Five

'Well, why not? David began as a shepherd," Andrew thought, "and--who was it?--was a 'dresser of sycamores,' whatever that means, and even Isaiah was no one until the angel came down and touched his lips with a coal."

But on the other hand, was this Jesus a descendant of David? He would have to be to be the Prince that was prophesied, who was, after all, a son of David. But again, why not? Descendants of David were scattered all through the Judeans, even those there in Galilee.

Simon had apparently also been struck out of his usual volubility--or had enough sense to see that his two companions needed to think by themselves. He himself did not seem so overwhelmed, but perhaps as a courtesy walked up and down the room, pondering, while Andrew and John sat in opposite corners (Andrew every now and then looking up at John, who had plunged into the depths of meditation. There was something special there. After all, was it not Jesus's mother that he had visited before they came here? And had she told him that he would find Jesus here? Did he know that Jesus was more than just a carpenter, or was he as completely astounded as Andrew was by discovering him referred to by thunder as his Son? Whatever that meant.

What could it have meant?

"This is my beloved Son; I am pleased with him," the thunder had said--but not in simple Aramaic words; it was though the sounds were images of thoughts or something. One understood them, but as if by being reminded of what they meant.

How incredible! But if thunder were to speak, why would it speak in words? It would be the voice of the One Whose Name We Must Not Pronounce, and would speak directly to one's mind, would it not? Just as it seemed to do. The thunder was just a way of calling attention to the Master who was saying it--which was doubtless why Simon did not hear it--though he said he heard it as "meaningful," though he did not catch what the meaning was. He was too tied down to the literal, so what he heard was thunder, even though he felt that it was more than that.

Perhaps.

Andrew felt a burst of pride that he understood the meaning--if indeed, the meaning was what John understood. It was something meaningful, and it had to do with Jesus. But how could Jesus be the Son of thunder--or rather of the one who made the thunder? The Master was not some Zeus, the Thunder-God; the Master controlled absolutely everything, and thunder and lightning were just manifestations of his power--and if he was omnipotent, feeble ones at that, for all their force.

Thunder itself, after all, was just a sound, however loud and forceful it might be. It was the sound of lightning, which was power, but nothing in comparison with the Creator of not only lightning but everything else. Think of earthquakes, volcanoes. . . .

But that meant that Jesus, the carpenter, was the Son of the Almighty, the Creator of everything! How could it be?

Yet Jesus was the son of Joseph. Everyone knew that. Still, the thunder obviously did not think so. Then who was this man? The thunder could not have lied.

Or rather what was he? And were John and Andrew, and one supposes Simon, supposed to have some special relation with him, since they had heard what the thunder said? John seemed to think so, since Mary seemed somehow to have prepared him for this shock. John seemed to know that something connected with Jesus was going to come out of this meeting with John, but he clearly was not expecting what actually happened.

. . . Of course, if Jesus was actually the Son of the Almighty, and only apparently the son of Joseph--how ridiculous it all was! But the thunder did speak; Andrew could not doubt it--then probably he had only been waiting for the crucial time--when the Bather, acting like Elijah returning, as he was supposed to--

But no. He said he was not Elijah. But he was doing what Elijah was supposed to do if Jesus was the Prince. Perhaps he was John in body and Elijah in mission or spirit. He certainly was announcing that the day of rescue was coming!--but that meant that the Prince everyone had been waiting for for centuries was actually here, in the guise of a simple carpenter!

But in that case, he would have to do a great deal to prove that he was the Prince. Andrew could picture his relatives and friends in Nazareth saying, "Who, he? I knew him as a child. A bright lad, but the Son of the Almighty? And who, then, is Joseph?" And of course anyone else would say, "Why would the Son of the Almighty come from Nazareth? Was he not supposed to hail from Bethlehem, David's city? Was there not even a prophesy to that effect?" Andrew seemed to have recalled something, and certainly whenever there was speculation, at least, it was that he would come from Bethlehem.

Of course, what was Bethlehem? It was to Judea what Nazareth was to Galilee--nowhere--with the single exception of David, who himself was no one until Samuel anointed him.

. . . The Master evidently had his own ideas about how things were to be done.

But that meant that John and Andrew and--and even Simon--were perhaps about to become part of his entourage. Why else scare them out of their tunics with birds lighting on a person while the thunder spoke?

Well, if there were anything to this, it would advance itself on the morrow. Today this Jesus had not acted as if they were even there. The only one he paid any attention to was that Pharisee or whoever he was, and walked away as if that was what he had come for. But then why had John and Andrew heard the thunder speak? No, no, he must have wanted them to think and return. That had to be it.

Of course he would go back on the morrow. He saw that John also was becoming restless, as if he was afraid that he should have followed Jesus this day. But he had more or less vanished, did he not? He certainly gave no sign that he wanted them to follow him. Perhaps he wanted them to have time to digest what they had seen before they acted on it.

Just then a slave from the lawyers Simon and Andrew had been consulting knocked and came into the room and said something to Simon. Simon said to Andrew, "We--or at least one of us--must go back to these people. They have found another snag which must be resolved."

Andrew answered, "But surely you will return to the Jordan tomorrow. We must discover what all this means!"

"You go, with John," said Simon. "A complication has arisen--of course, how else could those people behave?--and I must see to it before we return home. I will take care of it--it is nothing serious--and either meet you or be here so that you can tell me what has happened."

Andrew protested, and they discussed the matter for a while, but finally assented. He came over to John, and said, "I assume you plan to go back to the Jordan tomorrow," and when John said, "You could not keep me away!" he went on, "It turns out that Simon will have to see to some legal detail, which we hope will not take long, but he wants us to go as early as possible, and will either join us, or I can come back and fetch him if necessary."

"Lawyers!" said Simon. "They are like colds; they will appear at the most inconvenient moments! But fear not; I am certain it can all be resolved easily. It is a nuisance, nothing more, but one at least one of us cannot avoid."

Andrew, truth be told, was not that unhappy that it would only be he and John who would go back to investigate Jesus--if, of course, Jesus appeared again to be "investigated." And it seemed as if John also was secretly rather pleased that he and Andrew would be alone together when they met Jesus--as he appeared certain they would.

So the next day, they arrived back at the Jordan quite early; but nothing unusual happened until nearly nightfall. John was bathing the people, (both John and Andrew had themselves bathed), and giving his speech about changing one's way of thinking, because the world was going to be a different sort of place soon.

Then, however, as the sun was setting, Jesus appeared again, and John said, pointing to him, "There is God's lamb, the one who is ridding the world of its sin! He is the one I was speaking of when I said that there was a man coming after me who was ahead of me because he existed before me. And even I was not sure who he was, though I came to bathe you in water to reveal him to Israel."

But then the Bather looked around at everyone (Jesus had gone by by this time, and John was about to go after him, when he realized he did not know where he was), and said, "I saw the Spirit coming down out of the sky like a dove and lighting on him. It was not that I recognized him myself; the one who sent me to bathe the people told me that when I saw the Spirit come down and rest on someone, he would be the one who was to bathe people in the Holy Spirit. And I saw this, and now I can swear that he is the Son of God!"

So, thought Andrew, I was right. John is now confirming that he is the Son of the Almighty himself! Then who is Joseph?

"Rabbi," said John, going up to him. "do you think that he would like others to follow him?"

"Come back tomorrow, and if you see him, your question can probably be answered."

"Perhaps we should be following you."

"Me? Why would you follow the bridegroom's servant when the groom himself is there? No. He will have to grow greater, and I grow less now. You will see. Come back tomorrow."

This was peculiar, thought Andrew. Jesus seemed to be showing himself to them piecemeal, so to speak, teasing them, as if playing some kind of joke on them to see if they would come back a third time, or would give up any idea of being a follower of his. At any rate, since Jesus was not there today, the two went back to their room, where they met Simon, fuming. "All day they kept me!" he raged. "Over nothing! And it is not finished yet! These men can find complications in--in a cup of clear water! I must go back tomorrow! What happened there today?"

The others told him and he exclaimed, "Jesus of Nazareth! Who would have thought it? I think I even met him myself once! It was truly he?"

"Without a doubt," said John. "I know him well."

"Amazing! Well, let me know what happens. I should be through by mid-morning."

That night was haunted with "and now I can swear that he is the Son of God!" The Son of God! What could that mean? And had John not said, "The God God fathered, who is in the Father's bosom?" What could that mean? The God God fathered! And even the thunder confirmed it: "My beloved Son." Incredible! Impossible!

The beginning of the next day promised to be a repetition of the previous one, except that John as he bathed the people had his eye on Andrew and John, who were close beside him, and was obviously watching out for Jesus. As afternoon drew on, Jesus walked by, as if musing on something, paying no attention to John and the ones around him, and the Bather said to Andrew, "That man is God's lamb," clearly indicating that they were to go after him.

This was a new development, thought Andrew. "God's lamb?" And then he realized that it was not new. Had not John said, He remembered from the day before, "There is God's lamb; the one who is ridding the world of its sin." It must refer somehow to the Passover lamb. But what was that all about? Ridding the world of its sin? Was that what the mission of the Prince was to be? Could he rid Andrew of any sin that he might have in resenting Simon--and could he establish true justice on earth? Why not, if he was the "God God fathered," whatever that might mean?

As they followed after him, Jesus gave no sign that he had noticed them, until they were away from the crowd, and then he turned, smiled in recognition at John, and said, "What is it you are looking for?"

"Rabbi," said John, turning red, wondering if that was the title he should give, and evidently at a loss to explain just what he was looking for, "Where--where are you staying?" Andrew was overjoyed that he did not have to say anything; he was even more confused than John seemed to be.

Jesus gave a little chuckle, and said, "Come and see." They followed him to a room not unlike theirs, and he said, with no preamble, "Would you be interested in becoming a part of changing the whole world?"

It was a request to laugh at, except for the fact that the thunder had spoken. The two were astounded, and Jesus said, "You saw what happened the day before yesterday, did you not?" They nodded, rather sheepishly. "It is time--or almost time--for me to put away my, shall we say my disguise, and introduce myself to the world--gradually, gradually. If people accept me, the world will be a very, very different place--and certain people"--he gave a look at John and Andrew in turn--"will understand themselves better and will eventually be able to be at peace. That is what you wish, is it not?" The two nodded. "Among other things, I realize," he added.

He looked at them, as if to ask for comments. Andrew was completely tongue-tied, and even John seemed not to dare to speak to this person, who clearly was at the very least a prophet like Elijah, and whom the thunder had called "his beloved Son." Jesus laughed at their consternation, and said, "Come now. I am still who I was. What I am now is what I was then; it is just that you know a bit more about me than before. But you were not terrified of me," he said, looking at John with amusement, "when I put the 'John board' in your boat and told you to be sure to step on it. Why should you be terrified now?"

Andrew could understand very well how John would think he had very good reason to be terrified now that he realized he had been dealing with some kind of supernatural being--with the supernatural Being, in fact, somehow or other. He finally managed to blurt, "You want us to join you in changing the world? We are but fishermen!"

"Ah, but you will be doing what no human being can do, fisherman or king. You will see. What Elijah did was nothing to what you will do as a matter of course. Had you no desire to be a prophet?"

"He does indeed!" exclaimed Andrew. "He all but told us two days ago!"

"I did not!" said John, scarlet with embarrassment.

Andrew said, "He told us that--you know he spent a week with the school at the High Priest's palace, to see if he wanted to be a rabbi, and he came back two days ago, dissatisfied, and when I mentioned John--the one who was bathing the people--as being a prophet in competition with him because of the name, he acted as if I had read his thoughts!" Andrew was babbling, and suddenly in embarrassment shut off his voice as if it had been a box he closed.

"He actually told Daniel of his ambition, you know," said Jesus. John's head snapped around to look in astonishment at Jesus. Andrew, of course, was totally mystified at who this "Daniel" was. "And Daniel said," he went on "'The Master knows what he is doing, and unless I miss my guess, he has some sort of plan for you; and doubtless this stay with us is part of the preparation he is giving you. He does nothing in vain. I expect some day to be able to say to my friends, "Oh yes, I once knew the great John, and even gave him a little advice and encouragement!"'He does indeed know what he is doing, and Daniel did not miss his guess; he himself was something of a prophet there."

John gaped at him openmouthed. Andrew saw how dumbfounded he was that Jesus knew of a conversation he could not possibly have overheard. Perhaps he was the Creator of the universe, and did know everything! How astounding!

Andrew then exclaimed, 'I must fetch Simon!" and dashed off, leaving John and Jesus alone together.

He had a suspicion that Jesus and John had a good deal to say to each other, things that he was not to be privy to. It looked as if John was going to have a special mission among the rather unpromising followers that were beginning to be collected, and Jesus would have to be grooming him rather a great deal.

But Andrew suddenly realized that if he were to be taking part in changing the world into--what? Perhaps restoring things to the way they were before Adam sinned. Would not that be the miracle of miracles! But why not, if he was the Creator. Could he not be the re-Creator?

And use his followers as agents, and perhaps give them even supernatural powers?

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