Fishers of Men

by Gerald N. Lund

  Then before anyone could say anything more, he turned to the centurion. “Go your way, friend. Because you have believed, it shall be done unto you as you have said.”

  Sextus, his eyes wide with gratitude, stepped back. His arm came up sharply, and he slapped his chest in the traditional Roman salute. Then he bowed his head slightly. “Thank you, sire. Peace be upon you and upon your house.”

  “And to you as well,” Jesus said quietly. “Go in peace.”

  As he started to turn, the soldier’s eyes caught David’s. He gave the barest of nods, a fleeting smile, and then he was gone.

  V

  Two full blocks away, Simeon walked aimlessly, half in a stupor, his mind numbed and sluggish. Words rang out hollow and flat in his mind, over and over as though they were being struck from a blacksmith’s hammer. “Shalom, Sextus.” “Shalom, David.” “I have heard that your son is recovered. How pleased I am to know that I did not kill him.” “Yes, thank you for your tender concern. I am so relieved that your sword did not cut him in two.”

  He kicked viciously at a small rock, sending it skittering away. He was grateful now that he had reacted so quickly. The moment he saw his father start to turn and recognized who it was, he had ducked down behind the people and brought his hood up to cover his face. He had stayed hunched over, close enough to hear but not showing himself.

  His lips clamped in tight compression as the words came slamming in again. “Jesus, this is Sextus Rubrius. He is my friend. This is the man who nearly killed my son, but he is my friend, my brother. Would you be so kind as to help him?”

  Now he wished he had waited to hear how this self-proclaimed Messiah had answered that. Would he too embrace the Roman dog with open arms? Perhaps he would launch into another call for love and brotherhood, for turning the other cheek, and praying for those who threatened to destroy everything that was sacred. But he hadn’t waited. When his father had called the centurion his friend, Simeon had turned and plunged away.

  Did his mother know any of this? Was she part of this conspiracy of friendship that everyone seemed to know about but him? Then he shook his head. It couldn’t be. Not his mother. But there was no question about the rest of his family. Leah had stood there looking at the man who had nearly sold her into slavery as if she was ready to invite him back into their home for supper. And while Ephraim had looked shocked at what was going on, why hadn’t he done something? Why hadn’t he hurled himself at the throat of this man? Had he forgotten what happened to Roman slaves? Couldn’t he picture his mother in some stable, cleaning up after the cattle, her hands blistered and her fingernails black? Didn’t he know what would happen to a girl as lovely and innocent as Leah? She would become the whore of some Roman dandy. Why weren’t his brother and his father beating at that man with their fists instead of smiling and nodding and leading him to Jesus?

  His breath exploded from him, as though he had just been struck again by the sword of Sextus Rubrius. He threw his head back. “You would have me believe that your Jesus is the Messiah?” he cried in an agonized whisper. “No, Father! How can I believe a man I can no longer trust?”

  Chapter Notes

  Because the Jews hated the Romans so deeply, those people of their own nation who served the Roman government as publicans, or tax collectors, were bitterly resented and held in the greatest contempt (see Edersheim, Sketches, pp. 55–57).

  There are two accounts of the healing of the centurion’s servant (see Matthew 8:5–13; Luke 7:1–10). It is Luke who tells us that some of the Jewish leaders spoke in behalf of the centurion, indicating his friendship toward the Jewish people.

  In both Matthew’s and Mark’s list of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus, there is one who is called Simon the Canaanite (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:18). At first this seems odd, because in normal usage a Canaanite was one of the Old Testament peoples who inhabited the Holy Land before the people of Israel conquered it. But Luke identifies him as Simon called Zelotes (Luke 6:15; emphasis added). In Hebrew the word that means “zealous” is kahna, and one who is zealous would be kahna’im. In Greek the word is zelotes. Thus most scholars agree that the better rendering of Simon’s title should be Kahna’im instead of Canaanite, meaning “Simon the Zealot,” or “the zealous one.” Since the Galilee was the heart of the Zealot movement, it is most likely that this member of the Twelve Apostles had been a follower of the Zealot movement before his call (see for example, Dummelow, p. 661; Guthrie, p. 898).

  Chapter 19

  Anger is brief madness and, unchecked, becomes protracted madness, bringing shame and even death.

  —Petrarch, Sonetti sopra Veri Argomenti, XIX

  I

  18 May, a.d. 30

  “What a marvelous day this has been,” Leah said, her voice touched with wonder.

  Simon Peter turned to her, nodding quickly. “Every day with Jesus is a marvel, but yes, this day has been unbelievable.”

  They were standing together in a small group—David, Leah, Ephraim, and Rachel, along with Peter and John. Jesus was a few feet away, talking quietly with the other disciples and a few who still lingered from the crowd. He had dispersed the crowd by promising that he would be with them again tomorrow. The light was soft now, the sun having disappeared behind the western hills about half an hour before.

  Leah looked at her father. “Was it really just this morning that we went down to the beach and started all of this?”

  David smiled with a look of deep peace. “It seems as though we have lived a week since then, doesn’t it.”

  “It has been wonderful,” Ephraim said.

  Peter turned and peered at him. “So?”

  Ephraim’s eyebrows lifted. “What?”

  “So how do you feel about Jesus now?”

  To David’s great joy, there was not one moment’s hesitation from his older son. “How could I not believe after what we have seen this day?”

  Rachel was nodding vigorously too. “It has been wonderful. The other day when we heard him on the mount, I felt something in my heart. I wasn’t sure what it was. Now I understand. It is because he is the Messiah, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” John said fervently. “How could any person not feel his heart come alive in Jesus’ presence?”

  “Alive. Yes, that is the word.”

  They turned as Matthew Levi walked up to join them. David smiled and reached out his hand. “We haven’t had a chance to congratulate you, Matthew. We are so pleased with what happened today.”

  “And shocked,” he said wryly.

  Ephraim laughed along with the others. “Yes, I have to admit, I was shocked when I learned that Jesus had gone into your house.”

  “No more than I,” he murmured. “No more than I.”

  Peter was sobered now too. “Isn’t it interesting?” he mused. “Look at us. Fishermen. A tax collector. Tailors, merchants, wives, mothers.” His eyes hooded momentarily. “Roman centurions. Even among those of the Twelve he has called, there is such a difference. We all come from different walks of life. Some are from Capernaum, some from Bethsaida. Judas is from Judea.”

  “Which one is he?” Rachel asked.

  Peter turned and pointed. “Well, as you know, there are two of us called Judas, but Judas Iscariot, as we call him, is the one to the left of Jesus, with the lighter robe. He comes from Keriot down in Judea.”

  John was pensive now as well. “Rich, poor, learned, simple—Jesus seems not to care about what we were or where we came from before. He calls Peter Cephas, or the Rock. He calls James and me Boanerges.”

  David turned in surprise. “The sons of thunder?”

  There was a laugh as Peter put his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. John was not yet twenty and was the youngest of the inner circle of the disciples. “When Jesus first said that, I thought, ‘Of course.’ These two sons of Zebedee are like a clap of thunder—strong, vigorous—” He paused, shooting John a quick look. “Stubborn as a net caught on the bottom of the lake.”

 
; John yelped in protest. “You call us stubborn? Did you ever wonder why Jesus calls you a stone?”

  David hooted. “I’ve never known Peter to be strong-minded.”

  “All right, all right,” Peter said as the others all laughed at that. “We weren’t talking about me. We were talking about Jesus.” He looked at David. “I know Deborah is up in the hill country, but I was disappointed not to see Simeon here today.”

  Leah’s face fell. “I went and told him to come. He promised he would.” She looked at her father. “Why didn’t he, Papa? He told me he would.”

  David just shook his head. “I don’t know. We’ll talk to him tonight. I am so disappointed that Deborah wasn’t here.”

  “We’ll tell her,” Rachel said. “Perhaps we can get her to come and listen to him again, to see for herself.”

  Peter looked at David. “When do you expect her back?”

  He shrugged. “We got word yesterday that Naomi is doing better. Another day or two probably.”

  “We likely won’t be here by then,” he said. “Jesus wants to go to Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks.”

  David sighed. “I wondered if you would be going.” Pentecost, as it was known by its Greek name, or the Feast of Weeks as the Jews called it, followed seven weeks after Passover. The Greek name signified the fiftieth day, or the day following seven weeks of seven days each. It was a one-day festival only, celebrating the close of the wheat harvest. In the book of Exodus, Moses had specified it to be “the feast of harvest, the first fruits of thy labors.” Though many people went to Jerusalem for that celebration, it was not anything like Passover. David’s family rarely went because it was one of the busiest times of the year for a merchant.

  “That’s all right,” John said, seeing David’s disappointment. “We should be gone no more than a week. Then we’ll be back here again.”

  Rachel spoke again. “I wish I could somehow capture the look on that woman’s face after she touched Jesus’ robe and was healed—I would like to show that scene to Mother. That is something I will never forget.”

  “And what about the joy on the face of the wife of Jairus?” Ephraim came in. “I have never seen anything so radiant as the light in her eyes.”

  Now it was Matthew who spoke up. “Can you speak about what happened inside the house, Peter?”

  Peter looked at John, who nodded slowly and said, “I suppose with those who have accepted Jesus it would be all right.”

  Peter seemed to agree with that. “I’m not sure why Jesus took only James and John and me into the house.”

  “Was the girl really dead?” Leah asked. “Before you went in, Jesus said she was only sleeping.”

  Peter shook his head, his face a study in amazement. “No, she was dead. There was no question about it. Her mother had watched her draw her last breath. That’s when she sent for the mourners. The girl had been dead long enough for everyone to gather. That’s why there was such a crowd at the house.”

  No one spoke now, but every eye was fixed on Peter. “We went into the room where the young girl was laid out on the bed.” He uttered a deep sigh of pain. “I thought my heart would break when I saw her. She was so innocent. So lovely. Jairus—staid, unemotional Jairus—he was weeping like a baby. His wife could barely stand, she was so distraught with grief.” He stopped, deeply moved at the memory.

  John went on for him, his voice very soft. “Jesus went to her bedside and reached out and took her hand. We thought perhaps he was going to see if she was really dead. But then he said, ‘Damsel, I say unto you, arise.’” His eyes were wide and bright with wonder. “Immediately she awoke and sat up.”

  “You can imagine the parents’ reaction at that point,” Peter said huskily. “We all just stood there, dumbfounded, unable to believe for joy. Then Jesus told her parents to get her something to eat.”

  Once again the group fell silent, each person contemplating what he or she had just heard. It was Matthew who finally spoke. “He told her to rise?”

  John and Peter both turned to him. “Yes, why?”

  “And do you remember what he said to the man they lowered through the roof at Andrew’s house?”

  David answered, remembering clearly when he and Leah had been looking down into the room. “He told him to arise, to take up his bed and go to his own house.”

  “Yes,” Matthew said eagerly.

  Peter was puzzled. “So, there is a point to that?”

  Matthew’s eyes were shining. “Think about what has happened in just the last two days. A raging storm was stilled with a word. The blind now see. A leper was cleansed, a paralytic restored. A soldier’s servant was healed without the Master even going to his home. Then there was the woman with the issue of blood, cured by simply touching the hem of his robe. And finally, this beautiful young girl is brought back from the dead.”

  “It has been a time like no other in the history of the world,” Peter whispered.

  “Well, there is one thing you have not considered,” Matthew went on, his voice heavy with emotion. “When I began this day, my life was like the surface of a stormy sea. I was unclean. I was blind. I sat on my seat in the customshouse, not realizing that it was I who was spiritually paralyzed, that it was I who was spiritually dead.”

  The tears spilled over and began to trickle down his cheeks. He was not aware of them. “As you marvel about what you have seen, do not forget this. I stand before you now a different man. The storm in my heart has been stilled. I am healed of my sickness, cured of my blindness, cleansed of my uncleanness. I have been raised from spiritual death to new life.”

  He looked at Peter. “What you saw in the house of Jairus was a miracle of astonishing power. But for me, the greatest miracle of all is what has happened to my heart.”

  II

  When Leah came back out of her bedroom, she stopped. Her father stood at the table with the small writing board in his hand. He was reading it, his face moody.

  “What is it, Papa?”

  “It is a note from Simeon. This is why he didn’t come today.”

  “Why?”

  “He says he has gone to Beth Neelah to see how Aunt Naomi is doing.”

  “But—” She shook her head. “He never said a word of that to me. In fact, he kept saying that he couldn’t come and hear Jesus because there was too much to do. And now he’s gone to Beth Neelah?”

  David laid down the board and sighed. “Who can speak for Simeon?” he sighed. “I just wish I would have known. I would have sent a note with him to your mother.”

  Leah nodded. “Come on, Papa. It’s too late now. Rachel will have supper waiting for us.”

  III

  “Before Leah and I leave,” David said, “there is something I would like to say.”

  They sat together in the main room of Ephraim and Rachel’s home. The evening meal was finished. Esther and Boaz were now in bed and asleep. The three of them turned to face him more fully.

  “As you probably noticed, as we were returning home, Peter and I fell behind the rest of you.”

  “Yes,” Leah said. She had wondered what had engaged them in such earnest conversation.

  “He gave us some counsel. The more I consider it, the more I see wisdom in it.”

  “Counsel?” Ephraim asked. “For all of us?”

  “Yes. About Mother and Simeon.”

  Now he had their full attention. “What, Papa?” Leah asked.

  “Well, I mentioned to him again how disappointed I was that Simeon and your mother had not been there today, but that we were eager to tell them all about it.”

  They nodded. They had already talked about the importance of that.

  “Well, to my surprise, he told me something that happened the other day with Jesus.”

  “What?” That was from Rachel.

  “They were down in Magdala. Peter said there were some Pharisees and Sadducees there. They asked Jesus to show them a sign from heaven so they would know if he came with power and authority.�
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  Rachel gave a little exclamation of disgust. “They see what Jesus is doing, and they still ask for a sign?”

  “Yes,” David answered, his face thoughtful. “In fact, that was what I was thinking. Why would they do that? Why would they demand to see demonstrations of his power before they will believe? All they have to do is follow him around.”

  “They are too proud,” Leah said. “That’s all.”

  “But what Jesus said is a little surprising. According to Peter, Jesus said that it was a wicked and an adulterous generation that seeks a sign and that they have been given signs enough from the prophets.”

  “I agree,” said Ephraim. “That’s a good answer. What we saw today is enough to convince anyone about Jesus.”

  “Is it?” David shot back. “There were people there today who were angry only because Jesus forgave sins.”

  Leah sat back. “And there were some who couldn’t get over Jesus going into Matthew’s house. When I saw that I thought, ‘Where were you? Didn’t you see anything?’”

  “Exactly Peter’s point. These men demanded a sign because they don’t want to believe Jesus. They already have evidence, but they refuse to see.”

  “Like Simeon?” Leah asked slowly.

  David shook his head. “I don’t know. Perhaps. But that’s not all. Do you remember what Jesus said when he cleansed the leper today?” He was speaking to Leah because Ephraim and Rachel had not been with them at that point.

  “He told him to go and show himself to the priest, as the Law of Moses commands.”

  “What else?” he prodded.

  Now she remembered. “He told him to tell no man.”

  “Yes. Didn’t you find that odd? There was a whole crowd around who witnessed this, so it wasn’t as though it was done in secret. Peter told me that Jesus said the same thing to Jairus and his wife after their daughter was brought back to them. He told them not to tell anyone.”

  “But—” Ephraim was astounded. “There were three or four hundred people outside. The mourners were there. The girl was known to have died.”

  “Yes,” David said again, “isn’t that strange? I hadn’t given it that much thought until Peter reminded me of it.”