Nazareth
It had been two months since the death of Joseph. Mary had sent a message to her sister when she came back home after the funeral. But the problem was: she had no idea where her sister lives now. At least the messenger found her and urged her to come quickly.
So when she shows up, Mary is sort of surprised.
"My sister! It's been so long!" explodes Mary.
Mary's sister cannot imagine hearing that voice again after so long. She can only mutter, "Mary is speaking so beautiful!"
"Come inside."
Mary's sister comes in.
"I am sorry for your loss, Mary," says Mary's sister.
"Oh, oh!"
Mary starts crying. Mary's sister kneels and hugs her.
"Thanks, my sister," says Mary. "I just... I... I just feel hopeless without Joseph."
Just then, Jesus comes in, done with his carpentry hours. He is coming in with his stepbrothers. Mary's sister notices them. "But you have sons with you!" she says, still speaking to Mary. "Oh, Mary, that is what's lucky about you. That makes me happy."
Now she stands up, turning to the men. "Now just, which one of you is Jesus?"
"Me?" asks Jesus.
"Yes, that's him," says Mary.
Now Mary's sister speaks to Jesus. "Shalom, Jesus."
"Shalom," greets Jesus. "So you are her sister?"
Jesus has never met his aunt before. When Mary's sister nods a yes, Jesus asks, "How was your trip?"
"Oh, it was fine," says his aunt. "It was only hard with the awareness that Joseph died. Oh, but... but that was some two months ago." Then she puts her hand on Jesus' face, over his long brown hair and beard. "I would just hate to watch you die, son of my sister."
Jesus puts his arms around his aunt. "Listen, think about yourselves now."
"You've always been a son of the Law, Jesus. I know. Mary spoke to me about you. Are you going to take over your father's job?"
But he is not my father...
"Well, no. I have something else in mind."
Mary knows exactly what Jesus meant, but she has it hidden in herself. And Jesus turns to the woman you gave birth to him. "You know, at least. Before I was born to you."
"How wonderful, how wonderful," says Mary's sister. "Oh, Jesus, it's been so long since your manifestation."
"Wait, wait, mother, what's going on?" James enters the discussion.
Jesus' aunt says, "It is a secret... for now. Mary had told me. Joseph—"
The very mention of his name throws Mary back into her round of tears.
"Oh sorry, sister." She tries not to cry too. "Well, anyway, he also told me. I went with my family to Gischala for that census years ago. And... when Mary sent a message for me to meet her in 'Bethlehem', I went—oh, silly me—to the Bethlehem a few miles from here! Oh," now a chuckle, "oh, I should have known!"
James turns to Mary. "You always said he was born in Bethlehem. But was he born in... wait, the prophecy said... what?"
"Oh sorry, James. Probably wasn't specific on which Bethlehem it is."
What a petty excuse!
Still, it is all coming together. James knows Jesus is absolutely perfect! He finds it strange that Jesus, good child as he was, stayed behind during Jesus' first Passover trip to Jerusalem. It took three days for Joseph and Mary to find him. It was strange that Jesus told his parents, "Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?"
James always wondered what he meant. Of course, we all call God our Father, so what's so special about him? But James remembers, Then again, Jesus always prays to God while among nature, that stuff. He cares so much about others. He is so STRICT in terms of following God's Law. Not the traditions, no, he says they have no basis. What could this—
"Well, when I arrived at the actual Bethlehem," continues Jesus' aunt, "I saw some lavishly-dressed men. Not Jews. They came with rich treasures on their horses. They found their way to a house. Curious, I went along. And... it turns out to be—"
"Yes, I remember," enters Mary.
"Can you believe this, Judah?" James turns to his younger brother. "Are they saying Jesus, that Jesus is the—"
But Mary narrates on and on about her surprise when those wise men bowed before the child! Not to her, who gave birth to him, but to him! Then the gifts are given. She concludes, "They left. They told my husband... ah, that they had a dream from God to go another route. So they went."
"Oh, me, I just can't imagine!" says James, now seated with the others. He is ignored.
Mary's sister adds what she recalls. "I was convinced there was something special about you, Jesus," she said at last. "Joseph—oh, forgive me, Mary—then asked why. They said they originally had to see Herod the Great. They were guided to Bethlehem by that king himself. But they were not... to report on him."
"That's when Joseph... oh, when... when he dreamed that we must leave for Egypt," says Mary. "Herod was out to kill Jesus! So we left." Then she turns to her sister. "I left you there to inform me on things."
"Oh, it was a horrid sight. Believe me, you would never want to watch what I saw! I... I had to watch Herod's Roman soldiers 'besiege' Bethlehem and kill the young children! In the dead of night! Silent. It is clear Herod didn't want anyone to know of this massacre! Oh, it was only like... 14 dead children, I don't know!"
Gasps fill the air. And now the sister of Mary breaks down in sympathy for the mothers who lost their children. "Believe me, Mary. Believe me, everyone. Oh, everyone in Bethlehem is mostly women and innocent children. But they're innocent! But Herod didn't care!" Then Jesus' aunt says, "As if Herod found out he was tricked by the wise men!"
James says nothing.
But he thinks, I just couldn't believe it. Jesus—someone special? He is just a carpenter like us! What is the chance he will cause a mark on the world? What am I to make of this?
Jesus says, "I am touched for their loss."
"Oh, Jesus, you're always feeling touched for others!" says Mary. "That is what I admire about you."
"Aha. The perfect child," says James, in a slightly mocking tone. Then he proceeds, "Right! He's the visionary!"
"James!" exclaims Mary. But James will hear no more. He headed out.
Meanwhile, Jesus' sisters arrived. They had been away with their engaged soon-to-be husbands. They enter just as James heads out. They come in to see their aunt with them. They did not expect to see her here. She always heads around the Promised Land in the Levant. Did she drop by for a visit?
Now Mary's sister turns to them. "Shalom, young girls."
"Shalom, aunt," they both say at the same time.
Now Mary turns to her sister. "Now, we came back a year or so after that massacre. Where were you?"
"I was waiting for you," says Jesus' aunt. "After I waited a long time, I gave up."
Now the aunt turns to Jesus. "I had not seen you since you were a baby. How you have grown." Then she says, "You are special. You are not like the rest of us."
"I know," says Jesus.
+
As the step-brothers of Jesus are at the carpenter's shop—with Jesus, as usual—, they engage in what was just bizarre about the circumstances of Jesus' birth. They do not have such a unique way of coming into the world! Why is Jesus so different from them?
Jesus is looking at one piece of wood. James notices and says, "How is it?"
"What do you mean, James?" says Jesus.
"You have an opening to the world as if all knew you! You're a strange child, Jesus! So you'll go to Egypt?"
All but Jesus laugh.
Judah: "What is he running from? The new governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate?"
Simon: "Or maybe the high priest Caiaphas?"
Again, all but Jesus laugh.
"Oh, why? He's working on wood, and cares?" blurts out James.
"Hey, Jesus, what is it about you that is so different from us, huh?" asks Joseph Jr. "You, for example, talk to other people about the Scriptures!"
"Brother, brother," says Jesus peacefully. "Scripture says we—as the nation of Israel—should be lights of the world. Then why are our leaders hiding their light from the nations? The light is not made to be concealed under a bushel."
So what? reflects James. Otherwise, the sacred things will be messed about.
Jesus goes on. "This is why I declare the truths identified in the sacred writings of God."
"Are you to become a rabbi, Jesus?" asks James, quite questioning. "Like rabbi Joel? Oh. Eh, what's the use, anyway? Your disciples would scatter from you!"
James then fixes a table leg to the large block of wood that would be the table.
However, Jesus never answers roughly to anyone. "James, being a rabbi is not my only vocation."
"What knowledge of life you must have, Jesus! But you only have to have one profession in life!" asserts James. "One!"
Jesus stops.
"No. I'll be a good rabbi. Good?" states James, turning to the others.
"I agree," says Simon of Nazareth.
"Heh, I know I'm right. And in your case, Jesus, you have to be a carpenter. It's something you're strangely good at, so why not make your living on that? Here—"
Then James hands Jesus another piece of wood. Jesus accepts it without a word.
"Good, then," says Judah, "you'll be an architect. But what will it earn?"
"Considering Jesus' skills, a lot," says James.
"James? How good of a rabbi will you be?"
"Why, I don't know, Judah. And besides, what does it make any difference? I'm going to be a good rabbi without the help of Jesus here.
"Jesus, stay a carpenter. You're not trained in the synagogue school, so you've no experience!"
Jesus says nothing. For now.
Jesus will speak when the time is right.
He often prays to God for the answer as to when to begin his ministry. He had known he would begin this back at that Passover Festival in Jerusalem. But he had waited long and hard, passing the time as a carpenter—and an excellent carpenter, at that.
But the time will come. He knows it with all his pure heart.
And he needs no experience from the synagogue school.