Matthias

3. Of what nature is the Messiah?

("So rabbi," Matthias said to Nathan bar-Uzi, my rabbi, "tell me what you know about the Messiah."

Matthias was a disciple of this member of the Pharisees, of the school of Shammai. Honestly, this would be the wiser decision, for the school of Hillel was absurdly liberal.

He noted his long flowing robes, fringed at the corners with very long blue tassels. The bearded man observed Matthias' interest in his attire. "Do I look good in this, Matthias?"

"Yes, rabbi."

They were walking through a field now. The rabbi now turned to him. "You ask me about the Messiah. He will exact justice for His people. He would turn God's people into a separate kingdom."

Now they sit down under a fig tree. No leaves mean no fruit, that's the rule. Nathan bar-Uzi said to his disciple (that is, Matthias), "The Messiah will save us from our enemies."

The disciple now said, "Hannah, in the book Samuel, saith this: 'The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them. The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth, and He shall give strength unto His King, and exalt the horn of His Messiah.' "

The bearded rabbi turned to Matthias. He smiled. "Yes, Hannah's prayer and song are beautiful. 'Because I rejoice in Thy salvation.' Yes, God promises the doom of our enemies, since they are His enemies also."

He silently said, "The Romans." It seems every Jew he knew had some hatred of their Roman overlords. But it seems Nathan here was not being open about his opposition to Rome. He actually cared less about politics and cared more about religion.

Nathan said, " 'The bows of the mighty men are broken,' she continues, 'and they that stumbled are girded with strength.' "

Now Matthias said, "Rabbi, a Psalm begins thus: 'Why do the heathen rage, and the people plot a vain thing?' "

He nodded. "Ah, yes. 'The kings of the earth set themselves,' the psalm proceeds, 'and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Messiah.' And do you remember, Matthias, the words of the Lord in that psalm as He proves their plotting is for naught?"

Matthias responded. " 'Yet have I set My King upon the holy hill of Zion.' "

"Yes!" answered Nathan. "Jerusalem!"

Matthias was totally confused. Confused about the nature of the Messiah. Sure, He is to come with power, but some passage in Isaiah suggests healing and suffering. A Lamb to the slaughter.

"Matthias," responded Nathan to his questionings, "it just might be that God calls for two types of Saviors: one for political might, the other for sacrificial merit."

Matthias replied, "Okay, two Saviors." Are some starting to believe this? Two Messiahs? It should be ONE, mustn't it?

Matthias examined the Scripture: "Thou shalt make His life in offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days." Now Matthias addressed the rabbi. "So God wants to rid us of sin. Of all, rabbi, that I've read in the Tanakh [the Jewish Bible], His primary concern seems not to be our physical enemies but our spiritual enemies."

Nathan bar-Uzi just stood there, thinking over what the disciple said. So now, the rabbi responded, "Matthias, Matthias, so many questions and opinions. You'll make a great rabbi, I assure you." He smiled.

Matthias smiled. Too.

"But about... physical and spiritual enemies," proceeded rabbi Nathan, "it is the truth that God focuses more on the harm of sin. So we must avoid those who... live in sin: tax collectors, harlots, murderers—but with the Romans around, can we avoid sinners as those? Oh no, Matthias, we can't now! They hire the publicans, they go out with prostitutes, they execute good people better than them."

Matthias nodded at these words. "It's true," he spoke.

"So," Nathan concluded, "with the glories of the new kingdom of the Messiah, we shall be a people for God.")

Matthias thought about this. That was years ago. Now he's 24.

Messiah.

"Oh," said Matthias to himself, in his house. Now he was upstairs in the living space. The kitchen—which is just an oven, some pottery, and utensils—is downstairs and by the storage room. Now he headed down the wooden ladder down to the first floor. The floor was nothing else but some rough stone. He just liked the upper floor. It was made out of wood, and there were carpets up here where he would eat and sleep with his family. And the second floor is way flatter. But his family wasn't here anymore. He sighed.

Well, but he's cutting some of his time there. He hung out with the members of the Pharisees nearby Jotapata. Around two miles from here, southeast of here: Cana of Galilee. Now he's planning a trip to Cana once more. He finished packing a while ago. Then he heard a knock on his wooden door. He opened the door.

The doorway was narrow and low, so Matthias had to bend down a little in order to enter—or exit—the house.

It's Josiah.

"Shalom, Matthias," he greeted Matthias. "Oh, oh no! I mean 'rabbi'!" He quickly exclaimed that because of Matthias' robes. Matthias was now wearing these robes of a non-ordained scribe—he's still not a full-member scribe! His beard had grown, notably. Now some consult him for questions on religion. This especially happened as he worked with iron as a blacksmith.

"Hey, don't worry about that," Matthias replied with a smile at his friend. "I'm not a full-member scribe yet."

"Thank you," expressed Josiah. "So I've heard the rumor, and I know not whether it's true, but are you leaving Jotapata, and planning to stay at Cana?"

"Well, I haven't decided that yet. But these scribes there are zealous for the Oral Torah—" Next he regretted how he just said that. Did I literally just remind him of his Zealot brother? I hope he's getting over it, for it's been some years.

Josiah sighed. "Celeb. I still miss him."

Matthias tried to say the right thing: "I'm also mad at the Romans for what they did, but I can't... change the past, my friend. I've lost people too: Arch and Assir and... and... you know, I don't remember the other two names now. See, Josiah: time heals."

Josiah was somehow starting to calm down. "Yes, and Ezra bar-Johann. A year ago."

"Yes, may he rest in peace," Matthias responded. "He, and father too." Jether had gone the way of all the earth only two months ago. Sickness. He's buried alongside his wife, who perished four months ago. Matthias resumed, "Time heals, but it can wound too."

Josiah nodded. "Well yes, the Pharisees are totally legalistic when it comes to the Oral Torah."

"Yes," said Matthias, only happy Josiah was changing the topic. "But I care more about the Written Torah, and I want them in Cana to focus more on God's text than on what their opinions are on certain things."

"It's dead formalism!" agreed Matthias' friend.

He turned to Josiah. "Jerusalem, especially."

Josiah said, "Well, I came to ask about you and Cana, and you've answered my question. So farewell Shalom, Matthias."

Matthias grinned at him. "Farewell Shalom!"

As Matthias shut the door, he sighs in himself. I still haven't sent a message to Ethan and Hannah about our father's passing, but when I meet with them at Jerusalem for the next festival—SUKKOT—I'll spill out the whole truth.