Jesus Christ

Jesus goes to a banquet given by Joseph of Arimathea. Lazarus, Gamaliel, Felix, John, Simon and Cornelius (Pharisees) are present. Jesus, for his part, has taken Thomas and Nicodemus with him. The guests talk about John the Baptist, whose holiness is indisputable, and how miracles do not necessarily prove holiness. They deviate to Aaron and Moses, talking in particular about the pontificate and the high priest, Caiaphas. Jesus gives a definition of a pontiff, but Felix is angry and leaves. Jesus then asks Gamaliel if he too wants a miracle, and Gamaliel only wants the sign the Child has promised him.

Jesus is in the Temple in Jerusalem. He is praying. But Alexander, the Roman soldier he has met before, appears. His horse has wounded a child, who is in agony, so he comes looking for the Master, who he is sure can save this innocent. His arrival causes a scandal, because a pagan in the Temple is very serious in the eyes of the Pharisees. So Jesus goes straight to him and heals the boy. The doctors of the Law then reproached him for all the commotion he was causing in the holy place...

Jesus is with his disciples in the olive grove of Gethsemane. The apostolic group talks about the Gentiles who are interested in Jesus, which creates misgivings among some Israelites. The discussion then turns to the idolatry of the Romans, but also to the idolatries in everyone's hearts. Later, everyone withdraws, except John, Simon the Zealot and Jesus. The Master has kept his two apostles close to him because Nicodemus wants to see him, and while John goes to fetch him, Christ confides to Simon that he will be leaving Jerusalem for a while. Nicodemus then arrives and tells them that he and Joseph of Arimathea are his disciples in secret, the better to know what the Sanhedrin wants to do against him. The Sanhedrin is hostile to him, and Jesus lets him know that he will be moving away from Jerusalem. This devastates Nicodemus, who thinks he's done the wrong thing by talking to him, and Simon the Zealot confirms to the old man that Jesus was already planning to leave the Holy City, even before their meeting.

Lazarus gives the Savior a house to stay in for a while. Then the Pharisee comes along, grieving that he doesn't believe as simply as John and Simon, and Jesus confides in him that they have been spiritually reborn. He confirms that there is no such thing as reincarnation, and gives his speech as found in John 3:1-21: "Amen, amen, I say to you: no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit", and so on.

Jesus goes to Bethany to face the hostility of the Pharisees. Lazarus gives him the land of Belle-Eau. In this chapter, we discover that the son of Theophilus intervened a great deal in secret, on behalf of Jesus and his friend Simon. The Lord speaks of his friend's spiritual goodness and promises that the Father has a great reward in store for him. He speaks of his future sanctification in Heaven, and by extension of the saints and blessed who will be there.

In EMV 120, Jesus preaches on the Commandment: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me". He talks about the presence of God, who is with man all the time, encouraging him to do good deeds all the time; this also discourages his children from doing evil. Then Jesus speaks of the Lord's holy jealousy, who wants us for himself, for an eternity of delight, in his endless Heaven. Finally, he speaks of idolatry, for we all have secret altars in our hearts; then the Savior emphasizes the mercy of the Most High, and invites us to act well, to make of our hearts a Heaven that welcomes God.

When the preaching is over, Jesus performs miracles on sick people. Then he sends the Twelve to baptize, while Judas and Simon give alms.

At Belle-Eau, the apostles are restless, for Herod's brother-in-law, Manahen, has arrived to listen to the Master. But Jesus isn't there yet, and the Twelve are troubled by the lack of instructions from the Lord. An argument soon breaks out between Peter and Judas: Simon of Jonah doesn't want the Iscariot to approach Aglaia, and ends up telling Judas the truth. The other apostles intervene, as all this arguing is tiring Jesus, and both Jude and Philip report two episodes in which they caught Jesus crying. The future betrayer bursts into tears, and the Savior arrives in the meantime. Peter blames himself for being too hard on Judas, but Judas also admits he's no good. Jesus calms things down, assures them that Manahen wants to see him without any bad intentions, then sends the others away and talks to Judas. Jesus wants his disciple to examine himself and speak with his soul, the better to discern his faults, and Judas finally confesses that Christ is not righteous. In fact, the man from Keroth is jealous and Jesus puts the church back in the middle of the village. He reminds them that he has constantly defended them to the other apostles, and then Jesus takes his leave, as it is time for him to go and see the crowd waiting for him.

The Master gives a speech to La Belle-Eau on the commandment "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain". He returns to Israel's error, believing that pagans blaspheme when they pronounce the Name of God. But pagans have the right to seek the Lord. Jesus adds that even those who believe pronounce God's name in vain when their souls are unrepentant or hypocritical. We might then think that only little children have the right to call upon the Most High, but sinners can (and must) invoke Him when they want to be healed of their faults. Finally, Jesus concludes: "God's name is spoken 'in vain' if we do not try to change for the better".

There are no sick people, and when Christ realizes that Manahen is about to leave, after hesitating for a moment, he asks him if he has a place to sleep and if he has any food. The future disciple reveals that he doesn't, and Jesus invites him to La Belle-Eau.