The Words in Red

Our caravan was camped outside of the northern suburb of the Great City. The Festival of Offerings would be observed in a few days. The streets were crowded with pilgrims from across the empire. Word of the Teacher’s arrival had preceded us into the city. A crowd of the curious were gathering near our camp.

After our evening meal, the Teacher went out to the crowd. Several hundred pilgrims sat on the ground to listen to the “holy man.” There was a wealthy pious man among the crowd. He listened to the Teacher suspiciously, as if he might catch him speaking blasphemies. The man’s religion was worn on the outside for all to see. His carriage was adorned with the symbol of his faith, a bronze fish.

As the Teacher spoke about social and family relations, the wealthy man called out “Remember the Law, and family and society shall prosper.” The man stared at the Teacher waiting for a reply to his scriptural quote. None was given to him.

The Teacher continued to speak to the crowd “May we find a new law, one written in our hearts.”

“A new law?” The Pious man raised his voice in anger. “Are you, you vagabond holy man, are you implying that the Law of our faith is not adequate?”

“I am a voice of reason crying out to those in pain.” The Teacher walked closer to the man’s carriage. “What does your law say to the broken family, to those who suffer, to the poor and needy? What does your law offer the common people?”

“The Law offers structure for how to live one’s life. All the troubles that you mentioned are a result of disobedience to the Law.” The religious man looked at the crowd and said “Those of you who suffer should search your hearts and confess your secret sins. Then perhaps your suffering shall be removed.” The man was satisfied with his knowledge of the verses.

“Does obedience to the law bring a blessing to the whole of society? Following rituals and rigid doctrines, does it serve well all of the people?”

“Consider the slave, the law provides for his treatment, such as ‘do not beat him unto death.’ But the law does not provide him freedom. Shall there someday be a law which forbids ownership of another human being.” The Teacher spoke with authority.

“Not only do you speak blasphemies you are an arrogant fool as well.” The religious man spat on the ground.

“If speaking the truth makes one a blasphemer and fool then, I am.” The Teacher spread his arms out to the crowd. The crowd laughed and even jeered at the wealthy and pious man.

The man drove his carriage away and shouted “You shall corrupt many and bring damnation on yourself!”

The Teacher resumed his engagement with the crowd. The people were not troubled by the brief interruption. They were thirsty for every word that fell from the Teacher’s lips. Only, the students and I were worried that the religious man might summon the authorities.

We had reclined for the evening when shouting men approached the camp. They carried torches, tiki torches. They were dragging some poor man. The young man’s clothes had been stripped away. He had been beaten and could hardly stand. The men shouted for the “holy man” to come forward and address this man’s sin.

The Teacher became angry when he saw the bleeding and frail man before him. “What have you done to this young man? He is near death!” The Teacher approached the wounded man and took him by the shoulders. Teacher helped him kneel upon the ground. He removed his outer robe and covered the man’s nakedness. The Teacher raised the young man’s face up to look into his eyes. The young man was barely conscious, but his eyes were filled with fear.

As the Teacher arose, he shouted out to Ayaan and Deanna. “Bring water and bandages, this man has severe wounds.” We had never heard him shout before.

The Teacher faced the mob. The light of their torches caused shadows to dance across his face. Among them he saw the pious wealthy man. The Pious said “This man is a sodomite, he was caught in the act! The Law says he must be stoned.”

The Teacher was furious and shouted “The Law says! The Law says! What does the heart of this man say?” The Teacher reached down and touched the young man’s head tenderly. He stood in front of the injured man to shelter him from his accusers.

“What says the heart of his mother? His father? You fear him. You fear that you may be like him. Stoning him will not help you with the desires of your own flesh.” The Teachers eyes burned with fire.

“How dare you blame us of sexual sin? We walk in the true religion.” The Pious looked to the mob to gain their approval, which they offered in “amens” and shaking their heads.

“Ha! True religion!” The Teacher spoke boldly to the Pious man “Tell me, oh keeper of the law, how many wives do you have?”

“I have three, but I am not the accused here!” The man stammered.

“You have three because of the desires of your flesh!” The Teacher pointed his finger at the Pious.

“The Law allows four. Are you not trained in the verses, holy man?” The Pious spoke with arrogance.

“In the ’true religion,’... the story of beginnings... you are familiar with those verses?” The Teacher mocked. Not waiting for an answer the Teacher continued “And the man whom the Lord had made was alone. He was alone without mate... but the Lord gave him three wives?” Even I was shocked at the Teacher’s boldness.

“You know that the sacred scriptures says the world began with one man and one woman!” The Pious declared.

“Yes, and that story precedes your law!” The Teacher moved among the mob as he spoke.

“But you, oh keeper of the law, may indulge yourself more than the first man of creation. How blessed art thou!” The Teacher continued to mock the pious man.

“You attempt to speak as one with authority but our Law and our traditions prove you to be a blasphemer!” The Pious man moved toward the Teacher.

The Teacher dropped his mocking expression and spoke to the man in a serious tone. “And if the law stated that a man should not marry, then what? Would you obey it and lay aside your physical urges? Would you become a celibate law keeper?”

“This is foolishness. It is our nature to couple. The divine law has allowed us sexual fulfillment, within certain boundaries, of course.” The Pious man looked to the mob for support, but even they had become spellbound by the Teacher’s words and offered none.

“And to honor your law, you would take this young man’s life from him. Tell me oh keeper of the law, are you a father? Could you take the life of your own offspring?” The Teacher’s eyes were sad.

“He is a young man with his whole life in front of him, and yet you would take it away, in righteousness. Do you not recall your youth, when you were his age, when lust and hormones ran through your flesh?” The Teacher moves closer to the Pious, standing face to face.

The Pious seemed bothered by the Teacher’s close presence and backed away a bit. “Yes, I was a young man once, but I was not a sodomite!”

“And of course you avoided the harlot’s bed, and keep yourself pure until marriage?” The Teacher spoke just above a whisper. The man did not speak, but the answer was shown in his expression. He turned and began to walk away in shame.

The Teacher moved among the mob, and spoke softly to each man. We could not hear his words but after he spoke to each, they turned and began to walk back toward the city. In a short time all of the accusers had departed. We watched the trail of their lighted torches, make its way up the hill and into the city.

The students began to discuss what the Teacher may have said that caused the men to leave. Brother Tyson said “Those men left in haste, just like they had come, only they left quietly. It was like the Teacher had spoken the names of their girlfriends.” Everyone laughed.

As the Teacher walked back to his tent a sad and tired voice called out to him. “Blessed Teacher, thank you!”

The Teacher was approached by a small old man with a graying beard. He wept. “Thank you for saving the boy. Isaiah is my only son.”

The Teacher reached out and took the man by his hands. The man continued “Great Teacher, I am in your debt.” The man knelt down as if to worship his son’s savior. The Teacher knelt down as well and faced the man.

Through his tears, the man continued to speak. “I have done wrong. I was ashamed of my son, and made him leave our home. When we heard that the mob had seized him, my wife and I both feared for his life. I followed the mob, willing to beg for his soul. I was even planning on offering my life for his.”

The Teacher held the man close and said “Great is the love of a parent. You are a righteous man.”

The man begged “Forgive me Teacher, forgive me for putting my son away.”

The Teacher stood up and pulled the old man to his feet. “Let us go and tell your son, and then you will be forgiven.”

Isaiah was shocked to see his father enter the tent. Tears were shed and apologies begged. The wounds of both men began to heal. The tent was filled with love.

Later Brother Sagan approached the Teacher to discuss plans for Isaiah’s family. The Pious might bring persecution on the family. The Teacher then selected two large men, Brother Garcia and Brother Crawford, to accompany Isaiah’s father to their home. They would fetch the man’s wife and belongings and bring them back to the camp safely.

The Teacher told the old father “Your family may dwell with us for as long as you wish. You are welcome among us and will be safe.”