Take This Cup (42 page)

Silence fell again as I retold the tale of how the Sparrows carried out their spying missions and what we had overheard passing between the high priest and his father-in-law. “And I heard someone . . . offered money to betray Jesus.”

“One of us?” Simon Peter bellowed. “Name him! Point him out!”

“No, I . . . it was dark. I can’t,” I concluded.

Lumbering to his feet, Peter said, “You must leave here, Lord. You and Lazarus. You must go today.”

Several of the disciples jumped up, waving their arms and repeating Peter’s words.

“Simon,” Jesus said sternly, “sit down. Sit down, all of you.” When the uproar had subsided again, he continued. “Listen.” Clapping our host on the back, Jesus taught, “A man, just like friend Lazarus here, planted a vineyard. He rented it to some sharecroppers and went away. At harvest time the owner sent a servant to receive his share of the crop. But the tenants beat the servant and drove him away empty-handed.

“A second messenger was treated the same way. A third they clubbed almost to death and threw him out. So the vineyard owner said, ‘What shall I do to get what belongs to me? I’ll send my son. They will respect him.’ ”

The silence of anticipation made me feel as if the very walls
leaned inward to listen. The painted spray of the waterfall, so real and lively a moment earlier, appeared frozen in midair.

Jesus continued, “When the tenants saw the son arrive, they plotted together. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘We’ll kill him and take the vineyard for our own.’ And they did.”

“Ah, no!” Zadok groaned.

“What will the vineyard owner do now?” Jesus asked. “Won’t he come and execute those thieves and murderers and give the vineyard to others to tend and enjoy?”
¹

“But, Lord—” Peter protested.

“Haven’t you read,” Jesus said, interrupting the rising protests, “where is it written about the cornerstone, Rabbi?”

Kagba licked his lips as if his mouth had difficulty working. “The Psalms. One hundred eighteen.”

Indicating approval, Jesus quoted, “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’
²
Now I agree that Lazarus must flee. He must leave here today. But I . . .” Jesus’ jaw tightened. The lines of his face took on the appearance of chiseled stone. “I must and I will attend Passover . . . in Jerusalem . . . this year. Do you understand?”

There was no further debate. At last it was Zadok who responded, “Lord, we do not understand, but we obey.”

Dawn broke. I was reunited with Zadok’s sons Ha-or Tov, Avel, and Emet while the grown men discussed the dangers of Jerusalem.

Avel leapt onto an upturned barrel, waved his wooden sword, and growled, “Oh, that I was a grown-up! They wouldn’t get past me.”

Emet piped up. “David was a boy when he killed Goliath.”

Ha-or Tov agreed. “But Goliath was right there. Out in the open. Standing in a field. The assassins of Herod Antipas lurk in the shadows. You heard what Nehemiah said.”

“So where will Lazarus hide, do you think?” Emet asked.

I answered, “They aren’t telling. And they shouldn’t tell.”

Zadok appeared at the stable door and crooked his gnarled finger. “You’ve done good, Nehemiah. Now the sisters of Master Lazarus have asked to speak with you. Details. You know these women. They want to hear it over again in case you left out a word or two.”

I followed the old man into Lazarus’s house. The servants busied themselves with preparation for the journey of their master.

I heard them discuss who would go with him and who would remain behind.

I felt the cold eyes of Judas on me as I passed. I was still troubled by the similarity between Judas and the man I had seen outside the Chamber of Hewn Stone. Though I could not say Judas was the man who whispered treason, there was something in his manner that made me glance at him, then look away swiftly lest he see suspicion in my face.

I climbed the stairs to the chamber of Master Lazarus to give my report once again to his sisters. I stood in the partially open doorway as Martha selected tattered clothes for their brother to wear in order to hide his wealth from possible bandits along the way, and Mary packed his traveling garments in a leather bag.

Lazarus sat at his desk and sorted which documents he would take and which he would leave behind.

“Today, they said?” Martha worried. “Kill you today?”

Lazarus nodded. “But you mustn’t be afraid, sister. Never
again. Though they may kill the body, I have seen with my own eyes what glory awaits us all.”

Mary held a cloak up to the light. “This one, I think. And you can purchase more when you arrive.”

Martha’s brow furrowed. “If you arrive . . .”

Mary scolded, “The strongest servants travel with him. They have fine new swords and know how to use them. Our brother will be safe. Why else would we receive such news and—” She glanced up and saw me there. “Nehemiah. Come in. Come in.”

Lazarus motioned for me to sit beside him. “It’s no accident you heard what you heard. Tell my sisters so they will know everything.”

“Yes, sir.” I repeated the events. “So we carried torches for Caiaphas and Annas, you see. I think they are as afraid of Master Lazarus as they are of Jesus.”

Mary stooped and brought her face very close to mine. “A plot to take his life.”

I answered truthfully. “Today they have set everything in motion. We guided the priests to the palace of Herod Antipas, but they made their plans along the way. They spoke over our heads as if we were stones. They said they would see to it that your brother would be killed this very day.”

Mary stood and spread her hands. “Yes. So you must not delay, brother. You ride out this morning, or they kill you today.”

Martha added, “And no one must know where you’ve gone, or when you’re coming home.”

Lazarus nodded deeply and placed a hand on my head in blessing. “Thanks be to God for your sharp ears, boy.”

I replied, “The Sparrows of Jerusalem love you, sir. For what you did for them when they were dying. All of them wish
you well, and they would have done the same to warn you. I know they pray for your safe escape.”

Lazarus snapped up the satchel and carried it down to where horses and two strong, ebony-skinned men waited for him.

The courtyard was suddenly crowded with men, women, and children—followers of Jesus and servants of the great household. I spotted my father and Kagba near the gates. I knew my father was not pleased that Lazarus was riding out in broad daylight and that so many knew he was going. How long would it be before the Herodian assassins were on his trail?

Lazarus embraced his sisters.

Jesus stepped from the house into the light. “I have prayed that you will be safe, my friend,” Jesus said. “There is much for you to accomplish.”

Lazarus implored him, “Come with me, Lord! I beg you. Ride with me to safety. The Greeks have offered you refuge in their own land. Then, when the day is right, you can return.”

Jesus clasped his friend’s hand, then stepped back as Lazarus and his companions mounted up. “It’s time for the Son of Man to be glorified. You are a planter, so you already know this: unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it becomes a great harvest. ‘Anyone who loves his life will lose it, while anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’ As hard as it is, my servants must follow me, and my father will honor the one who serves me.”

Lazarus cried, “I’m leaving only because you command it. I beg you to come with me!”

“What would you have me say?” Jesus asked. “ ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ What’s about to happen is the very reason I came. So I say, ‘Father, glorify your name.’ ”

Then a voice like thunder came from heaven: “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”

All of us who gathered there heard it. Many said it had thundered, but I knew we had just heard heaven speak.

Jesus looked up at Lazarus and said, “Those of you who heard the words know the truth. It’s time for judgment on this world. It’s time for the prince of darkness to be driven out. You can depend on this: when I’m lifted up, I’ll draw all men to me.”

Behind me I heard murmuring. Turning, I saw a man I did not recognize speak to Judas. “What’s he mean?”

Judas challenged Jesus, “We’ve heard from the law that Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’?”

The stranger asked, “Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

Lazarus saluted and rode out.

Then Jesus said, “While you still have light, walk in it. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he’s going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of the light.”
³

“Bah,” I heard Judas’s companion mutter. “He speaks in riddles.”

On the road, Lazarus spurred his mount into a gentle lope as he rode through his vineyards. The gates were closed.

When we turned back to where Jesus had been standing, he was gone.

Chapter 34

M
y father, Rabbi Kagba, and I rode out from Bethany shortly after the departure of Lazarus. I glanced over my shoulder to see Ha-or Tov, Avel, and Emet raise their wooden swords in a salute: “Courage!”

We approached the boundary of Lazarus’s vineyards.

Kagba sighed. “We have done what we could do. I hope it is enough.”

I asked, “Where do you think Master Lazarus has gone?”

My father replied, “If it were me, I would ride east. Twenty miles from Bethany to cross the Jordan. Twenty more and he’ll make Medeba, in the kingdom of Nabatea. He’ll be safe there. Another day’s ride to Petra. Neither Herod nor Pilate have authority there.”

I said quietly, “Papa, I wish Jesus had gone away with Lazarus. Or maybe gone to a ship and sailed away with the men from Greece.”

Kagba interjected, “I must search the Scriptures. I have not read that, as a grown man, Messiah would flee from those who seek his life. He will defeat his enemies, not run from them. Since he and his family stayed in Egypt until the death of Herod, the prophecy, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son’ has been
fulfilled.
¹
But now the hour has come. Jesus will turn and fight the brood of vipers.”

My father added, “If Jesus showed he was afraid of them, who would believe he was the one we have been waiting for? He must come to Jerusalem for Passover. The whole city expects Jesus to claim the throne of his father David and claim his rightful place as true King of Israel.”

Kagba looked very weary. “There will be many who’ll die for him. The Romans will not let go of their dominion over the Holy City without a fight.”

My father said, “And that’s why Caiaphas declared that Jesus will die for many.”

I asked, “Papa, do you think Jesus and his disciples will come again to the Temple? Today?”

“Yes,” Papa said. “He will come. And today his enemies are waiting and prepared for him. It will be a day of conflict.”

I leaned my face against Papa’s back and let the gentle motion of the horse lull me near sleep. Even as I rested, my mind replayed every nuance of the high priest’s malicious plot. I thought of Joseph’s cup and considered with amazement that Joseph, like Jesus, had been hated and falsely accused. I whispered the promise Joseph the Dreamer had spoken: “What men intend for evil, God intends for good.”

The morning sun rose behind us and warmed my back. Mid-morning we reached the summit of the Mount of Olives. Thousands of pilgrims had pitched their tents on the slopes surrounding the city. It seemed as though all of Israel was stretched out before us.

When we arrived home in Jerusalem, the Sparrows were already out among the people. They gathered facts and rumors we could use to help protect Jesus.

My mother prepared a wonderful meal. We ate together and told her everything that had happened in Bethany.

“Do you think Jesus will come back to Jerusalem today?” Mama danced as she carried a plate of chicken to us. “I want to thank him. There was no chance to thank him properly for what he’s done for me. Look!” She strode across the room and back. Spreading her arms wide, she declared, “See? Never before! Never in my life!”