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“Jesus, walk with me.”
The boy left the servants and caught up with his father. When Joseph had returned from Damascus the day before, he said they had to set out again this morning. He brought Jesus with him. For the past two hours they had been making their way along a path skirting the western shore of the Lake of Galilee, while the oxen pulled carts of goods for barter. On his way home from Damascus, Joseph had discussed trade with a merchant from India, and they agreed to meet at a halfway point.
Joseph and Jesus walked ahead of two dozen servants and approached the Indian merchant’s campsite. They slowed their pace so the father could give last-minute instructions to the entourage and his son.
“Remember to say nothing,” Joseph warned the boy. “They will recognize me as the leader of our group. If anyone else from our group speaks out of turn, I will have no choice but to rebuke that person and punish him in front of our hosts in order to preserve the dignity of our people. If I do not do so, they will see me as weak and our entire party will be in danger.”
“Sure, Dad, I’ll stay out of trouble.”
Joseph barked sharply. “Stop! You don’t realize what could happen here. If a band of thieves came to a meeting like this disguised as traders and found out where our goods are stored, they might kill us and steal the goods. Or if these people really are traders and we somehow offend them by insulting the idols they worship or making any remarks about their clothes, their way of eating, or their women, they might demand satisfaction. And they would be justified in punishing one of us to exact retribution.”
He fixed his eye on Jesus with an expression that left no doubt of the gravity of the situation. “I am deadly serious about this. I want you to speak Greek only, because they will become suspicious if we say anything to each other in our own tongue. And speak only in generalities, because any ill-chosen words could result in one of our servants being beaten. Whether you value your own safety is one thing. But if you value the safety of your family, friends and servants, you will keep quiet.”
A dark-skinned man in a long tan robe that shared the color of the desert sand stood at the edge of the camp, his arms outstretched in apparent welcome to the newcomers. Joseph returned the gesture, thus demonstrating that he hid no weapons in his hands or in the sleeves of his robe.
“Peace be with you,” called out the man in heavily accented Greek.
“And also with you,” Joseph said, giving the correct reply.
The man bowed. “May the light of heaven shine upon us both.”
“And may we both prosper,” Joseph said, finishing the greeting.
Jesus caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Half a dozen men had stepped out from behind a tent far to the left of the foreign trader. A similarly sized group appeared on the right. If things stayed the way they were, Joseph and Jesus would be left standing between two large pincers of men.
However, at that same moment the boy heard a rustle of movement behind him, as equal numbers of Joseph’s servants fanned out on the left and right to stand opposite the men of the camp. Balance would be maintained.
The trader, whose name was Amrit, continued speaking as if he had not even noticed the jockeying for position on both sides, or perhaps as if all the movement was the expected norm. “Ah, yes — let us both be prosperous! Perhaps you have brought goods that will be of great value to my people back home?”
Joseph grinned but was unwilling to reveal his hand too soon. “Some small items, yes, but perhaps not anything that you would find of great value. My more precious materials are at home. Perhaps I do not have enough of value to trade for the magnificent goods you have brought?”
It was the other man’s turn to play coy. “Ah, I have a few things but perhaps nothing of great value. Come, let me offer you some water after your travels, and we will sit and speak for a while.” As Jesus and Joseph stepped forward, Joseph’s men maintained their defensive positions. They settled on mats opposite their host.
As his father and the trader talked, at first Jesus was fascinated by the course of the conversation. It was like the ritualistic mating dance he had seen countless animals perform in so many variations — each partner approaching, sniffing and then retreating in turn, circling each other as if in a carefully choreographed swirling motion. But in this case involving wary traders, neither played the feminine role. Each verbally signaled interest but then backed away; each refused to commit to the union before the other committed first. As the dancers swirled, their circle grew slowly tighter as they approached each other’s position slightly closer with each pass, tempting each other.
So it was with Joseph and Amrit. Before they would even get to the point of haggling over price, they would haggle over whether they even had any good reason to speak with each other at all. After following the ebb and flow for about half an hour, Jesus found his attention wandering.
Just then the flap on the largest tent opened and a boy about Jesus’ age stepped out. He was even darker than Judas and Jesus, but his black hair was straight rather than curly. Jesus and his family wore robes the drab color of wheat, but this boy wore a bright yellow tunic with what appeared to be a dark green shawl draped over his shoulders.
At the boy’s approach the trader beamed a wide smile. “Abban, come join us.” The boy sat opposite Jesus. Their eyes met and they smiled at each another. “Joseph, this is my son Abban. He is more precious to me than any of the simple wares I may have brought with me for commerce.”
Joseph smiled even more broadly. “Amrit, you honor me by allowing me to meet your son. Indeed, until now I was not even aware whether you had a family, let alone whether you had brought any of your kin with you. Now I feel much closer to you.”
Listening to his father, Jesus realized that a turning point had just been reached in the negotiations. By introducing his son and confessing his devotion for the boy, Amrit had revealed a soft spot, vulnerability. Joseph had been quick to see the admission and to grasp its significance. They truly were closer now.
Abban turned to Amrit. “Father, I have finished my studies for today. I wish to take a walk.”
Amrit’s face registered a hint of irritation. “Not now. We are in unfamiliar territory and I do not have enough men free to accompany you.”
The boy angrily crossed his arms and pouted. “But I’m bored! I’ve been sitting and reading all day. I want to see that lake yonder.”
Jesus subtly nudged Joseph. When the father glanced in his direction, Jesus inquired silently with an almost imperceptible nod toward the boy. Joseph gave no visible indication that he had noticed but cleared his throat to catch his host’s attention. “Amrit, perhaps my son Jesus can accompany your boy as they walk down by the water.”
Amrit signaled to one of his men to position himself where he could keep an eye on the boys. Joseph similarly signaled one of his own servants. Grateful for a chance to stretch their legs, Abban and Jesus got up and moved away.
“Do you get to travel with your father all the time?” Jesus asked the boy. “That sounds exciting. I usually stay home when my father is on the road.”
Abban shrugged. “It’s not as exciting as you might think. Sometimes I wish I had a single place to call home. I’d like to have friends I could see every day. Instead I have servants.”
“But you get to see so many exciting places.”
“Not really,” Abban replied. “After a while they all look alike. And I don’t get to see that much anyway. My father forces me to study mathematics every day.”
Jesus furrowed his brows. “What are mathematics?”
“Numbers,” the other boy said.
“Oh, you mean you spend all day practicing counting?”
Abban looked insulted. “Of course not! We use mathematics so we can avoid counting. We use mathematics to determine large numbers of things without having to count them all. It helps us control our merchandise, our money, and our people.”
Jesus bowed his head slightly in respect. “That is very impressive. I would like to learn more about mathematics someday.”
“If you do not know mathematics, then what do you study?” Abban asked.
“We read the wisdom of our ancestors, and of their dealings with the Lord our God. One who studies God’s way may also be able to determine large numbers of things without counting them, and control our resources and our people.”
Abban stopped suddenly and turned, his mouth gaping wide open. Oops, now I’ve insulted him, Jesus thought. This could be trouble.
Abban spoke very slowly. “That is very impressive,” he said. “I would like to learn more about this wisdom someday.”
The boys pretended to be very solemn for a moment. Then, simultaneously, they broke out laughing.