The Madonna and the Political Prisoner, Chapter 7

Chapter 7: James, AD 16

It’s time my voice was heard. After all, I seem to do all the work round here. My so-called Messianic brother has deserted us again and gone off with his equally misguided cousin, John, to the Essenes’ hideout in the Judean Wilderness to contemplate their navels once more. This is the third time. The first time was only for a few days, though Joshua stayed in Ein-Karem for several weeks. Then he was away for nearly six months. This time he’s been away for nearly a whole year.

‘You’ve got your brother to help you,’ he said. Huh! Joseph. I suppose he does his best, but he’s so slow. Every single thing he makes he thinks is a work of art. I can’t get him to hurry up. It doesn’t matter how many deadlines we’re about to miss, how many impatient customers are queuing up, it’s all the same to him. He just plods on, for ever planing another bit off here, smoothing a bit there, or rejecting a half finished piece he’s already spent days on because he discovers some tiny split or knot. It’s left to me as usual to sort things out, make sure we get new business, get over to Sepphoris each month to fetch new supplies and order stock and then cost everything out and make sure we get paid. Joshua used to do some of these things, but ever since our crazy mother spouted about his ‘miraculous’ birth and destiny, he’s lost interest in us and goes gallivanting off to explore her flights of fancy. I used to think he was sensible and practical, but her words seem to have turned his head.

As I said, he’s been gone over a year now. I thought he’d be back with the returning Passover crowd. He went with them last year, but apparently he was still out at Ein Gedi when it was time for them to return. I didn’t go this year as our youngest, Reuben, is only a few months old and Deborah is finding Esther a handful. She’s just mastered the art of running everywhere and my wife can’t handle both her and the baby at the same time. I know my mother and grandmother are here, but one is too arthritic to help much and I want to keep an eye on what tales my mother is feeding to Deborah.

If Ruth had still been at home, it would have been fine as Esther adored her and would do anything that Ruth told her to do, but she got married last year and has moved to Tiberias with her husband Simon, who’s boat repairer for the fishermen there. Frankly I thought we could have done better for her, but apparently the man has a good enough business with his brothers and the girl seems content. She’s a big loss here though. And it was a disgrace that Joshua failed to come home for the wedding. He must have known it would have been celebrated during the year, yet he still chose to isolate himself to prepare himself for his calling. That was his excuse. An odd set of priorities if you ask me.

“James, James, can you hear me?”

That’s my grandmother calling me. As well as being arthritic, her eyesight is failing. I guess she’s mislaid something again. I don’t know why she still struggles with the sewing work. We don’t need the income now from that, not that it ever yielded much. But she’s obstinate and will not give it up. Mother’s down at the synagogue again talking to Joel. He encourages her in her illusions, unlike Jonas who, like me, thinks the whole thing a nonsense. I get this constant interruption now that Deborah has the two children to keep an eye on and Simon and Judas are both working with Clopas’s sons in the fields. It’s no use asking Joseph to go. He’ll take hours picking up again where he left off. Better to leave him at it and do whatever old Anna wants myself.

Yes, Grandmother, what is it?”

“I want to go to see Benjamin.”

“Alright.”

I wait. She’s going to ask me to take her. If Mother was here she’d do it, but it’s me again that has to drop everything. There’s a stack of orders awaiting completion and I’ll have to work half the night to keep on top of them. But it’s no good letting her go on her own. She’ll only fall or be helped by one of our neighbours who’ll spread the rumour that I’m heartless, letting my crippled grandmother struggle without assistance.

“You’ll come with me, won’t you, James?”

“Yes, Grandmother, you know I will.”

“I know, I’m a burden to you, aren’t I?”

“No, don’t you worry about it. It’s not your fault. It’s just that I’m hard pressed to finish our orders these days. I thought Joshua’d be back to help after Passover, but I don’t know when he’ll be back now.”

“I’m worried about you, James. I want to ask Benjamin if he can help out in some way.”

“I’m alright, really I am. There’s no need to bother Ben, he’s got his own family to support.”

“He spoke to me the other day and asked if I thought you needed assistance. He said he could help out if you thought it useful. I know you’re hard pressed. You get very frustrated and stressed sometime and you get bad tempered with Deborah… No, James, don’t protest. I know it’s only your tiredness and overwork talking.”

“It’s Joshua’s fault. Our father trained him in the business and expected him to shoulder the burden as first born properly.”

“Don’t blame your brother all the time. Your income is good, you could afford to hire someone in to help you. Why didn’t you train Simon and Judas instead of encouraging them to work with Clopas? I know Joshua was all for that.”

“Well, I didn’t know Joshua was going to abandon us then, did I? If he knew that the twins ought to be brought into the business because he was setting his sights elsewhere, he should have said. I didn’t want any more in the business then because I didn’t know that the income would be enough to sustain more than three families.”

“Can’t you stop criticising your brother all the time? It upsets your mother.”

“Well, she shouldn’t have been so naïve and credulous. It’s her fault that he’s developed these preposterous grandiose ideas of his.”

“You don’t know the half of it, James. I saw what your mother went through, the opposition and scandal she faced, her guts and tenacity. At one time it was her as a thirteen year old girl against the rest of the world.”

“Well, that should have made her realise the stupidity of her argument.”

“You don’t understand her at all, James. She convinced me, your father, Rabbi Joel, even old Eli who was the hardest of all and resisted until the end. Why won’t you believe her?”

“Grandmother, look at us. We’re an ordinary family. We’re tradespeople. I know Clopas has property, but he’s nothing compared with the merchants in Sepphoris, let alone the priests and scribes and government officials in Jerusalem. Who on earth ever heard of a Messiah coming from such stock? The Messiah ’ll come from a royal bloodline, so it’s no use looking here. I know father was from the tribe of David, but if what Mother says is true and she was really a virgin, it destroys her whole argument, for then Joshua can’t possibly be of royal lineage. I have a better claim to that!”

“You’ll learn. One day you’ll regret you’ve said these things.”

“No I won’t. I’m going to keep my sanity whatever other people think and do.”

“It’s no good arguing with you, James. But I tell you. You will change your mind one day.”

It’s useless trying to convince her. In the meantime we’ve been walking slowly towards Uncle Benjamin’s home on the edge of the village, a home he built with my father’s help when he got married. Old Anna, as the other village woman call her – she’s younger than some of them frankly, but she’s stooped so she looks older – is gripping my arm hard as she nearly stumbles over the ruts in the cart track. If her intention is to have a serious talk with Ben, she’ll have her task cut out, as I’m sure his children will be demanding her attention. They insist on hearing stories about the past whenever she calls on them – another family led astray by whimsy. I’m surprised Ben doesn’t intervene and constrain her.

When we arrive, we discover their house surprisingly quiet. The lads, Matthew and Thomas, long out of school for the day, are apparently playing down by the stream beyond the well. Little Anna, a bright seven year old, is learning to do simple stitch-work with her mother. Old Anna goes over to her and kisses the child and they have a quick hug, then the girl goes back to her task. My uncle – well I don’t think of him as that as he’s only a few years older than me – pours us a glass of wine and we settle in the shade and after the usual pleasantries, my grandmother raises the issue that has prompted her visit.

“Ben,” she says, “it doesn’t look as though Joshua will be home for a while yet. James is finding it hard to cope with just Joe to assist him. Are you really in a position to help as you hinted to me the other day?”

“It’s certainly easier in the fields now we have Simon and Judas as well as Clopas’s two. I help Clopas keep tally of the produce, sales and tax, but I’m not required to spend so much time in the fields on the physical labour as used to be essential. I could spend some time with you, James, if you would like me to help. I know you go to Sepphoris a lot for ordering and getting your supplies. I travel there often on behalf of Clopas, I could easily combine his interests with yours. And I’d be happy to do your accounts and tax calculations if you want to concentrate on the carpentry which is your skill and which I cannot help you with.”

I hesitate for a moment. His offer would be helpful, but I haven’t discussed the idea with Joe and I suppose I ought to. However, I’m sure he’ll just be satisfied if we leave him to carry on producing his masterworks in his own good time. If Ben were able to take on everything except the actual carpentry, it would mean that I could undertake all the regular functional orders on which we depend for our livelihood and let Joe do the decorative stuff, which has a laxer timescale. But I have to get one thing clear. I have my pride.

“That could be of value, Ben. I need to talk to Joe, but I’m sure he’ll do what I say. It’s on one condition, though. We’ll pay you the just rate for the job.”

“That’s not necessary, James. I have enough and there will be no reduction in the work I do for Clopas.”

“We can afford it. The work is coming in thick and fast and Joshua takes no income from us now. He doesn’t do any work, so why should he?”

“He’ll need something when he returns home.”

“If he returns home. He can earn some money from the business if and when he contributes to it. If we get a couple of young lads from the village to train, Joshua could take that on board. We’ll need more hands if we want to expand our work. There’s no shortage of demand. We could get contracts in Sepphoris, Tiberias and Magdala if we wanted. There’s just one carpenter in Nain and another one in Kana and I’m told they’re in no position to take on more.”

“That’s not a bad idea. I could have a word with my sisters. Salome’s Isaac and Rebecca’s Nathan could be interested. It might give them a more secure income than farming. Or in a couple of years my Matthew could start learning. But it does depend on Joshua coming home of course. Have you any news? I thought he’d intended to return with the Passover pilgrims. I gather he’s stayed on with John and his mother.”

It’s a thought but can I trust my brother to come home? And even if he does, will he stay? I can’t have him back and get everything lined up for him to teach the lads and then find he leaves us again before they’ve learned enough to be useful.

“What about it then, James? Do you want to think more about it or discuss it with Joe? I’ll help you with all the supplies and accounts work and if you insist, I’ll take a modest wage as long as the business can afford it.”

I’ve just agreed when we hear footsteps and my mother appears at the door.

“How did you know we were here?”

“My mother said she hoped to have a word with Benjamin this afternoon. We’ve been worried about you, James. You’ve taken too much on your shoulders.”

“That’s your fault as much as anybody’s. If you hadn’t encouraged Joshua to waste his talents in studying to become a rabbi instead of sticking to a trade that makes money for us, I’d not have been stressed, as you put it…”

Ben interrupts. “James, don’t speak so unkindly to your mother. You should be honoured that your brother is accepted in so many schools of learning. I’m sure your mother has done what she feels is best for all of us. We all owe a large debt to her for what we are.”

“Why, what reason is there for you to be indebted to her?”

“When I was a child, your mother, my older sister, was often mother, father and teacher to me. With all respect to you, mother,” he turns and indicates Anna, “I know how difficult things were and how much you relied on Mari to care for us all and keep us amused and out of trouble.”

I say nothing. There’s no point on upsetting my mother and grandmother here in front of Ben’s wife and the child, Anna. If I speak my mind, I’ll only be further rebuked by Ben. I need his help with the business so there’s no point in annoying him unnecessarily. So, it’s agreed. Benjamin will join us. And I’ll endeavour to find out when Joshua intends to return.

* * *

I went up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. Mother and Grandmother
agreed to see that Deborah was coping and I was fortunate in finding that Joshua had returned to Ein-Karem to look after the widow Elizabeth who had taken to her sick bed and was ailing. John apparently was still with the Essenes – Joshua said that he was intending to join the sect there – but when Joshua saw how near the end Elizabeth was, he agreed to fetch John back, while I looked after the old lady.

They just got back in time. Elizabeth died only a few hours after their arrival. I think she was sufficiently conscious to recognise them both and give them her blessing. She’s as mad as my mother, convinced that her son has a call from God, though how he expects to make any impact in that god-forsaken desert, I’ve no idea. As soon as his mother was buried I heard him tell Joshua that nothing could stop him now from joining the Essenes and being fully inducted through their rituals into acceptance into the community. He tried to persuade Joshua to join him – I heard them arguing one night – but luckily I’d already got to Joshua and convinced him that his place was back home where he was badly needed. I laid it on a bit thick intending to shame him into returning with me and although I’d expected a series of excuses and was geared up to giving him a hard time, he was unexpectedly open to my arguments. Indeed, he went one stage further and I got the impression that he’d already intended to come home anyway.

Frankly, I don’t think he was as enthusiastic about the Essenes and their teaching as John was. He had a certain grudging admiration for them and I gather had picked up a number of useful tips about their medicine and healing techniques and had also valued the space and time to meditate – who wouldn’t? I don’t think he realises what a luxury that is for people like me having to pick up all the responsibilities of the family back in Nazareth. As soon as I told him of Ben’s suggestion of training Salome’s and Rebecca’s boys, he saw the logic of this at once and told me he’d return with me without any hesitation. There was just one moment when I thought all my plans were unravelling. When John went to take his leave after he’d secured the house and made safe everything that could be stolen – giving most of his mother’s belongings away to neighbours – he embraced Joshua and said quietly – but I heard him:

“You’ll be following me here, I know you will. It’s your destiny, Joshua. You’ll not resist it for long.”

Joshua, however, would not be drawn. He just wished his cousin peace and embraced him, but said nothing, nothing that I could catch in any case.

I expected to have to argue with him all the way home and to be subjected to a barrage of words about his Messianic quest and all he’d learned at Ein-Gedi. But he was very quiet. He seemed genuinely concerned about our workload and Grandmother’s health and I forbore therefore to press him further about his neglect of us. I thought at one stage that he actually regretted his decision to stay in the Wilderness. I asked him outright if he thought it had been a mistake.

“No, James,” he’d replied after a moment’s thought. “It was very useful, but it’s taught me what’s wrong as well as what’s right.” I thought at first he was talking about Moses’s commandments or the detailed rituals and rules and thought after all his years of schooling, that surely he’d know all that. They drummed it into us at the synagogue. I didn’t see how he could have missed that. Then I realised he was talking about their decision to cut themselves away and condemn the rest of humanity to sin and destruction. Perhaps he’s seen some sense at last and will return to our fold in all senses of the phrase.

When we arrived back in Nazareth, I found we’d hit another emergency. No sooner had Benjamin taken it upon himself to act as our agent in Sepphoris, than he’d been badly beaten up and robbed on his way to order a new supply of timber for us. He’d not been carrying too much money – just enough for the next month’s purchases – but he’d suffered a bad injury to a leg that made it impossible for him to continue that journey and had lost the sight of one eye where he’d been clubbed with a heavy stump of wood.

Joshua immediately went to spend time with him and Rachel and the children and apparently gave Ben much needed pain relief with ointments that he’d learned to use whilst with the Essenes, so I suppose some good had come of it. In fact, he went to stay with Ben’s family for several weeks until he was at least able to move around, albeit in a restricted fashion, and could do some straightforward accounting, although the strain on his good eye was bad and he was subject to frequent headaches. Joshua not only took over our money transactions and the trips to Sepphoris and Magdala, but started helping Ben with the similar work for Clopas. Mother was nervous now about letting Joshua make frequent trips alone over the route where Ben had been attacked, but he seemed quite relaxed about it and told Mother to stop worrying and trust God. I know she’d been robbed when she was in Egypt, so I can understand her fear.

I really thought we’d settled down and that Joshua had turned his back on his pretensions. He never talked to us about his future and if he ever discussed it with our mother, it was never in my presence. He was as good as his word in taking Isaac and Nathan into our workshop for training. I must say that he had a great skill in teaching the boys, developing their interest and balancing the hard work with fun and lighter moments so that their motivation remained high and I could see within a year or so that we’d have two very useful additions to our team.

He never did get married though. In due course, when Ben’s Matthew celebrated his ‘bar-mitzvah’, he took his training on as well, so we now have three lively keen young lads helping me and Joe. Joe still pursues his leisurely pace – I’ve given up trying to make him work faster and he’s happy turning out more intricate woodwork. But Isaac and Nathan are now capable of making the simpler equipment and can start off other items which I then finish to the required standard. And he spends a lot of time with my children who adore him. I can’t think why he hasn’t married since he’s so good with kids.

I thought he’d forgotten or put aside all thoughts of practicing as a rabbi despite nearly completing the studying in the synagogues of Sepphoris and Jerusalem, and was satisfied with the turnover of family life here. There was more than enough to maintain his interest. Our business grew – nothing too ambitious and the Roman tax collectors made sure we never had excessive profits! The number of children in the family multiplied and he acted as favourite uncle to all of them.

Mother seemed to be more like her old self, watching over us all, managing the household, almost forming a partnership with Joshua to keep the family together. They dealt with the usual family crises, the sudden fevers, the children’s squabbles, the occasional minor injury. Simon, Judas and Ruth all got married in the same year and Joe, who’d married before Joshua went to Jerusalem for the second time, now had two young children for my mother and grandmother to spoil and Joshua to entertain. For four or five years life went on with no great alarms or disturbances. Susannah’s husband, Joshua died. That was a shame, he was always popular in the family. Much more so than his other brothers-in-law, Michal’s husband, the rabbi Jonas and Rachel’s and Esther’s husbands although we see little of them except at weddings, funerals and festivals.

Then one day, Joshua suddenly announced “It’s time for me to leave you. I have to go back to Jerusalem and meet my cousin John.” It caused turmoil. The boys in the workshop were upset. The smaller children were distraught. Only my mother and my grandmother seemed unsurprised. And perhaps Ben, though I’m not sure. He didn’t say much, but he did not join in the general protests. I thought Joshua’d grown out of it. How wrong I was!