Chap 59: Jerusalem – A.D.
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Abner surveyed the cave: twenty men were gathered for a central figure;
tense and alert - he could feel it though he did not share it; Abner was not
really one of them anymore, his age separated him from them; no, not really his
age – it was more the mellowness that had come with having lived for so long- twice
as long as most of the others gathered here. Andrew was standing by him - age
had not mellowed him - the fires still burned just as brightly as it had in the
beginning. Abner could see it in Andrew’s eyes as his friend listened to the
man who had captivated the attention of his listeners. Barabbas. The Rising
Star, The Rebel. Barabbas would lead them to victory; his daring exploits and
reckless manner in confronting the enemy had granted him spectacular victory
after spectacular victory. The younger men flocked to join his army.
But Abner and some like him had withheld their admiration, for Barabbas
wasn’t above stealing from the Jews either to finance his army. Often enough
caravans of rich patrons would have to relinquish their goods on dark, moonless
nights on roads too far away from the towns to fetch help in time, but the
damage Barabbas did to Roman patrols on these same roads was by far much worse
and that is why Andrew and his kind stayed with their leader.
Abner had been brought for this meeting by Andrew and his security
clearance vouched for by Andrew; Abner had come out of curiosity and loyalty
for his friend, but mainly out of curiosity. He had to compare- would Barabbas
be anymore successful than Judas? But
more importantly, did Barabbas have any connection with Jesus?
Abner’s son and his friend had returned to Jesus after a year back at the
farm. Abner had had a hard time in convincing the lads to return to Emmaus with
him at all, after John’s death. The boys were determined to become followers of
Jesus. Finally, both sides had reached a compromise: return to Emmaus and help
with the harvest, then after a year if they still felt as strongly, then Abner
would let them go. And the year had passed too quickly.
The lamp light flickered in the scones; the cave was warm even inspite of
winter outside.
“This carpenter has an awesome following” Barabbas was saying,”the crowds
would do anything he bid them do. He has them eating out of the palm of his
hand. We could do with him on our side.”
“But it would be difficult to manage such a large number” one of the men
pointed out.
“Yes,” agreed Andrew. “They are mostly from the villages – I’ll bet none
of them have actually engaged in combat. . They’d
only get in our way.”
“We won’t have to use them within our ranks; if the carpenter could use
them in a diversion, their sheer numbers alone would keep the Romans busy;
giving us the opportunity to hit where it hurts most.” Barabbas argued. “We
need to find out more about Jesus, especially what his mission is.”
“He may not have any specific mission,” a young
recruit joined in.
“My spies tell me otherwise,” his
leader snapped, clearly irritated at being contradicted.
The young man cringed, but no one was surprised. Barabbas had a volatile
temper and an unpredictable nature. His mood could change easily even without
provocation. The only dependable, consistent thing about him, as Andrew had
said, was his fighting spirit - Barabbas would plunge himself into any fight,
and rarely backed off. Amazingly enough, though,
his men suffered few causalities; Barabbas was a good commander, he would not
expose his troops to unnecessary risks. This very contradiction of natures only
served to enhance his charisma: rebellious, unpredictable, volatile, reckless,
brave.
And his soldiers were not the only ones who were attracted to him, the
women found his easy roar of a laughter, the wicked twinkle in his dark eyes,
and his never-to-be-tamed aura, quite irresistible. Barabbas, on his part,
never turned away “a damsel in need of comfort.”
“Simon,” Barabbas addressed the boy, “join
Jesus; find out all you can about him, his goals, what he plans to do with this
rabble that he has congregated around himself, find out how the man thinks, and
report to me here in a month.”
The boy was clearly relieved at being reinstated in his leader’s favour
and proud at being singled out for a mission of such import.
Abner watched without comment.
“Barabbas,” Andrew called for his attention, “Abner’s son is already in
Jesus’ camp. Abner could introduce Simon to him. It would make his entry into
Jesus’ confidence all the easier. Jesus wouldn’t suspect anything.”
Barabbas and Abner viewed each other silently. Then Abner nodded slowly;
there didn’t seem to be any harm in this.
“Good.” Barabbas said. “Don’t tell
your son anything either. His innocence in this matter will help matters
greatly. Of Simon, I have no doubt.”
Simon beamed.
Abner resigned himself to accompany the young Zealot on the long journey
to Capernaum. It was a good thing that work was at a minimum at the moment on
the farm. . He
mustn’t tell his wife too much. He had promised her a long time ago not to get
involved in anymore fighting; well, this wasn’t exactly a war that he was going
to, he reasoned with himself; well, not yet anyway. He’ll tell her he was going
to check up on their son. . She
would readily agree to that and it wasn’t entirely
untrue after all.
Barabbas had been
arrested! This was a real blow; just
before Passover too. His betrayer had been swiftly executed, but his death did
little to lift the gloom; their leader still languished in jail. They had to
organize his escape, but how?
Andrew had called for this
meeting - Abner had important news!
Abner had left Jesus’ group post haste, his heart
thudding, his mind racing faster than the wind that beat his cheeks as his donkey’s hooves’ trotted on
the hard gravelly roads, not the paved roads laid by
the Romans. How he wished he had a horse instead. He hoped the rebels would all be
assembled by the time he reached them; the news he had for them was much too
important for further delay. They had to be ready for Jesus!
The months Abner had
spent with this man had convinced him of his authority, his leadership
qualities, but beyond that, Abner was fully convinced that Jesus had come as
part of God’s plans. He, Abner, was
convinced of the New Kingdom that Jesus had come to establish - Jesus was the
Messiah!
The runner had just come
with the news of Barabbas’ capture, when Jesus announced his impending trip to
Jerusalem for the Passover Feast, and something told Abner this was to be a
significant trip for Jesus. He had overheard the talk around the campfires as
Jesus had confided in his closest companions, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written
by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.”
Abner’s heart had leaped within him when he had heard
that; his mind bursting with the knowledge that this was IT! And he, Abner, was around to witness it!
Abner had known then that Simon had made the right decision, and though it had
initially been a disappointment, Abner would not dissuade the boy any further. In
fact, he told him to remain with Jesus
till he, Abner, returned, but he didn’t elaborate his plans to the boy.
Of his own son however, he was not too sure; his boy
was a pacifist, claiming Jesus’ teachings as the basis of his convictions. Ah
well, the boy would hear only what he wanted to hear, I suppose. I’ll give him
time to realize the truth behind Jesus’ mission. . But he’d
better learn fast, for Jesus would not take forever to
reach Jerusalem.
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