Zach was tired. He had been coming down to Tiberias every week for almost two months, bringing news and food to John in prison, and it looked like he’d probably be doing it for the rest of the year. Nothing had changed. After Herod arrested John for publicly accusing him of incest and adultery, people who knew politics had predicted that if Herod didn’t kill him right away he’d most likely quietly let him go - after his wife, that shrew Herodias, had cooled off. After all, Herod was pretty superstitious, and once doubts set in about whether or not John actually was a real prophet nobody thought he’d actually have the guts to touch him. But nothing had happened. It was getting pretty hard to stay optimistic. John wasn’t much help, either. All he ever said was, “Be patient. Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut and bring me all the news.”
And a lot of John’s followers had gone traipsing off after that other fellow, the Galilean Yeshua that John had baptized earlier in the year.
Although that had been pretty impressive, come to think of it. The ones who left, Philip and Nathaniel and the others, said they had seen a dove and heard a voice from heaven. Well, Zach hadn’t seen or heard anything, but he had to admit that it hadn’t been your usual slam dunk. John had seemed - well, almost reluctant to baptize him, they argued for a moment and John had bowed his head and, well, it looked like John was doing what Yeshua had told him to do. John never followed orders! And there had been a weird kind of hush, the usual crowd of spectators had been oddly silent, and the light had been - well, just odd. And John did say that he had seen the dove and heard the voice, too. But there was a rumor around that Yeshua was John’s cousin, and John hadn’t said a word about it from that day to this, and Zach just didn’t know what to think.
Besides, if this Yeshua Bar-Joseph really was the Lamb of God, the one sent to save Israel, why did John go on preaching and baptizing? And why didn’t Yeshua come visit John in prison and make Herod let him go? The Savior of Israel was supposed to set prisoners free! No, Zach didn’t think there was anything to it. This Yeshua would fade away like all the other self-proclaimed Messiahs that had sprung up in the last 50 years, John was probably going to rot away in prison, and Zach would wind up carting bread and fish and olives to Tiberias once a week until he was an old, old man. He was a fool. All their hopes and expectations were coming to nothing. Again.
But this time, after Zach had passed on the week’s news and handed over the food basket, John stopped him. “I want you to do something for me, Zachariah,” he said. “Yes, Rabbi?” He answered, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. “I want you to get one of the others, maybe Ethan or Joel, and go up to Capernaum. Find Yeshua Bar-Joseph and ask him.” “Uh - ask him what, Rabbi?” “Ask him if he’s the One, of course!” said John, somewhat sharply. “Is he the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Zach felt the old excitement begin to stir and squashed it, firmly. He wasn’t going to let his hopes be raised again for nothing.
“But - I thought you knew!” He blurted out. “Weren’t you supposed to know, when the right one came?” “So did I,” said John. “But I don’t. He’s not what I expected. Nothing’s the way I expected it to be. I don’t understand any more. When he came toward me at the river it seemed so clear, as if God himself was whispering in my ear, “This is the One.” But it doesn’t make sense. That’s why I need you to ask him. He’ll tell you, and then I’ll know. I’ll be at peace, one way or another. But I have to know.”
So Zach went out and found Ethan and told him what John had asked. Ethan shrugged, and said, “l suppose so, since John asked us, but I think we’re wasting our time.”
Zach had to admit that he agreed with Ethan, but he pushed it anyway. “Wasting our time? Why do you say that? Don’t you think John might have a point? After all, a lot of people seem to think this Yeshua is really something.”
“Not this time,” said Ethan. “John’s backing the wrong horse if he’s pinning his hopes on this one. Why, Yeshua doesn’t even look like a prophet!”
That’s true, thought Zach. Now with John, you knew where you stood! He looked just like the rabbis had always described Elijah. He was shaggy and wild-looking, dressed rough, lived in the wilderness, he ate next to nothing, and man! when he raised his arms and called down the wrath of God on all the sinners you could just feel the power. Men fell to their knees, women screamed and fainted, they couldn’t wait to jump into the Jordan and get washed clean. The hair on Zach’s arms stood up remembering those days. Oh, well, even if nothing came of it he’d have some pretty exciting stories to tell his kids. If he ever had any. Abby was refusing to get married until he gave up chasing around after prophets and Messiah wannabees. And he was about ready to do it, too. This would be the last one, the very last one.
Ethan and Zach went most of the rest of the way in silence, each absorbed in his own thoughts. Arriving at Capernaum just as the sun was setting, they decided to see of Ethan’s second cousin Lemuel would put them up for the night so they’d have daylight for tracking down Yeshua. Besides, if Lem’s wife Susannah didn’t know everything that was going on in the district, they’d be very surprised indeed. They could put up with Lemuel’s lectures for one night. It’s not like they hadn’t heard it all before, anyway. “What are you doing chasing around after some wild-eyed fanatic when there’s work to be done?” That was Lem’s theme song. “Stop living in the past, you can’t bring back the old days, Elijah’s not coming back, that’s just stories for children. Be realistic. Deal with the world as it is. Herod’s not so bad, at least he keeps the Romans happy and the bandits more or less under control. Business is better than it’s been in decades.” Lemuel hadn’t even come out to hear John preach, and when he was arrested had just shrugged his shoulders. “Serves him right,” was Lem’s cynical response. “Did he think Herod was going to give him a medal, or something? You stick your head out, you get it cut off. Me, I mind my own business.”
In the morning they followed Susannah’s directions and went up the lakeshore a little toward Bethsaida. And sure enough, there was a crowd of people, some seated, some standing. One or two wandering from group to group. On a largish rock overlooking the lake sat the man Zach remembered from that day at the Jordan. He looked tireder than before, Zach thought, and older. There was a cluster of people in front of him, and as they watched, Yeshua put his hand on the head of the one in the center, who dropped to his knees and kissed Yeshua’s hand. When the group backed away and another cluster of people approached, Zach realized what was going on. They were waiting their turn to ask favors, almost like in a king’s court, he thought, surprised at how orderly it all was. But the crowd was awfully big. Was this like it was every day?
Ethan and Zach looked at each other and began to make their way down toward the lakeside. As they neared the rise where Yeshua was hearing requests a large, dark-haired man approached them. “You need to wait your turn,” he said, “Some of these people have been waiting since yesterday. There’s room over there,” he pointed to a rocky outcrop about halfway up the hill. Ethan shook off the man’s hand and said, “We’re from John the Baptizer,” he said loudly, “tell your teacher we just have a question for him.”
The big man looked at them intently and seemed to think for a moment, then nodded abruptly and said, “OK. Come with me.”
When they came near Yeshua’s post a new batch of supplicants had just gathered, and he didn’t look up. “Master,” said their guide, “Master, there are some people here from John.” Yeshua spoke softly to the woman who seemed to be the focus of the group before he turned. “Yes, Thomas, what is it?” “Master, these men are from John.”
Yeshua’s eyes turned toward Zach and Ethan. For a moment Zach couldn’t remember what they were there for. It felt as though all of the doubts and bitterness and - yes, anger - that he’d been wrestling with were written all over his face and that Yeshua could read every single one of them. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. “John told us to ask you, “'Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?'” Yeshua didn’t answer, just looked at him, and Zach felt his face start to burn. He elbowed Ethan, and when there was no response glanced over at him. Ethan always had something to say, why didn’t he say it? But Ethan appeared to have been struck dumb. The silence lengthened, and then Yeshua said, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”
Well, Zach knew his Scriptures, he knew that Isaiah had prophesied that the Savior of Israel would do all of those things that Yeshua had listed. But John already knew all that. Zach and Ethan and Joel and the others had all kept John informed. But it didn’t add up. That’s why John had sent for more information, straight from the source. The Messiah was supposed to restore the kingdom, to judge the guilty and protect the innocent, cast down evil-doers from places of power and rule with righteousness and peace and Herod was still on the throne imprisoning God’s prophets and what was going on? It did not compute.
As all this was churning through his mind, Yeshua added, “Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” And suddenly it struck Zachariah that they’d been asking the wrong questions. Yeshua was saying, “Don’t be upset because I’m not what you expected. Don’t be cast down or disappointed or lose faith because things aren’t turning out the way you thought. You’ve got my credentials. Now trust me for the rest of it.” The time was past for asking “Are you the One?” Because the answer had already been given. The time had now come to move from prediction to action.
Zech and Ethan turned away and began to walk back up the hill toward the road down to Tiberias. They had to return to give John the message. Zach wondered if he’d be able to explain what had happened to him when Jesus had spoken. Zach wondered if Ethan had felt the same thing.
Yeshua watched them leave. He gestured to the next group of petitioners to wait, and stood up. “How many of you went down to the Jordan to hear John preach?” He looked around and nodded. “You wanted to hear a firebrand, didn’t you, someone who would stand up and tell the truth, no matter what it cost, not someone who would tell you whatever you wanted to hear, someone who would back down as soon as it got dangerous, a reed blown by the wind. Well, you got what you wanted. You got someone who would rather go to prison than compromise God’s standards. Now you’re disappointed because he’s in prison, and the people in fancy clothes and palaces look like they’ve won. Well, if you want to hear the truth of God spoken by a man of God, you’re not likely to find them in fancy clothes and rich palaces. John is a great prophet, the greatest yet, and he is just where you should expect a prophet to be, jailed by the people he threatens. If he weren’t a threat, they’d ignore him.
If you expect following God to be easy, if you expect that on the day of the Lord you will just be able to coast into your pre-assigned luxury suites, you’d better think again. Because the greater the prophet, the greater the danger. John was the greatest until now, but he came only to prepare the way for the greatest of all. He proclaimed the coming of the kingdom of God, but he will not live to be part of it. Elijah has come, but his day is over. The new prophets will not look like the old, any more than I look like John. Every single citizen of the kingdom of God is greater than John, and all of them together are the greatest threat that this world has ever known. You will no longer be able to recognize a prophet by his hair, or her clothing, or their diet.
Keep your eyes open! The recognition signal is truth, not safety. The danger is only going to increase. Don’t seek for God’s truth in luxury or comfort, you will not find it. But do not let that danger make you lose hope, or lose confidence in God. Because I tell you that danger and threats from the rich and powerful are proof that God is present and working.
Zach and Ethan had turned at the top of the hill and looked back. A fluke of the wind had brought the sound of Jesus’ voice to where they stood. Finally Ethan turned to Zach and shrugged. “I expect Herod will have John killed, don’t you?” Zach nodded. “What are you going to do, then?” Ethan asked. “I expect I’ll go back and follow Jesus,” he said.
