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Chapter Forty-Seven
The multitude, which, after continued defections,
was still significant, but much less than three thousand, must have resembled
the rag-tag bunch led by Moses out of Egypt.
Peter even had a staff presented to him by Sosthenes, the Greek-speaking
Jew, who had led them to Bethany: a strange-looking length of wood carved from
myrtle with the head of a ram at one end.
Strutting forth, with staff in hand, waving his free hand in the air as
he shared a sudden thought, he looked every bit the patriarch at this stage in
his career. The remaining eleven
apostles, indistinguishable from the disciples and the least member of the
procession, had been relegated to mere followers. I had to remind the others what Jesus had once told John and his
brother James, ‘the last shall be first in his kingdom,’ and Jesus example of
humility when he washed our feet. These
words, however, weren’t enough to satisfy Andrew, who had never seen his
brother so puffed up and arrogant.
John, who felt Jesus had singled him out, was especially at odds with
Peter’s attitude. I knew that Peter’s
apparent posturing was more than mere bombast.
He believed, with good reason, after yesterday’s good fortune or
miracles that Jesus, as always, was with him.
He had been given the staff of the shepherd, and Peter planned on using
his prestige for Christ and the Way.
Before we left Bethany, I said goodbye to Micah,
once again leaving him in Ashira’s care.
Had it not been for the leash she fashioned for him, he would have
broken free and followed us.
Understandably this time, Lazarus and his sisters were not as sad as
Micah to see us leave. Except for the
smile my friend Martha gave me, the threesome gave us a cold send-off. For that matter, not one resident of the
town came out to say farewell.
Our trek back to Capernaum was interrupted by
frequent stops, some of which saw the departure of more converts, but
defections had decreased greatly when the multitude was fed and given enough
rest. Fortunately for us, there was no
more rain. The food we brought with us
had to be rationed out, which, given human nature, was no easy task. During such times, the few criminals and
miscreants in our midst would be found out and cast off, one man being given a
drubbing with Peter’s staff. Other than
these exceptions, the new converts managed, with the addition of more food and
moral support from townsfolk on the way, to arrive in Capernaum no worse for
the wear. There had been no deaths,
births, or mutinies during our journey.
Meeting us on the outskirts of Capernaum, were members of the original
Seventy, who rejoiced upon hearing of Azariah and Yoshabel’s elevation to
shepherd and shepherdess. I’m not sure
if Peter was totally serious about their titles. Like many Jewish men, he saw no place for women in positions of
importance. Surely, he, as the chief
shepherd, would be the leader in his town.
At first, in fact, there was little or no
organization in the community of believers.
Peter turned over the issue of lodging to Azariah and his wife, a much
easer task, because of his influence.
All of the men, women, and children found families to take them in,
except Sosthenes and his wife, who would be crammed into Peter’s house with his
inner circle.
The inner circle now included both men and women:
the apostles, the disciples, Susanna, Joanna, Mark’s mother, Peter’s family,
and Mary Magdalene, who was in the welcoming party as we entered the town. Until Peter retrieved their house from
Ezekiel, Azariah and Yoshabel would also live with his family. This living arrangement, which included Mary
Magdalene, was worse than it was for even the converts, who at least were
spread out in the town. Joanna, now a
fugitive from Chuza, her husband, who had been furious at her conversion to the
Way, proved at the very beginning of our stay, to be a great help to Esther,
Dinah, and Bernice, as did Mark’s mother and Susanna. Mary Magdalene, however, Esther informed her husband, spent much
of her time daydreaming instead of lending a hand. Earlier, Mary had been coaxed by Peter into returning to
Capernaum. It was a sore point for her
now after she heard of the wonders she had missed. Except for her, the other women and the men complained very
little about the living conditions.
Thomas, as expected, was the greatest complainer in our group. Though he would one day set out bravely on
his mission, it seemed he would always be a doubter, as well as grumbler. None of Jesus’ original men, in fact, had
changed that much. Bartholomew, who
still had his mule and a new cart, would always be a burden on our
journeys. He would remain one of my
chief responsibilities until the apostles were given their orders. Matthew, always ready with an unasked for
opinion and Simon, still the hothead, never really fit in. Despite this fact, they gave up their
careers, as did James, to follow our Lord.
With the exception of Peter, who was the peacemaker as well voice of
authority, the fishermen were still somewhat stand-offish from the rest of
us. Andrew, Philip, and John’s brother
James would always be rustics at heart and John?… What can I say about John?
Gradually, the
community of believers, which was called the Way by many of us but Ecclesia by
Greek-speaking Jews, settled into a routine decided by Peter, who believed, as
did Jesus, that we must earn our keep.
This requirement that accompanied daily prayer and fellowship, included
assisting in farm duties, herding of sheep, curing the fishermen’s catch,
clearing out the hosts’ gardens, painting and repair of houses, and even—for
the women housed in other homes—tending to their benefactor’s children when the
need arose. In that first year as the
ecclesia became known throughout Judea, Galilee, and Perea, the success of our
community attracted more believers from other cities, but for several months,
we remained a loosely organized group depending on the goodwill and hospitality
of Capernaum. In spite of the animosity
of the great majority of Jews, our small congregation had survived and
continued to grow, earning its keep among householders, as Capernaum and its
citizens became more and more associated with the Way.
******
Our move to Capernaum gave Peter even more
power. Housing our members in the homes
of Capernaum’s citizens was no longer sufficient or efficient and, as our
numbers began to grow, the lodging of so many believers in various homes was a
great burden on the town. Peter
believed that Jesus wanted one unified group: a sanctuary and supportive
ecclesia for believers that took care of both their spiritual and human
needs. To accomplish this, he explained
to his inner circle, we needed a structure similar in function to the synagogue
and a building for members to live in apart from the world. So as not to imitate in any way the old
religion, however, this building would be a simple place of worship. Beside it several houses for our members,
grouped together with gardens, would be built by carpenters and masons in the
ecclesia. Though it was true the
ecclesia was a religious center for the propagation of our faith, and the new
houses would give living quarters to most of our members, the complex would
also be a refuge for the poor, and a shelter for all manner of people,
including beggars, miscreants, and women of ill repute. A troubling pattern, difficult to stop,
developed, where undesirables, mingling with legitimate converts, accepted the
rites to join the ecclesia simply for free handouts and a roof over their
heads. Guided by Jesus compassion for
the poor and downtrodden, Peter believed, if cleaned up and given proper
instruction, this group would turn into model members. Jesus had stressed the need to feed the poor
and how important they were in our mission, but he expected those saved to
repent and change their ways. In
addition to being a place of fellowship and a safe haven for true believers as
well a opportunists, its purpose was to protect converts from the corruption of
the world and, once they began living within the community, control their every
movement. When people joined the
ecclesia they had to reject their previous lives, even their families if their
wives, husbands, or parents chose the old faith.
All of Peter’s grand plans required the greatest
sacrifice. One of the requirements for
being a member of our community was sharing wealth, which meant that members
were expected to turn over their coins, property and goods to Peter for the
welfare of all. While all earthly items
were sold after being turned over, money given to the shepherd went straight
into our treasury, the community’s purse.
In this way, our ecclesia was able to feed and shelter our members. The remaining requirements of his
proclamation, as a series of oaths and pledges, essentially told members they
must give up their old ways and accept Peter’s interpretation of the Way. From a loosely organized group living
throughout Capernaum and neighboring communities, we had become, what Peter
fancied as the ‘Community of the Way,’ with a common faith. So overwhelming and, in many ways,
unreasonable, was the demands to give up so much, however, many converts turned
away after reading the proclamation written by John.
In Peter’s mind, through revelations, to be apart of
the community one had to turn their backs on the sins of the world, give up
worldly things, and place all their energies and attention on the welfare of
all. When born the first time from the
womb, you came naked into the world. When reborn into the faith, you continued
naked of worldliness, a new being, clothed by the Spirit of the Lord. We, the apostles, who had already given up
everything to follow Jesus, never thought much about any of this. We took our roles for granted and would
never have had such abstract thoughts.
John, a clever fellow with words, had given Peter some of his ideas, but
he, like us, was disturbed by some of Peter’s demands. Many of the friends we had made in Judea,
Galilee, and Perea were good people and yet they would be considered worldly by
the community’s standards. There were
several notable rich men, like Nicodemus, who appeared to be followers
too. Many converts, in fact, had
returned to Jerusalem and other cities to practice the new faith without
censor. When the ecclesia became the
Community of the Way, however, the requirements to be a member became much more
strict. All peoples, from the poorest
idler to rich merchants and prosperous farmers, must give it all; there were no
exceptions. And yet, despite the great
demands of the ecclesia, the majority of its members were steadfast in their
belief. Against the odds, with the
Lord’s help, it proved to be a tremendous success.
Only one incident marred
this success in my mind. As usual,
Peter had followed the Lord’s will, but I still find this action difficult to
accept. This time the information I
report is second-hand. Though I had
witnessed and overheard the previous words and actions of the Shepherd, the
following account was related to me by Mark, who, as Peter’s scribe now, was
nearby when it occurred.
John had grown weary of
Peter’s bossiness and decided to go fishing with his brother James. Andrew and Philip had joined them in the
boat, while the rest of us, after working in Esther’s garden, lounged idly by
the shore. Because Mark became one of
Peter’s disciples, the notes he wrote down never became part of his
gospel. Peter would have known he was
spying on him. After the shepherd met
the Lord, I gave Luke the notes, which he incorporated in his Acts of the
Apostles. Mark had no thought of
capitalizing on the event. It shook him
greatly. Matthew, Simon, Thomas,
Bartholomew, and I, however, heard the commotion in front of the ecclesia from
a distance and paid it no mind. Peter
was always shouting—barking out orders or scolding someone for a minor
offense. After overhearing Peter
question a couple in our community, Mark wrote down what had happened and ran
immediately to the lake to share it with us.
This wasn’t a minor offense, as were the other incidents in our
community.
From Mark’s hastily
written notes, I extracted the following account, which is close to what I
recently read in Luke’s work:
Peter was questioning
Ananias and his wife Sapphira when Mark’s ears perked up. Ducking behind a tree, as Peter stopped them
near the ecclesia, he reached into his pouch for his writing materials. It appeared as though Ananias and Sapphira,
who were supposed to have turned over their wealth, were holding back from the
community. They had sold their
property, as they agreed to do, but had kept some of the money for
themselves. It didn’t matter that they
gave almost all of the profit to Peter.
They didn’t give it all.
As Mark reported, Peter
pointed accusingly at Ananias that moment and roared, “Ananias! How is it that Satan caused you to lie to
the Lord and kept some of the proceeds from your land? What made you think of doing such a
thing? You’ve not only lied to me,
you’ve lied to God!”
Whether
or not the Lord struck Ananias dead or Peter had scared him to death, Ananias
fell dead in his tracks. By now, some
of the members had been drawn from the ecclesia, arriving just in time to see
Ananias twitching on the ground. With
dispatch, Peter ordered them to take him away and bury him. Fearful because of the look on Peter’s face,
the men and women, without protests, carried Ananias away. Unaware of the seriousness of this affair,
as Mark sat in Peter’s house, remaining mum in front of Peter’s wife,
mother-in-law, and daughter, we walked further down the shore, watching the
fishermen cast their nets.
After an
hour or so, as Mark explained, disturbed and fearful by Peter’s action, he
slipped out of Peter’s house, retracing his steps back toward the
ecclesia. This time at the door of the
living quarters, Peter cornered Ananias’s wife. Mark again read from his notes this conversation with a trembling
voice:
“Where’s
my husband?” Sapphira asked.
“Being
prepared for his burial,” Peter answered coldly.
“Why?”
she screamed. “What happened to him?”
“He
cheated the Lord,” replied Peter, holding up a balance sheet. “Tell me,
Sapphira, is this the price you and your husband got for your land?”
“Yes,”
she answered shakily, “that’s the price.”
It struck
me as ludicrous that Peter, who relied on John’s accounting, was flaunting such
figures. John, who had been with the
other fishermen, would have wanted nothing to do with this interrogation. Once again, as Mark reported, as he stood in
plain view, several men and women ran to the scene.
“Sapphira!” Peter bellowed. “How could you test the
Lord? Listen, do you hear
footfall? The feet of those who buried
your husband are at the door, and they are going to bury you too!”
To Mark’s renewed horror, Sapphira fell dead on the
ground. The same members, who had
carried Ananias away arrived, carried her out and buried her beside her
husband. Those very moments Mark reported these terrible events, we heard
voices throughout the community. Great
fear for the wrath or God and the wrath of Peter seized the ecclesia. Peter had struck Ananias and Sapphira dead
because of their greed. Matthew, Simon,
Bartholomew, Thomas and I, who heard this personal account, were the first to
know the details of this showdown. Even
now, in my old age, it sends a quiver up my spine.
******
After that day in Capernaum in which behavior common
among many believers in Judea, Galilee, Perea, and Decapolis caused two foolish
people to be struck dead, Peter justified his actions brusquely, giving the
Lord credit for their deaths. Ananias
and Sapphira had been only modestly wealthy and were struck dead. By the standards expected of this
unfortunate couple, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, men who Jesus had
respected and admired, would have been struck dead ten times over. Jesus once explained to Peter and the rest
of us that it wasn’t riches themselves that corrupted men, but the love of
riches. One could not serve two
masters—the Lord and mammon, he explained.
For you will either hate the one and love the other or hold to one and
despise the other. Nevertheless, Jesus
had counseled us to be patient with sinners.
That day when the young rich man refused to give up his wealth to follow
him, Jesus looked at him with great pity, exclaiming that it was easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to go to heaven. He would never have did as Peter had done,
however. Otherwise, many of rich
followers like Nicodemus would have been struck dead. Either Peter hadn’t gotten this point or, in accordance with one
of his revelations, Jesus had changed his mind. Nevertheless, as dreadful as it was, a singular point had
been made. After what happened to Ananias
and Sapphira, no one dared argue with Peter on this matter. In fact, from that day forward, there were
no more people holding back on their donations and those who found Peter’s rule
to harsh slipped away from the ecclesia never to be heard from again.
Our community, which had attracted initiates throughout
Galilee, Judea, Perea, and Decapolis, remained relatively small but stable, and
yet the living quarters were filled to the brim. Until another building was constructed, the outreach to new
converts was therefore halted. There wasn’t any more room as it was. So, satisfied with the ecclesia in Capernaum
and convinced he had done all he could personally do, Peter turned the
leadership over to Azariah and his wife Yoshabel, and, for the last night in
his house, gathered the apostles and disciples together in one group to give
them their final instructions. The
question we had asked in the upper room, “What comes next?” would finally be
answered.
For a few moment as we sipped the wine Bernice had
poured for us, Peter savored the resinous fluid, smacking his lips, then taking
another longer swig. Suddenly, after
months and months of being our taskmaster and a virtual ruler in Capernaum, the
old Peter was back. Already, he
appeared to be tipsy. Heaving a sigh,
he looked around at us. “The Lord wants us in Jerusalem,” he replied solemnly.
There was a delayed reaction as this sank into our
minds.
“What?” Simon cried. “Are you insane? It’s bad enough we left poor James there,
but he’s only one. If we all converge
on Jerusalem, it’ll bring back old wounds.
Caiaphas might sick his men on us again!”
“Yes, Peter,” Andrew looked at him in disbelief. “I
thought we were getting our assignments.
Weren’t we going to go out and preach the word?”
“Barnabas, who visited Jerusalem recently, brought me a
report,” Peter began, taking another sip. “…. James has had some success with
bringing back slackers. He’s made
several more disciples and turned the upper room into an ecclesia, but that
room is small. Only a small, brave few
actually attend their meetings. The
others, who broke with the three thousand have nowhere else to go. In short, my brothers, they’re lost
sheep. We must help James, who has
hands full holding onto his circle of believers. Jerusalem is still sacred to us.
It’s where it all began!”
“This is madness,” Philip grumbled. “Jerusalem is
filled with priests, Pharisees, and scribes.
Until Caiaphas and Pilate are dead or gone, let’s steer clear of
it. James should never have been left
there in the first place. If Barnabas
is so bold, send him back with a message for James to get out!”
Everyone, except Peter and Barnabas, nodded their heads
in agreement.
“You think I want to go there?” Peter exclaimed
irritably. “This is Jesus talking, not me.”
“Oh, he’s in your head again?” Simon sneered. “Will he
protect us from losing ours!”
“Yes!” Peter frowned. “We must obey him. When we’re done tending the sheep, we’ll
leave, return to Bethany, and map out our routes.”
“This isn’t a good idea,” Thomas groaned. “We were
lucky last time. Now that the ecclesia
has grown, Caiaphas will be ready for us.
He’ll want our blood!”
“Nonsense!” Peter socked his fist. “The last time we
were in Jerusalem nothing happened. The
priests left us alone. The Romans
soldiers smiled at us. You men have
grown soft here in Capernaum. You’re
afraid to leave!”
“Soft? Afraid
to leave?” I stepped in. “What we have gone through here in Capernaum was
anything but soft. We’re not afraid to
leave this town, Peter. I’m certainly
not. I can’t wait to begin my ministry
and leave this town in the dust.”
“That settles it!” Matthew said, as if we were a
consensus, “let’s take a vote!”
“I vote no!” Bartholomew jumped in.
“That goes for me!” John agreed.
“Me too!” His brother agreed.
“I’m not going back there,” Barnabas said resolutely.
“I vote no, too!”
Matthias, Cleopas, Justus, Jonas, and Mark added their
votes to the tally. The remainder of the
apostles also voted no. A mutiny had
commenced. Peter, who was on the way to
becoming drunk, had temporarily lost control.
Now that he had apparently set aside shepherd’s staff and become the
first among equals as Jesus intended him to be, the room was filled with
dissent. Then, as if a cold pale of
water had been thrown in his face to wake him up, Peter’s eyebrows shot up, his
mouth dropped, and roared, “Who do you people think you are? I don’t want to go back to Jerusalem. I didn’t want Ananias and his wife to be
struck dead. I do as the Lord
commands!”
“You knew Jesus,” I challenged his logic. “Ananias and
Sapphira didn’t deserve to die. They’re no different than other fair-weather
followers. They were simply
greedy. Jesus wouldn’t strike them dead
for that!”
“Jude,” Peter shook his head, “I don’t disagree with
you: Jesus, the man, was gentle and kind—a man of peace, but I’m not talking
about Jesus, the man. I thought you
understood what we have now. It’s no
longer merely God and the Holy Spirit.
There are three parts of God.
Your brother James called this the Godhead: God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the
Christ, told us he would return. He
won’t come back as Isaiah’s suffering servant next time; he will come back a
warrior, smiting the unbelievers and sinners, not merely restoring Israel as
the prophets promised but establishing his kingdom on earth. There can be no fair-weather believers like
Ananias and Sapphira in our ecclesia, who aren’t fully committed. This is a time of growth and enlightenment.”
“All of you,” his voice raised a notch, “this is important. Don’t try to figure this out. You’ll never understand the Lord’s purpose. Why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? There was surely young children destroyed in
those cities, who were by definition innocent.
What about all those innocent beasts?
What wrong did they do? At times
God appears to be pitiless. He ordered
the Israelites to slaughter men, women, and children in Canaanite cities so
they could take over their land. Was
that fair? You ask. Seen another way,
God isn’t merely unfair, he’s unpredictable.
One moment, he’s striking someone dead and another He appears to be
turning his back. Why does He allow
evil to exist alongside of good? Many
times, I learned from James our scholar, God allowed our people to be
persecuted by the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and now the Romans,
making it seem as if Satan, not God, rules.
Instead of just swooping down and changing this evil world, He sent his
son down to be crucified like a common criminal on a cross to make this
change. We now understand what his
death and resurrection meant. His death
replaced the temple sacrifice, which has failed our people, with the promise of
eternal life—something the priests never believed in and the Pharisees and
rabbis were unable to define. That
people are saved by the blood of Christ is what most of them understand, but
not much more. Many of our members can
scarcely comprehend the Godhead, let alone the meaning of this sacrifice. John, the Baptist, called him the Lamb of
God, who would take away the sins of the world, and yet even he sent a
messenger from his cell to make sure who Jesus was. Though Jesus simplified the faith of our people, he has made God
much more complex. It’s going to take
awhile to make believers understand his three forms. So, after much greater examples of God’s wrath, you ask why
Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead.
Don’t ask me, ask God. Better
yet, ask Jesus, His son. Added to
confusion is the Holy Spirit we all experienced. If you, my brothers, are asking questions, can you imagine how
confused the converts are? We’ve always
known that God is inscrutable; no one knows his mind. Well, Jesus is part of the Godhead, as James called it. If God is mysterious, it follows that Jesus
is inscrutable, too. He’s no longer the
Lamb; He’s God, whom we shouldn’t question.
When He returns, he’ll come in glory, not as a humble preacher,
expecting we, his apostles and disciples, to have been obedient and steadfast
in the faith.” “Remember my brothers.” He looked at each of us. “Jesus told us
that we don’t know the day or hour. Not
even the angels in heaven know when He’ll return…. When he does, you must be
pure of heart and mind. He wants us to
be perfect. Don’t be caught imperfect,
filled with questions and doubts!”
Expecting more disagreement from some of us, his stern
expression softened to a smile, his eyes twinkling with satisfaction, when no
one spoke. Peter had, as quickly as he
lost it, regained control. Andrew and
Philip reached over to slap his shoulders.
John and his brother James gave him a begrudging nod, and Mark, who had
been afraid of Peter, broke into a beaming smile. Though Matthew, Simon, Thomas, Bartholomew, and the disciples
joined the fishermen in their silent acceptance, I was slower to respond. Jesus had made him the Rock and our
leader. He gave him the power of life
over death. I didn’t have to like it,
but I must bow to His will.
******
Our trek to Jerusalem began as a solemn affair. For this undertaking Peter insisted that the
women stay home. There was, he
rationalized, no reason for them to come along. I knew, of course, it was more than this. It was simply too dangerous for them to be
in our company, and, in Peter’s mind, women weren’t suited to preach. Our people, especially conservative Jews,
would resent them speaking out, and, with the exception of Matthew, Simon,
Bartholomew, Mark, and myself, the apostles and disciples resented the women’s
presence as well. Mary Magdalene and
Susanna, both spirited souls, were offended by this slight, whereas Joanna and
Mark’s mother seemed quite relieved.
Before we departed, Peter tried to cool off Mary Magdalene and Susanna’s
resentment, reminding them of the importance of their service taking care the
community, but the two women wouldn’t speak to him. In what might be seen as a mutiny, the women, including Joanna
and Mark’s mother (even though they hadn’t wanted to go) were reluctant even to
see us off. Peter’s words had appeared
to slight them too. If based upon our
holy scriptures, Mary Magdalene correctly saw Peter’s attitude as unfair. Deborah was a great judge of Israel, Huldah
was a prophetess of Judah, and both Ruth and Esther, required their own
separate scrolls. There were countless
Hebrew women in our holy scrolls who had done great deeds. All Mary Magdalene and Susanna wanted to do
was preach! Esther, Dinah, and Bernice
had listened to Mary’s argument against this state of affairs, scoffing at her
foolishness. Considering the fact that
they were Peter’s family, however, they didn’t count.
Seeing us off on our mission to Jerusalem were
Azariah, his wife Yoshabel, and hundreds of well-wishing converts lining the
road. It was difficult not to envy this
crowd, safely tucked away in this small Galilean town. As I looked back, I tried not to think of
Mary Magdalene in a romantic sense, but it was no use. She would haunt me constantly, teasing my
manhood, making me wish at times that I was an ordinary man, with a wife and
family and a quiet life ahead…. But I wasn’t an ordinary man. I was Jude, brother of the risen Christ, a
member of his inner circle, and apostle of the Lord. Blessed though I was, I was cursed for ever joining the Twelve. Those moments, from a distance, watching us
leave, stood the four women of our circle.
Joanna and Mark’s mother waved finally as did Susanna, but Mary stood
her ground, resentment burning in her eyes.
Someday she would become, as Susanna, a firebrand for the Lord, but
right now, with the sunlight on her tanned face and hair blowing in the breeze,
she was simply Mary Magdalene, the loveliest women I had ever known.
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