The beautiful morning invites people to leave their homes and beds and go for a walk, and the people living in the Zealot’s house get up very early, and like bees at sunrise they go out to breathe the pure air in Lazarus’ orchard around the hospitable house. They are soon joined by Lazarus’ guests, that is, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, Andrew and James of Zebedee. The sun shines in joyfully through all the windows and wide open doors and illuminates the simple tidy rooms with a golden hue, which brightens the shades of clothes and enlivens the hues of hair and eyes.
Mary of Alphaeus and Salome are busy serving the men who enjoy a hearty appetite. Mary instead is watching one of Lazarus’ servants who is sorting Marjiam’s hair, cutting it with greater skill than his first barber ever did. «That will do for the time being» says the servant. «Later, when you have offered God the curls of your childhood, I will cut it shorter. The warm season is coming and you will feel better without any hair on your neck. And your hair will grow stronger. It is dry, weak and has been neglected. See, Mary? It needs some attention. I will now put some oil on it to keep it in place. Can you smell the lovely scent, my boy? It is oil that Martha uses. It is very good. Almond, palm and medulla of the finest quality with a rare essence. My mistress told me to keep this little jar for the boy. Oh! Here you are! You now look like the son of a king» and the servant, who is probably the barber of Lazarus’ house, pats Marjiam on the cheek, greets Mary and goes away looking quite satisfied.
«Come and let Me dress you» says Mary to the boy who has only a short tunic with short sleeves; I think it is a shirt or what was used in those days as a shirt. By its fine linen I gather that it must have belonged to Lazarus when a boy. Mary takes off the towel in which Marjiam was wrapped and puts on him a linen vest puckered round the neck and cuffs, and a red woollen robe with wide neck and sleeves. The shining snow-white linen protrudes from the neck-opening and the sleeves of the dull red cloth. Mary’s skilful hands must have adjusted the length of the robe and of the sleeves during the night, and it now fits the boy, particularly when Mary girds his waist with a soft sash adorned with a woollen white and red tassel. The child no longer looks like the poor little creature of a few days earlier.
«Now go and play, but do not get dirty, while I get ready» says Mary, caressing him. And the boy bounds out happily, looking for his big friends.
199.2
Thomas is the first one to see him: «How lovely you are! Fit for a wedding! You make me cut a poor figure» says plump Thomas who is always merry and genial. And he takes him by the hand saying: «Let us go and see the women. They were looking for you to feed you.»
They go into the kitchen and Thomas causes the two Maries, who are bent over the kitchen-stove, to start, when he shouts in his loud voice: «There is a young man here looking for you» and laughing he introduces the boy who was hiding behind his robust back.
«Oh! dear! Come here that I may give you a kiss! Look, Salome, how lovely he is!» exclaims Mary of Alphaeus.
«He is, indeed! All he needs now is to become more robust. But I’ll see to that. Come here, that I may kiss you, too» replies Salome.
«But Jesus is going to entrust him to the shepherds…» objects Thomas.
«Not on your life! My Jesus is mistaken here. What can you men do or pretend you can do? You are only good at quarrelling – because, incidentally, you are rather quarrelsome… like little goats which are fond of one another and gore one another with their horns – at eating, speaking and you have a thousand needs and you claim the Master to pay all His attention to you… otherwise you become sulky… Children need mothers. Is that right? What is your name?»
«Marjiam.»
«Of course! But blessed be my Mary! She could have given you an easier name!»
«It’s almost like Hers!» exclaims Salome.
«Yes, but Hers is more simple. There aren’t those letters in the middle of it… They are too many…»
The Iscariot, who has just come in, says: «She gave a name which is precise in its meaning, according to the genuine old language.»
«All right. But it is difficult, and I will take one letter away and say Marziam. It is easier and the world will not collapse because of that. Is that right, Simon?»
Peter, who is passing by the window speaking to John of Endor, looks in and asks: «What do you want?»
«I was saying that I shall call the boy Marziam. It is easier.»
«You are right, woman. If the Mother allows me, I will call him thus, too. But how wonderful you look! So do I, eh? Look!»
In fact he is perfectly tidy, his cheeks have been shaved, his hair cut, his beard trimmed and scented with oil, his clothes show no creases and his sandals are so clean that they look like new ones. I do not know what he has polished them with. The women admire him and he laughs happily.
The boy has finished eating and goes out to meet his great friend, whom he always calls: «Father».
199.3
And there is Jesus coming from Lazarus’ house together with the latter. The boy runs towards Him and Jesus says: «Peace be with us, Marjiam. Let us exchange the kiss of peace.»
Lazarus, greeted by the boy, caresses him and gives him a sweet.
They all gather around Jesus. Also Mary, wearing a turquoise woolen dress on top of which a darker mantle is draped, comes towards Her Son smiling.
«We can go, then» says Jesus. «You, Simon, with My Mother and the boy, if you still wish to buy his robe, now that Lazarus has seen to it.»
«Of course I do! And then… I will be able to say that once I walked beside Your Mother. A great honour.»
«Go, then. Simon, you will take Me to your leper friends…»
«Really, Master? Then, if You do not mind, I will run ahead, to gather them… You will reach me. You know where they are…»
«All right, go. The others can do what they like. You are all free until Wednesday morning. At the third hour everybody is to be at the Golden Gate.»
«I am coming with You, Master» says John.
«And I» says his brother James.
«And us, too» say the two cousins.
«I will come, too» says Matthew, and Andrew after him.
«And I? I would like to come, too… but if I go to do the shopping, I cannot come…» says Peter, pressed by two desires.
«It can be done. We shall go to the lepers first, while My Mother with the boy goes to the house of a friend in Ophel. We will reach Her later and you will go with Her, while the others and I go to Johanna’s. We will meet at Gethsemane for our meal and towards sunset we will come back here.»
«If You allow me, I will go to see some friends…» says Judas Iscariot.
«I have already told you. Do what you like.»
«In that case, I will go to my relatives. Perhaps my father has already come. If he is there, I will bring him to see You» says Thomas.
«What about us two? What do you say, Philip? We could go and see Samuel.»
«Very good» Philip replies to Bartholomew.
«And what about you, John?» Jesus asks the man of Endor. «Do you prefer to remain here and sort out your books, or do you wish to come with Me?»
«Really, I would prefer to come with You… My books… I am already less fond of them. I prefer to read You, the Living Book.»
«Come, then. Goodbye, Lazarus…»
«I will come, too. My legs are a little better, and after we have seen the lepers, I will leave You and go to Gethsemane and wait for You there.»
«Let us go, Peace to you, women.»
They remain all together until they are near Jerusalem. Then they part, the Iscariot goes on his own and enters the town probably through the Gate near the Antonia Tower; Thomas, Philip and Nathanael walk for about ten more yards with Jesus and their companions and then enter the town through the suburb of Ophel, together with Mary and the boy.