The Expected One (42 page)

“Mama! Mama!” Pilo squirmed in the arms of the Greek. “Put me down!”

Claudia could see the color returning to Pilo’s face. He appeared healthy and strong again. In less than an instant, the dying son of Pilate and Claudia had been completely restored. And there was more. As the child’s feet touched the ground, it was apparent to both Claudia and the Greek that Pilo’s leg was no longer twisted. He walked to her, straight and strong. “Look, Mama! I can walk!”

Claudia hugged her beautiful boy as she watched the retreating form of the Nazarene healer and his tiny wife blend into the raucous Jerusalem crowd.

“Thank you,” she whispered to them. And strangely, though they were now too far to be seen, she knew they had heard her.

The healing of Pilo was a double-edged sword for Pontius Pilate. He was delighted to have his son restored and healed completely. The boy was whole in a way that neither he nor Claudia had ever imagined was possible. He was now a proper heir to a Roman legacy, a child who could become a man and a soldier. But the method of his healing was disturbing. Worse, both Claudia and Pilo were now obsessed with this Nazarene, who was something of a thorn in the sides of both the Roman authorities and the Temple priests.

Pilate had met with Caiaphas and Annas, at their request, earlier in the day to discuss the mob scene at the eastern gates. The Nazarene had arrived on an ass in the manner predicted by one of their Jewish prophets, upsetting the priests with what they felt was a declaration of messianic proportions. While the religious squabbles of the Jews were not Pilate’s immediate problem, this Nazarene was rumored to be calling himself a king of the Jews, which was treason against Caesar. Pilate was feeling pressure to take some action against this Easa if he made one more controversial move in Jerusalem as Passover approached.

To complicate matters, Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, had come out against Easa privately in a message to Pilate. “I have information that this man would make himself king over all the Jews. He has become dangerous to me, to you, and to Rome.”

Those were Pilate’s logistical problems. His philosophical issues were another matter entirely.

What force did this Nazarene control or channel that allowed him to do such things as raise a child from the dead? Had it not been for Pilo, Pilate would have thought Easa’s miracles were pure trickery and conceded to the Pharisees’ accusations of blasphemy. But Pilate knew better than anyone that Pilo’s illness and deformity were very real. Or at least they had been. Now they were simply gone.

There was something here that had to be explained. Roman reason demanded an answer, an understanding of what had occurred. Pontius Pilate was very frustrated when he could not find one.

But his wife needed no such convincing. She had witnessed two great miracles, had basked in the presence and glory of the Nazarene and his God; Claudia Procula was an instant convert. She was both displeased and disappointed when her husband refused to allow her to attend any of Easa’s preachings in Jerusalem. She wished to take Pilo, to allow her son to meet this amazing Nazarene who was more than a man. Pilate forbade it, vehemently.

The Roman procurator was a complex man, filled with doubt, fear, and ambition. The tragedy of Pontius Pilate would come when all of these things outweighed whatever he had once possessed in love, strength, or gratitude.

It was very late by the time the Nazarenes arrived at Joseph’s house. Easa, as ever, was wide awake and preparing for one more gathering with his closest followers before retiring. They were weighing their options in Jerusalem the following day. Mary stayed to hear the discussion to get an indication of what the next day would hold. The incident at Jairus’ house made it clear that the people of Jerusalem were divided on the issue of Easa the messiah. There were more supporters than detractors, but they all suspected that the detractors were powerful men attached to the Temple.

Judas spoke to the assembled men. He appeared drawn and exhausted, yet the exhilaration of what he had witnessed at Smedia’s deathbed was keeping him going.

“Jairus took me aside as we were leaving,” he told them. “He is far more inclined to support us now that he has seen that Easa is truly the messiah. He warned that the councils of Pharisees and Sadducees were disturbed by the throngs of Nazarene supporters who entered the city. We are stronger in number than they ever imagined. They are afraid of us and likely to take action if they feel we pose a threat to them or to the peace of the Temple during Passover.”

Peter spat on the floor in disgust. “We all know why. Passover is the most profitable time of the year at the Temple. The greatest number of sacrifices are made and the most money is exchanged.”

“It’s harvest time for the merchants and moneylenders,” added his brother Andrew.

“And the chief profiteers among them are Jonathan Annas and his son-in-law,” Judas agreed. “It won’t surprise any of you that those two are at the head of the campaign to discredit us. We have to tread very carefully here or they will push Pilate to issue an arrest warrant for Easa.”

Easa held up his hand as the men began to talk over each other in their agitation. “Peace, my brothers,” he said. “We will go to the Temple tomorrow and show our brothers Annas and Caiaphas that it is not our intention to challenge them. We can exist peacefully together and do not need to exclude each other. We will go as celebrants in a holy week, along with our Nazarene brothers. They cannot deny us admittance, and perhaps we will find a truce with them.”

Judas was uncertain. “I don’t think you will get any compromise out of Annas. He despises us and everything we teach. The last thing Annas and Caiaphas want is for the people to believe that they don’t need the Temple to reach God.”

Mary rose from her place on the floor and smiled warmly at Easa across the room. He caught her eye and returned the expression as his wife turned quietly to leave by the rear door. She was too tired for strategy now. Besides, if Easa was determined to make a showing at the Temple the following day, she had a strong feeling that they would all need some rest.

Mary was sharing a room with the children, as she always did when they traveled. She believed this gave them a sense of security, a necessary element for children who had an often nomadic existence. They were both angelic in their sleep: John-Joseph, with his sweeping, dark eyelashes resting on his olive cheeks, and Sarah-Tamar, nestled in a cloud of shiny, auburn hair.

Their mother resisted the urge to kiss them. Tamar particularly was a light sleeper, and she did not want to wake either of them. The children would need their rest if they wanted to accompany her into Jerusalem tomorrow — they found the city so exciting and colorful. As long as it remained safe for them in Jerusalem, she would allow it. But if circumstances became tumultuous for Easa, she would need to get the children away from the city. If the worst were to happen, even Joseph’s lands would not be safe. She would have to get them to Bethany and into the safety of Martha and Lazarus’ home.

Mary finally settled in her own bed and closed her eyes to the eventful day. But sleep would not come easily, although she desired it and needed it badly. There were too many thoughts and images in her head. In her mind’s eye she saw the woman in the heavy veil, the one who had been carrying the child outside of Jairus’ house. Mary knew two things instantly upon seeing that woman’s face. First, she was neither a Jew nor a commoner. There was something in the way she held herself and in the quality of the veil that belied any attempt to blend in with the common folk. And Mary knew full well when a woman was trying to disguise herself; hadn’t she done it herself many times when the situation warranted?

The second thing Mary had noticed was the woman’s utter despair. She had felt the desperation flowing from her; it was almost as if the grief itself had called out for Easa’s help. When Mary looked into the woman’s face, she had seen the same sense of loss that every mother feels when she is helpless to save her child. It is a pain that knows no race, creed, or class, a grief that can be shared only by suffering parents. During the last three years of their ministry Mary had seen that face numerous times. But many times she had also watched as that face changed from despair to joy.

Easa had saved many of Israel’s children. And now, it appeared, he may have saved one of Rome’s.

Easa and his followers went to the Temple as planned the following day. Mary took the children into Jerusalem with her, stopping to witness the activity and debate occurring outside the hallowed walls. Easa was in the center of a large and growing crowd, preaching the kingdom of God. Men in the crowd challenged him and asked questions, all of which he answered with his usual calm. Easa’s answers were thorough and incorporated the teachings of scripture. It was not long before it became obvious to all that his knowledge of the law could not be challenged.

Later, through information supplied by Jairus, they would discover that Annas and Caiaphas had planted their own men in the crowd. The were instructed to ask deliberately challenging questions. If any of Easa’s answers could be interpreted as blasphemous, particularly in such close proximity to the Temple and with so many witnesses, the high priests would have further evidence to use against him.

One man came forward to ask a question on the issue of marriage. Judas saw the man and recognized him; he whispered into Easa’s ear that this was a Pharisee who had put aside his older wife to marry a younger one.

“Tell me, Rabbi,” the man asked, “is it lawful for a man to put his wife away for any cause? I have heard you say it is not, and yet the law of Moses says otherwise. Moses wrote of a bill of divorcement.”

Easa spoke out so that his voice rose loud and clear over the crowd. His reply was harsh because he knew of the man’s personal transgressions. “Moses wrote this precept because of the hardness of your heart.”

The crowd consisted primarily of men from Jerusalem to whom this Pharisee was known. There was a rumble through these men at the implied insult. But Easa wasn’t finished. He was tired of these corrupt Pharisees who lived like decadent kings off the donations from poor and pious Jews. He viewed this current batch of priests, men who were charged to uphold the law with utmost integrity, as hypocrites. They preached a holy life but certainly did not live one. During the recent years of his ministry Easa had come to realize that the people of Jerusalem had been cowed by these men; they feared the Pharisees’ power as much as they did that of Rome. In many ways these men of the Temple were as dangerous to the common Jews as the Romans because they had the authority to affect their everyday existence in as many ways.

“Have you not read the scriptures?” Easa’s question was another assault on the man he knew to be a priest. Then he turned to address the crowd at large. “He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife, and the two shall become one flesh, wherefore they are no more two but one. What God has put together let no man tear asunder.’ And I say unto you whoever puts away a wife, other than for adultery, commits adultery himself.”