The Crown and the Cross: The Life of Christ (6 page)

Time was running out for Herod, too. Seventy years old and afflicted with a terrible disease that eroded his body with the same implacability he had displayed in destroying even those he loved most, he sought desperately for some way to defeat death. Borne to the baths of Callirrhoe beyond the Jordan, he found no relief even in these highly prized medicinal waters. Finally he was carried to the place he loved most, his palace at Jericho, where he prepared to die.

Even before death claimed Herod, the people had begun to rebel against his needless cruelties and his contempt for the one thing they revered most of all, the inviolability of their God. Although he had rebuilt the temple to please the priests and the people and to entrench himself as their king, he had also erected the forbidding fortress of Antonia at one corner of the sanctuary area so that his troops and the Roman cohorts which helped him keep Israel in subjection could be constantly alert for any sign of disturbance in Jerusalem. Above the entrance to the fortress he had placed a great golden eagle, the emblem of Rome, insulting the devout Jews of Jerusalem who had never forgiven him this indignity. Now that Herod was on the point of death they rose in revolt. Two rabbis, Judas and Matthias, led a party against the fortress and tore down the golden emblem.

Captured by the guards, the leaders of the revolt were brought to trial before the dying king. From his couch Herod judged and pronounced sentence; the prisoners were to be burned alive. When this only stirred the passion for freedom in thousands of others who wished to free their land from all foreign domination and set up a king from the line of David, Herod had ordered many of the noblest men of Israel shut up in the great hippodrome which he had erected in Jerusalem for the games, aping his masters in Rome whom he had always sought to please.

Convinced that his own son, Antipater, was conspiring against him, Herod seemed to linger on only to receive the permission he had requested of the Emperor Augustus to execute his own son. This given and the sentence promptly carried out, the king lived only five days more. Buried in splendor in the castle of Herodeion, whose grim bulwarks Joseph had seen on the day when he and Mary had hurried to Bethlehem and again on their flight into Egypt, Herod ended a reign of thirty-seven of the bloodiest, yet, strangely enough, the most prosperous, years Israel had ever experienced.

By Herod’s will, Archelaus, son of Malthace, a Samaritan woman, was made ruler of Judea. Antipas, a younger brother to Archelaus and also called Herod, was given the governorship of Galilee and Peraea with the title of tetrarch, a sort of lesser king. Philip, son of Cleopatra of Jerusalem, was made tetrarch of that part of Herod’s kingdom lying northeast of the River Jordan. Not one of Herod’s sons inherited the title, King of the Jews.

Archelaus quickly proved himself another Herod in cruelty. Embarking upon a reign of terror, he sold the office of high priest to the highest bidder and sought to destroy all who dared resist him. His reign, though short, was turbulent and violent, ending finally in removal from office, trial before the emperor in Rome, and banishment to Vienne in Gaul. Judea was never again to know a king, for Rome now appointed procurators, civil servants who were responsible directly to the emperor.

To Joseph, living quietly with Mary and Jesus on the banks of the Nile in Egypt, the angel of the Lord came once again in a dream with the command that he should return now to Israel. Echoes of the turbulence which had kept the district of Judea a virtual battleground since their escape had come even to Egypt, so Joseph chose to return to Nazareth rather than go to the City of David. And since he desired no contact with the reign of terror Archelaus was carrying out in Judea, he kept to the westward and came into Galilee from that direction.

Traveling as did thousands of wayfarers each year along the Way of the Sea, the great caravan route between Damascus and the cities of Egypt and one of the oldest thoroughfares in the world, Joseph and his family journeyed by way of Gaza, Ascalon, Jamnia, and Lydda, leaving Jerusalem well to the east. From Lydda, they went by way of Antipatris, keeping largely to the border between the Plain of Sharon and hilly Samaria, which was under the dominion of Archelaus. Following the eastern border of the Plain of Sharon and leaving the Roman capital of Caesarea on the seacoast to the west, they turned northeastward then toward Nazareth in the hills of southern Galilee.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Luke 2:52

Upper Galilee, a land of mountains, caves, and passes, was a region of vast panoramas, crisp air, and rugged people. This same ruggedness produced many who fought against authority under the leadership of men who rose now and then to rebel against the yoke of Rome and the Herods. Judas the Gaulonite had come from this region and because of him many hundreds of Jews had been crucified before the government center of Sepphoris when he led a rebellion against Roman rule. Thus the dwellers in southern Galilee, the most populous and orderly portion of the land, distrusted northerners and gave them a wide berth whenever possible.

South of Lake Huleh the Way of the Sea crossed the turbulent Jordan by way of the
Jisr Benat Yakub
, the “bridge of Jacob’s daughters.” Icy cold and bluish green in color, the river hurried on to plunge into the Sea of Galilee. Along the river banks grew oleanders with beautiful white and pink blossoms and the tall, fanlike papyrus from which for thousands of years Egyptians had made long rolls for writing upon. Also growing there was the balsam whose nutlike fruit contained an oil much prized for making the famous “Balm of Gilead.” This was the same balm the Ishmaelites had been taking to Egypt to sell when they had found the sons of Jacob in the act of conspiring to slay their brother Joseph.

The region just west of the Sea of Galilee was a land of broad fields and gently rolling hills. Here Asher had “dipped his foot in oil”—the oil that flowed like a river from the olive presses at harvest time—and had been blessed. Truly was it said, “It is easier to raise a legion of olives in Galilee than one child in the land of Judea.”

In the lovely sunny land, away from the teeming cities of the lake, grapevines hung heavy with fruit and the wine was generous and rich. Grain sowed in the fall grew during the mild winters to a harvest of bounteous proportions. When wheat fields were ready for harvest, the heavy heads of grain bowed down in waves with a hissing noise as they rubbed together. Then the farmer would know the time had come to put in his sickle and reap the grain.

Living was not hard in Galilee as it was in Judea, where prices were often five times as high. In fact, so plump and tasty were the fruits of this region, particularly the Plain of Gennesaret lying on the northwestern shore of the lake, that the priests at Jerusalem would not allow them to be sold there at festival time, lest people from less favored sections come only to taste the fruits and forget their duties at the temple.

Life was busy and active in Galilee. In the towns many artisans labored, while shepherds, farmers, and the keepers of vineyards worked busily in the surrounding countryside. From the higher hills the eye could look westward to the Great Sea with its busy harbors and watch the many-oared vessels plying between them. Smoke rose from dozens of potteries and from furnaces where sand was melted into glass which Phoenician blowers expanded into delicate vases and other articles to be sold in the markets of the world. Weavers, dyers, and workers in wood and metal were always busy, for the excellence of their craftsmanship was widely known and the caravans moving westward to the market at Ptolemais on the seacoast were eager to purchase their products.

Jesus was a little over two years old when Joseph brought his family back to Nazareth. He was a sturdy boy toddling about, eager to explore the wonders of a small child’s world when His father set up his carpenter shop once again. Since Joseph worked for the most part in the open court adjoining the house, that part of the home was naturally taboo for the boy, but in sleepy, quiet Nazareth there was still much to attract His eager curiosity.

Jewish home life was a warm and pleasant thing, the ties that bound parents and children very strong. Having been weaned at the age of two, as was customary, Jesus was no longer known by the diminutive of
jonek
, meaning “sucker,” but was now
gamul
, the “weaned one.” The weaning and their arrival from Egypt were celebrated with a feast, to which the many relatives of Mary and Joseph in this region were invited, some coming from as far away as Capernaum and Bethsaida on the shores of the beautiful lake, where several cousins near Jesus’ own age lived.

The early years passed quickly and almost before Mary realized it, her son was no longer
gamul
, but
taph
, an active growing boy able to run and play with the other children. Early in boyhood the children of the village were sent out to watch the flocks by day. It was easy work, most of it play as they raced about the hillsides or swam in the brooks in summer, for all Jewish families were strictly enjoined to teach their children to swim. In the evening they would drive the flocks back to the safety of the fenced area just outside the town, and afterwards there would be exciting games in the streets and along the steep hillside overlooking the city.

At the age of five, Jewish children were expected, according to an ancient tradition, to begin reading the scrolls of the Torah in Hebrew, but this was generally done with only those who showed considerable precocity. Jesus belonged to this latter class, but His instruction was carried out first in the home, since He was too small as yet to be sent to the town school which was held in the synagogue. Everything about His everyday life and education was intended to inculcate in Him a love for God and God’s Law, the dominant force in all Jewish life.

An ever-present reminder of every Jew’s obligation to his God was the mezuzah attached to the doorpost of each dwelling. A small square of parchment, folded lengthwise, it contained exactly twenty-two lines from the words of God to Moses beginning:

Hear, 0 Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, and with all your strength.

The quotation from the ancient writings ended with the admonition which was the fountainhead of all teaching among, the Jews:

These words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,

that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied

in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them,

like the days of the heavens above the earth.

Placed in a metal case and affixed to the doorpost, the mezuzah was touched by everyone entering the house. Afterwards each who touched it would kiss the finger and speak a prayer that, as promised by the psalmist, “The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in, from this time forth and even forevermore.” Even though carried in His mother’s arms, Jesus could still reach out chubby fingers to touch the mezuzah, and it was a proud day when He could stand on tiptoes and reach the sacred metal box as He entered the house.

From the time He was able to speak, Jesus took part like all Jewish children in the daily prayers of the family and the enjoyment of the Sabbath, which was a time of rejoicing and praising the Lord. The passing of the seasons also brought the religious holidays or feasts.

Particularly enchanting for a child was the Chanukah, or Feast of Dedication, celebrated at the beginning of the winter season. Then in each house on the first day of the festival, one candle would be lighted for every member of the household, increasing by one each day until on the eighth and last evening the number was eight times that of the first. Then Nazareth blazed with light and the children moved through the streets or across the rooftops with hushed steps and eyes filled with awe to watch and pick out the houses of friends and relatives.

The Feast of Purim in the spring and the Festival of Booths or Tabernacles near the beginning of autumn were times of merrymaking and boisterous good cheer which particularly appealed to the boys. Most solemn of all was the Passover, held on the fourteenth day of Nisan, the first month of the religious year. Occurring in spring, it was a time of thanksgiving for the mercy of God in passing over the firstborn of the Children of Israel in Egypt, when the angel of death had warned Pharaoh to let the people go. At this feast the youngest in the family traditionally asked why it was celebrated and, while the family gathered around to listen, the father told once again the thrilling story of how the Children of Israel had been selected by God as His very own, how the land had been promised to Abraham, and how David the king had welded the tribes into a great and prosperous nation. Religion in a Jewish home was a thing of joy, the guiding spirit of every activity.

Because the works of the heathen in any form were considered outside the Jew’s sphere of study, education was almost entirely religious in character. Almost from His first words, Jesus began to learn verses from the sacred writings, wise sayings, blessings, and benedictions used every day, and other bits of religious lore. Being a precocious child He read the Scriptures early and eagerly. Indeed, His mind could be said to resemble that of the ideal scholar described in the ancient writings, a well-plastered cistern from which not a drop of water could escape.

School met daily both morning and afternoon with a long midday recess in summer. The synagogue was used as the schoolhouse in most cases, but in larger towns there was sometimes a special building for this purpose. Presided over by the chazan, the leader of the congregation, the school was a place of strictest discipline. Children of five or six began their studies by reading the Book of Leviticus in Hebrew, first learning the letters from a board, and then learning how to form them into words. Leviticus contained the provisions of the Law which every Jew must know, hence its use as the first text. As the student grew older he learned to read from the writings of the prophets, the Torah, and the apocalyptic books, which were the most recent in origin of all the holy writings.

Not all students were taught to write but being an apt pupil, Jesus was. Ink was made from lampblack, although colored ink was sometimes used by the ostentatious. Reed quills were trimmed with a knife and used for pens. Writing could be on parchment rolls but in Israel was usually on very thin, dried skins, often split into an outer layer for rough work and an inner for more precious writings such as the mezuzah. Occasionally tablets of baked clay were used, as had been the custom in very ancient times.

As the years passed and Jesus grew in stature and knowledge like any other intelligent boy, the memory of the strange events which had accompanied His birth grew fainter in the minds of Mary and Joseph. They had recognized early that He was not exactly like the other boys of their household or of the village, being more studious in nature, more religious by inclination, and more tolerant and warmhearted in His love for others and His interest in them. These were qualities which all parents hoped to see in their children, however, and Mary and Joseph thanked God that Jesus showed every indication of growing up into a man who would be respected by His fellows for His piety, His kindness, and His intelligence, worthy of being a leader in the synagogue and in the community.

Jesus had long since outgrown the loving designation of
taph
and had become
elem
, meaning firm and strong. At the age of twelve He was approaching the state of
naar
, or youth, and in another year would take the ritual step from boyhood to young manhood by becoming bar mitzvah, literally the “Son of the Commandment.” In keeping with rabbinical law, it was customary for a boy of this age to go up with his parents to Jerusalem for the first time to attend the services in the temple, in preparation for the impressive rite of putting away his boyhood. This Mary and Joseph arranged at the season of the Passover when Jesus was twelve years of age.

Traveling to Jerusalem was a thrilling event for a boy at any time, but on the occasion of the religious festivals many others of his own age, including friends and relatives, were also going to the temple, so it was naturally an occasion of considerable excitement. The party from Nazareth left a week before the beginning of the Passover, in order not to be forced to hurry over the distance of about a hundred miles. Actually, it was as much a social occasion as a journey, with the children running ahead to see every new sight, playing games and leaving the road to explore whatever struck their fancies.

From Nazareth they skirted the Sea of Galilee and came to Tarichaea near its southern end. A much straighter route led directly southward through Samaria, but Jews and Samaritans hated each other and travel through that land made a pious Jew unclean and entailed considerable personal risk as well. From Tarichaea the road descended rapidly as it wound along the west bank of the Jordan and they soon came to Scythopolis, a Greek city about the size of Jerusalem, where they crossed over to the east side of the river. Great fields of flax grew all around the city, watered by irrigation ditches from the Jordan.

Coursing like a giant snake in its narrow valley, the Jordan dropped steadily and the climate grew hotter, the strain on the travelers greater as they moved southward. The children stayed close to the others now and made frequent visits to the waterskins. No rain ordinarily fell at this season, so the travelers were quite comfortable sleeping in the open. All along the river were fig trees and date palms and broad fields of wheat and flax, flourishing in spite of the heat because of the plentitude of water from the Jordan. At the fords opposite Jericho, the travelers recrossed the river and set out on the last stage of the journey to the Holy City.