Lamb of God: A Novel

Chapter 10

Capernaum

A trip of fifteen miles, seeing they take the Roman roads. Jesus and his disciples go with Mary and his half-brothers northeast to Capernaum, a city west of Galilee Sea.

Here Cephas, Andrew, and John live.

Here Jesus meets John's older brother, Jacob. He is also a fisherman like his brother. They inherit their profession from their father Zebedee, who still is living. Jesus says to this Jacob, "Come along with us, Jacob."

Here Jacob decided to follow the Carpenter, mainly because he heard of Jesus' recent miracle at Cana.

Here Jesus also meets Cephas' wife. She has faith Jesus is the Messiah. And he meets Cephas' mother-in-law. She too becomes a believer.

But Jesus' brothers are skeptical. They knew him for his own life, and doubt Jesus could be the Promised One. They had recited the Eighteen Benedictions each and every morning, afternoon, and evening. One of the praises to God is for the promise of a Redeemer. Jesus recited this even after he knew who he was.

Jesus' brothers are slow to believe.

Yet Jesus has his "brothers" who believe in him: Cephas, Andrew, Jacob, John, Philip, and Nathanael. It'll turn out right for him.

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During their stay in Capernaum, James and his other brothers spoke to Jesus as his mother is washing his light-blue tunic. "So Jesus," says James, "you did become a Rabbi, but an unofficial one!"

"Yes," adds Judah, "why don't you get recognized at Jerusalem?"

"I'll handle that; by the way," imparts Jesus, "Passover is in a week, so we'll all be there at Jerusalem."

Right on. Soon they must go down to Jerusalem.

James briefly pauses before he says, "What are you going to do there, try to reach more disciples? But you need authorization from the Sanhedrin."

Jesus turns to him. He doesn't like this man's attitude.

"Do I need to?" asks Jesus.

"Well—well..." lags James. He throws a mournful look at the family gathered around him. Jesus gets up and turns to his mother, as she is finishing washing the tunic.

"Son," says the mother of Jesus, "I'll place your tunic out in the sun. It will be dry in ten minutes."

Jesus then turns back to James, his half-brother. "James, I don't need to have authorization. Tomorrow I'm going there."

"Where?" asks Joseph Jr.

"Jerusalem."

"What? To preach? You must have a better idea," says James. "A better one than John the Baptizer, who is unauthorized also!"

Jesus sighs. Then he hears his mother's voice, "What's for supper?"

Jesus turns to the woman who gave birth to him. "Well, there is no dinner yet. But, I would like to get you something."

"Okay, what?"

"Some bread, some nuts, some figs."

Mary nods. "Very well, then."

Yes, John the Baptizer truly made (and is making) lots of disciples, and he is unauthorized. What makes Jesus' brothers think Jesus can do any different? They don't.

But Jesus' ministry is different than John's.

Close to Jerusalem

Jesus and his disciples are heading down to Jerusalem. Spring can be seen clearly, and the Passover Feast is coming. And so Jesus, like he has done since he was twelve, is heading to celebrate his Father's appointed Feast in the religious capital of the Jews.

Jesus and his friends join a large company heading for Jerusalem. With deep interest, he listens to what these travelers have to say on the way. A topic constantly brought up is the one about the coming of the Messiah and the glory of Israel that would soon follow.

Jesus knows most of these ideas are wrong. He could try, at least, to resolve the misinterpretation.

Yet he doesn't apply things to himself. He simply tries to make the people he's walking with to more closely study God's Holy Word, and not focus on the interpretation by the scribes and rabbis.

Finally, at the Mount of Olives, which is a hill east of Jerusalem, they have arrived. The people of the Jews would recite the Songs of Ascents. These are fifteen Psalms among the 150 Psalms in their book of Praises.

Among the many lines in these Songs of Ascents are "Yahweh will guard your going and coming from now and forevermore", "Soon we shall stand within your gates, O Jerusalem", "Our help is the name of Yahweh, the Creator of heaven and earth", "As around Jerusalem are the mountains, so Yahweh is round his people from now and forevermore", "Yahweh had dealt greatly with us, and we were rejoicing", and others.

Some of these hymns, many applied to the eventual end of those who now oppress them. They sing loudly, "Let all who are haters of Zion be put to shame and defeated" and this quotation from God that is referring to the promised King, "Robes of shame I will put on his foes, but on his head a glittering crown."

Jesus sighs sadly that there are misunderstandings in these Psalms. He showed out this part of an Ascent Song, "Israel, hope in Yahweh: with Yahweh there is love with him plenteous redemption. And he redeems Israel from all his iniquities." In this way, Jesus points out that it's sin that separates the soul from God, and that the soul is doomed if it doesn't repent from sin. He promises that God will forgive sin. He quotes from that hymn, "With you is forgiveness, that you may be feared," referring to God.

But now is the time to enter Jerusalem. So they travel down through Sheep Gate into Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, entering through Fish Gate on carriages is Pilate, his wife, and their servants... and not a few Roman soldiers. This is by far their second Passover trip to Jerusalem. But they didn't come to celebrate Passover. They're not Jews. They come to preserve order. Nothing else.

Also entering Jerusalem by Tekoa Gate are Herod Antipas, the recently-wed Herodias, Salome, Chuza, Joanna, and some others. They are here to celebrate the Passover Festival. Or so appears in the case of the "royal" family. Antipas' mother was a Samaritan, yet Antipas would choose to be Jewish instead, like his father Herod the Great. Antipas is a respecter of Jewish customs. Hence why his coins have no idolatrous symbols on them.

The high priest of Israel, Joseph Caiaphas, and his family of priests have no need to enter Jerusalem—they live in it. The Sanhedrin is there, which meets at the Chamber of Hewn Stone, around the Temple building itself. If they do not meet there, it would be at the Council House on the side of Triple Gate, which leads up to the Temple Mount. They are now talking about the Passover and the arrangements needed.

It's all coming together. Pilate, prefect of Judea and Samaria; Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea; Caiaphas, president of the Sanhedrin; and Jesus, Rabbi of a few Galileans; they all are now within the walls of Jerusalem.

Yet something different is coming this Passover.