by Ken Hansen
A murmur arose from the crowd, particularly those with yarmulkes closer to Isa. Tomadus overheard one of them speaking with his friend, “What is this talk of sheep and shepherds? Is there any among us who is a shepherd or knows one? Have you ever even seen a sheep?”
The friend stroked his beard. “He quotes a great prophet from many millennia ago. Sheep and shepherds were everywhere then, so I have no problem with that part. But I think he claims to be the shepherd mentioned by Ezekiel, and we know the shepherd is God himself, so what can he be saying?”
Another in the group said, “He is speaking metaphorically. He is the new shepherd for the sheep, and he will help the Great Shepherd, God, gather his flock. He is chastising our religious leaders because they have failed us by merely condemning us without forgiveness and mercy. He understands we are all sinners and wants to help us return to the flock.”
“Does he realize the danger of his words? He must know these words will eventually reach the Grand Imams and the Abh Beyth Diyn.”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t seem to care.”
Tomadus approached the river’s edge, and Isa looked over to him and smiled. Tomadus nodded and returned the smile.
Isa looked back to the crowd. “There was a wealthy businessman in this area who had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your business that should come to me upon your death.’ So the father obtained an appraisal of his business and took out a loan from the bank for one-half its worth. This he gave it to the younger son in cash. Now the younger son immediately collected all his belongings and traveled to Roma, where he quickly squandered this inheritance through luxurious living, constantly visiting the many taberna, gambling establishments and brothels there. When he had freely spent everything, a recession hit the Romanus economy, and he found himself in dire need, but there was no work available in the local factories. Eventually, he found a local farmer who was willing to hire him to tend to his pigs, but paid him little. And he longed to eat his fill of the corn on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s employees have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger.’
“So he got up and went back to his father. Upon seeing his son, his father was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your employees.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and new sandals on his feet. Let us celebrate with a feast this very evening, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’
“Now the older son had been working late at his father’s office, and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and revelry. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has hired the best caterer and invited all of his friends to celebrate.’
“The older son became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders and I worked under you at your office, yet you never hosted even a small party for me and my friends. But when the son who swallowed up your property with prostitutes returns, you throw a lavish party with all of our friends.’
“The father replied, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’”
Isa looked around at the crowd for a few seconds and then added, “You must take these words and bind them to your own hearts.”
When the crowd began to disperse up the hill and back into the city, Isa stepped off the raft and began walking down the shore, surrounded by his ten disciples. Tomadus stepped forward and one of the men confronted him. “What do you want with the Master? He needs his rest.”
Isa turned and looked straight into Tomadus’s eyes. “Tomadus, you have returned to me.”
“You remember me?” Tomadus asked.
“Of course.” Isa turned to the disciple. “It is all right, Simeon. Let him join us.”
“Gratias. I never thought our paths would cross again.”
“Yet here you are.”
“I have come because you asked for me on the visi-scan.”
Isa beamed. “I did?”
Tomadus nodded. “You said that all who can see the Light of Our Yesterdays and search for truth should follow you.”
“So I did, Tomadus, for the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone. Do you search for the light of truth?”
“I search for understanding. If I comprehend you correctly, the Light of Our Yesterdays touches me often—far too often for my taste. Before I heard you on the visi-scan, I thought I was going insane. Have you too seen this other world?”
Isa looked around for a few seconds—first at the other followers and then at the sky above and the river to the south and the city to the north and finally back to Tomadus. “I see many things. To many, anything foreign becomes part of an unknown world from which they instinctively recoil. You must not be afraid, Tomadus, for you have been given a great gift. Your yearning aspires to greatness, my friend. Please, follow me.”
“I’m afraid I don’t quite fit into your little gang of preachers here.” Tomadus waved his hand toward Isa’s close followers. “I am a Romanus technologist and was raised from a child to believe in no god. I see you doing good things for people, and I respect you greatly for that. Nevertheless, your words that look to deities for answers are not written in my heart. I am sorry.”
Isa smiled and clasped his hands together. “Did you listen to my sermon today?”
Tomadus nodded. “I noticed you drew from both Islamic and Jewish sources. I have not heard of the last story, though.” Well, not from this world, at least. But the story had triggered a memory from deep within the other world, about a religion—Christianity—and a prophet—Jesus—both unknown to this world. Tomadus smiled. Isa must have had similar visions and memories of that other world. He looked back up at Isa. “In any case, it got me wondering, which are you, a Muslim or a Jew?”
“That story was for you,” Isa said. “Hear these words. There were two men, one a Jewish rabbi and the other a Romanus citizen. Now, publicly, the Jewish rabbi was a model to members of his synagogue. He told them how to behave and how to eat, and how to praise God, and he was much admired by many of the people as a man of God. But behind closed doors, he led another life. He took money from his synagogue that was donated for the poor and used it for his own luxurious habits. He engaged in orgies with prostitutes that would make the Romanus emperors of old blush. And instead of seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness for these transgressions, he told himself in secret not to worry about them, for if there were truly a God who could punish him, he would have been punished long ago.
“Now the Romanus citizen often said that he was no man of God, that he had never believed in such silly things. However, he always tried to help those who struggled with injustice. He gave shelter to the homeless and gave food to the hungry. He did not know why he did these things, which seemed clearly against his own economic interest, yet he knew they somehow helped him cope with that yearning, that feeling in his stomach that told him what was right. And he kept searching for an answer to that yearning.”
Tomadus stared at Isa with his mouth agape. Had Isa had been talking about the creature within him? “Searching?”
“Yes, Tomadus. Now tell me, although one of these men is called a Jewish Rabbi and the other is called an Romanus atheist, who is closer to the Kingdom of Heaven?”
“I imagine the Rom
anus.”
Isa said joyously, “Your imagination has always been on target, Tomadus. It is one of your greatest gifts.”
Tomadus stroked his beard. “Okay, I get it, I think. What matters is what we truly believe and how we act on those beliefs. I cannot disagree with you. But what does this have to do with the Light of Our Yesterdays?”
Isa smiled. “Follow me, and you will find what you seek.”
Chapter 45
The Tagus River glimmered with the last few rays of a waning sun as Toledo rose above the far shore to the east. On the shore at the near edge of the river, mature maple trees intermingled among the twenty or so tents and nearly as many campfires, each crackling out its own garbled sermon as it warmed the congregation surrounding it. Beside one of the fires sat Diego, one of the group of Isa’s closest disciples, better known as the Ten. Diego was playing an oud and singing softly. The smell of escudella made Tomadus’s stomach growl. He smiled, nonetheless. He would soon satisfy that particular little animal with some good food; the other creature, the formerly insatiable one, had been lying silently in his gut throughout the day.
“What are you smiling about, Romanus? Thinking about one of your finer prostitutes in Roma?” asked Simeon. The speaker was tall and rotund, with a long, black, straggly beard. He reclined on his side by the fire on a blanket. But for the size of his belly, the man looked like one of the unfortunate homeless of Roma that Tomadus remembered all too well from his youth.
“No, Simeon, though if you long to meet one, perhaps I can set that up for you.”
The others laughed. Simeon stared back. “Oh, I did not realize the atheist was also a pimp.” More laughter.
Tomadus bit his lip for a second, then opened his mouth but stopped before his calculated wisecrack streamed out. Isa had said: To many, anything foreign becomes an unknown world from which they instinctively recoil. Yes, Tomadus was foreign to them and not just because he was from Roma. Let it go. “Simeon, I am sorry if I have somehow offended you with my presence. I am a Romanus, but fortunately I have not engaged in all of the known pastimes of my home. May I ask where you are from?”
Simeon looked back at him sideways and flashed a satisfied smile. “The Palestinian Province. Same as Isa. We go back over two years now.”
“I see,” said Tomadus. “You must be one of the early believers, very dedicated to the Way.”
“Yes, I am dedicated to Isa.”
“Then perhaps you should listen more carefully to his words.” Tomadus got up and walked away from the fire and toward the women cooking the escuadella in a large pot over another fire not twenty feet away.
One of the older women walked toward him. “Do not let Simeon bother you. He is often gruff at first and forgets himself, but he is a good man. Give him time.”
“Thank you for the advice. My name is Tomadus.”
“Yes, I know. My name is Maryam. Isa is my son.” She bowed slightly.
Tomadus returned the gesture with a deep bow. “Even your name.”
“My name?” she said.
“Nothing, it is just a dream. And yet, even your name is the same.”
“The same as what?” Maryam asked.
“The same as…never mind. It is but a dream. It is a pleasure to meet you. Your son has quite a following.”
“It has grown so quickly. I never would have imagined so many people coming to hear him speak on a hillside in the Andalus Province. Then again, why should I be surprised?”
“Why, indeed?” Tomadus looked up at the stars and back to Maryam. “He seems to understand crowds. Has he always spoken in circles? I find it hard to get a straight answer from him, even in private.”
“He gives your heart room to welcome the truth. Sometimes, your brain must find the answer on its own before it can comprehend what is before it.”
Tomadus let out a little laugh, “I see the fig doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
As they talked, Tomadus noticed a very large man—probably as big as four and a half cubitorum tall and weighing 400 librae—slowly making his way over from the foliage near the camp. His enormous hands were cupped and joined together to form a large hollow ball. He seemed mesmerized by whatever was in his hands as he kept peeking inside the little space between his huge thumbs. He walked by the pots and pans stacked near one of the tents and tripped over several of them, creating an enormous ruckus. He looked down and shook his head with a frown for a second, but never lost the spherical coupling of his hands.
His giant grin quickly returned as he walked directly toward them. “Maryam, look what I found. It is a bug with a torch on its butt!” He opened the space between his hands slowly to let her see his captured treasure.
Maryam smiled gently at him and said, “Adin, that is a firefly. Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yes ma’am. It’s very pretty.”
“Can you give him his freedom now?”
Adin frowned a bit, looking first at his hands and then back at Maryam. “You mean let him go?”
Maryam smiled and nodded.
Adin tilted his head. “Then I won’t have him anymore.”
“Yes, Adin, but he will be free. Isn’t that beautiful all by itself? And you can catch another tomorrow night and set him free as well, for surely where there is one firefly, there are hundreds more.”
“Okay,” Adin replied meekly. He bit the lower corner of his lip and exhaled hard, briefly closing his eyes tightly. With an exaggerated gesture, he looked up and opened his hands and arms quickly until they were stretched to the sky. The firefly flew away into the evening, twinkling as he moved away. Adin smiled and looked at Maryam, “He just said good-bye.”
“Indeed, he did, Adin. Indeed, he did. Now, Adin, there is someone here I would like you to meet. His name is Tomadus, and he is from Roma.”
“Hello, Tomadus from Roma. My name is Adin.”
Tomadus let out a little laugh. “It is very nice to meet you.”
“Adin, we are going to need more wood for cooking. Do you think you could go collect some?” Maryam said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
The giant grabbed an axe and a lumber saw that looked like a little nail file in his hands and marched into the woods.
“Is he your son also?” Tomadus asked.
“Oh no. He joined us in the Grecian Province. He is one of the Ten.”
Tomadus jerked up, his eyes squinting and mouth open a bit too wide.
“Do not be misled by his lack of guile,” Maryam said. “Adin understands Isa more than most. The loving heart God gave him perfectly complements the wonder of his beautiful mind.”
Chapter 46
The light of dawn was just peaking out to the east of the Tagus when the flap to Tomadus’s tent pulled open, and a figure appeared. His body was surrounded by that familiar residual hue from Tomadus’s dreams. Still dazed, Tomadus blinked a few times, and then rubbed his face and eyes. There stood Isa in the morning’s glow.
“Tomadus, walk with me.”
“As you wish.”
They left the others sleeping in their tents, and in a few moments they were walking side-by-side, down a path by the river, the mid-autumn morning chill swirling wisps of fog over its surface. A hoopoe fluttered its wings as he swooped through and fed upon the swarming gnats above a few lily pads; several buntings sang their songs of joy from the treetops. The full-bodied fragrance of jasmine filled the air as the blooms clung to their last few weeks of life.
“Now that you have been with us for a couple of weeks,” Isa began, “tell me your impressions of our little group.”
“You want kindness or honesty?”
“Are you not capable of both?”
Tomadus took a deep breath. “Most of the Ten have welcomed me openly and they have made the time pass very quickly. A few others, particularly Simeon, seem to suspect me of some ill will toward you. I am not sure why. And, of course, your mother is pure joy.”
Isa nodded. “I see you understand Maryam well. Si
meon can be a bit of a bull, but he means well. He thinks he needs to protect me, and that causes him trouble occasionally. He believes you are a spy.”
“A spy? For whom?”
Isa eyed Tomadus. “We are aware of your relationship with the First Consul and the Three Empires.”
“That is a business arrangement. Nothing more. Do you think I am a spy?”
“Another label of no matter. I have nothing to hide. I speak in public, and if the First Consul wishes to hear my words, he can do so at any time. Simeon can tussle with trust at times. It will take him time to understand, but his faith is strong. Do you have faith, Tomadus?”
Tomadus looked up at Isa with a start, his eyes widening and his throat tightening. Either I have faith or I am a spy? He must have an idea that I understand him. “If you are asking whether, after these two weeks, I now believe in your God, the answer is still ‘no.’ But I do have faith in you, Isa. You have the ability to bring people together. You remind us all how to live moral and meaningful lives. I see the hope you engender in the eyes of the downtrodden. That itself seems a miracle in these times.”
Isa nodded to him with a gentle smile. “Yet?”
“I am a man of science. I see the miracles proclaimed by your flock. You heal the sick and injured to degrees I’ve never encountered with Romanus physic-techs. But miracles? I have seen so many strange things in my mind’s eye now that would undoubtedly seem to be miracles to any other Romanus technologist, yet I know they are real. So do I have faith? Yes, I have faith in you, Isa, to help those who need your help the most. And I know that if I were to believe in your God, I would certainly believe you served him well.”
Isa stopped walking and turned toward Tomadus. “I see you answered honestly to your own mind, yet you found a way to be kind to me just the same. What of your search for truth?”
“I…I don’t know. I had hoped to find others like me here, even yourself, but now I wonder.”