Jesus Before Pilate

Witness: Anya, a Jewish peasant woman of the time of Jesus

Story N. 18 (see previous posts)

In the eerie darkness, where no moon or stars lightens the muddy road, the disciples walk towards the Garden of Gethsemane. Few drops of rain still hit the leaves with a muffled sound. The trees sigh in the wind, their branches reclining to and fro like waving spectral fingers.

Jesus is on his knees and his face is a mask of sorrow. The Son of Man has taken up upon himself a burden so heavy in horror that its weight is crushing him into the very dust. His forehead is covered with crimson sweat as he mourns for the fading happiness that was granted to him on this earth. There is not going to be another sunny, joyful morning for him, nor another tender, odorous night. No more deep valleys, blue oceans, crystalline rivers, sweet-scented flowers, gentle butterflies. Nothing but pain, blood and humiliation are ahead of him. He’s praying:

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.”

As the night hours pass the disciples fall asleep one by one, exhausted with grief.  A sudden commotion awakens Anya from her dreamless repose. The nightmare is already unfolding. Blades glitter in the torches’ light. Unknown, contorted faces appear in their reverberation. Someone shrieks, blood running down his neck. The disciples flee in all directions as Jesus is led away. The sight of the temple guards grabbing him by his wrists chills the morrow of Anya’s bones. She runs until she feels close to fainting, only to fall into Mary’s arms. Mary Magdalene has not abandoned her. Clinging to her Anya lives through the rest of that horrible night. Together they linger outside Caiapha’s courtyard, where Jesus has been taken. Peter has managed to get inside the high priest’s house to see the outcome of Jesus’ trial. When the apostle comes out the two women run to him, asking anxiously:

“Tell us, what happened?”

But Peter cannot answer. His eyes bear the haunted expression of a wild beast. He looks up towards the pitch black sky, then rises his hands to hide his face. Finally he utters:                       

“He has been spat upon, and mocked, and struck. He has been accused of blasphemy. And I …oh Lord, I’m so ashamed…three times I’ve sworn that I didn’t know him, because I was afraid!”

As they weep together a purple haze spreads on the horizon. It’s dawn. Jesus is about to be taken before Pilate, the Roman governor. Anya and Mary of Magdala make their way to the  square in front of his palace. In the livid morning light the people start assembling, waiting for the show to begin. After what seems like an eternity Pilate appears on the terrace. On his left stands Barabbas, who had been condemned for rebellion and murder. On his right stands Jesus. At his sight Anya feels a dead weight upon her heart and a sense of suffocation inside her chest. The feature of his face are swollen and of a bluish color. He has been beaten.

 Pilate addresses the crowd:

“It is our custom that on the feast of Passover we release one prisoner. Now, which one do you want me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus called the Messiah?”

Incredulous, Anya hears the crowd asking vehemently for Barabbas to be freed. These are the same people who idolized Jesus, but now, incited by the scribes, they show no mercy. Never has she felt so helpless, so betrayed. And as she listens to the many voices calling for his death, one strikes her as well known, and she shudders inwardly. Her gaze searches the crowd, and it’s tainted with horror. When it meets the object of her distress, it feels as if she had been punched in the stomach. Neri, his mouth opened in a hateful grimace, is screaming:

“Let Jesus be crucified!”

A sickening of the heart overwhelms Anya’s senses. I’ve lost everything, she thinks. There is nothing left for me in this evil world. Covering her ears with her hands, she buries her face against Mary’s chest and whispers:

“Please, take me away.”

        

The Last Supper

 Witness: Anya, a Jewish peasant woman of the time of Jesus.

Story N. 17 (see previous posts)

On a gray, moistly day on the feast of Passover, Anya is standing outside an unknown house in the suburbs of Jerusalem. She has been there for a while, trying to gather the courage to knock at the door. An hour earlier, while accompanying Jesus and the apostles to the Passover supper, she saw a man she had met once before and decided to tail him. She wrapped the veil around her head and followed him cautiously, so as not to attract his attention.  She remembers him talking to Neri at the wedding at Cana, right before her husband told her that he was going to join the rebels. Something tells her that he has news about Neri.

Anya steps near the door and pushes it slightly open. A single, feeble gleam of light makes its way into the dark room, falling on the man reclined at the table. He seems weary, as if an invincible inertia had set upon him. After a long silence, he finally acknowledges her presence.

“What do you want, woman?” he asks.                                              

“I’m Neri’s wife. I need to know where he is.”

“And why should I tell you? You betrayed him.”

“I did not. We grew apart. But I still love him. Please tell me, is he alive?”

“He is indeed.”

“Where can I find him?”

“All I can tell you is that he’s here in Jerusalem. I’m not allowed to say anything more.”

“Then, I’m begging you, let him know that I’m here too. He can find me at the temple, among Jesus’ disciples.”

“Right. He told me that you followed those crazy sheep.”

“Will you do what I said?”

“I will. Go now.”

Dusk is falling. A thick fog hangs over the city. Anya walks through crooked lanes and devious ways, coming out, at length, in the proximity of a crowded crossroad. She retraces her steps to the place where she parted with the disciples a few hours earlier. The rain is pouring now, and she runs to reach the house where the Passover supper was served. Jesus is nowhere in sight, but the apostles are still there. Their behavior strikes her as unusually agitated. They seem to be in agony. She approaches James, who always manages to keep his composure.

“What’s the matter, James?” she asks him.

He looks at her with sadness.

“Jesus gave us the last commandments. This was our last supper together.”

“No! Where is he?”

“He’s praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. We’ll join him soon. He said that the hour is coming when each of us will be scattered, and we will leave him alone. He said that one of us is going to betray him and have him arrested.”

Anya remains silent, overwhelmed by a feeling of despair. James takes her by her shoulders and looks into her eyes. His voice is full of hope.

“He also said that we shouldn’t worry, because he’s not alone. The Father is with him. He said that the world will hate us, but we must take courage, for he has conquered the world. ‘Heaven and earth will pass away,’ he said, ‘but my words will not pass away.’”

Anya’s eyes fill up with tears.

“What’s going to become of us?” she asks.

“We’ll live in his memory,” James replies. “Tonight he showed us how. He broke the bread and said ‘This is my body, which will be given up for you. Take it and eat it.’ Then he took a cup and gave it to us, and said ‘Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for you. Do this in memory of me.”

Crushed with sorrow, Anya grabs James’ arms.

“I don’t want his blood!” she cries. “Why does he have to die? I want to live with him in the Kingdom of heaven! When will the Kingdom come, James?"

He looks at her with a peaceful smile.

“Only the Father knows. But one day Jesus said that the coming of the Kingdom cannot be observed, and no one will announce ‘Look, there it is’. For behold, the Kingdom of God is among us.”

                                            

A Woman Caught in Adultery

Witness: Anya, a Jewish peasant woman of the time of Jesus.

Story N. 16 (see previous posts)

 

Sitting in the Temple’s shadow Anya recalls her last meeting with Neri. He accused her of committing adultery. Why did he doubt her honesty? Did she give him reason to distrust her in the past? 

Offended and sad, she left with tears in her eyes. If only he had followed Jesus for a few days he would have realized that it is impossible to sin in his presence. His gaze can search every souls, his countenance can only inspire the purest thoughts. How could anyone go against the word of God, when it comes from Jesus’ mouth? But most of all, to commit sin would mean, for his disciples, that they haven’t grasped any of his teachings. Why follow him then, if not to change one’s old ways?  Many times he said:

“Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. If you are my disciples you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Who can deny that sin generates vice? And vice enslaves people. They want more and more and are never satisfied. But when Jesus reigns inside you, all the things of the world fade away. The Pharisees take offense at him because he eats with sinners, but he came to redeem those who sin and set them free from their earthly entanglements. He came to give them a new mind so that they could perceive God’s love. The Pharisees have closed their eyes to Jesus because they fear him. They are blind to his truth.

But is it possible to live like Jesus preaches? Only through his unspeakable grace. Anya’s heart stretched to measure up to Jesus’ love and reached the heavens. She knows that she would have been incapable of going that far if left on her own. She understands his message because she lives in which that comes from him. He became the foundation of her own existence, and only in this way she was able to change her soul.

Anya turns around to look at Jesus. He’s sitting in the shadow of the temple, surrounded by his flock. From a distance she watches the scribes and the Pharisees walking towards him. They are dragging with them a young woman. Her clothes are torn and she’s sobbing. Sensing danger, Anya springs on her feet. One of the scribes pushes the woman in front of Jesus.

“Teacher,” he says, “This woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”

An icy silence envelops the crowd. The tension rises, but Jesus doesn’t seem to mind. His head bent down, he’s writing on the ground with his finger. But when asked again, he rise his face to look at the scribes and says:                                                                                                                            

“Let the one among you who is without sin to be the first to through a stone at her.”

Then he begins to write on the sand again.

And so it happens that, one by one, the accusers walk away, their eyes cast down. Anya’s fear turns into exultation. Those men must be carrying a heavy burden on their conscience! Or maybe the simple truth is that no one is without sin and, in his wisdom, Jesus knows it. He knew that his answer would save that woman. She’s crouching down on the ground, her face buried in her arms. Trembling with terror, she’s waiting for the first stone to hit her. Jesus lays his hand on her back.

“Woman,” he calls her softly, “Look up. Where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

Slowly she straightens up and looks around.

“No one, sir,” she replies, incredulous.

“Neither I condemn you.” says Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”

Pale but relieved, she frantically kisses his hand and runs away.
Anya smiles. A woman caught in the act of adultery has been forgiven, and those learned men have been forced to admit that they are sinners. Maybe this is the beginning of their salvation. Or rather,

they’ll take offense at Jesus even more and the scandal will reach uncontrollable proportions. Like
never before, Anya realizes that Jesus has no choice but to stand against the wickedness of the world.
For if he came to save the world, how could he not save that woman?

       

   

The Tribute to Caesar

Witness: Anya, a Jewish peasant woman of the time of Jesus.

Story n. 15 (see previous posts)

                             

 “Whoever drinks from my mouth will never thirst.” 

This is Jesus’ promise and Anya’s desire: To drink every word as if it were the last drop of water in the desert. I’ll remember them, she thinks, cherish them, make them mine. Under the twinkling stars at night or the melting sun during the day she follows Jesus closely, loving him with the desperate awareness of the imminent end. But his voice is consoling, his demeanor peaceful. Anya rests in the unfading light that emanates from his being. The mere way he moves his hands about when he speaks fills her with wonder. She remains still, eager to capture each gesture and impress it in her memory.

The mountains outside of Jerusalem are blue and pale in the early morning mist and the humming of the bees accompanies Jesus’ discourse:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Remain in my love. This is my commandment: Love one another as I love you. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.”

Anya calls him softly by his name, knowing that he can’t hear her while clearly and quietly he passes on to them his never-ending bliss.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness. I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light.”

                                                                                                                                    

Dwelling upon the harmony of his voice Anya watches how intently the disciples are listening. Beautiful Mary Magdalene is moved to tears, her pale hands clasped together against her chest. James, worn out and dusty, seems to rejoice at Jesus’ promises and exhortations. Peter is frowning, standing motionless with his arms folded. Jesus’ words evoke all sort of emotions and they always stir the heart. The Pharisees are not immune. Their reaction is usually one of contempt and distrust. They pretend to be righteous in order to trap him in his speech. Today a small group is approaching, ready to shatter the holiness of the moment. An icy chill runs through Anya’s body. In her eyes their essence is pure evil. One of them, a man with hollow temples and a high forehead, addresses Jesus:

“Teacher,” he says, “we know that you show no partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Therefore we ask you, is it lawful for us to pay tribute to Caesar or not?”

Jesus answers with a shade of irony:

“Show me a denarius.”

The man hands him the coin, watching him inquisitively.

“Whose image does it bear?” Jesus asks him.

“Caesar’s, “he replays.

“Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

The man remains silent. His lips shrink as he lays his glassy stare on Jesus. Anya smiles inwardly, wondering how many times the Pharisees will humiliate themselves before acknowledging that they are no match for Jesus. She has already forgotten that one day he will surrender to them and the Sadducees out of his own will. She refuses to remember what he said about the scribes arresting him, mocking him, killing him. She’s filled with the certitude that Jesus will never leave his disciples. He’s the Messiah. He will become King of Israel and bring glory to his people. He will be with them forever.