This is the story of Matthias, as I think it could have happened.
~
"The Lord brings the counsel of the heathen to naught; He makes the plans of the people of no effect." It was the Sabbath, and Matthias was doing the readings from the Psalms. He was standing at the pulpit. "The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations."
There's his father Jether, his brother-in-law Ethan, and some others he knows at the male seats; there's his mother, his sister Hannah, and other women on the female side. This was because of the rules the Jews had set forth about the separation between males and females. Right by Matthias, now a young man of 17, stood the synagogue hazzan (the synagogue official who blows the ram's horn on the synagogue ceiling to announce the coming and endings of holy days).
There were pillars around; around the center of the synagogue building was a raised platform and a pulpit. At the wall that's closest to Jerusalem was a chest, called an ark. Inside it was the sacred scrolls. And nearby this ark was an eight-branched lamp, which only got ignited on great festivals. But besides this was another lamp that burned continually.
And about here were seats of honor. Here sat the elders and leading rabbis. Matthias kind of liked the role of these important people, who said they were guardians of the Torah.
So it was that, because of the platform height, every eye was looking at Matthias.
He continued to read: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He hath chosen for His own inheritance." Now he unrolled the scroll of the Psalms. He handed it over to Ezra bar-Johann, shooting a smile at him also. Now Matthias glanced at everyone. It was time for the lecturing. "So," Matthias began, "we read about... the Creation. And that includes everything and everyone was made by God, therefore the psalmist expressed, 'Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.' "
Some looked at Matthias amazed. Why?
Matthias proceeded on, trying to ignore the expression some made at him. "God has great power! So none should get in the way of Him! God commanded the light to shine, and the light did shine. And God made a separation between the light and the dark." Pause. "So, God has made a difference between those living in the light and those living in the darkness. God can overrule counsels from people, but His counsels stand forever, for all generations!"
Matthias heard some "Amen"s. Someone said, "God bless our nation, oppressed as it is."
Matthias simply answered, "The psalmist writes: 'Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.' Friends, we must ensure nothing gets in the way between us and the Lord. We must revere His commands, which goes over human commands."
"Whatever Rome commands," a woman said. And some others nodded. Rome ruled the people of God at this moment; since the first Roman soldiers took Jerusalem decades ago, the Jews resented Roman rule.
Matthias answered with a brief sigh, being tired of the anti-Roman comments, "Yes, Rome makes commands to us. They are human commands, I won't dispute that—even if the Romans see their emperor as divine. But don't all authorities make commands of their own? What if... not much emphasis is set on the divine commandments? So I beg you all to consider today, this Sabbath of the Lord; consider, please, what God hath said which is written in the Torah."
~
"We must wash whenever we return from the market," said rabbi Nathan bar-Uzi. He and Matthias returned from our shopping this day—the second day of the week. The full-member rabbi continued, "We cannot remain in contact... or possible contact with the Romans or sinners or any unclean thing, without washing up."
"I understand," Matthias answered. "So saith the Oral Torah."
"Ah! The Oral Torah! The traditions of the elders!" exclaimed Nathan, who reveres the Oral Torah very much.
Now the scribe-in-training, Matthias bar-Jether, put the question to the rabbi, "Should I let my beard grow? I forgot to ask you, but now that I recall, I ask you."
Being 17, the young man had slowly been growing a beard. It's rather thin but still notable. "Ah, Matthias," he said to Matthias, "I would suggest you let it grow. We, the Jews, prefer that, you see; because for a male to be clean shaved in the fear is to follow the trends of the Romans! And we can't have that!"
"Oh no, no. Of course not, rabbi." It's an agreement for Matthias. But the Oral Torah...
Matthias had this doubt about the Oral Torah. Sure, the Written Torah—the Torah of Moses—is legit, Matthias being raised in it from childhood, but the Oral Torah was being blessed time and time again by the scribes and the Pharisees—this means "of the separated". Matthias would not himself be a full-member scribe until he would turn 40.
Among the Pharisees were two schools: Shammai and Hillel. Shammai is conservative and Hillel is liberal. All when it came to interpreting the Written Torah. For example, divorce. Shammai restricted divorce reasons, while Hillel was looser. There's this passage in Haddebkarim (Deuteronomy): "When a man hath taken a wife and married her, and it comes to pass that she find no favor in his eyes because he hath found some indecency in her, then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house."
So what did "indecency" mean in the passage, exactly?
Shammai held that it means "uncleanness" and should refer to (and be restricted to) adultery. Hillel believed "indecency" can be anything the husband has against his wife. Not wearing a headdress outdoors? Divorce! Losing physical beauty? Divorce! Burning your meal, even if it's purely accidental? Divorce!
Matthias, on his part, was going for Shammai.
~
"A riot!" exclaimed Zadok, bursting into the shop of the only blacksmith in Jotapata. Matthias was inside it, finishing up some nails. He had gone for some immediate action and had now arrived. A riot?
"Zadok, a riot? In Jotapata?" Matthias asked.
"Led on by some Zealot... named Celeb!" he replied.
Matthias halted. "Celeb was a Zealot?" He never said anything about being a Zealot!
"We learned too late!" resumed Zadok. "Now some have joined him, and they try to stir up the people to fight for liberty!"
The young nail-maker slowly set down his tools. "Dangerous actions, Zadok. Rome will not tolerate that. They will repress it. They always have," Matthias sighed. "I... fear for them. Something bad will come out of this."
"Yes, and if Antipas hears," added the elder blacksmith, "he'll employ crucifixion."
"Crucifixion? The most horrid of deaths?" Matthias questioned.
He nodded.
Matthias soughed.
~
Matthias evaded the main city that day. Really, he does not want to get into any trouble. The next day he carefully walked to the market. Then he heard someone running toward him.
Oh no. A Roman? A Zealot? A—
"Matthias, thank God I found you!"
Oh. It's just Hannah. Matthias turned. She hurried to her brother, embracing him. Her woolen headdress was notable, of course. "Sister, what happened?" asked Hannah's brother, Matthias.
The woman grasped him tight; not in a bad way, no, for she was not that sort of woman—bad. Now she wailed, "The Romans seized Celeb and those with him, and those suspected of being on the side of theirs—against Rome, that is! They captured... they captured Ethan also!!"
Ethan? Her husband?
Matthias tried to comfort her directly. "Oh Hannah, calm down. Please. If Ethan is only suspected, then soon he might be freed. God will find a way, Hannah, I promise!"
They hugged. Brother and sister.
Matthias looked at Hannah's headdress and remembered when he was six.
(It was a Sabbath.
To think no work should be done this day, according to the rabbis. "Some restrictions for this day go too far," said Hannah as she finally removed her linen veil. It was little more than a whisper.
"But what are you saying?" responded Jether. Matthias remembered. "The Oral Torah is inspired just as much as the Written. Do not complain against God's ruling."
"Oh, but... now I'm certain God wouldn't impose such a burden on His day of rest," Hannah threw in. "What is the purpose of the Sabbath?"
"To rest as God did in the creation of the earth," Jether shot back. "Do not argue, Hannah. I am the master of the house, and I say the Oral Torah is authoritative, and it will be!"
"Ah, very well," sighed Hannah.
Jether concluded, "One ought to be a fool to reject the Oral Torah.")
Matthias thought about it. Well, the traditions do have way too many restrictions on what to do and what not to do on the Sabbath.
No lighting lamps.
No carrying mats.
No walking over 9,000 paces from one's town.
No filtering of undrinkable water to make said water drinkable.
No taking out a fire.
No picking or rubbing grain.
The list goes on.
Interestingly, the Scriptures do not have this many restrictions.