GRM 218.2-5 · Volume 3
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
He walks confidently as far as a little rural suburb where market gardeners grow vegetables for the town. The fields and market gardens are tidy and well looked after and men and women are working in them, pouring water in the furrows, after drawing it laboriously from wells by hand, or in the old squeaky method by means of buckets pulled up by a poor blindfolded donkey walking around the well. But they do not say anything. Jesus greets them. «Peace be with you.» But if they are not hostile, they are certainly indifferent.
«My Lord, we are running the risk of dying of hunger here. They do not understand Your greetings. I will try now» says Thomas. And he starts a conversation with the first market gardener he sees: «Are your vegetables expensive?»
«Not more than other market gardeners’. Dear or not dear, according to how thick a purse is.»
«Well said. But, as you can see, I am not dying of starvation. I am fat and rosy even without your vegetables. Which means that my purse is well stocked. Listen: we are thirteen and we have money to spend. What can you sell us?»
«Eggs, vegetables, early almonds, apples flabby by age, olives… Whatever you want.»
«Give me some eggs, apples and bread for everybody.»
«I have no bread. You will find it in town.»
«I am hungry now, not in an hour’s time. I don’t believe that you have no bread.»
«I have not got any. The women are making it. See that old man over there? He always has plenty, because as he is closer to the road, pilgrims often ask him for it. Go to Ananiah and ask him. I will bring you the eggs now. But, mind you, they cost a coin a pair.»
«What a thief you are! Do your hens perhaps lay golden eggs?»
«No. But it is not pleasant to be in the middle of the stench of poultry, and one does not do it for nothing. In any case, you are Jews, are you not? So pay!»
«You can keep your eggs. And that’s you paid!» and Thomas turns his back to him.
«Ehi! man! Come here. I will give you them for less. Three for a coin.»
«Not even four. You can eat them yourself and may they choke you.»
«Come here. Listen. How much are you prepared to give me?» The market gardener chases Thomas.
«Nothing. I don’t want them anymore. I wanted to have a snack before going to town. But it is better so. I will not lose my voice or my appetite before singing the king’s stories and I will have a good meal at the hotel.»
«I will give you them for a didrachma a pair.»
«Ugh! You are worse than a horse-fly. Give me your eggs. And make sure they are new laid ones. Otherwise I will bring them back and I will make your snout yellower than it already is.» And Thomas comes away with at least two dozen eggs in the fold of his mantle. «See? From now on I will do the shopping in this land of thieves. I know how to deal with them. They are lousy with money when they come to purchase our goods for their women and our bracelets are never heavy enough and they haggle over prices for days. I will avenge myself.
218.3
Now let us go and see that other nasty piece of work. Come, Peter. Here, John, take the eggs.»
They go to the old man whose market garden is near the main road, which from the north leads to the town running near the houses of the suburb. It is a fine well paved road, certainly Roman work. The eastern town gate is now quite near and beyond it one can see that the road proceeds straight and becomes really artistic, with a shady porch on each side, supported by marble columns, in the cool shade of which people walk leaving the middle of the road to donkeys, camels, dogs and horses.
«Hail! Will you sell us some bread?» asks Thomas.
The old man either does not hear or does not want to hear. In actual fact the squeaking of the water-wheel is such that it can cause confusion.
Peter loses his temper and shouts: «Stop your Samson! At least it will be able to catch its breath and not die under my eyes. And listen to us!»
The man stops the donkey and casts a side glance at his interlocuter, but Peter disarms him saying: «Eh! Is it not right to give the name of Samson[1] to a donkey? If you are a Philistine, you should like it because it is an insult to Samson. If instead you come from Israel, you should like it because it reminds you of a defeat of the Philistines. So you can see…»
«I am a Philistine and am proud of it.»
«You are right. And I will be proud of you if you give us some bread.»
«But are you not a Judaean?»
«I am a Christian.»
«What place is that?»
«It is not a place. It is a person. I belong to that person.»
«Are you His slave?»
«I am more free than any other man because he who belongs to that person does not depend on anybody, except God.»
«Are you speaking the truth? Not even on Caesar?»
«Phew! What is Caesar as compared to Him Whom I follow, and to Whom I belong, and in Whose name I ask you to give me some bread?»
«But where is that powerful man?»
«That man over there, the One looking here and smiling. He is the Christ, the Messiah. Have you never heard of Him?»
«Yes, the king of Israel. Will He defeat Rome?»
«Rome? The whole world, also Hell.»
«And you are His generals? Dressed like that? Perhaps to evade the persecutions of the wicked Jews.»
«Well… it is, and it isn’t. But give me some bread and while eating I will explain the situation to you.»
«Bread? But I will also give you water, and wine, and seats in the shade, for you and for your companion and for your Messiah. Call Him.»
And Peter rushes towards Jesus. «Come, come. He will give us what we want… that old Philistine. But I think he will assail You with questions… I told him Who You are… I more or less told him… But he is favourably disposed.»
218.4
They all go to the market garden where the man has already arranged benches round a coarse table under a thick vine pergola.
«Peace to you, Ananiah. May your ground be fertile because of your charity and may it bear you rich fruit.»
«Thank You. Peace to You. Sit down. Anibe! Nubi! Bring bread, wine and water at once» the old man orders two women who are certainly African, because one is absolutely black with thick lips and frizzly hair and the other is very dark but more of a European type.
And the old man explains: «They are the daughters of my wife’s slaves. She is dead and the slaves who came with her are also dead. But the daughters are here. They come from the High and Low Nile. My wife came from there. It’s forbidden, eh? But I don’t care. I am not an Israelite and the women of inferior race are meek.»
«Are you not from Israel?»
«I am by force, because Israel oppresses us like a yoke. But… You are an Israelite and You will feel insulted at what I say?…»
«No. I am not offended. I would only like you to listen to the voice of God.»
«It does not speak to us.»
«That is what you say. I am speaking to you, and that is His voice.»
«But You are the King of Israel.»
The women who are arriving with bread, water and wine when they hear «king» being mentioned, stop dumbfounded looking at the smiling dignified young man, whom their master calls «King», and they are about to withdraw, almost creeping out of respect.
«Thank you, women. Peace to you, too.» Then, addressing the old man: «They are young… You may go on with your work.»
«No. The soil is wet and can wait. Speak to us a little. Anibe, unharness the donkey and take it to the stable. And you, Nubi, pour the last buckets of water and then… Are you stopping here, Lord?»
«Do not go to any further trouble. I only want to take some food and then I will go to Ashkelon.»
«It is no trouble. Go to town, but come back here in the evening. We will share our bread and salt. You two, hurry up. You see to the bread, you call Jetheo, tell him to kill a kid and prepare it for this evening. Go.» And the two women go away without speaking.
218.5
«So You are a king. But Your army? Herod is cruel in every possible way. He rebuilt Ashkelon. But for his own glory. And now!… But You know the disgraceful things of Israel better than I do. What will You do?»
«I have but the weapon that comes from God.»
«David’s sword?»
«The sword of My word.»
«Oh! You have some hopes! It will become blunt against bronze hearts.»
«Do you think so? I am not aiming at a kingdom in this world. I am aiming at the Kingdom of Heaven on behalf of all of you.»
«Us all? Me, as well, a Philistine? And my slaves?»
«For everybody. You and them. And for the most uncivilised man in the centre of African forests.»
«Do You want to establish such a wide kingdom? Why do You call it of Heaven? You could call it: Kingdom of the Earth.»
«No, do not misunderstand me. My Kingdom is the Kingdom of the True God. God is in Heaven. So it is the Kingdom of Heaven. Every man is a soul clad with a body and a soul can live but in Heaven. I want to cure your souls, remove their errors and hatred and lead them to God through goodness and love.»
«I like that very much. I do not go to Jerusalem, but I know that no one in Israel has spoken like that for ages. So You do not hate us?»
«I do not hate anyone.»
The old man is pensive… then he asks: «And have the two slaves got a soul the same as you people of Israel?»
«Of course they have. They are not captured wild beasts. They are unhappy creatures. They deserve love. Do you love them?»
«I do not ill-treat them. I want them to obey, but I never use a lash and I feed them well. They say that an ill-fed animal will not work. But also an ill-fed man is bad business. And they were born in the house. I saw them when they were babies. They are the only ones who will be left, because I am very old, You know? Almost eighty. They and Jetheo are what is left of my old household. I am fond of them as I am of my property. They will close my eyes…»
«And then?»
«And then… Who knows! I don’t know. They will go and work as maidservants and the house will fall to pieces. I am sorry. I made it wealthy by my work. This ground will be covered with sand again and become sterile… This vineyard… My wife and I planted it. And that rosery… It’s Egyptian, Lord. I smell the perfume of my wife in it… It seems my son… the only son who is buried under it and is now dust… Sorrows… It is better to die young and not see all that and death which is approaching…»
«Your son is not dead, neither is your wife, their souls survive. Their flesh is dead. Death must not frighten you. Death is life for those who hope in the Lord and live righteously. Think about it… I am going to town. I will come back this evening and I will ask you to allow Me to sleep under that porch with My disciples.»
«No, my Lord. I have many empty rooms. I offer them to You.»
Judas puts some coins on the table.
«No. I don’t want them. They are of this country that is hateful to you. But perhaps they are better than those who rule over us. Goodbye, my Lord.»
«Peace to you, Ananiah.»
The two slaves together with Jetheo, a brawny elderly peasant, have come to see Him leave. «Peace to you as well. Be good. Goodbye» and Jesus touches lightly Nubi’s frizzy hair and the shiny straight hair of Anibe, He smiles at the man and departs.