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Jesus packed the last of his supplies into the bag. He had designed the bag so he could tie it to his back while he walked, keeping his hands free. He had enough dried food for at least three days, and water for a day. It should be sufficient.
“Is there nothing I can say to make you stay?” Nathan pleaded. His argument had not changed over the past several days, it had just grown in urgency. The harvests had surpassed all others in anyone’s memory. Nazareth had become a household name in Sepphoris, where the villagers’ produce enjoyed a large demand. And that young man Jesus had introduced to Nathan—Simon was his name— Simon now kept the roads safe for the wagons of food the villagers took to market every morning, and at minimal cost when it was spread among all the village farmers together. Business was wonderful and only promised to get better. Why on earth would Jesus want to leave on this unnecessary trip? And besides, it wasn’t safe for him to travel alone.
“I must see someone in Jerusalem,” Jesus replied. “Yes, we have had good success, and I must take a tithe of my earnings to someone I know at the Temple.” Because Nathan and the villagers had been kept unaware of his relation to Joseph, Jesus did not mention that he would also carry tithes from the businesses that Judas and his father ran in Sepphoris, and that Simon would send a tithe as well. Jesus had wrapped the coins tightly into a belt that he wore around his waist, out of sight beneath his robe. Simon had already assigned several of his men to accompany Jesus on the road south to protect the offerings for the Temple. For most of them, it was their first chance to visit Jerusalem, and they were excited to be making the trip. Simon had arranged for them to meet Jesus at a prearranged spot on the road; they had never met him but were told to look for a man who closely resembled Simon’s brother, Judas.
“Nathan, I’ll return when I can. In the meantime, all the farmers in this area have learned the value of working together for the good of all. Just keep an eye on them to make sure greed does not destroy what we have built.”
With that, Jesus hoisted his bag’s straps over his shoulders, picked up the staff he had leaned against the wall of Nathan’s home, and set off down the path toward the road that ran south through the valley of the Jordan River.
The pilgrims mostly walked in large groups. Some led asses, which carried the pilgrims’ belongings on their backs. Only a very few had wagons. Even pregnant women walked.
Jesus stood in the shade of an olive tree. The season had passed, so the tree had already been stripped of all its fruit. Judging by the hunger in many of the pilgrims’ eyes, Jesus assumed that passersby had picked the fruit as soon as it neared ripening.
The heat from the afternoon sun beat down oppressively on the covered heads of the men, women and children walking south toward the Jordan Valley route to Judea. These people were making the journey to Jerusalem to proudly offer one-tenth of their harvests to the Temple. The peasants in the Galilee usually selected a single family to carry the village’s offerings on the long trip south. The trip offered an exciting break from routine for the children, and even their work-wearied parents felt elation at the honor of presenting the offerings to God in a personal visit. But the time away from home was costly, so villagers rotated the responsibility among themselves each year so the burden would be easier to bear.
A group of young men appeared over the crest of the hill to the north. Jesus did not know the men Simon had sent to accompany him on the road, but this group looked like probable candidates. Even from this distance, they were fanned out in defensive positions front and back and on both sides. As they approached, Jesus estimated their ages to be comparable to Simon’s, though a few seemed a bit younger.
When they were thirty paces away, Jesus stepped out into the sunlight and pushed the hood of his robe back off of his head. One of the young men called out, “Peace be with you, stranger. What is your name, and where are you from?”
Jesus let his arms nag loosely at his sides. “As for my name and the location of my home, that could turn into a lengthy story. But am I correct in guessing that you are traveling from Sepphoris?”
By now the party had drawn abreast of him, and they spread around him as the one who had spoken stepped within a few paces. Jesus saw that they did not take offensive positions of attack, but rather stood in readiness to defend their spokesman if necessary. Good, Jesus thought to himself, Simon has trained them well.
“My name is Andrew, and you are correct that we have come from Sepphoris. We were told to look for a man similar to yourself, though I must say you look much rougher than I expected.”
Jesus laughed. “Does Judas no longer resemble me so closely? Ah, such a shame! But perhaps if he spent a few months working with me, we would again be mistaken for twins.”
“Then you are indeed Jesus of Nazareth? Simon sent us to guard you on the road to Jerusalem.”
“And I believe he also sent some money with you to offer at the Temple,” Jesus responded quickly. He kept his voice down to avoid giving information to anyone who should not hear it. “There should be a goodly tithe from Simon himself, and a much larger sum from Judas, who is managing Joseph’s estate.”
Andrew looked around to make sure no strangers were within earshot. “Yes, Simon sent fifty dinari, and Judas sent five hundred. We are keeping the coins hidden.”
Jesus patted his shoulder. “You have been honest with me. Yes, those are the amounts Simon said I should expect. You have earned my trust, which will be important on the long road ahead. Come, let us get started.”
The line of pilgrims on the road almost came to a standstill. Jesus stepped to the side and saw that the line of people stretched without break over the next rise of the land. “What’s holding up the line?” he called out loudly. Several men at various points in the line ahead of him turned and visibly shrugged their shoulders, holding their hands out to each side indicating they did not know.
Jesus called out to Andrew. “Come, we don’t have any wagons or animals that need to stay on the road. Let’s go ahead to see what’s wrong.” With that, he set off with the dozen of them walking up the side of the line. Some of the people scowled at Jesus when they saw him moving ahead of them in line, but quickly fell silent when they saw the group of armed men following him.
Jesus and Andrew moved ahead of the group as they neared the top of the rise. They slowed their pace, crouching as they walked forward, and then raised their heads briefly for a quick glance of what lay ahead. After seeing it once, they crouched again and nodded to each other. Then they raised their heads and walked slowly forward a few feet, gazing more intently at the scene before them. About forty paces ahead, four men wearing Roman uniforms had set up a barrier across the road. A large wagon stood next to the barrier. Judging from the amount of vegetables and wineskins stacked in the wagon, it was apparent that the four men were exacting tolls from the peasants. At that moment one of the men slapped a pilgrim across the face and snatched a burlap sack from him. He turned to load the sack onto the wagon.
Andrew said, “I recognize that man and the one next to him. A few years ago they claimed that Herod had raised the taxes, and they tried to force Simon’s brother Judas to pay. Joseph’s men grabbed them and turned them over to the palace. Some of my men and I got to tag along.”
“I recognize the other two,” Jesus nodded. “They attempted to rob the farmers in Nazareth a few years ago as well.” The two of them moved back to rejoin the others. “You three,” Jesus called to some of Simon’s men, “cut through this line and go around on the left side. I want you to move up almost to where those men are holding up the line, but keep out of sight. You three over there go way off to the right side of the road and circle around behind those men. You five work your way up through the middle of the line. Tell the people that you are not cutting in front of them, and to please keep quiet. Do not draw your swords unless you are attacked, but I don’t think you will be. Andrew and I will go speak to the men directly.”
When all were in place, they all started moving forward as planned. One of the men who were taking food away from the pilgrims looked up and recognized Jesus as he approached. “Hey, everybody draw your swords! I recognize this one, and I’m going to make him pay for what he did to me.” He pulled his own sword up and was about to step forward when he heard several thuds and groans behind him. Looking back, he saw his colleagues face down on the ground, Andrew’s men holding their sword arms behind their backs. Enraged, he turned and charged at Jesus, lunging with his sword. Before he had gone two steps, a blow from behind knocked him to the ground. When he rolled over to leap back to his feet, he found four men standing over him pointing swords at his throat.
“We meet again,” Jesus said loud enough for the nearest peasants to hear. “By whose authority are you collecting tolls on this road?”
The man on the ground sputtered, “By Caesar’s of course! I’ll have Caesar’s army find you and punish you for this!”
“I doubt it,” Jesus replied in a nonchalant tone. “But since you invoke the name of Caesar, then to Caesar we will deliver you. We’ll take you to the Antonia in Jerusalem and let you plead your case to the captain of the guard.
“But first,” he shouted in a voice loud enough to carry to the pilgrims on the road, “you and your friends are going to pull this wagon forward and return all these riches to the people you stole them from. On your feet!”
As Andrew’s men dragged the four toll-takers to their feet, a great cheer arose from the people on the road. Jesus directed the men as they struggled to pull the wagon up onto the road. As they reached each party of pilgrims, Jesus would let them come to the wagon and retrieve what had been taken from them.
One man took his sack of grain off the wagon and was about to walk back to his party, but stopped to ask Andrew, “Who is that man?”
“His name is Jesus. He’s from Nazareth, a small village in the hills above Sepphoris,” Andrew said.
“Bless him,” the man said, “though I fear for his safety and for Nazareth. If these men really are Roman soldiers, then Caesar’s wrath will be deadly.”
“We shall see. We shall see.”
On the second morning after the arrest of the toll-takers, the pilgrims’ road led them to the country near Jericho. Few would bother to enter the city, more intent on reaching Jerusalem. But a buzz of excitement stretched from party to party up the highway:
The Prophet was at the Jordan River!
“What Prophet is this,” Jesus asked when the man ahead of him passed the message back.
“It is the Baptizer, who purifies us in the river. They say he is a mighty man of God!”
Jesus turned to Andrew and the others. “Have you heard of this Prophet?”
“Not I.”
“Then let’s go see him. Bring the prisoners along.”
The group joined the pilgrims as they set off through the wilderness. Though Jericho was known as the city of palm trees, the travelers now walked over rocky ground that bore little vegetation. But the ground grew marshy with reeds spouting as they neared the water. A large crowd stood near the bank, jockeying for position where they could see and hear. Jesus found a spot where he could see between two taller men’s shoulders.
A lone figure stood knee-deep in the water close to the edge of the river. Jesus couldn’t make out what the man was shouting, but if the gestures were any indication, the words must have been dramatic. The man’s hair and beard stood out as if a strong wind were blowing, but there was no wind. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar.
“I’m going to get closer,” Jesus said over his shoulder to Andrew.
“We need to leave soon if we are going to get to Jerusalem,” Andrew said impatiently. “I’ve been told that it’s a steep climb up to the city.”
Jesus barely heard him, as he was already squeezing between bodies in the crowd. He couldn’t escape the notion that he had seen the man in the water before. Was it on a previous trip to the city with his family? Had he passed through Sepphoris sometime in the past? Had he seen this man during his travels with Amrit?
“John!” Jesus shouted as the man turned his face toward his section of the crowd. The figure did not heed the call, if he even heard it at all, but the people around Jesus took up the cry and began chanting, “John! John! John!”
John held up his hands in a call for silence. “Do not bother calling out my name, for I am naught but a humble servant. Rather, step here into the river to purify yourselves to be worthy for the Lord our God.”
Some commotion arose as a man fought his way forward. “But we are on our way to Jerusalem to present our offerings. Certainly we can purify ourselves in the pools of the city, as the priests require us to do before we can mount the Temple’s steps?” cried the man. A number of other people shouted in support.
“Silence!” John cried in his booming voice. “Do not look to the Temple for salvation. It has been many long years since a rightful heir has sat in the sacred seat of the high priest. And these pretenders that the Romans have appointed in his place do not follow the sacred traditions. They do not observe the festivals on the appointed days, they do not uphold the Law in the appointed ways. But the priests grow rich from the Temple tax they force you all to pay. In some ways, they are no better than the Romans.”
Near pandemonium broke out as men on either side of the crowd exchanged arguments back and forth. The man who had challenged John earlier raised his voice above the din. “Nevertheless, we are on our way to Jerusalem. It is our tradition, and our people are counting on us to deliver their tithes.”
With that, a large portion of the crowd turned away from John to return to the road.
Jesus made his way through the departing pilgrims toward the water. “Cousin!” he called out.
Hearing his voice, John turned and craned his neck, searching through the crowd. At first he could not locate the source of the voice amid the sea of bodies, but then his face lit up as his eyes settled on Jesus’ familiar face. He waded out of the river and made his way up the bank to where Jesus stood. The two men clasped each other’s forearms in greeting.
“My brother,” John said in a solemn voice, “I am glad to see you here. Have you come to purify yourself before God?”
“John, I’m glad to see you too.” Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Andrew and his men had followed him through the crowd and now seemed awestruck. Their prisoners stood looking dejected, their hands tied together behind their backs. They had been stripped of their armor. “We are traveling to the city and heard people crying out that there was a prophet at the river. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to find out they were talking about you, but I did not expect it.”
John gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “What they call me is not important. I am merely a humble servant doing the job that was given to me. The Temple has been perverted by the foreigners among us, and I must warn our people.”
Jesus laughed. Turning to his comrades, he called out, “John, let me introduce the brave men who have accompanied me on this trip from the Galilee. They have protected me on my journey, and helped capture these men who were robbing our people on the road.”
“You will find,” John said with a slow enunciation of each syllable, “that you must fear not only men who accost you on the road. There are demons in the city as well, and they will steal more than just your money. Some of them wear white robes and work at the Temple itself.”
“Hey — my brother is one of those people,” Jesus said.
“No, James is righteous in my eye. I refer to his masters.”
“Andrew,” Jesus said, “I want you to meet my cousin, John. He and I have a long history of disagreements with priests at the Temple.”
Andrew and his men seemed unsure whether they should bow or make some other gesture of respect. “I am honored to meet you, sir.”
John barely acknowledged the greeting. He looked past Andrew at the four bound men. “Tell me, what do you plan to do with your prisoners?”
“Probably turn them over to the Romans,” Jesus said. “This is the second time they’ve been caught stealing. Those two over there claimed to be tax collectors in Sepphoris. These two were robbing farmers in the villages. I let them go and they teamed up to collect tolls of all the pilgrims on their way to the city.”
John stepped over to the four and drew himself up to his full height. “I think you know what will happen to you if you are turned over to the Romans,” he said. “If you are lucky, you will be lashed with the whip and thrown in jail. Or you may be sold into slavery. Or the Romans might nail you to a tree and leave you to die.
“If the Lord were to offer you another chance, would you take it?” John raised his voice to his oratorical boom again. The prisoners cowered in the face of the onslaught. “If the Lord gave you an opportunity to not only save your lives but also to serve Him and His people, would you accept it? Well, would you?”
One of the men tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that if you swear by the Lord our God to repent your ways, you can stay with me. I live in the wilderness near here. My friends and I serve the Lord. You could help gather food and do the work needed to maintain our Community. In exchange you would have your lives and your freedom. But I warn you, if you break your oath and try to escape, God will strike you down before you have gone fifty paces.”
The four men glanced at each other to see if any would object. They all knew their fate would be sealed if they were given to the Romans. But what would their chances if they served the whims of this mad prophet? But no matter — the alternative was hopeless. And they might still escape.
“Sure, I will take it,” said one of them. The others grunted assent.
Jesus put his arm around John’s shoulders. “I’m happy to let you take them off my hands, but I do need to warn you that they are dangerous.”
“And the Lord is dangerous to anyone who willfully flaunts him,” John replied, loudly enough for the prisoners to hear. “They will not run away or else they will die. And they will not attack me or my friends, or else they will wish they had died.”
John walked to a spot before the prisoners, who stood four abreast facing him. “Jesus, untie them,” he called out. Andrew and his men unbound the prisoners.
“And now,” he said to the four, “think through this carefully, because you will be bound by your word. Do you swear before the Lord our God to do your utmost to faithfully keep his Law, and to work with me here to share his blessings with His people? Do you promise not to try to escape? There may come a time when we agree that you may leave, but that will be by agreement between us and not because you fled on your own. Will you promise to abide by those terms?”
The men looked earnestly into John’s eyes, seemingly locked by the power of his gaze. One glanced over his shoulder, and the sight of Andrew’s men with their swords seemed to help him reach his decision. “I can’t speak for the others, but I swear.”
John stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the man in a bear hug. “Welcome, brother. What is your name?”
“Matthew,” he replied.
“Matthew, though you are bound by oath to remain with me here, you are now a free man and will enjoy greater freedom than you have ever known,” John said solemnly.
In quick succession the other three also gave their vows. Andrew’s men relaxed their stance and put away their swords. They prepared to resume the journey up the mountain to Jerusalem.
Jesus took his cousin aside. “John, is there any message you would like to send to James? I hope to see him by tonight or early tomorrow. I’m taking tithes for the farmers in my village, and for my family, and I’ll give them to him to present to the treasury.”
“There is much I would say, but I don’t think there is enough time,” John replied. “James did me a kindness for which I will always be grateful. My disagreement is with the high priest and his friends, who use their positions to gather riches for themselves and help the foreign oppressors keep their boots on the necks of our people. They do not serve our people and God, they serve themselves and the Romans.”
Jesus smiled but raised his eyebrows as if in indulgence. “I’ll tell him, but don’t you think you’re being a bit melodramatic?”
John returned a steady, unblinking gaze, and in those eyes Jesus suddenly understood how his cousin managed to attract and hold the attention of huge crowds. When he finally spoke, Jesus felt the words echo between his ears. “If you keep your eyes open, you will see.”