What follows is a proposed 'chapter' in a fiction work about John the Baptist. The working intent is to re-introduce John to the church as a real human being, with the thought that we have lost him as such in the history of the Messiah and the church. John discipled at least four of the original twelve apostles before baptizing Jesus, and may have been related to them as he was to Jesus. He was an extremely important spiritual leader in first century Judaism and in the early church. He was the only Jewish prophet who saw in Christ the coming of the new covenant promised by Jeremiah several centuries before him.
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In the spring when the boys were ten, Joseph, Mary and Jesus
visited John's family as they did from time to time. John and Jesus quickly
found an opportunity to run off into the rocky hills and fields around the
village. The late morning sun warmed the earth and scruffy plants of the Judean
hills, filling nostrils with the tang of sage and caper berry, the loamy fume
of vineyards and the grassy, fertile odor of pastures covered with grazing
sheep.
Further up a ridge, John pulled from a shoulder pouch of woven
cord a long thin piece of soft leather like a belt with a wide spot in the
middle. “Have you used a sling before?”
“I’ve seen the shepherd boys throw with them but I never
tried one.”
Smiling, John encouraged him, “Come on, I’ll teach you to
bring down the bear and lion, just like King David,” and he proceeded to make a
small piles of earth and gravel on top of a large flat boulder. Jesus made some
too and then they retreated back about twenty paces.
“Round stones work best, they fly straighter.” From his
pouch he produced a smooth rock the size of a small fig, “I got these from the
wadi on the other side of the village.” Quickly he set a stone in the middle of
the sling, whipped it up over his head and extending his arm gave the sling
three more revolutions a little faster each time. On the third one he released
an end of the sling. The stone streaked toward the boulder and kicked up dust
as it grazed the side of one pile.
“Got it! Look, you grab one end with your thumb and finger
like this and the other end you hold between your fingers. When you’re ready,
let go with your thumb to release this end of the sling.” He handed Jesus a
stone and the sling. Jesus repeated what John showed him but every time he
began to swing it, the stone fell out at his feet. John grabbed the sling and
showed him again, “You have to start the swing back a little, then when you
whip it forward the stone will stay in it,” and he handed it back. Jesus tried
again and was able to whip the sling around but his fingers slipped off one end
and the stone went flying at John. “Watch out!”
But John was standing well back to stay clear of the sling’s
arc and was able to just dodge the stone. “Ah! You’re trying to kill me.” They
both burst out laughing. “Your fingers are dusty and slipped.” He gave Jesus
another stone. “You were doing fine, try it again just hold on tighter.” Then
he ran off. “Wait until I get behind this tree.”
Gripping with white knuckles Jesus started up the sling
again, rotating faster and faster. Now he could feel the timing of the stone
and the movement of his forearm, similar to throwing. He released an end of the
sling and the stone flew far over the boulder and into a nearby gully, scaring
up a small cadre of crows.
John ran up, “Let me try a shot.” And before Jesus had any
idea what John was about to do, he snatched the sling, seated a stone in it and
wound up. Off to one side of the boulder a crow had landed on a close juniper
branch. John gave a mighty heave as he sent the stone flying at the bird. The stone
crashed into the branch and the crow flew off to another nearby tree scolding
the boys with its noisome squawks.
Startled by the sudden harmful intent of John, Jesus warily
queried “Why did you do that?”
“I didn’t hurt it.”
John replied defensively.
“You could have. The crow has done you no harm.”
“Stupid crow!” spat John and he fired another stone at the
bird. This time he was on the mark and the crow fell in a burst of feathers to
the ground. Struggling to its feet, it tried to fly away. It was clear its wing
was injured.
Jesus started to walk toward the crow and turned around.
John skulked off. “John, wait!” but John kept going. He tried to pick up the
crow, thinking to take it back to his father, but it huddled back, threatening
him noisily with its large black beak. Jesus slowly rose fearing it was doomed
if it did not recover the use of its wing.
He found John perched on a small cliff and sat next to him.
With their feet dangling over the edge, they looked across the nearer reaches
of the Judean wilderness. Out of the corner of his eye, Jesus noticed John
staring hard at the barren wasteland, a small crease between his eye brows.
Jesus scanned across the wide space of brushy wadis, dusty plateaus and
successive treeless ridges disappearing into the haze as they wore down and
east towards the Dead Sea.
Jesus: “What do you see?”
John: “I’m sorry. Maybe I can take it home and help it get
better.”
Jesus: “Maybe”
John: “What do you see?”
Jesus: “Not much” with a smirk.
John: “I see this” and he held up a hand full of pebbles and
earth.
They both chuckled. “It’s making me hungry… and thirsty.”
His smile fading quickly, Jesus resumed a concerned gaze,
“More than that.”
John: “Boring?”
Jesus: “Exposed.”
They were quiet a few minutes and then Jesus began reciting from the
prophet Isaiah:
“Let the wilderness and thirsty land be glad,
let the desert rejoice and burst in to flower.
Let it flower with fields of asphodel,
Let it rejoice and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon is given to it,
The splendor too of Carmel and Sharon;
These shall see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our
God.”
John continued,
“Strengthen the feeble arms,
Steady the tottering knees;
Say to the anxious, ‘Be strong and fear not.’
See, your God comes with vengeance,
With dread retribution he comes to save you.”
Jesus:
“Then shall blind men’s eyes be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap like a deer
and the tongue of the dumb shout aloud;
for water springs up in the wilderness,
and torrents flow in dry land,
The mirage becomes a pool,
The thirsty land bubbling springs;
Instead of reeds and rushes, grass shall grow
In the rough land where wolves now lurk.”
John:
“And there shall be a causeway there
Which shall be called the Way of Holiness
and the unclean shall not pass along it;
it shall become a pilgrim’s way,
no fool shall trespass on it.”
Then they recounted together the last stanza:
“By it those he has ransomed shall return
And the LORD’s redeemed come home;
they shall enter Zion with shouts of triumph,
crowned with everlasting gladness.
Gladness and joy shall be their escort,
and suffering and weariness shall flee away.”
A large flock of blackbirds crossed their view in the
distance, rising and falling like a speckled cloud. Jesus dropped a fist sized
rock. It broke the stillness of the morning air with an almost rhythmic crack
as it skipped down the cliff face until it joined the rubble pile at the edge
of a rushing creek.
John: “Let’s flee!”
John started loping back across the ridge and Jesus jumped
up to chase him. When they reached the slope that led back to the village road
they both ran faster and faster down the increasing decline.
Back in the village Zacharias and Joseph strolled along to
stretch their legs. As they passed the last house they could see in the
distance a small cloud of rising dust descending the hill that rose where the
path swerved east to go around it. A large flock of sheep crossed it at the
foot of the hill. The shepherds and their dogs herded them toward the pastures
along the west side of the ridge where the olive orchard provided some shade
near a spring.
Zacharias’ old eyes could make out little detail, “What is
that coming down the hill?”
“All I see are arms and legs flying about but I believe
that’s our boys,” Joseph replied. “I’ll be surprised if they don’t end up crashed on one of the
boulders they are leaping over.”
John and Jesus recklessly let gravity pull them down the
slope ever faster, jumping over rocks
and bushes, dodging trees and clefts in their trajectory. Almost every step
required some subtle re-direction to avoid disaster. They smashed through
thorny clumps of acanthus brush and
acacia trees, leaving welts and scratches to tend later. Some footfalls fell
square on a boulder requiring them to leap from it, not knowing how to manage
the next landing. It felt as though they could launch into flight if only they
had wings. They laughed and yelped out of sheer exhilaration. Nearing the
bottom of the hill they headed for the trail and realized too late that dozens
of sheep blocked their way back to the village. Slowing not a bit John plunged
into the flock now frantically scattering in every direction before him. Jesus
chased him right through the pandemonium.
Dogs barked furiously not knowing which way to direct the
sheep, shepherds cursed waving their arms wildly, and the sheep leaped all
about with wide-eyed baying. John continued to race to the village but Jesus
stopped, becoming aware of the mess they had made. He began to herd some of the
scattered sheep back toward the shepherds. In a little while with the help of
the dogs the shepherds once again gathered together their flock.
John, no longer hearing Jesus behind him, turned and
watched. Then he continued on toward his home and encountered the two men.
Zacharias: “John, do they need your help?” Zacharias found
that John responded to this gentle form of remonstrance more positively than a
direct comeuppance.
John: “Yes, father” sighing he turned and went back.
After they had collected the flock and moved it to the
spring the shepherds counted off the ewes and lambs. Staring at John one of
them angrily shouted, “There is a lamb missing.”
One of the shepherd boys John had seen previously with the
flocks pulled Jesus’ arm and yelled at them both, “Come on we’ve got to find
it!”
They looked for a long time and were getting worried. Then
Joseph and Zacharias walked up to the boys. Joseph carrying the lamb asked, “Is
this what you’re looking for?”
The shepherd boy yelped in delight and took the lamb in his
arms and ran back to the flock, “Father we found Gideon!!”
The shepherd still irritated nodded to Joseph and then
glared at John and Jesus.
“This lamb fell off a small bluff into a stream a week ago
and the water carried him into a small canyon. I knew he was going to die.
Jacob, my son here, jumped in struggling downstream toward the rapids. When the
water took him under, I thought I was going to lose him too. I lost sight of
both the lamb and the boy. I can’t swim, neither can Jacob…” his voice broke a
bit and he paused, “I had to climb out and go around the wadi. When I got to
the other end I climbed down to the stream and there he was wading to shore
with the lamb in his arms. The lamb’s mother was killed by a wolf when it was a
new born. Jacob was able to get it to drink milk from a small pouch and kept it
alive.”
John said, “I’m… I’m sorry. How can I repay you?”
The shepherd was quiet, surprised by this turn of heart. He
looked at John and Zacharias, who had come up behind the boy and put his hands
on his shoulders, and realized this was the son of a priest.
“You can teach my son the Torah. We observe the Sabbath when
we can, attend synagogue even less, but he has no time for the lessons. You’ll
have to teach him in the fields”
Zacharias smiled and squeezed John’s shoulders gently,
“He’ll be there tomorrow. The Lord blesses those who believe His word.” They
left and with Joseph and Jesus returned to the village.
“John, when we get back to the house your mother needs your
help.”
“Yes, father, but I must go to the miqveh first. Come on
Jesus,” and the two of them scampered off.
Joseph gave Zacharias a quizzical look as they proceeded
back to the village.
“John has not brought uncleanness into the home since he was
old enough to understand. Which means he visits the miqveh almost every day.”
Zacharias smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, “I used to worry a lot about
him, like you do about Jesus, but he is strong and seems invincible. I think
his angels must be fierce, he is always outdoors. He is a bright boy, too. He
respects the Law and studies hard.”
“Yes,” Joseph replied, “as does Jesus when there is time.
There is much to do in the shop and he’s become a very productive helper.”
“They are good lads, Joseph. Would that I could live to see
their day.”
“We have our time, Zacharias. We have our time with them.”
