There is another crossroads, where a secondary road crosses the main one, and a group of sulky Pharisees is standing there. They must be coming back from the Sabbath celebration in the village that can be seen at the end of the secondary road, a large flat town, which looks like a huge animal lying in its den.
Jesus sees the Pharisees, looks at them and smiling kindly greets them: «Peace be with you.»
Instead of replying to His greetings, one of the them asks arrogantly: «Who are You?»
«Jesus of Nazareth.»
«See, I told you it was Him» says another.
In the meantime Nathanael and Simon have come close to the Master, whereas the other apostles are coming towards the road, walking along the furrows. They are still chewing and have some corn in their hands.
The Pharisee who had spoken first, probably because he is the most important one, carries on speaking to Jesus, Who has stopped waiting to hear what they have to say: «Ah! So You are the famous Jesus of Nazareth? Why have You come so far?»
«Because there are souls to be saved here also.»
«We are quite sufficient for that. We know how to save our souls and those of our subjects.»
«If it is so, you are doing the right thing. But I have been sent to evengelize and save.»
«Sent! Sent! Who can prove it to us? Not Your deeds certainly!»
«Why do you say that? Are you not interested in your Life?»
«Of course! You are the one who administers death to those who do not adore You. So You want to kill the whole sacerdotal and Pharisaic classes, and the class of scribes and many more, because they do not worship You and they never will. Never, do You understand? We, the chosen ones in Israel, will never worship You. Neither shall we love You.»
«I do not compel you to love Me and I say to you: “Worship God”because…»
«That is, You, because You are God, are You not? But we are not the horrible people of Galilee nor the foolish people of Judah who follow You forgetting our rabbis…»
«Do not be upset, man. I am not asking for anything. I am fulfilling My mission, I teach people to love God and I repeat the Decalogue to them, because it has been forgotten, and what is worse, it is badly applied. I want to give Life. Eternal Life. I do not wish anybody a bodily death and much less a spiritual one. The Life in which I asked you whether you were interested, is the life of your soul, because I love your soul, even if your soul does not love Me. And it grieves Me to see that you are killing it by offending the Lord and despising His Messiah.»
The Pharisee becomes so excited that he seems to have fallen into a fit of convulsions: he disarranges his clothes, he tears his fringes, he takes off his headgear, he ruffles his hair and shouts: «Listen! Listen! Hear what He says to me, to Jonathan of Uziel, a direct descendant of Simon the Just. That I offend the Lord! I don’t know who keeps me from cursing You, but…»
«It is fear that keeps you. But you may do it. You will not be burnt to ashes just the same. But you will be in due course, and then you will invoke Me. But between you and Me, there will then be a red stream: My Blood.»