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Chapter Twenty-Four

Commission Of The Twelve

When we returned to the shore in a remote part of Lake Gennesaret, we were greeted by Mary Magdalene, Tobin, Azariah, and the converts. Not far behind them a segment of the crowd, who followed behind them, also appeared. Unlike the crowds before, they marched toward us with purpose in their eyes. In their midst were several Pharisees, scribes, and, what Simon identified as temple priests. We knew there would be another confrontation, so we surrounded Jesus in a protective circle. The healings and speeches had taken their toll on him. Though casting an angry glance at his persecutors, he said nothing as they questioned him. It sounded childish, as the fishermen blared over their questions with a constant “Blah-blah-blah!”, but it was effective. James, Matthew, Simon, Judas, and I laughed hysterically. With Mary, Tobin, Azariah, and the converts falling behind us and getting the brunt of the verbal attack, we led Jesus down a trail leading to Peter’s house. Bartholomew’s cart would have come in handy now for both Jesus and himself, but the trail would have been too narrow. As it was, James and I braced Bartholomew’s wobbly body on the trail. I thought surely that hour our numbers would drop to eleven, as the old man struggled for breath. Mary ran up to help us as he floundered in our arms, cooing, “There-there, you can make it Bartholomew, just a few more steps.”

As we approached the house, the religious leaders and scribes were stopped dead in there tracks by Simon. Having left his sword in Peter’s house, he pelted them with sheep dung found near the path. Inspired by his bravery, Matthew and Judas joined in the attack, throwing sheep’s dung and also dirt clod at our pursuers.

“You’re not fooling me,” Simon pointed accusingly at two of them, “I know who you are. The rest of you are Pharisees and scribes—mere nuisances to Jesus, but you’re agents of Caiaphas—I’ve seen you before!”

“You turncoat!” one of the agents shouted. “Wait till Caiaphas hears about this, Simon. What will he think when he finds out you’re one of Jesus’ men!”

Matthew, Judas, and Simon answered his rebuke with another volley of dung—again and again, until our pursuers ran back down the trail.

******

When we entered Peter’s house, we found dinner waiting in the kitchen. Azariah, though he had good intentions, was a poor man, whose sons never got around to repairing Peter’s roof. Peter grumbled about it a lot, but stubbornly waited for Azariah to make things right. Since the Pharisee was too old to repair it himself, he continued to prod his lazy the sons, but the hole remained—a chore that as left to us when we had time, which never seemed to come. Though moonlight now entered the gaping hole in the roof as a constant reminder of that appalling event, Esther, Dinah, and Bernice had finished cleaning up the debris off the floor. I noticed some resentment from Dinah that Mary hadn’t been here to help, but Mary, upon entering the house, quickly pitched in, serving Jesus first after he settled on his cushion. It seemed obvious to everyone that Mary loved Jesus. As I write this, however, I will put to rest those scurrilous rumors that it was romantic love. Mary may have loved him more than the rest of us, but it was adoration, not infatuation. After John’s infatuation with Deborah, I could never be sure about his intentions. Judas, as did Simon, had gazed lustfully at both Mary and Bernice. For my part, however, I was satisfied just to have Mary in my company. She was, Judas put it crudely, food for the eyes.

After such a long, tiring day, everyone, the women included, dropped off to sleep barely an hour after our meal. I remember chatting with John’s brother James about Simon, Matthew, and Judas driving away the Pharisees, scribes, and agents, but then, after falling asleep, and after a silly stream of dream imagery in which Mary played a leading role, I awakened to the sound of voices all around. Sun streamed through the roof right into my face. Rather rudely, Peter came over and nudged me with his sandal.

“Get up, Jude,” he ordered, “we have guests! You too, James, Matthew, and Jude!”

“What? Huh?” I blinked and rubbed my eyes. “What problem? Is it them agents again?”

“No, not this time,” he said gruffly. “Now get on your feet!”

My brother James was also nudged awake by his foot. “Who does he think he is?” he grumbled. “What’s going on outside?”

“I dunno,” Thomas mumbled. “… I heard shouting. Someone was banging on the door.”

“I was having such a great dream,” Judas said groggily.

“I never dream,” Simon scratched his head. “I’m out like a candle then zap I’m awake.

“Everyone dreams,” remarked Matthew, struggling to his feet. “I have really crazy ones!”

As we chattered, we tucked in our tunics, tightened our sashes, and took turns using the cloaca outside the house. Water was heated for our ablutions. We could hear several men outside, but we had heard commotion outside Peter’s before and thought nothing of it. Evidently, because the house was already overcrowded, the meeting was occurring in front of Peter’s house. Esther fed the strangers and gave them water from the well. Though Jesus chatted with them a spell, the men received a cold reception from the disciples. Opening the front door a crack, we listened to the conversation in progress, surprised by what we discovered.

“They’re John the Baptist’s followers,” explained Andrew, perking up his ears. “Listen to them. They still don’t have a clue.”

“I can’t believe it.” Philip whistled under his breath. “The Baptist’s followers…. You’d think they would’ve joined up by now!”

We hadn’t heard the first words spoken between Jesus and these men—a conversation that began when most of us were still asleep, but I remember snatches of accusing voices after awakening (“Why didn’t you come to see John?” and “Are you really the Redeemer?”) This rankled Andrew and Philip the most, since John had turned them over to Jesus personally and told his other followers exactly whom Jesus was.

One of them, Andrew identified as Menaster, chided Jesus as we listened. “How is it,” he was saying, “we and the Pharisees often fast but you and your disciples don’t?”

Jesus followed an old Jewish custom of answering a question with a question, followed by an answer, that baffled even James’ tutored mind: “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them?  The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. No one sews a patch of new cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Once more Jesus appeared to give an answer to a speaker unrelated to the question. Because of the original rebuke implying that Jesus hadn’t cared enough for John and the other question, “Are you really the Redeemer,” though, a case could be made that Jesus was comparing the old religion (old wineskin) and its reliance on mere ritual such as fasting with the new message embodied by Jesus, himself. Why should the disciples fast when the Messiah was, in fact, here in person? I don’t believe that John’s disciples understood his answer anymore than the fishermen, who had lived simple lives. I remember Amos telling me that John told his followers after meeting Jesus, “He must increase and I must decrease,” clearly conveying the identity of Jesus to his men. Despite this, John’s disciples, like the religious leaders, appeared to be jealous of Jesus’ standing with the people and were resentful of he and his disciples’ heresies and laxity toward the law. When I shared my views with the other disciples after they left, however, most of them found Jesus’ words confusing.

“Why doesn’t he just speak plainly?” grumbled Thomas. “What do all those things he says mean?”

“Yeah,” Philip nodded, “those par-a-bles or whatever. Now this. Why can’t he just say it straight out?”

“Jesus receives his revelations from God,” I replied thoughtfully, “and no one knows the mind of God. That’s the key to the problem. He told us our understanding would grow with faith, but sometimes I’m not sure he understands God’s revelations, himself.”

That, of course, wasn’t true: Jesus was infallible. I could have bitten my tongue for saying such a thing, and yet Thomas and Philip, at least, accepted my explanation. While John’s disciples began eating the meal provided them, Jesus had slipped back just in time to hear snatches of our conversation and my reply to Thomas’ and Philip’s complaints. Raising an eyebrow then breaking into a smile, he let it pass. In the past, he had heard me say much more outrageous things.

Mary rushed over that moment and gave him a hug. “Are you all right, Jesus?” Her eye lashes fluttered. “Are those mean men going away?”

“I’m fine,” he said, gently disengaging her arms. “Those type of men will never go away!”

Turning his attention to Philip’s comment, uncomfortable with Mary’s burst of affection, he began a lengthy explanation of parables and the hidden meaning in his sayings.

“Why do I speak in parables?” He began, looking first at Philip. “Another question you might ask is ‘why do I speak this way to the multitude?’”

“Yeah.” Thomas bobbed his head. “It might as well be Greek.”

“You remember Isaiah’s words?” He looked over at our brother James.

“Yes,…most of it.” James gave him a dubious look. “Isaiah says some conflicting things.”

“All right,” Jesus pursed his lips. “This is what Isaiah has to say about this subject: ‘Though seeing, they do not see. Though hearing, they do not hear or understand. They’ll be ever hearing but never understanding. They’ll be ever seeing but never perceiving. For their hearts have become calloused, they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn so I would heal them.’” “Blessed are your eyes,” he added, looking around at everyone in the room, “because they see and your ears hear. Truly I say unto you, many prophets and righteous people have longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:  When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  Since they have no root, though, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries about this life and the deceitfulness of wealth chokes the word, making it unfruitful.  But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.”

“What about the parable of the weeds?” Thomas raised a hand. “Explain that.”

The answer he gave Thomas was most unsettling: “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of heaven.”

“The two parables I explained are the most important,” Jesus paused to explain. “The other parables I gave yesterday we can discuss later, but you should have understand the parables of the hidden treasure and the mustard seed. Surely, you fishermen understood the parable of the net.”

Peter, Andrew, Philip, John, and James nodded their heads.

“What about that answer you gave John’s men?” Simon frowned. “That wasn’t a parable and it still didn’t make sense.”

“Jude already explained that.” He gave me a nod.

“I was right?” I looked at him in disbelief.

“Yes,” he answered, looking around the room. “All of you will know the truth, which comes with increasing faith. It’s enough for you to be reminded of how difficult it will be for close-minded people to accept my message.” “You,” his said, spreading his arms, and looking around the room, “are the new vintage. Many times it will like mixing water and oil. The path is narrow. The road is long.”

*****

Jesus use of colorful speech was annoying to many of his disciples, but, with the two principle parables explained and his reminder of how difficult our mission would be, we set out for new territory that morning. To Mary’s dismay, Jesus ordered her to stay with Peter’s family. It was too dangerous out there for women, he explained as delicately as possible—not a comforting thought to those overhearing his conversation.

On our way out of Capernaum, heading north this time, with Jesus at the forefront chatting with Peter and the disciples, we encountered two blind men, who begged him for a cure. Jesus sighed heavily, shaking his head.

“Have mercy on us, Son of David!” they cried out.

I heard him mumble something to the men, and they replied. “Yes, Lord.” Clearly these men knew who he was. Jesus simply touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith, you’re healed,” and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.”  But, of course, the two men would spread the word everywhere they went.

Not long after the two men departed, a small crowd arrived with a man who had the biting disease. Restrained by ropes—four men holding the lines tightly, he spat and lunged at Jesus, as Jesus said the words. I was so shaken by this specter I scarcely remember what he said. A so-called demon was driven out, it was later claimed, but Luke, a physician and disciple of Paul, would one day tell me it was caused by the bite of a bat or other warm-blooded creature—a fatal malady with no human cure, that is until Jesus came along. If I had this knowledge back then, I would’ve been even more amazed. The men who brought him to Jesus, as well as the crowd gathering to watch, were likewise astounded. It was a spectacular healing for Jesus. As always, though, a Pharisee (in fact the graybeard who accosted Jesus before) claimed that Jesus drove out the man’s demons by sorcery through Beelzebub, the prince of demons. No one listened to the old man. Peter and Andrew, in fact, angrily escorted him from the scene. When the afflicted man was cured and untied from his restraints, he was given water, which, according to Luke, was something those afflicted with the biting disease shunned. Though his clothes were torn, his beard and hair flecked with foam, and he was bleeding from several cuts, a radiant smile spread across his sunburned face.

Jesus thanked the man’s friends for their faith. When family members arrived to protest the treatment of the Pharisee, the rest of us joined Peter and Andrew in shooing them away, while Jesus took the man and his friends aside, spoke the formula, and baptized them into the Way. We would learn later that Zebulon, the man healed, and his friends, like Azariah and Tobin, were selected for that larger group of followers, who would eventually number seventy. The depth of their faith had made them prime candidates. What didn’t make sense to me yet was why Jesus hadn’t selected more potential members. It appeared to James and I that the faith of those men, who brought Zebulon must have been especially great, since they risked being attacked by the rabid man.

******

After the previous days, what transpired in the small villages surrounding Lake Gennesaret seemed anticlimactic. Jesus taught in a few synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and there were a number of cures, but we could tell that he needed a rest. He admitted to James and me privately that he wanted to spend time with our mother. We sensed by his words as well as the direction we were heading, that we would soon be sent out on our own, as he promised us earlier. Finally, at one point, as we made camp, he pointed to a distant town, exclaiming, “Look, men. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  The Lord of the harvest must therefore send out workers to harvest his field. The people are sheep without a shepherd, but the shepherd needs herders—you, my disciples, must to take up the load.”

“It’s that time.” Peter acknowledged glumly.

“Yes.” Jesus replied with resolution. “Tomorrow morning.”

“Me too?” Bartholomew looked at him in disbelief.

“Yes, you too.” Jesus said with a nod. “All twelve of you.”

“Oh dear me,” the old man whined. “…I didn’t bargain for this.”

“None of us did.” Simon stared blankly into the fire.

“Don’t worry,” I reassured Bartholomew. “You’ll have your mule and cart. The rest of us have to walk!”

“Yes,” Simon mumbled, “walking into the unknown.”

“Sheep among wolves!” Philip exclaimed.

“No,” Jesus quickly replied. “You’re shepherds in your own right. You’re not going into the unknown. When you begin your missions, you’ll know exactly what to do.”

“Uh, excuse me Jesus,” James cleared his throat. “Unless I’m mistaken, the prophet Amos was a shepherd, the Lord guided him too, and he was killed and tortured!”

“Amos wasn’t my disciple,” Jesus raised an eyebrow. “I’m aware of how our people treated the prophets. Don’t use scripture with me, James. What we’re doing is the Living Word. I explained that to you men. God has given me the shield which I share with you.”

James, Philip, Bartholomew, and Simon shook their head in dismay. There was, in fact, a collective groan around the fire. “God’s Shield?… Living Word?” Matthew muttered fretfully. “Fine words indeed. But I’m not popular in some towns, Jesus. Without my guards, I might just get myself stoned!”

“Remember.” Jesus wrung a finger at him. “You were Levi then. You’re Matthew now—my disciple.”

“If you’re worried about disclosure,” Judas sneered, “shave off your beard. You’re lucky you don’t have red hair.”

“I had red hair,” Bartholomew murmured light-headedly, “now it’s snow white.”

“I-I have enemies!” Judas blurted.

“Your enemies are God’s enemies.” Jesus gave Judas a studied look. “I wouldn’t send you men out without God’s shield.

Despite my efforts to strengthen Bartholomew’s resolve, John’s brother James spoke all of our minds. “Jesus,” his voice trembled. “You are our shield. You won’t be out there when we preach. An arrow, javelin, sword, or errant rock would end our careers.”

“Good point,” John agreed. “The Pharisees and scribes are out in force now. We might also anger the town magistrates when we preach.”

“And don’t forget Caiaphas’ agents.” Thomas gave Jesus a frightened look. “They’ll sick the Romans on us!”

“My dear disciples.” Jesus glanced around at the group. “Nothing is going to happen to you. They want me. That fox hasn’t nabbed me yet.”

“By fox, you mean Caiaphas?” Judas frowned. “He’s a powerful man, a dangerous man.”

“That’s correct, Judas.” Jesus exhaled wearily. “Are you sorry, you joined?”

“Well,…no,” Judas answered indecisively, “but like Matthew, I’d like to avoid certain towns.”

“That goes for me,” Simon said shakily. “Send me to Tyre or Sidon—towns farther north where they don’t know me.”

“Exactly!” Judas snapped his fingers. “Tyre or Sidon, anywhere north of Capernaum.”

Jesus closed his eyes, as though he was once again in communion with God. When he opened his eyes, all of us leaned forward, ready for his revelation.

“It’ll be like this,” he said, raising a finger, “when you go out in twos, you will go to certain towns. I want no duplications. You will all go north into regions we haven’t been, so there’s no need to worry about disclosure. I promised you a shield, but I want your fears dispelled. Your minds must be clear. As you travel and see road markers or Roman milestones, choose your direction to towns and villages as you see fit: there are many to choose from. From each fork in the road move on, until all six pairs have chosen their directions. Don’t go among the Gentiles; their time is coming. This time avoid Samaria and other places where we’ve already been. This I command you for your own protection. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.  As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  When the opportunity arises or is forced upon you heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, and drive out demons. Freely you have received, so freely you must give. You will not bring money with you nor extra tunics or sandals, for the worker is worth his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it the greeting of peace. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it. If, however, they won’t welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.  Truly I say unto you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”

“Philip is right, though,” he paused to reflect. “I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves, but your faith will protect you.”

“Uh-uh.” Thomas’ shook his head. “You said God’s shield will protect us!”

“Yes, your faith in God,” Jesus clarified with a flicker of irritation. “No matter what they do to you, they won’t kill you.”

“Oh that’s encouraging,” Judas snarled. “What if the magistrates get their hands on us?”

“Well.” Jesus shrugged his shoulders. “You might be imprisoned temporarily, even flogged, but no matter what they do to you, they won’t kill you. So, to avoid arrest and undo mistreatment, be shrewd as snakes but innocent as doves.  Be on your guard, men.   On my account you will be brought before town leaders and magistrates as witnesses to them as well as to Gentiles present. When they arrest you, don’t worry about what to say or how to say it.  When you preach or when you must defend your actions, the words will come to you. It won’t be you speaking but the spirit of my Father speaking through you. Many times you will be in the shadow of evil. At that point, remember the Psalmists words, ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…” You will see the best but also the worst in mankind. Brother will betray brother and a father will betray his children. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  You will be hated by everyone because of me, but if you stand firm to the end you’ll be saved.  When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I admit, men: you are being tested. What you do now is only the beginning. In the future, as preachers, going through the towns of Israel, you won’t be finished with your mission before the Son of Man comes.

“The student isn’t above the teacher, nor the servant above his master.  It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!

“So don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.  What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight. What is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.  Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, for they can’t kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the Evil One who destroys both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. The very hairs of your head are all numbered, so don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. In fact a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”

******

Hearing these last words, which Matthew recorded at the end of the passages in which Jesus gave us our marching orders, we were left dumbfounded.

“Pardon me, Jesus.” Simon bolted to us feet. “You said we wouldn’t be killed!”

“Yeah.” Thomas ran his hand through his hair. “What’s this business about the cross? Do we face crucifixion as well.”

Everyone, not just Simon and Thomas, were overwhelmed with Jesus’ speech. After first promising us God’s shield, he so much as told us we might face death. I understood that revelation filled Jesus head constantly, and his mind was just too vast for our simple brains. But surely he wasn’t talking about tomorrow but a later, fearful time.

“Jesus,” I stood up shakily. “Is this prophecy? Are you talking about now or later?”

“Jude understands revelation.” Jesus grinned with approval. “He grew up with me. I was coming to this clarification. I’m not talking just about now; I speak for the future—your futures. When you go about your work, most folks will treat you kindly. Many of them, who know and believe in me, will surely welcome you, but, as time passes, when you’re on your own one day, things will worsen. For now, I want you to be vigilant and wise. If you listen to the spirit within you, you’ll have few problems. Wherever you go, the Lord goes with you!”

Jesus went on to press this point. Though he had cleared up the matter of our safety during our current missions, there would be dark days ahead, and yet most of the disciples appeared to be satisfied with his clarification. After all, Peter would later say, Jesus implied that we might not would be killed. Even James decided not to worry about this far off day. How was it that I alone saw such a dark forecast in Jesus words? Jesus had tried to spare us from God’s revelations, but the fact was he couldn’t lie. During the months our mother nursed Reuben (now Bartholomew) back to health, we had to hide not merely him but Jesus when our neighbors came to visit for fear Jesus would admit to them Bartholomew was in our house.

To dispel our fears and make sure we understood what he wanted, he would repeat several points he spoke that night the next morning before our departure. Matthew has recorded fairly accurately his farewell speech, but what is missing from his account, is how Jesus separated us into pairs. The following couples, which he would bless and send on their way in the morning, caused even more dismay in our group:

Peter and Andrew

John and his brother James

Philip and Matthew

James and Thomas

Simon and Judas

Bartholomew and myself.

It made sense to place Peter and Andrew and John and his brother together, but Philip and Matthew and Simon and Judas? Jesus was placing men together who didn’t like each other. For that matter, James thought (unfairly perhaps) that Thomas was an imbecile, and he saddled me with Bartholomew, who shouldn’t even be going on this trip. I could just imagine how Philip dreaded being paired with that rascal Matthew and how Simon and Judas would be at each other’s throats. What I found most disagreeable was babysitting Bartholomew during our mission. I had been responsible for caring for his needs on the road since we began. Now, considering Jesus reference to the future, the situation appeared to be permanent.

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