CHAPTER FOURTEEN: TWELVE FOR THE TWELVE TRIBES, AND WOMEN TOO

Much had happened since Jesus had been away from Kefer-Nahum, and the talk of Galilee was the ministries of John and Jesus, with numerous discussions on why they were so different, and whether they were working together or not, especially since they were related to one another. When Jesus got back to Simon’s mother-in-law’s house there was great ferment, but also celebration, to see Jesus again. He knew the crowds would be picking up again soon, asking for healing and help, but now he wanted to concentrate on forming his disciples into an organized band with leaders, and Jesus had decided on Simon, James and John being the inner circle for his Galilean ministry.

Jesus would choose twelve men, from both Galilee and Judea and from all walks of life, not in order to be the nucleus of a new Israel, but to be representatives of his to help him free the twelve tribes of Israel, to find and save the lost sheep of Israel. Jesus would teach them, train them, empower them and send them out to be his arms and legs all across Galilee, extending his ministry in all directions.

But that was not all, for when he returned to Kefer-Nahum Jesus had been approached by one of the first persons he had ever healed or helped in Galilee–Miryam of Migdal. She had asked if she, and some other women could also become learners, be his disciples. To her shock and surprise, Jesus had quickly said yes. Jesus was the first such Jewish teacher or sage or prophet in that age to have women followers or students who were not related to him. This would cause yet more scandal to some conservative pious Jews, especially since it was unprecedented and unknown.

Calling together the Twelve, having been followed by a couple of them from Judea, Jesus led them up to the cliffs of Arbel, and standing on top of this place where you could see in all directions, Jesus said to them “Behold the Galilee. I am appointing you to be my ‘shalihim, my agents, particularly in Galilee. I will be sending you out two by two, since the testimony of two witnesses is needed to verify the truth of anything according to the Law of Moses. Your tasks will be to do the very same things you have seen me do–proclaim the good news of the inbreaking Dominion, heal the sick, and cast out demons. To that end, today I am authorizing and empowering you for this ministry.”

Having said this Jesus laid hands on each of the Twelve, one after another first laying hands on Simon, then on the Zebedees whom he gave the nickname Boanerges (sons of thunder), then on Andrew, Simon’s brother, and Philip, and Bartholemew, and Matthew the tax collector and scribe of the group, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus whose Hebrew name was Nathan’el, and lastly the two Judeans–Simon the Zealot or ‘Qanneaean’ as he was also known, and Judas Iscariot.

As Jesus and the Twelve came back down into the village, there were two people anxiously waiting there for Jesus. The first was a messenger from his cousin John— John had been taken captive by ‘that old fox’ Antipas, and sent to a prison called Machereus on the other side of the Jordan. This grim news Jesus took as a further reason to get on now with the full public phase of his ministry in Galilee. He asked the messenger to stay in touch, and continue to give him updates about what was happening with his cousin. This did not augur well. It meant Herod was prepared to act against even a prophet who was very popular with the people of both Judea and Galilee.

It also meant that Jesus’ timetable had sped up a bit— he would need to go to Netzerit to give his manifesto, his first major sermon explaining the character of his ministry. But he had no delusions that it would be received with much joy or gladness in his hometown. Still, it needed to be given there, since he was known to all as Jesus from Netzerit, and it was appropriate since this was the town where the descendents of David lived in Galilee. Turning to the Twelve he said “of all such men born of women, John is the greatest, but even the least in the Dominion is greater than he. He is the last of the great prophets of old, and the Law and the prophets have been until and including John.”

One of the Twelve interrupted and said “Some say he is the Elijah figure whom was foretold by the prophet Malachi as coming before the great and terrible Day of G-d’s Judgment.”

Jesus responded: “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” The disciples had no response to this, as they did not understand it, and in any case there was no time to ponder it, as there was someone else waiting to speak to Jesus at the edge of Kefer-Nahum.

The other messenger was in fact Jairus the synagogue ruler himself, frantic to have Jesus come because his little daughter was very ill and in danger of dying. Jairus fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come quickly to his house and lay hands on his little girl, which Jesus was very prepared to do. Dismissing all the Twelve except Simon, James and John whom he told to come with him as his witnesses, Jesus could see it would be difficult to get to the house because a huge crowd had come with Jairus, a well-respected elder of the town. Jairus was frantic, and the crowd filled with anticipation, but their very presence was impeding Jesus’ progress towards Jairus’ house

The large crowd made way for Jesus to some extent and followed him and pressed around him from both sides. A woman was there who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

But at once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.

He said to her, “Daughter, it is your faith that has healed you, not some magic in my garments. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. Their long faces already told Jairus what the message was– “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “No need to bother the teacher any more. There’s nothing he can do now.”

Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Jesus did not let anyone follow him to the house except Simon, James, John and Jairus. When they came to the outer courtyard of the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But those from the town who were professional mourners, one who played a wind instrument and a woman who would wail on behalf of the family, laughed at Jesus. It was normal to have a full week of mourning after a death, and they had wasted no time in beginning the process so they might be paid.

Jesus put these people out of the house, and he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in to where the child was. The girl was very still, not breathing, and the pallor of death had settled on her small face. Jesus took her by the hand and said to her in Aramaic, “Talitha koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” ). Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). Both the family and the three disciples were completely astonished and struck dumb by this. He gave strict orders for them to continue their silence about the matter, not letting anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat. Jesus’ concern was that the little girl be allowed to go back to her normal life, and not be thronged with people gaping at her as someone who had cheated death.

Leaving Jairus’ house with the three disciples, he told them, “We must get to work, especially now that John’s ministry has been cut short. The first step is that we must go to Netzerit, this very afternoon as Shabbat is coming, and I need to address my home folks and family, as they will have heard many things about my ministry in the last weeks, some of them true, some of them false.” Looking at Jesus’ face, Simon could see that Jesus was not relishing this return home, more like bracing himself for what was to come, and Simon would soon understand why.