I stopped and stood, wiped the sweat from my face, and noticed a man standing beyond the wall. The shadow between the houses obscured his features but I recognized the thobe and shmagh of a camel puller. I was confused why one from the caravan would return. My business with the caravan master was complete. Had I forgotten an order? Surely, they were well on their way to Egypt while I busied myself in the hot afternoon sun. I worked with the servants to stack items along the outer wall, as young David positioned the cart when the damp smell of Gennesaret came on the breeze.
Our move to Bethany had us all rushed
and Mary was being a pain as usual. I took a step to greet the man
when a noise from inside the house caused me to pause and turn back.
My sisters argued loudly, I heard the crash of falling items. I could
only imagine what new mischief the older sister was up to. I turned
once more to the Arab and was startled to find him standing quite
close. Shocked, I stumbled back, the man reached out, and took my arm.
Then, he spoke my name.
“Lazarus,” he said, smiling.
I blinked and studied the man's face.
I had only dealt with the caravan master. How did this man know me? I
was confused and fearful. His face was ruddy. His dark hair spilled
from beneath his shmagh. His beard was full but did not hide his
youth. I blinked once more and caught my breath as he released my
arm.
I said, “Forgive me, sir. Do I know
you?”
The man reached up and pulled the
cover from his head. The light of the sun was bright. My chest
tightened. The eyes, I thought, yes! The nose. I recognized my
childhood friend. His name was on the tip of my tongue but he did not
wait for me to say it.
“It's me,” he said. “Jesus.”
“Jesus!” I exclaimed. “You've
returned!”
I could not contain my joy. I threw
myself on his neck and hugged him tightly. We laughed, we embraced
and he slapped my back as he used to do. The servants stopped to
watch. Passers-by stopped to watch. A thousand questions tied my
thoughts into a knot and I could not speak for the joy I felt. We
laughed again. Then he held me at arm's length and spoke.
“I know you have a thousand
questions,” he said. “I will tell you everything. I have missed
you so very much. How are the sisters? How is Mary?”
“Well,” I began but my answer fell
silent as a lump formed in my throat.
Just then, Mary ran from the house
with Martha in tow. She ran out past the wall and stood behind the
cart as Martha, trying to keep up, called her name. Mary's eyes were
on Jesus and her face was like a mask of stone. Jesus stepped around
me and Mary's eyes burned with rage. By now, a small crowd had
stopped to watch. Some of them recognized Jesus and spoke his name in
surprise. Otherwise, the moment was painfully quiet. I was ashamed of
the scene I was sure Mary would cause. She was wild and brazen,
obstinate and headstrong. Her words came without salt and many people
claimed she had seven demons. I feared what would happen next.
Jesus walked between the wall and the
cart. I followed, wringing my hands. They stood face to face but did
not speak. I swallowed hard as I knew that so many of us were aware
Mary had been promised to him – and then, Jesus just left. Mary had
only been thirteen at the time. Nobody was more painfully aware of
the facts than the two who stood with eyes locked. I wasn't the only
one waiting for the ax to fall. The gathered crowd made not a sound.
Martha stood with open mouth and the servants had backed away. Then
it came.
Mary shouted, “Oh! So now you
return? Do you realize my shame? That's it, isn't it? You've come to
rub my nose in it. How dare you!”
No one saw it coming. Mary struck
Jesus across the side of his face. She struck him a second time and
all of us – I mean all of us – were frozen in place. She pushed
him hard and as Jesus fell against the wall, Mary lifted her face to
the sky and released such a scream of rage as I cannot describe. We
held our collective breath and what followed was equally amazing.
Jesus reached out and placed his hand around Mary's neck. She became
still. Her raised arms fell to her sides. Jesus pulled my sister into
an embrace and whispered in her ear. Oh, what I would give to know
his words! Mary slowly sank to her knees and sobbed. Jesus sank to
his knees and hugged her tightly. Then, the murmuring began. Nothing
discernible but I could well imagine the gossip that took wing that
hot afternoon. Martha came to me and locked her arm in mine, and all
any of us could do was stand there and gape at them foolishly.
Before any of us knew it, the wedding
was back on. Jesus seemed to have everything arranged. That left us
to suspend our move and take care of the details. First, he had to
visit his cousin John. I had not seen John since he struck out on his
own. I had heard marvelous things about his work in the wilderness.
Jesus vowed to be back in time. He kissed Mary on the lips and walked
away. The three of us stood in the early evening light. I held my
sisters close to me as we watched Jesus walk down the road toward
Enon. Far down that road, Jesus seemed small in the distance. We did
not take our eyes off him. Without turning, Jesus raised his arm and
waved.
On the morrow, I had David hitch a
small ox to our cart. We gathered gifts and coin and made the trip to
Cana. It was good to see Jesus' mother again. His brothers and
sisters greeted us with warm embraces. Their servants were busy with
preparations. Their spacious home was alight with expectation and
excited chatter. The courtyard bustled with activity. Even so, Mary
called us to the table that commanded the open court beneath four
date palms. I drew my hand across the table as servants poured water.
I remembered when Joseph first placed it and had the trees planted.
My father and Joseph were business partners. We often visited. Now, I
was there again and, in the days that followed, I and the mother of
Jesus laid the foundation of his blessed union with my sister.
All went well, as I recall. The
ceremony was beautiful and Mary's face was alight with joy. The court
was crowded with guests. Jesus had brought new friends with him. Some
of them were fishermen I knew. They had their fish salted in Magdala
for the caravans. It was a wonderful wedding. Jesus' mother fussed
over every detail and ensured no guest was in want. Jesus surprised
the governor of the feast with a hidden cache of wine and the song
and dance took us into the evening. I took my sisters home and in the
morning, Jesus and his brothers came to help us make the move to
Bethany.
In his new office, as a novice initiate,
Jesus looked smart in his white and blue prayer shawl and his
tefillin with black leather straps. Jesus remained with us in
Bethany after his friends and brothers left. He stood among us as we
watched Mary trim the tassels he disagreed with. He made it clear
that he cared not for the turban or the head tefillin. He wore
common clothing he felt comfortable in, folded the shawl around his
neck, and kept his left arm strapped. During his probation period, he
would be accompanied by his seniors everywhere he was to go. He joked
about them standing by while he voided himself. He would have
preferred to dig a hole for them. He kissed his new wife goodbye on
the third morning as he had been made the Rabbi of Beth Midrash in
Capernaum. We did not see Jesus for a month after that, though we
longed for his return and followed every news of his travels.
The feast I had planned for our new
home in Bethany, I postponed due to illness. My two sisters fussed
over me tirelessly. Instead, I sent word that the feast would occur
at the end of the month. I felt much better then and was sure my
house was in order. Many of my friends from Jerusalem attended
bringing gifts and kind words of support. Some of the top merchants
in the city came, comporting themselves with grace and striking
bargains for the favor of my business. Some of my friends among the
Sanhedrin also came to the feast. I had many tables and a broad
courtyard. I served lamb and wine and several types of bread. I
pulled expensive items from my stock to make merry the hearts of all
my guests. Caiaphas came late in the day almost arm in arm with the
Prefect, Pilate. All of my guests made me happy. The more the
merrier. I was happier still when I chanced to look up and see my
dearest friend, Jesus, stand before me.
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