meal with all my Nazareth kin. I wanted to waste no time in bringing greetings from my mother and our sorrow at the death of your father. I understand that he did not suffer overlong.”
“Long enough,” said Yaakob as Yohannon continued. “Yeshua, I have important matters about which I wish to speak with you. Perhaps a walk in the garden after supper?”
Yeshua smiled. “Yes, as long as you practice physical cleansing before the meal.”
Chapter 7
After supper a well-bathed Yohannon retired to the garden with Yeshua. The garden, a long rectangle of land, was shared with the family whose house adjoined it at the far end. The garden consisted of fruit trees, olive trees and long rows of spring vegetables. Wooden benches were placed beneath three of the trees and the two men found their way to the bench that shielded them best from the warm glow of the setting sun.
“So, kinsman,” Yeshua broke a brief silence in which they both contemplated the beauty and the bounty of the garden, “what has brought you to the north?”
Yohannon’s eyes danced as he turned, “You have not changed! Well, I will get to the point. First, your mother’s cousin, after whom your sister is named, is in declining health. She has attained an age of eighty years, blessed be the mercies of the Lord, and she has given me messages of condolence to bear to your mother.”
“You are her only child. If these are her final days, why have you left her?”
“The wives of priests who remember my father Zechariah are attending to her. She is well cared for. And I expect to return home before she passes to our Lord’s heavenly kingdom.”
“But this talk of going to the Essenes. Surely you knew of her condition?”
“Yeshua, sometimes there are more important things than family.”
“I cannot imagine.”
Yohannon gazed at the garden and smiled. “I think you will.”
Yeshua looked at him and spoke sternly. “With my father’s sudden passing I am responsible for this household. I cannot imagine forsaking my mother. And you! You have no brothers or sisters as I do.”
“Following the path that the Lord has set for me is the highest responsibility.”
“Have you forgotten the admonition of the Law? Honor your father and your mother.”
Yohannon was quiet for a moment and then spoke. “I have wrestled with it. The will of the Lord is an even higher admonition.”
“And you, a mere mortal, presume to know the specific will of the Lord?”
“Kinsman, I walk about as you do; I sleep and eat and my bowels move. Yes, I am mortal.”
“What then? Are you at last decided on following in your father’s steps and training for the Temple priesthood?”
“No, Yeshua. I revere the memory of my father but I will not follow his path. At least, not in the Temple.” Yohannon shifted on the bench and looked directly at Yeshua as he continued.
“I know from past conversations that you are a person of great insight and wisdom. Even the Essenes know of you.” He smiled. “Mention of your name as my kinsman helped my entry into their community.”
Yohannon became serious. “Now I will tell you why I speak as I do. But first, a question. Do you have visions?”
Yeshua almost laughed at the question but he saw that Yohannon was serious. “No. My father had holy dreams. I, too, have dreams, some of them very strange and vivid indeed. But I regard them as phantoms of my mind, brought on by overwork or its converse, concern about whether we again will find customers for our work when times are slow.”
“How is the work these days?”
“Very good. We have a backload of orders. Yaakob and I are catching up for the time lost at my father’s passing. Today we finished items of furniture and began the assembly of a new cart.”
“I am glad for you. But let me return to myself. Of late I have visions. Not dreams, but rather things I see in the course of a day, as though suddenly a familiar place is bathed in radiant light and I discern something behind what is in place in front of me.”
Yeshua smiled. “Perhaps you also are overworked at times, or worried, and your ‘visions’ give you relief from the press of daily affairs.”
“No, no. They can be very real indeed.” He paused, considering. “I will tell you in truth about my most recent vision. It came a week past while I was with the Essenes. One day, while yet again purifying myself in the room of the pool—before the midday meal as I recall—suddenly the far wall was transformed into a mist. As I watched, stupefied, the mist quieted and I saw myself standing in the middle of a river. People of all sorts lined the banks on both sides. There were priests of the Temple in impressive garments; there were women of high degree in their finery and also women in simple clothing of house or farm; and there were shepherds and fishmongers and merchants.”
“Quite a sight, kinsman.”
“Indeed. But there was more. In my own voice I was speaking loudly to them. ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of YAHWEH, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”
Yeshua sucked in a great breath. “You dare to use the Holy Name? Take care! When the holy scrolls are read aloud in the synagogue, ‘Lord’ is always substituted.”
“But it was not I here and now who was speaking,” protested Yohannon. “It was I in the vision.”
“A thin difference,” replied Yeshua. “It is still sacrilege.”
“Wait, there is more.” Yohannon’s voice throbbed with excitement. “In the vision I cried out with a loud voice, ‘The glory of YAHWEH shall be revealed, all the people shall see it together, for the mouth of YAHWEH has spoken.’”
Yeshua rose and moved to the other end of the bench. “This is blasphemy!”
“No. The prophet Isaiah’s words,” Yohannon noted primly.
“Indeed,” Yeshua replied through pursed lips. “I am quite familiar with Isaiah’s words.”
Yohannon nodded and smiled. “Yes. You are noted for your knowledge of scripture.”
“Enough of your flattery. Besides your irreverent use of the Holy Name, were there other happenings in this tale of a vision?”
“I spoke more words from the prophet. Many more. Then the mist swirled and faded away and it was simply the wall of the room again. Exhausted as if by some great exertion, I fell backwards into the pool. Those who were near me lifted me up quickly. I questioned them discreetly for fear that they would think me crazed but they had seen nothing except my collapse.”
He glanced at Yeshua. “I tell you truly.”
“In this place with the Essenes. Had you been fasting?”
“No.”
“Were
