Peter did not quibble but went immediately as Jesus had instructed him. And when he drew up a fish and looked into its mouth, there he found a shekel which he gave to the tax gatherer.
The wily tax collector could neither say that Jesus had paid the tribute nor that He had not.
V
Position meant a great deal among the Jews. Even at the simplest dinners, guests were seated strictly according to their importance in the community, and the greatest honor was to occupy the place at a feast next to him who gave it. Being only human, some of the disciples began speculating who would occupy the most important positions after that of Jesus Himself in the kingdom which He had assured them was to come.
As always, Jesus understood what was in the hearts of those He loved. He had labored to teach these men the great truths which should guide them in even the smallest activities of their daily lives; He found no pleasure now in realizing how little had actually taken root even in the minds of these men who were His constant companions. As soon as they came into the house of Simon Peter at Capernaum, after a trying day in which arguments among the Twelve had been particularly heated, Jesus called them together and began to explain how the kingdom of heaven would be ordered. “If any desires to be first,” He told them, “the same shall be least of all and the servant of all.”
Peter’s little son had been standing nearby listening. Jesus drew the boy to His side and put His arm about him. “Except you be converted and become as a little child,” He told the disciples, “you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Who therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such little child in My name, receives Me.”
Then His voice grew stern. “But if anyone shall offend one of these little children which believes in Me, it will be better for him that a millstone be hung around his neck and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea.”
Now He turned to a parable, the method of teaching He loved best. “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go into the mountain to search for the one that has gone astray?”
The boy’s eyes were bright as He watched Jesus’ face and listened, for children always loved the simple stories.
“And if he finds it,” Jesus continued, “he rejoices more for that sheep than over the ninety-nine which did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones shall perish.”
The rabbinical schools argued endlessly concerning how far a man should tolerate others who attacked him before he rose up and smote his enemies. Some of the rabbis said a trespass should be forgiven three times, others seven. Jesus had just told the disciples that a man who desired to be first in His kingdom must be the servant of all, but Peter still asked, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Till seven times?”
Jesus looked at the tall disciple soberly, for Peter should have known the answer. “I do not say seven times, but seventy times seven,” He answered. Then so there could be no question in their minds, He gave them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who decided to take account of his servants. When he had begun to reckon, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his lord ordered that the servant be sold with his wife and his children and all he possessed, and payment made.
“The servant therefore fell down and worshiped him saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me and I will pay you all.’ Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion and freed him and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred pence. He laid hands on him and took him by the throat saying, ‘Pay me what you owe.’
“Then his fellow servant fell down at his feet and besought him saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will pay you all I owe.’ But he would not and cast him into prison until he paid the debt.
“When his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry and came and told their lord. Then his lord called him and said, ‘O wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you asked me. Should you also not have had compassion on your fellow servant, even as I had compassion on you?’ Then the lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due.”
Jesus looked soberly at the group sitting around Him for He was troubled by their lack of faith and understanding. “So likewise shall My heavenly Father do to you, if from your hearts you do not forgive your brothers their trespasses,” He told them.
The conditions under which men could come to Him and share what He had to give, including the gift of eternal life, He had now made clear, but He added a final admonition: “No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
But many outside the Twelve lacked faith and forsook Him.
Chapter 20
Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.
Luke 10:42
Early autumn brought the Feast of Tabernacles and Jesus made plans to go quietly up to Jerusalem with His disciples to attend it. First, however, He wished to widen the sphere of His ministry by sending out a new group of followers to teach and heal in His name. For this purpose He chose from outside the Twelve, who now went with Him everywhere, seventy men who believed implicitly in His teachings and had given themselves up unreservedly to furthering His kingdom. As with the Twelve when He first sent them out, He instructed the seventy.
“Go your ways,” He told them. “Behold I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse nor scrip nor shoes, and salute no man by the way.”
Custom ordinarily required an elaborate routine of salutations when a devout Jew came into the home of another. But time was short and so much had to be accomplished before the final events Jesus had revealed to His disciples would take place, that He instructed the seventy to waste none of it in the elaborate exchange of these salutations that the Pharisees doted upon, but to be about His work while there was yet time for Him to witness the results of their labors.
“Into whatsoever house you enter,” He told them further, “first say ‘Peace be unto this house.’ And if the Son of Peace be there, your peace shall be upon it. If not, it shall return to you again. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
“Into whatsoever city you enter and they receive you, eat such things as they set before you. Heal the sick and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you,’ but into whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go your way out into the streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your city which cleaves upon us, we wipe off against you. Notwithstanding, know this, that the kingdom of God has come near to you.’ I say to you that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.”
Having sent the seventy to teach and heal in His name, Jesus now started for Jerusalem by the direct route through Samaria. On Mount Gerizim, the Samaritans had built their own temple which they considered holier than the one built by Herod at Jerusalem. In the first village in which Jesus planned to stop, the messengers sent ahead to find lodgings were told that the people would not receive Him because He was going to Jerusalem and they refused to associate with Jews who worshiped at the temple there.
Not without good reason had the sons of Zebedee, James and John, been nicknamed “Sons of Thunder” by Jesus’ company. They were easily stirred by anger and now, fired by the insolence of the Samaritans in spurning the Son of God, John begged, “Lord, let us bid fire come down from heaven and consume them!”
Jesus rebuked him and turned away from the country of the Samaritans. He had sought to bring the good tidings to Samaria, but being rejected there He did as He had counseled
the seventy and shook the very dust from His feet, taking the longer route by way of Peraea and Jericho which the pilgrims from Galilee ordinarily followed.
II
The hilly country of Judea and Galilee was especially suitable for growing grapes for wine. Situated mainly on the slopes of the hills where drainage was adequate and the vines would not rot from dampness during rainy periods, the vineyards occupied broad terraces with retaining walls of stone. Some were hundreds of years old, having been handed down through many generations. Each year the vines were individually trained and pruned back to the original stem. Nothing else was planted in the vineyards, which were surrounded by hedges of thorn bushes to keep out thieves and animals which might nibble at the vines and damage the valuable parent stem. Larger vineyards usually had a tower from which a lookout kept watch during the harvest season.
In the soft limestone of each hill crowned with vineyards a cave had been hollowed out to contain the winepress. Here the rich purple grapes picked from the vines at harvest were trampled with bare feet to press out the juice which was collected in large vats at a lower level. The coming of autumn brought the annual season of the harvest to the vineyards, an occasion of much merrymaking in connection with the gathering of the grapes.
Because the making of wine played so important a part in the life of the Jews and their economy, it had very early in their history come to have a religious significance, the harvest period being celebrated with rejoicing and thanksgiving to God in what was called the Festival of Booths or Tabernacles. Everyone who could went up to the temple to make a sacrifice of penance and expiation for his sins, but the real celebration took place at home where merrymaking was not only allowed but expected, since this was truly an occasion for joyful thanks to the Lord for the bounteous harvest.
According to custom the Jews lived during the Feast of Tabernacles in the open booths which they constructed with boughs of green trees woven together to produce a cool, leafy arbor. Sometimes these booths were upon the roofs of the houses, but usually they were in the yards. All the ordinary activities—playing, eating, sleeping, and the like—were conducted in the booths, the house becoming for that period only a secondary dwelling. The cool autumn days were ideal for enjoying this brief period of freedom from encompassing walls before being shut into the houses for the winter season.
The most heavily traveled road from Jericho approached Jerusalem across the summit of the Mount of Olives which was separated from the city itself by the Kedron Valley, through which flowed the brook of the same name. Just east of the Mount of Olives was the small but lovely village of Bethany. Here dwelt a family consisting of two sisters, Martha and Mary, and a younger brother, Lazarus.
When the family had been orphaned by one of the plagues which periodically swept the countryside, it had fallen upon the older sister, Martha, to take on the role of parent for the other two. She was not unfitted for the role, being vigorous, thrifty, and conscientious. Under her guidance, and a certain amount of prodding, Lazarus had managed the estate well and it had continued to prosper.
Mary was gentle and gave Martha no trouble. She was kept busy and happy with her flower gardens and the welfare of the people who worked on the estate, supervising the weaving and sewing of cloth for their garments, teaching the children, and keeping strictly the religious observances of the family, for which Martha’s duties in supervising the manifold activities of the household did not leave much time.
Now Mary was especially busy with preparations for the Feast of Tabernacles. Since Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were not poor, their booth was large. Mary was busy directing the servants in weaving the last of the green branches from which it was made and moving into it the sleeping pallets and the utensils for the festive meals which were to be served there during the period of the feast. She was happy at her task for not only was she creating something of beauty, but she was also taking part in the worship of the Most High.
The booth was almost completed when Mary, looking up, saw two men entering the yard. They appeared tired and their robes were dusty, so she judged them to be pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem for the Festival. One was tall and broad-shouldered with a naturally commanding presence, the other slender and dark-eyed, with quick, almost nervous movements.
“Shalom, my daughter,” the tall man said. “Could we drink from your well before going on?”
“Of course,” Mary said warmly. “I will draw water for you myself.”
Moving to the well, she drew water in a jar and, taking a cup from beside it, filled it first for the tall man and then for the slighter one.
“Are you on the way to Jerusalem?” Mary asked. She was of a friendly nature and could see that these men were not like the rabble that often clogged the roads on their way to beg in Jerusalem during the feast periods.
“My name is Simon,” the big man said. “And this is John, the son of Zebedee. We have walked ahead to seek a lodging place near Jerusalem for the Master.”
“But you are not sla—’’ Mary bit her tongue.
The man called John smiled. “No, daughter, we are not slaves,” he said. “We are disciples of Jesus of Nazareth. He and the others are on the road a little way behind us.”
Mary’s eyes brightened. “Nicodemus, a friend of ours from Jerusalem, has spoken of Jesus.” Then a thought occurred to her. “You say you are seeking a place for Him to stay?”
“Yes,” Simon told her. ‘“It must be outside the city, but close enough for Him to reach Jerusalem easily.”
“Wait here,” Mary told them. “I will be gone only a little while.”
While the men rested in the cool shade beside the well, Mary ran into the house where Martha was working over the oven, baking bread. The older sister’s face was red from the heat and damp with sweat.
“Martha!” Mary cried. “Jesus of Nazareth is coming. Can’t we let Him stay here?”
Martha straightened up and wiped sweat from her face with her sleeve. Lazarus had gone into Jerusalem for the first day of the Feast, but he would no doubt return soon bringing guests. And already she had more than she could do at this holiday season.
“But we don’t—” she started to say.
“You remember Nicodemus spoke of Jesus,” Mary cried.
“He says the Nazarene is gentle and kind and many in Galilee believe He is the Messiah! Besides,” she added, perhaps not quite truthfully, “He has nowhere to stay.”
For all her thrift, Martha was fundamentally generous and kind. The thought of anyone without a place to stay during the Feast of Tabernacles was something she could not ignore.
“Perhaps He wouldn’t like it here,” she demurred, but Mary, in her happiness at the thought of having a famous Teacher in her own home, where she could listen to Him as long as she wished, was already tugging her sister through the door into the yard.
“My sister will welcome your Master to our house,” she told Simon Peter and John breathlessly. “If He would care to stay here,” she added.
The disciples had already noted the large and comfortable house and the spacious booth being erected in the yard for the Feast. Only on rare occasions, they knew, was Jesus welcomed into such a home as this at Bethany. It would be an ideal place for Him to stay, far better than the camps the pilgrims usually made on the slope of the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem, and the distance to the city was only a little greater around the mountain.
“I am sure Jesus will be happy to stay here,” Simon told her. “If you are sure He is welcome.” The last was addressed to Martha who had now had time to catch her breath during Mary’s impetuous dash from the house. But she could see, as Mary had, that these men belonged to no rabble. Their friend Nicodemus had indeed spoken glowingly of Jesus and had even gone to Galilee to listen to His teachings.
“We will be honored to have Jesus of Nazareth in our house,” Martha said. “I
will go and ready a chamber for Him.”
The preparations necessary to entertaining an unexpected guest kept Martha busy, even after Jesus arrived. With such an important visitor, she wanted to be sure everything was exactly right, and bustled about the kitchen, preparing food and directing the servants in making ready a chamber for Him, the guest of honor, and space in the other chambers and surrounding buildings for the members of His party to sleep. As soon as Jesus had washed the dust from His hands and face and made Himself comfortable, however, Mary took a place at His feet, eagerly absorbing every word He spoke.
When Mary did not come to help her, Martha’s irritation at what she considered her sister’s neglect increased until she dared to speak to the guest about it.
“Lord,” she said in protest, adopting the term of address used by the disciples. “Do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Bid her help me.”
Jesus looked at Martha and a warm smile came over His face. He saw that she was troubled and understood the reason, for many people to whom He wished to bring the great truths of God’s kingdom were too busy with mundane affairs to listen and comprehend.
“Martha, Martha,” Jesus said gently. “You are careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.”
In her concern with the material side of entertaining her guest, Martha had thought of the things of the moment only—the food, its serving, Jesus’ comfort and accommodations. But Mary, perhaps because she was the younger and more sensitive of the two, had preferred to listen and to pay the respectful homage that was Jesus’ due. There was a place for what both women had to offer, but neither could be expected exactly to understand the other’s point of view.
The Crown and the Cross: The Life of Christ Page 21