Simon the Zealot (apostle) in “Jesus' entourage” (page 17/21)

GRM 188.8 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

They reach the house. The man is there, on the threshold, wearing a clean dark tunic and a mantle to match, a pair of new sandals and carrying a large haversack over his shoulder. He closes the door and then, what is strange in a man who might be considered hard-hearted, he takes a white hen, perhaps his pet, which squats tamely in his hands, he kisses it weeping and lays it down.
«Let us go… and forgive me. But my chicken always loved me… I used to speak to them and… they understood me…»
«I understand you, too… and I love you. So much. I will give you all the love that the world denied you in thirty-five years…»
«Oh! I know! I can feel it! That is why I am coming. But be indulgent to a man who… loves an animal which has been more faithful to him than men…»
«Yes… Forget your past. You will have so much to do! And, experienced as you are, you will do it very well. Simon, come here and you, too, Matthew. See? This man was more than a prisoner, he was a leper. And this one… a sinner. And they are very dear to Me, because they know how to understand poor hearts… Is that right?»
«Thanks to Your goodness, my Lord. But you may rest assured, my friend, that everything is cancelled by serving Him. Only peace remains» says the Zealot.
«Yes. Peace and a new youth taken over from old vices and hatred. I was a tax collector. Now I am an apostle. The world is in front of us. And we know all about it. We are not absentminded children who pass near the harmful fruit and the bending plant and do not see facts. We know. We can avoid evil and teach other people how to avoid it. And we can straighten up those who bend.
Because we know what a relief it is to be supported. And we know Who supports: Him» says Matthew.
«That’s true! Quite true! You will help me. Thank you. I feel as if I were passing from a dark foul smelling place to the open in a flowery meadow… I felt something similar when I came out, at long last free, after twenty years of imprisonment and brutal work in the mines in Anatolia and I found myself – I escaped one stormy evening – on the top of a wild mountain, but in the open, in a place full of sunshine at dawn, and covered with scented woods… Freedom! But now it is better! Everything is more sublime! I had not been in chains for fifteen years. But hatred, fear and solitude were still like chains to me… But now they have been shaken off!…

Detail

John of En-Dor has just been converted. Jesus consoles him, then calls Simon the Zealot and Matthew, who will be able to understand the man.

Annotation

Extract from Dictionnaire des lieux de l'Evangile tel qu'il m'est révélé, p. 19. Jean d'Endor, an escaped convict, recalls his "twenty years of imprisonment and exhausting work in the mines of Anatolia" (...) "at the lead mines and the quarries of precious marbles". This is a remarkable indication, since the mines of Anatolia have been famous since antiquity for the extraction of copper, lead, marble... They were the source of the legend of King Midas, and made the fame of Croesus. Even today, Turkey is considered the country par excellence of white marble, and its lead mines are renowned (Gümüşhane and Karasu mines). In a commentary, Jesus justifies the use of the word Anatolia instead of Bithynia and Mysia.

Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor in Latin, is the peninsula at the western end of Asia, corresponding to present-day Turkey.

Keywords

GRM 189.1 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Nain must have been a town of some importance in the days of Jesus. It is not a large town, but is well built, surrounded by its walls, lying on a low pleasant hill, an off shoot of the Little Hermon, commanding a very fertile plain which stretches towards the north-east.
One arrives here coming from Endor, after crossing a little river, which flows into the Jordan. But neither the Jordan nor its valley can be seen any longer, because they are concealed by hills which form an arch shaped like a question mark in the east.
Jesus follows a main road which links the lake region to the Hermon and its villages. Many inhabitants of Endor walk behind Him talking to one another animatedly.
Only a short distance separates the group of the apostles from the walls: about two hundred yards, at the most. And as the main road runs straight to one of the town gates, which is wide open because it is broad daylight, it is possible to see what is happening in the inner side of the walls. Thus Jesus, Who is speaking to the apostles and the new convert, sees a funeral coming towards them, with a great noise of weepers and similar eastern displays.
«Shall we go and see, Master?» ask many. And many of the inhabitants of Endor are already rushing to see.
«Yes, let us go» says Jesus condescendingly.
«Oh! It must be a boy. See how many flowers and ribbons there are on the stretcher» says Judas of Kerioth to John.
«Or it is probably a virgin» replies John.
«No, it is certainly a young man, because of the shades they have used. And there is no myrtle either…» says Bartholomew.
The funeral comes out from the other side of the walls. It is not possible to see what there is on the stretcher, which is carried shoulder high by the bearers. One understands that there is a corpse, wrapped in bandages and covered by a sheet, only because of its outline and that it is the body of a fully grown person, because it is as long as the stretcher.
A veiled woman is walking beside it, weeping, supported by relatives or friends. The only sincere tears in all that farce of mourners. And when a bearer trips on a stone or heap in the ground or stumbles and causes the stretcher to shake, the mother moans: «Oh! No! Be careful! My boy has suffered so much!» and she raises her trembling hand to caress the edge of the stretcher. And as she is unable to do anything else, she kisses the veils and the ribbons, which blown by a gentle breeze lightly touch the immobile corpse.
Peter, sympathetic, his good keen eyes welling up with tears whispers: «She is the mother.» But he is not the only one whose eyes are shining with tears at the sight. Also the Zealot, Andrew, John, and even the ever merry Thomas have tears in their eyes. They are all deeply moved. Judas Iscariot whispers: «If it were I! Oh! Poor mother of mine…»

Detail

The two James, Matthew, Philip and Jude are not mentioned in this passage, but they are present. They go to Naim.

Annotation

- Oh, it must be a child, because you see how many flowers and ribbons are on the litter? says Judas to John.

- Or maybe it's a virgin," replies Jean.

- No, it must be a young boy, because of the colors they've used, and there are no myrtles..." says Barthélemy.

So many indications of the funeral rites in use at the time. Judas of Judea and Bartholomew of Galilee identify them similarly.

Keywords

GRM 190.1-2 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Have You seen Doras’ fields?»
«I have come from Nain…»
«In that case You have not seen them. They are a complete ruin. (The man whispers that in a low but clear voice, like someone imparting a secret concerning something dreadful.) They are all ruined! There is no hay, no fodder, no fruit. Vines and orchards withered… Dead… everything is dead… like Sodom and Gomorrah… Come, I will show You. (...) Oh! Here are the ones who ploughed the field for me…» and the man runs to meet Peter and Andrew.
But Peter greets him briefly and proceeds on his way and begins to shout: «Oh! Master! There is no one left! They are all new faces. And everything is laid waste! He could very well do without any peasants here. It is worse than the Salt Sea!…»
«I know. Isaiah told Me.»
«But come and see! What a sight…»
(...) The sight of Doras’ fields is really distressing. Fields and meadows are dry and barren, vineyards are withered, the foliage and fruit of trees are completely destroyed by millions of insects of all kinds. Also the garden-orchard near the house looks like a desolate dying wood. The peasants wander to and fro uprooting weeds, crushing caterpillars, snails, earth-worms and the like, shaking branches under which they place basins full of water to drown little butterflies, aphides and other parasites which cover the leaves and eat away the plant until it dies. They endeavour to find a sign of life in the vine-shoots, which break like dry wood as soon as they are touched and sometimes fall off the main branch, as if the roots had been cut by a saw. The contrast with Johanan’s fields, vineyards and orchards is most striking and the ruin of the cursed fields seems more impressive when compared to the fruitfulness of the others.
«The hand of the God of Sinai is a heavy one» whispers Simon the Zealot.
Jesus makes a gesture as if to say: «How right you are!» but He does not say anything. He only asks: «How did it happen?»
A peasant replies between his teeth: «Moles, locusts, worms… but go away! The steward is faithful to Doras… Don’t cause us trouble…»
Jesus sighs and goes away.

Detail

Jesus talks to Isaiah, a peasant from Yokhanan.

Annotation

"The man runs to meet Peter and Andrew. Cf. EMV 109.4: Peter and Andrew, James and John, who took the place of the ploughmen to enable them to listen to Jesus' word.

We speak of You, with what we have learned from Jonah, from Isaac who often comes to us, and from your speech at Tisri. Cf. EMV 109.5.

He has a heavy hand, the God of Sinai. Direct reference to Jesus' words in EMV 109.12.

Keywords

GRM 191.1 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Give Micah enough money so that tomorrow he may pay for what he borrowed today from the peasants of this area» says Jesus to the Iscariot, who usually handles the… common possessions. Then Jesus calls Andrew and John and sends them to two spots from which it is possible to see the road or the roads coming from Jezreel. He calls also Peter and Simon and sends them to meet the men of Doras with instructions to stop them at the boundary between the two estates. He then says to James and Judas: «Take the foodstuffs and come with Me.»

Keywords

GRM 192.7 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

They enter the town and Peter with his little friend goes to buy sandals.
«That man is dying for a son» says the Zealot, and he concludes: «He is right.»
«I will give you thousands. Now let us go and look for a place to rest, so that tomorrow we can start at dawn.»

Keywords

GRM 193.1 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Jesus goes on His way towards Jerusalem along roads which are more and more crowded with pilgrims. A heavy shower during the night has made the road somewhat muddy, but, on the other hand, it has removed dust and made the air clearer. The fields look like gardens diligently tended by skilled men.
They all walk fast because they are well rested after a night’s sleep, and because the boy, with his new sandals, no longer suffers when walking: on the contrary, as he becomes more and more familiar, he chatters with this one and that one, and confidentially informs John that his father’s name was also John and his mother’s Mary, and that he therefore is very fond of John as well. «But» he concludes, «I love you all, and in the Temple I will pray so much for you and for the Lord Jesus.»
It is moving to see how this group of men, most of whom have no children, are so paternal and full of attention for the youngest of Jesus’ disciples. Even the countenance of the man from Endor softens when he forces the little one to swallow a beaten egg, or when he climbs up among the woods, which make the hills as well as the higher mountains green, to pick acidulous branches of shrubs or scented stems of wild fennel, which he takes to the boy to quench his thirst, without overburdening his stomach with water. He also draws his attention to the different aspects and sights of the country, which is split here by large valleys at the bottom of which run main roads, to take his mind off the length of the journey.
The old teacher of Cintium, ruined by human wickedness, revives because of this boy, a wretch like himself, and the wrinkles of misfortune and bitterness smooth into a gentle smile. Jabez is already less shabby looking, because of his new sandals, and his face is not so sad, because I do not know which hand of an apostle has erased every trace of the wild life the boy led for so many months, sorting his hair so far ruffled and dusty and now made soft and tidy by a good wash. The man from Endor is quite different too. He is still somewhat puzzled when he hears anyone call him John, but then he shakes his head and smiles pitying his bad memory. Day by day his countenance loses its habitual hardness and gains a gravity, which is quite serene. Of course these two wretched people, who are reviving through Jesus’ kindness, gravitate towards the Master in their love. Their companions are dear, but Jesus… When He looks at them or speaks just to them, the expression on their faces is a most happy one.

Detail

The relationship between the Twelve and Jean d'Endor and the child Marziam.

Keywords

GRM 193.2 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

They stop for a meal and then resume the journey towards Jerusalem. But it must have rained heavily or the area is rich in underground water, because the meadows look like a marsh owing to the water that glitters among the thick grass and rises lapping on the banked road, which, however, is still very muddy. The adults pull their tunics up to prevent them from becoming soiled with mud, and Judas Thaddeus puts the boy on his shoulders to let him rest and to cross more quickly the flooded and perhaps unhealthy area.
Daylight is beginning to fade when, after walking along the edge of other hills and crossing a dry rocky valley, they enter a village situated on a raised rocky embankment. They push their way through the crowd of pilgrims and look for accommodation in a very rural type hotel: a large shed under which is spread much straw and nothing else. Small lamps lit here and there shed a glow on the supper of the pilgrim families, poor families, like the apostolic one, because most of the rich people have put up tents outside the village, disdaining contact with either the local people or the poor pilgrims.
Night and silence fall… The first to fall asleep is the boy, who, tired as he is, lays his head on the lap of Peter, who lays him on the straw and covers him carefully.
Jesus gathers the adults in prayer and then each throws himself on the straw to rest after the long journey.

Keywords

GRM 193.3 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

The day after: the apostolic group that left in the morning is about to enter Shechem in the evening, having passed through Samaria, a beautiful town, surrounded by walls, adorned with splendid imposing buildings, around which are grouped some lovely tidy houses. I am under the impression that the town, like Tiberias, has been recently rebuilt with systems borrowed from Rome. Outside the walls, around the town, the land is very fruitful and well cultivated.

Keywords

GRM 194

The Gospel as revealed to me

Detail

Apart from John of Zebedee and Peter, no other apostle is named in the chapter, but they are present and accompany Jesus.

Keywords

GRM 195.3 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

He looks at John of Endor, who has discreetly withdrawn when he understood that Jesus was correcting the apostle [Judas] and is now speaking to James of Alphaeus and Simon Zealot.

Detail

Pierre looks at Jean d'Endor.