Lamb of God: A Novel

Chapter 22

Bethsaida

Jesus is deep in thought. Finally being left alone, he sits under the shade of a tree, reflecting on the word of his Father in heaven.

It is the new dawn of a Sabbath, his Father's day of rest. Soon he will go into the synagogue of Bethsaida with his disciples. Jesus had gained another disciple—another disciple named James. This new James is a brother of Matthew.

But Jesus can never stop thinking about his brother James. Oh, how hardened he is! Jesus places his hands on his face. My half-brother! He doesn't believe.

The problem can be as easily solved in forcing his half-brother to convert, but this is not the way of God. James has the choice—it is given him to choose, not Jesus, for himself.

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After the synagogue service and the usual exchange of Sabbath wishes, Jesus and his disciples take a nice walk out under the sun. They are passing by a ripening field of grain. Some of the disciples hungrily—for they didn't have lunch yet—pick out some kernels of grain, rub them in their hands to remove the husks, and eat them.

According to the Law of Moses, this is perfectly legal and not considered stealing from another's field, as long as no one puts any of it in any container.

But the rabbis had ruled this as work, and thus cannot be done on the Sabbath.

At least, according to their own rules.

A few Pharisees had secretly been following Jesus. On seeing the disciples doing what they see as "reaping" and "threshing", they show themselves and say to Jesus, "A Rabbi should be responsible for the behavior of his disciples. So notice them! Your disciples are not doing what is lawful on the Sabbath."

"What about David? He entered God's house and ate the bread of the Presence—only lawful for priests to eat. It's in the Scriptures. Don't you realize in the Inspired Writings that the priests at the Temple worked on the Sabbath, but are guiltless?"

On hearing Jesus' answer, they try to think of a comeback answer. But then Jesus hands them a rebuke, "You don't understand the Scripture—"

"What?"

"I said you don't understand—"

"No, we heard," a Pharisee angrily snaps. "And who are you to say that? We do know the Scriptures and how to apply them. Who do you think you are?"

Jesus calmly says, "Why, someone greater than the Temple itself."

Startled at this line, they want to take dealings against him.

Before they speak, he proceeds, "You don't understand the following Scripture – I desire mercy over sacrifice. For if you did understand, you wouldn't be here condemning the innocent."

Jesus then says, "The Sabbath was made for mankind—from creation, even—and not mankind for the Sabbath. The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

That has them shut up. They withdraw.

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The following day of the Lord, Jesus paces into the synagogue of Bethsaida. This synagogue has two floors, with the second one having a wide notch in the center and railings on its sides, so those on the second floor can see and hear the person reading the Scripture or giving a sermon if time so permits.

Jesus is teaching again. As he is teaching, he detects among the gathering a man whose right hand is shriveled.

The synagogue leaders and well-respected Pharisees also observe Jesus looking at that man. They know Jesus could heal the man's hand, but for them, that would be breaking the Sabbath. So they decide in their hearts to let him heal the man, then accuse him of breaking the Sabbath. They were already stalking his every move, but now they see an opening to have Jesus incriminated and apprehended.

Jesus, meanwhile, appears not to notice them. He turns to the man with the unworkable hand. That man is looking, hoping for Jesus. Then says Jesus, "Get up, and stand over here," referring to the midst of the synagogue.

"M—me?" asks the man, hoping for confirmation Jesus is indeed talking to him.

"Yes, you."

So the man stands and starts to walk up there before everyone. It's awkward.

A Pharisee speaks up, hoping to trap Jesus in a doctrinal trap before all the people, "I see what's on. You want to heal him. Answer this question before us all: Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"

Jesus turns on the leaders in general. "I will ask you one thing, and I want you to answer: Is it lawful to do good or evil on the Sabbath, to save or destroy life?"

Silence. Truly healing a man is doing well.

"Is. It. Lawful?" repeats Jesus. "And besides, what man among you wouldn't pull out a sheep when it falls in a pit—even if it's the Sabbath? People have more value than sheep, yes?"

Now they are stunned. Often rabbis permit work on God's Day in life-or-death occurrences. But it's unfair to refuse the same license to help humans that are done to animals.

For Jesus, healing a person does not defile God's Day.

Still, deep silence. He turns to one, "Wouldn't you pull an animal out, even on the Lord's Day?" Then to another, he says, "Or you?" Then to another person, he repeats, "Or you there? What about you?"

Jesus is grieved that these people have such hard hearts. After receiving no reply from anyone, Jesus sighs. "The answer is obvious. Yes, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

Now Jesus turns to the man with the shriveled hand. "Stretch forth your hand."

The man does just that, and his sick hand is healed—as complete as the other hand! Right there the man praises God for such a miracle. "I can work with stone again!" he says.

The scribes and Pharisees, however, are fuming. "How dare he throw a question at us when we asked him! He will pay for shaming us!"

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"Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you go," smiles a scribe who awaits the kingdom Jesus has been speaking about.

Jesus recognizes what this man is asking for: to take part in his inner circle—along with Cephas, Andrew, James son of Zebedee, John, Philip, Nathanael, Thomas, Simon the Zealot, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and now Thaddeus. Clearly, this Judean scribe is trying to pull rank.

Jesus says to this scribe, as if this is a warning, "Foxes have dens. Birds have nests. But I don't have a place to call home, exactly."

Nain

"Jesus had just raised someone from the dead!" This news spread really quickly.

Yes, Jesus had raised a widow's son at the city of Nain, halting the funeral parade as it was exiting the city. The people who saw this true marvel were exclaiming things like "A great prophet has risen among us!" plus "God has visited his people!"