«Have you understood? Have you any questions to ask? No? In that case we can go and rest and tomorrow we will leave for Capernaum. There is one place to which I must go before starting on My journey to Jerusalem for Passover.»
«Shall we go through Arimathea again?» asks the Iscariot.
«I am not sure. It depends on…»
There is a loud knocking at the door.
«Who can it be at this time?» asks Peter getting up to open the door.
John comes in. He is most upset, covered in dust, and he has obviously been weeping.
«You are here!» they all shout. «What’s the matter?»
Jesus, Who has stood up, says only: «Where is My Mother?»
And John, coming forward and kneeling at the feet of the Master, holding his arms as if he were asking for help, says: «Your Mother is well, but She is weeping as I am, as many others are, and She begs You not to come following the Jordan on our side. That is why She sent me back, because Your cousin John has been captured…» And John weeps while everybody is bewildered.
Jesus turns very pale but does not become excited. He only says:
«Stand up and tell us.»
«I was going down with Your Mother and the other women. Isaac and Timoneus were also with us. We were three women and three men. I was carrying out Your instruction to take Mary to John… Ah! You knew it was their last farewell!… It was to be their last farewell… Because of the storm of a few days ago, we had to stop for a little while. But it was enough to make it impossible for John to see Mary… We arrived at noon and he had been captured at daybreak…»
«Where? How? By whom? In his cave?» they all ask, they all want to know.
«He was betrayed!… They used Your name to betray him!» «How horrible! Who did that?» they all shout.
And John shuddering, whispering in a low voice what not even the air should hear, states: «It was one of his disciples…»
The confusion is at its highest pitch. Some curse, some weep, some are petrified with astonishment.
180.8
John throws his arms around Jesus’ neck and shouts: «I am afraid for You!… for You! The saints have their traitors who sell themselves for gold and for fear of the mighty ones, yearning for reward, obeying Satan. For thousands of things! Oh! Jesus! Jesus! How dreadful! My first master! My John who gave me to You!»
«It is all right! Do not worry! Nothing will happen to Me for the time being.»
«But later? What will happen later? I look at myself, at these… I am afraid of everybody, also of myself. Will one of us be Your traitor?…»
«Are you mad? And do you think that we would not tear him to pieces?» shouts Peter.
And the Iscariot: «Oh! You really are mad! It will never be I! But if I should feel so weak as to eventually become so, I would kill myself. Better than be the murderer of God.»
Jesus frees Himself from John’s grip, shakes Judas violently saying: «Do not swear! Nothing can make you weak, unless you want! And if that should happen, make sure you weep for it, and do not commit another crime in addition to deicide. He becomes weak who cuts off his vital link with God.»
180.9
He then returns to John, who is weeping with his head on the table and he says: «Speak calmly. It grieves Me, too. He was of My blood and was My Precursor.»
«I only saw some of the disciples, who were dismayed and furious with the traitor. The others accompanied John towards his prison to be near him at his death.»
«But he is not dead yet… the last time he managed to escape.» says the Zealot endeavouring to comfort John of whom he is very fond.
«He is not dead yet. But he will die» replies John.
«Yes, he will die. He knows as well as I do. Nothing and no one will save him this time. When? I do not know. I know that he will not come out of Herod’s hand alive.»
«Yes, Herod. Listen. John went to the mountain gorge, between Mount Ebal and Gerizim, where we also passed coming back from Galilee, because the traitor said to him: “The Messiah is dying after being attacked by His enemies. He wants to see you to entrust a secret to you”. And he went with the traitor and some other people. Herod’s armed men were in the shade of the valley and they captured him. The others ran away and gave the news to the disciples who had remained near Hennon. They had just come when I arrived with Your Mother. And the dreadful thing is that he was one from our towns… and that the Pharisees of Capernaum are the leaders of the plot to catch him. They went to John saying that You had been their guest and that You were leaving from there to go to Judaea… he would not have left his refuge but for You…»
180.10
Dead silence follows John’s report. Jesus looks bloodless, His deep blue eyes are dimmed. He is standing with his head bowed, His hand still on John’s shoulder, and His hand is trembling lightly. No one dare speak. Jesus breaks the silence: «We shall go to Judaea following a different route. But I must go to Capernaum tomorrow. As early as possible. Rest now. I am going up to the olive-grove. I need to be alone.» And He goes out without saying anything else.
«He is certainly going to weep» whispers James of Alphaeus.
«Let us follow Him, brother» says Judas Thaddeus.
«No. Let Him weep. But let us go out quietly and keep watch. I fear tricks everywhere» replies the Zealot.
«Yes, let us go. We fishermen to the shore. If anybody comes from the lake we will see him. You go to the olive-grove. He is certainly in the usual place, near the walnut-tree. At dawn we will have the boats ready to go away early. Those snakes! Ehi! I did tell you! Tell me, boy? But… is His Mother really safe?»
«Oh! Yes! The shepherd disciples of John have also gone with Her. Andrew… we will never see our John again!»
«Be quiet! It sounds like the song of the cuckoo… One precedes the other and… and…»
«By the Holy Ark! Be quiet! If you go on talking about misfortunes to the Master, I will start from you, letting your backs feel the weight of my oar!» shouts an enraged Peter. «You…» he then says to those who are to go to the olive-grove: «Get some clubs, some big branches, you will find some in the wood-shed… and spread out, armed with them. The first one to come near Jesus to harm Him, kill him.»
«The disciples! We must be careful with the new ones!» exclaims Philip.
The new disciple feels hurt and asks: «Are you in doubt about me? He chose me and wanted me.»
«Not about you. I mean the scribes and Pharisees and their worshippers. That is where the trouble will come from, believe me.»
They go out, some towards the boats, some towards the olive-trees on the hills, and it all ends.