Death! The twelve men had been able to think of nothing but fear and death the whole day through. Why did the Master talk about it so much?
At that instant the shepherd came back. Under his arm was a lamb, frightened but not harmed. "There," sighed the man, putting it gently down. "Now all are safe."
"You are hurt!" exclaimed Peter. He knelt and gently touched the man"s ankle. The shepherd flinched, but said, "Oh, it is nothing!"
"Let me bandage it," insisted Peter. The man sat down; he was in pain.
"How did this happen?" asked Peter, tearing a strip of cloth from the long loose shirt he wore.
"I heard the little one crying and ran toward him," answered the man. "I must have stumbled on a sharp rock."
Jesus was watching the man. "You are a faithful shepherd," he said.
The shepherd looked up quickly and smiled. This man understood! But the disciples were quiet. They knew Jesus was thinking about his own work in Jerusalem.
The wind had veered around and now blew from the southwest. Spattering drops turned into a steady, cold, driving rainstorm.
"Perhaps it will settle the dust," said Andrew hopefully. He was thinking how dejected the sheep looked that had not found room in the shed when he felt cold water on his back. "This place leaks!" he exclaimed. Soon all the men were moving uncomfortably about, trying to find places to stand where they could keep dry. But it was hopeless. The rain poured through the cracks in the old roof.
"We might as well be walking outside as standing here," declared the Zealot in disgust. The suggestion seemed sensible.
"Thank you for the shelter," said Jesus to the shepherd.
The rain had not let up at all, but the men plunged into the night. "Be careful of that ankle," said Peter, the last to go. The shepherd smiled in farewell.
Two hours later the company of miserable disciples arrived in Tiberias.
For an hour and a half they had been soaked to the skin. The wind had become quite cold, and they were chilled through. Only after they entered the city of Tiberias did they find an inn where there was room for them.
"This city is crowded with people going to Jerusalem for the feast,"
observed James, as the disciples stripped off their wet clothing.
"I wonder how Herod likes to have his home city full of loyal Jews,"
replied John.
"I just hope he does not find out we are here."
The disciples were alarmed when Jesus insisted on teaching the next day in the market place, where people gathered to gossip and buy food.
"What if the tyrant discovers that we are here?" inquired Andrew fearfully. "He could throw us into prison before we could escape!"
"This is an important city for us," replied Jesus. "We must tell the news of the Kingdom to all these pilgrims who are traveling to Jerusalem." Nervously the disciples kept watch for the Roman police while Jesus talked to the people.
It was well that they did. "Here come some Pharisees," warned John. The men were stepping around carts piled with food, taking care to avoid the heavily burdened donkeys that crowded the street. The people dropped back to let them pa.s.s. The two Pharisees smiled as they came up to Jesus.
"They seem friendly!" said John, astonished.
"Don"t let them deceive you," warned the Zealot.
Jesus received the men graciously. The first said: "Rabbi, we have come to warn you. You had better get out of Tiberias as soon as possible. We have private information from Herod"s court that he intends to kill you!"
The disciples were alarmed. The Zealot was frowning and looking at the Pharisees very suspiciously. "Why do you tell us this?" he asked bluntly. They ignored his question, waiting to see what Jesus would say.
Jesus" answer was stern: "Go tell that sly fox that he does not have the power to stop my work!" The people were startled. How did he dare speak like this about the king? "Now I am preaching the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven and helping people," continued Jesus. "When I finish this work I will leave--but I will go to Jerusalem only when the time comes for me to be delivered up to death!"
"Unless you leave Tiberias at once, you will certainly die here," said the second Pharisee.
"No." There was bitter humor in Jesus" tone. "It would hardly be right for a prophet to be killed anywhere but in Jerusalem. It is always our holy city that kills the messengers whom G.o.d sends!"
The Pharisees turned and walked away. "Well!" exclaimed John. "For men who want to save us from Herod they certainly act oddly."
"They care nothing about our lives," said the Zealot sourly. "They are just trying to scare us out of Galilee. Herod knows he cannot put us into prison--there would be a riot!"
The people were indeed very loyal to Jesus. Many who had listened to him in their home villages greeted him with great joy when they found him teaching in Tiberias and refused to go on without him.
"We want you to lead us to Jerusalem," declared one man from Capernaum who had often listened to Jesus at the lakeside.
"I must stay here several days to teach others who travel through,"
answered Jesus.
"Then we shall wait." More and more people joined this man in asking Jesus to lead them to Jerusalem.
The disciples were greatly worried by this. "Herod is sure to hear of this!" exclaimed Andrew, anxiously watching the people crowd around Jesus.
"He must know we are here by now," said John. Any moment the men expected the officers of King Herod to come to arrest them. They were greatly relieved when Jesus led a small group of especially loyal followers into the hills west of Tiberias.
"At least we are safe out here," observed John as they climbed the brown hill above Herod"s capital city. When Jesus stopped, they could see the whole Lake of Galilee spread below them. High above the city rose the towers of Herod"s palace. Peter looked northward to where Capernaum lay.
Beyond the city he could see Mount Hermon, majestic and cool. A few days before, he had stood on its slopes and gazed at Capernaum, where his wife and children lived. Then he had expected to see them soon. But now he knew he might never see them again.
A ridge concealed the group with Jesus from the road which led west from Tiberias to the Mediterranean Sea. "Tonight we shall rest in the hills,"
said Jesus to them; there were about seventy beside the disciples.
"Tomorrow I will send you to prepare my way to Jerusalem."
The thought of leaving Herod"s territory cheered the disciples, but they had not heard all that their Master had to say. "For a few more days I am going to remain here to summon these people to repent and confess that G.o.d is King," continued Jesus. "You are to stay with me. I am sending these others into the cities that I will visit." He turned to the Seventy: "Declare the good news of the rule of G.o.d. Tell them that the Kingdom is here. Return to me on the third day. Then we shall set out for Jerusalem!"
The people began to talk excitedly with one another. "You must go two by two," continued Jesus, raising his voice. "You have a great work to do, and now is the time to do it! Pray, therefore, that you will find many who will believe your message of the Kingdom of G.o.d and help you. Do not let anyone stop you, but press on to tell the gospel in every city where Jews live. You will be in danger; I send you out like sheep among wolves. Just the same, have courage, for you carry good news. Preach this message: "The rule of G.o.d is here; give yourselves to him"!"
After the Seventy had gone, great crowds continued to throng Jesus as he preached in the market place of Tiberias. The anxiety that the disciples first felt when Jesus decided to await the return of the Seventy gradually gave way to optimism when they saw the great popularity of Jesus.
"The king knows he cannot arrest us," said the Zealot. "Look at this crowd!"
"It will not be long before we are in Jerusalem!" said John. Jerusalem!
The disciples began to talk eagerly about the new kingdom.
"Nothing must stop us!" declared James and John. When the Seventy returned, they were enthusiastic.
"Everyone listened to us!" declared the first two men to return. "People brought their sick to us. They believed our teaching! Even the demons obeyed us!"
"Here is a man who wants to become a follower," said his companion.