they’ve brought first. That always excites the crowd – I’m sure some of them only come to see him do that. Then he starts preaching. Is he conciliatory? Has he learned any lessons? Of course not. He’s worse than ever. Even I did not expect the vitriol he’s spouting about the very people who could squash him like a fly if they wanted to. Perhaps they’re not here today because they deem him beneath their contempt. I doubt it though. They’ll be in some back room in the Temple hatching their plots.

Anyway, what’s my saintly brother think he’s doing? ‘Teaching’ time? ‘Making more enemies’ time, more likely! He’s starting by calling the priests, rabbis, scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees – the lot – all hypocrites. He hasn’t left anyone out. Well, yes he has. He’s left the Romans out. Not enough to flail our own Jewish leaders, he has to side with the occupying army and their collaborators. Well, perhaps he doesn’t explicitly, but they’re about the only ones he doesn’t crucify with words.

He’s having a go at our law now – the Law of Moses. He’s breaking every taboo he can think of. All our laws and customs, an unnecessary burden on the common people, he calls them. The priests and others who obey our traditions, he ridicules them. He complains they have the best seats at feasts and in the synagogues and Temple. Well, of course they do. They’re the most important people there and we should pay them that due respect. He’s meant to be a rabbi himself. He left me doing the work at home while he went off to the rabbinical school – you’d think he’d at least take advantage of the status he’s earned. But no, the greatest must be your servant. How absurd can you get? Just listen to him now.

“These men, in their flowing robes and tassles, think they are the most important people round here. They conveniently forget the Romans, but in any case I tell you that their servants and slaves are just as important. Those who claim the first place will have to wait till last, and the humble who wait at the back will be called forward and come first. Don’t spend all your time worrying about your earthly status – it’ll count for nothing in the kingdom of God. Until you learn to serve, you will be as nothing.”

And he goes on in this vein for a long time. We’ve got the message, brother. Popular with half the crowd who cheer his remarks. Not very practical though. Don’t know how he’s going to apply it. I expect he means in the next life. I think most of this lot think he’s talking about now and are waiting for him to start the revolution. Silly fools!

As if this wasn’t bad enough, he’s now back on the theme of the hypocritical priests and Pharisees. He’s telling us all their religious rituals and practices are useless – and he calls himself a prophet, man of God. How can he be when he’s so contemptuous of our religious leaders?

“All you that trust solely in your religious observances, keep yourself ritually pure, don’t lift a finger to help your neighbour in trouble or have apoplexy if your child picks up a ball to play on the Sabbath, you’re blind, I tell you, you’ve missed the whole point of existence. You strain a tiny fly from your drink and swallow a camel!”

There’s a roar of laughter. This brother of mine’s quite a comedian. Don’t know when he developed that, I used to think he was so serious when we were boys.

On he goes. Listen to the rubbish.

“These hypocrites, they’re like white-washed tombs, pompous and grand to look at and full of decaying bodies, riddled with maggots!”

Ugh, where does he drag these crudities from?

“Your leaders will bring down the wrath of God on the nation. They’ll incite retribution. They’ll cause such anger that the people’s patience will end, their fury will boil over and in destroying the guilty they’ll destroy us all, innocents and guilty alike, for the Romans will wreak a terrible carnage if we become ungovernable, and I tell you, these leaders are arousing such emotions that that is what will happen. I can see it coming. All these grand buildings you’re so proud of will one day be destroyed, even the Temple itself. And this destruction is not in some distant time – it’ll happen in the lifetime of many of you standing here.”

Where’s he off to now? He’s upsetting his followers and supporters. As long as he harangued the priests and Pharisees at least he had the crowd on his side. But the cheering and laughter has noticeably stopped. There’s a stunned silence at his latest words.

Someone calls out “Defeatist!”

Another shouts “Where’s your courage, man? Give us a lead and we’ll follow you and throw the bastards out!”

More talk from Joshua about the destruction of so many buildings and landmarks we hold dear is treated with gasps of horror, then he starts telling everyone to go home and look after their family for the time is coming when family ties will be destroyed and even our children will be at risk. It’s depressing and shocking and turns the crowd right off. That’s not what they came to hear. Where did he get these views from? I haven’t heard him so gloomy before. One minute he was joking, the next he’s almost despairing. What’s he heard? Has he got wind of a new Roman army initiative? Has he heard the priests’ secrets in the Temple, heard their fears?

“When’s it all going to happen?” someone shouts. “You said some of us would live to see it. Tell us so we can escape with our families.”

“I don’t know when, but it will happen. Ten virgins are waiting with their lamps at a wedding. The bridegroom’s procession is running late and their oil is running low. Five have prepared for this and brought a spare supply with them. Five girls are foolish and have no spare oil. ‘Give us some of yours,’ they beg, but the wise girls have only just enough for themselves for they still don’t know when the bridegroom will come. So the thoughtless virgins rush off to buy some more and, of course, the groom turns up while they’re away and they get shut out of the wedding feast. Destruction will come like that. Be prepared, live for the kingdom of God and you and your family will be saved.”

“How do we know who will be saved? You obviously don’t think our priests and teachers will be among that number. Will we all be judged unworthy and suffer the destruction you speak of?”

It’s very apparent that many of the crowd have lost interest in Joshua’s latest pronouncements and have drifted away. The remaining ones move forward to fill the empty spaces and wait to hear how he will answer this.

“The king will divide the people just as a shepherd sorts out the sheep from the goats. To those whom he invites to enter his kingdom, he will say that they fed him when he was hungry, clothed him when he was naked, visited him when he was sick and in prison, given hospitality to him when he was a stranger. They will be astonished and say that we never saw you in such a state and he will say ‘just as you cared for one of the least of my children, you did it for me!’ And to the others he will say that you never helped me when I was hungry or naked or sick or in prison or homeless. And they will protest that they never saw him and failed to act. And he will say that he was there in those who needed help and didn’t get it. And some will try to argue and say ‘we’ve always read your word and been assiduous in attending synagogue on the Sabbath and have kept all the commandments’ and the king will reject them and say ‘I never knew you. Just because you called out ‘Lord, Lord’ and said the right words does not reserve a place for you in my kingdom.”

“So you are saying only those who serve their fellows will be saved?”

“I’ve said it many times before. Love God and love your fellow human beings as much as you value your own life. Do that and you won’t go wrong. God will welcome you into his kingdom.”

It’s a chastened crowd that disperses now. The excitement of the morning has evaporated. We can go home before the Temple Guards are sent out to arrest us. I’m sure there were spies in the crowd who’ll go back and tell the priests exactly what Joshua has said. There’ll be no mercy now, it’ll be outright war. He’s given them the ammunition they need. They’ll accuse him of being a traitor ready to hand over Israel to the foreigner and find some pretext to get the Romans to execute him as a common criminal.

I walk back with the disciples. They’re arguing of all things about who is the greatest among them and will be most important in this kingdom of God. Really, haven’t they listened to a word he’s said today? Joshua looks pretty fed up, someone says the argument was started by James and John, someone else said it wasn’t their fault, it was their mother seeking their preferment. The disciples are pretty annoyed. There’s a family going in the opposite direction with a couple of small children. Joshua beckons them over.

He picks up one of the children, smiles at her and says, “This child is more important than any of you. Be trusting like her, trust God, find and follow his plan for you, put your own will and desires last, then you will be important. If you think you are, you won’t be. If you think little of yourself, God will call you to an important place in his kingdom.”

He hands back the child to her mother. She doesn’t flinch from him, he seems to have a sure touch with children. The mother makes no protest and it becomes obvious that she knows who he is. As they go on their way, I hear her telling the little girl, “That was the famous prophet from Nazareth. He called you important. You’ll remember that all your days.” And she smiles at Joshua, who thanks her.

John’s very embarrassed about the whole incident. James, his brother, dashes off to find his mother and tackle her for apparently causing the ructions between the disciples with her request, although some of the disciples are saying that it was James himself who sought to push himself and his brother to a primary position among the disciples. It has been clear to me that Joshua is inclined to confide more in these two and in Simon Peter, although I think he seeks out the company of Magdalene Mary most of all, which certainly has caused some eyebrows raised among the men.

As we continue down the road, the barren hills either side looking threatening as the sun sinks behind us, Joshua tries to pacify his disciples, then reminds them that life is not going to be easy. It’s just as I thought. He knows full well the effect his words and actions will have had on the authorities. He’s not naïve, but he is crazy. He can put his own life in danger as much as he likes as far as I’m concerned, but he’s not justified in putting us all at risk, especially not my mother and the other womenfolk. At first he talks about his own fate.

“You think today has gone well because none of the authorities challenged me and the Temple Guards took no action against us. They were watching though and they’ll act. Before this week is out I’ll be arrested and killed.”

“What? Stuff and nonsense, Master! Not while we’re around!”

It’s Simon Peter, as usual, boasting. What hope does he think he has against armed soldiers? If they try to resist, the army of followers we have will fade away.

“It’s inevitable, Peter. I’ve challenged them. I’ve hit them where it hurts. They won’t forgive me, because the truth hurts more than vague accusations. They know in their heart of hearts that what I’ve said is true and they have no answer, so they’ll resort to violence, the refuge of the weak.”

That’s a fine phrase but it’s meaningless. Violence is for the strong, that’s what’s effective. You only have to look at the Roman army to understand that.

Joshua looks at me. It’s as if he read my thoughts.

“You’re wrong, James. Men whose moral authority is weak will bluster and use their physical power because their words, their powers of argument, are weak. The priests and rabbis and Pharisees have no answer to the things I say, so they’ll retreat to the only area where they have an advantage – in physical force. And we must be prepared and not hide our heads in the sand.”

“So are we going to leave Jerusalem? Go back to Galilee now while we can and before disaster overtakes us?”

“No, James, that’s not an option.”

“Of course it is. If we go tonight we could be the other side of Jericho before they know we’ve gone. Back in Galilee you stand a chance. You’re popular with the people. Stay with the crowds and don’t get caught on your own. Surely your friends here see the sense of that?”

“I’ve told them that I had to confront the religious leaders. They’re leading people, ordinary humble and worthwhile people, astray. These people need to be told and shown God’s way. If I have to die in the process, it will but have a more lasting effect. My words will live on even if I die.”

Some of the disciples have been listening to this exchange. Several of them chip in and try to support my words but Joshua rebukes them quietly. He just seems resigned, sad, but not angry or indignant. I can feel my own anger rising, for he is only thinking of himself. What about Mother? What about Mary whom I thought he respected and cared for? Doesn’t he care if they get caught up in the backlash against him? What about me? What about his disciples? Are we all to be condemned? I’ve seen the Roman crosses with so-called terrorists dying in agony and if the Jewish leaders think we are undermining their authority, they’ll not hesitate to denounce us to the Romans and we’ll all find ourselves victims. Simon Peter can bluster as much as he likes – I bet he’ll be a coward if the soldiers come for him. And I make no bones about it, I’m certainly a coward if that’s what’s in store for us.

One or two of the disciples attempt to continue the argument in favour of flight, but quickly get squashed by Simon Peter and Andrew and James who now say that if Joshua is in danger, they’ll share it. Listen to them! I bet I hear a different story when the soldiers come to arrest them. Except I won’t be around to listen – I’m off and I’m taking my mother and any others who are still sane with me.