ALIVE: Chapter 101, Joseph’s Throne
/After the death of Anna, the whole world seemed different for Mary, not just because her mother was gone, oh that contributed to it, but Mary evolved from being a daughter, the growing child of Joachim and Anna to becoming a young lady in her own rite. It was the time to plan for graduation without her mother’s loving counsel or her companionship. She had decided her future, the course her life was to take all on her own, or so she thought.
As we know, and the chief priest overheard, Mary vowed to remain a Virgin dedicated to the Lord. Why was there a question about that? Her parents, especially her mother, had indeed dedicated her to The Lord as an infant. Why should it be any different now that she was grown? Did anyone think the Lord would give her back to the world? She had been the Lord’s from birth. However, neither the Temple nor the school took seriously Anna’s giving of Mary to the Lord, and Mary’s own vow. They were more concerned with the pragmatics of how Mary could live in the world as an orphan. God wanted it that way.
The high priest met with Mother regularly. They discussed the spiritual progress of all the girls and they discussed the pragmatics of running the school, the teachers, the support staff, the food, money, and building maintenance. Some things never change.
Mother started the meeting with the high priest on this day by saying, “These are the girls who are turning 14 soon and will need to leave. They are all betrothed, either by their parents or by us, except Mary daughter of Joachim and Anna. I don’t know what to do with her. She insists on remaining a Virgin but she has no family to go back to in Nazareth. But to Nazareth she should go, since she now owns her family’s home there. I have no role for her here, and there are no extra beds. What shall we do?” asked Mother.
The high priest replied, “This is complicated. I must confess that I overheard her make a vow to the Lord in the temple to remain a Virgin. How can we force her to marry after knowing this? But without parents, how can we release her to the world all alone with no profession, and no guardian?
Mother replied, “Your grace, we go around and around and we end up in the same place with this issue. Okay, that’s all the business I have to discuss for today. I must be going back to class. Can we meet again next week at the same time?”
“Yes yes yes.” replied the high priest deep in thought as he walked out of the room without saying goodbye.
Mother followed him out and managed to appear in class just as it was breaking up.
As the high priest walked back to his home for lunch he continued to contemplate the issue of Mary, daughter of Joachim, without resolution, but it wasn’t long before the details of this child’s future dissolved among other worrisome thoughts about the Romans and their occupation which was becoming increasingly oppressive. King Herod was an evil man, how did the Lord allow him to rule over His people Israel? Their laws often conflicted with the Torah. Then there were the pagan Greeks who occupied towns around Palestine, with their many gods and absurd belief system.Their influence was dangerous to Israel. They must keep the Greeks away.
By the time the priest arrived at his home, he was glad to be rid of his mental ramblings and sat down to the delicious meal that his wife had prepared.
“Remember dear that tomorrow you go to Jericho. I have packed your satchel.”
“Oh yes, thank you, I had forgotten. I have arranged for a coach. I am too old to get on those camels.”
“Good for you. Yes. I will pack your food tonight. You leave right after sunrise.”
…
On the coach were two other men, a Roman centurion and a lawyer. The three men struck up a conversation that soon moved beyond the weather to carpentry. The lawyer was admiring the construction of the wooden coach they were riding in. The High Priest found the conversation interesting because he wanted a new throne chair. “I must remember to ask the driver who built his coach. It is obviously well designed and well made.”
The journey to Jericho was bumpy and dusty; the travelers tried hard to be comforted by knowing how much worse it is to be on the camel.
Finally, the passengers were relieved to have arrived at Jericho. As they collected their luggage, the centurion reminded the priest to ask about the builder of the coach.
“Oh yes! Thank you.” He waited for the luggage to be distributed and then said to the driver, “We were admiring your coach. It looks new, tell me, who built it for you?”
The driver replied, “There is a fine carpenter in Nazareth by the name of Joseph. He is very skillful, I think he is the best in all of Palestine. Thank you. I must be going now. Farewell.”
“Thank you.” replied the priest while trying to fix the name in his mind. He thought of the tribe of Joseph, savior of Israel. “Yes, that will do it. Joseph, the favorite son, is my favorite carpenter. How can I forget that?”
The priest proceeded to conduct his business in Jericho, but throughout the day he couldn’t resist a growing desire to meet the builder of the coach. He had visions of a beautiful throne made of the finest olive trees with intricate carvings. A chair he could sit in all day, or even fall asleep in! Nazareth was so far north, how could he ever make contact with the carpenter Joseph?
On his way back to Jerusalem the priest remembered to ask the driver, when they arrived, to get a message to the carpenter Joseph of Nazareth via the driver-pipeline.
He said, “Tell the carpenter that he is being summoned to Jerusalem by the High Priest who wants to commission him to make a throne.”
“Yes sir,” said the driver, “I will do what I can. I know a driver going to Nazareth today. What an honor it would be for a simple carpenter. I know who to tell.”
The high priest gave the man a few shekels tip in appreciation for his service, and a few more for the driver. The rabbi knew that the tip would further obligate him to fulfill the request.
Months went by in which the daily tasks of the temple were performed with precise uniformity. The repetition of it was boring to the high priest who craved something different, no matter how small, he simply wanted to see a different face, or even to have an unusual problem. Sun and moon, day and night, breakfast, lunch and dinner over and over again. One day, when the high priest least expected it the carpenter Joseph arrived at the temple!
“Bring him in! Bring him right in immediately!” cried the priest.
A meek and very handsome older man entered the room, he had shocks of long wavy gray hair mingled with light brown locks, and a set of sparkling brown eyes flanked by wrinkles that made him look wise and experienced. He bowed respectfully and said, “Shalom.”
“Shalom, enter!” said the high priest trying to contain his joy in a dignified manner. To his servants he said, “Bring the carpenter some fresh figs right away, and then bring supper. Are you thirsty? You must be after such a long journey.”
“Thank you.” said Joseph who indeed was hungry and thirsty as he had come from the two-day caravan ride directly to the temple and that morning had already finished eating the food his daughter made him.
The high priest was not in a hurry to get to the point of the visit, but rather wanted to get to know the artisan of his throne. “Tell me about yourself.” said the priest.
“Rabbi, I am a widower. My beloved wife died in childbirth with our last child. But that was over a decade ago. I thank the Lord for my sons and daughter and for my work. There is nothing more to say. I pay my tithes. I obey the law. My life is good, and it is peaceful. May God be blessed.”
The priest nodded. He liked the simple man who appeared to be refreshingly carefree and about his own age. How different their two lives were. How simple and carefree he seemed. He looked forward to working with this man.
Eventually the priest drove the conversation to the purpose of the visit. They discussed the type of wood and design criteria, the ornateness of it and the comfort of it. Joseph waxed enthusiastic when discussing his work as he was passionate about wood. He had devoted his life to carpentry from his youth where he learned it at his father’s feet.
Then the high priest dared to ask. “Would you be willing to build the throne here? The priest wanted Joseph around for many reasons; he genuinely liked the man and wanted his company, also because he wanted to participate in the phases of building the chair to be available to review the progress and to make decisions along the way.
Joseph had never been asked to work off-site before, but he knew that for a commission of this importance, he didn’t see how he could refuse. “Well, I must return to Nazareth for my tools, but I suppose so. I mean yes, I can your grace.”
Several weeks passed during which Joseph returned to Nazareth and informed his children of his imminent extended absence. They were proud of their father for being selected for such an important commission. James told his father not to be concerned for he would take care of the local customers. Joseph looked at his young son, no more than 12 and hoped he could handle the responsibility. His daughter washed and packed his other tunic and work aprons while he packed up his tools. He couldn’t say how long he would be gone, the average chair only takes a week, but something this ornate could take a month.
Jospeh visited his friends to inform them of his absence and to ask them to watch over his children. They too were glad for him and assured him that he would find everything just as he left it, all the while knowing how much more meticulous Joseph was than they.
…
Back at the temple in Jerusalem Joseph settled into his new makeshift shop in a vacant shack near the kitchen house. He enjoyed being so near the gardens. He could breathe in the fragrance of the flowers and herbs while working. The high priest visited him often, which Joseph didn’t mind, although the visits prolonged his time away from home.
Two more meetings with mother passed before it occurred to the high priest that he had found a solution to the problem of Mary. ‘Joseph!’ Surely a man of his age would not need or want more children. Perhaps her quest for chastity could be respected. Oh, but that was not his concern, thought the priest to himself, he only needed to make sure she was taken care of.
The high priest was not at all aware that these thoughts were being transmitted via the angel of the Lord.
The priest had grown fond of Joseph during the last few weeks. The chair was so fine, the most beautiful that he had ever seen, but to keep him as long as possible, the priest found repair projects to add to Joseph’s labors. Humble Joseph, admitted to himself that despite being away from his responsibilities in Nazareth, he enjoyed his days in Jerusalem. For Joseph, his work here was an experience he would treasure for the rest of his life.
On a particularly bright morning while Joseph was working on the carvings, the high priest poked his head in the doorway and said, “Joseph, let’s go for a walk together. I have something to discuss with you.”
“Of course your grace.” replied Joseph, who set down his tool, and wiped his hands on his carpenter’s apron before removing it and setting it down.”
Joseph followed the priest to the same rose garden around the fountain where Joachim, Anna, and Mary once spent their most precious moments together. On the way, the two men stopped by the kitchen building to pick up the lunch the priest had ordered.
After the men had performed their ceremonial hand washing and prayed together, they sat on the same holy bench of memories where Joachim had sat years before. The stories this bench could tell. This humble bench rich with hidden honors.
“Joseph, I have an important request that I ask you to consider. Over the last few weeks I have come to know you and I respect you. You are obviously a skillful carpenter, but more than that you are a good man.”
Joseph listened intently, curious of what more the priest could want from him beyond all the repairs and throne. Could he want more chairs? A bed frame? Joseph quickly assumed such a request and instantly thought that he shouldn’t stay in Jerusalem indefinitely.
The priest’s spiel took a sharp and shocking turn when he introduced the point of it. “We have a lovely young lady, an orphan without siblings who is about to graduate from here. She has been here from the age of three when her parents dedicated her to the Lord.
The priest wasn’t sure he should mention that Mary had vowed to the Lord that she would remain a Virgin, and decided to mention that at another time. Instead he said, “She has a home, in Nazareth, in fact you may have known her father Joachim.
Indeed Joseph knew exactly who the priest was referring to as he had admired Joachim and worked for him as a youth. Joseph heard that they had a daughter, but he never met her. He still wondered what all this had to do with him.
“We want her to be betrothed to a good man,” then the priest peered into Joseph’s eyes, startling the man, “who will watch over and care for her. You.”
The priest did not need to be more specific. Joseph was aghast at the request, so personal and so surprising. He took another bite of his falafel which while chewing gave him time to compose a gracious rejection.
“You know I have grown children, perhaps of the same age. How would such a marriage affect them? I must consider this carefully.”
“Yes, I know you have children; you have mentioned them, but someday they too will have families of their own and who will care for you? Do you want to be tossed from home to home like a hot falafel?”
Joseph thought that was a harsh, but not implausible scenario, and took another bite.
At this point the high priest decided to join Joseph in the enjoyment of his lunch and took a large bite of his own falafel.
The men chewed in silence. The whirring of each man’s mind was nearly audible. Birds and butterflies flew around them. Flies and bees buzzed near their heads. The vibrations of it all could have propelled a small plane off the ground, especially considering the dense invisible angelic activity. For the angels who lived outside of natural time knew how significant this conversation was and flocked to the scene in droves to witness this moment which had as much significance for heaven as it had for earth.
“May I have time to think about this request, which you must admit your grace, was quite unexpected and startling.”
“Of course, of course.” said the priest while admitting to himself that he had been considering the fate of Mary for years, while this poor man had freshly been confronted by the dilemma which until now had nothing to do with him.
Joseph was glad to have more time to compose his rejection of the idea. The men sat in silence for a few moments. With nothing more to say, Joseph gathered the trash and excused himself to go back to his shack, away from the scene that was to radically change his life and erase his anonymity forever. The priest bid him farewell and the two men parted ways.
Joseph returned to his workshop steeped in thought. The angels surrounding him did their best to calm his whirling mind and direct him to the obvious decision. Joseph thought that it was more like adopting this young woman, than marrying as he had his wife when they were both so young. He wondered if she would expect to have children. Then his mind wandered to the girl, to what she would think of being betrothed to such an old man as he. What could she be like having grown up in this rich and beautiful place? He concluded that he should meet her. Then he wondered if he had any choice in the matter at all, and about what this young lady would think of all this. The couple, as all couples are were thrust together, but usually it was by parents, not priests. Joseph knew he was no youngster starting out in life. He was roughly the same age as the priest and already had a family. He was asked, not told to marry this young woman. That morning Joseph decided that he had best meet the girl. He was glad to be able to focus on his work and tried to force himself not to think about this proposal from the priest but to place all of his energy on shaping the wood.
...
The high priest eagerly went to Mother with the good news of his solution and announcement to Joseph. He was filled with joy and couldn’t wait to share it with his co-worrier. Fortunately he found her in the first place he looked, in her office. Mother was as delighted to hear the news as if it was already a done deal. How providential that the man was from her own village! “The Lord provides, blessed be the name of the Lord!”
Mother was less thrilled to be told that it was she who would have to inform Mary of their plan for her to marry. She tried to argue with the priest, as she thought Mary would be more respectful and obedient to him than to her because of their closeness, but he wouldn’t hear of it. To make it more difficult the priest added the pressure that she would have to tell Mary soon, as the throne was almost complete and he didn’t think he could stall the departure of Joseph much longer. Then the priest departed from Mother’s office before she could think of another excuse to evade this unpleasant task.
Sitting at her desk, the quietness of the room betrayed the air filled with excitement. The first step, the preamble to the birth of God had been taken. The angels were delirious with joy while Mother fretted. She knew that Mary would not want to hear this, and she didn’t blame her. After being treated as a child of God and as close to being a princess as any commoner, living at the school and having servants do all the heavy chores for her, Mary was ill prepared to become the maid and cook of this man and his children.
At supper that evening Mother invited Mary to her apartment. That was not unusual, because Mother invited all the girls from time to time to visit so she could monitor their individual formation. The only clue that Mary had to this cataclysmic decision was that she had already visited Mother two weeks, not months earlier.
Inside the apartment Mother offered Mary a cup of tea with honey, which she gladly accepted.
“Mary, I have something to tell you that you will not want to hear.”
Mary looked at Mother quizzically wondering what could be worse than the day she told her that her mother had died suddenly. “Yes Mother?” she replied sweetly.
The sweetness of her voice, her innocence and purity crushed Mother’s heart. She deplored the need to destroy this child’s dreams, for Mother knew that Mary only wanted to stay in the temple her whole life long, to worship at the Holy altar of the Lord with melodious chants, the harmony of her voice with His glory in the mystical way that only the angels could hear. Silence ensued while Mother searched for the right words unaware that the angels were transmitting them to her, and if she would only relax and not tense up as she had, they would flow freely.
They did not flow freely, but the angel’s words managed to find sound. “Mary, as you know our will is not the same as the will of God. We are often tested and tried; we must learn to humble ourselves. Um. God gives us parents and commands us to honor and obey them. Um. You know I have been, I am your mother, and the high priest is your father on earth. We know your heart, and that you would like to live here forever. That is not possible. We have found a man to betroth you to.” She stopped there, finally getting out the news.
“Ahhhh!!!” replied Mary, shocked at the statement. This was the last thing she expected to hear that day. She was speechless.
“Mary,” said Mother searching for her eyes and not finding them as her head was bowed low. “I am sure that this is God’s will for you.”
“Thank you Mother. May I go now?”
“Yes dear, but please return tomorrow after supper and I will tell you the details.”
Mary smiled the smile of sweet acquiescence, turned and walked out of the room. Where could she go to cry? She thought she must go to the rose garden where she was last with her papa. And off she went.
When she arrived, she first washed her hands, and splashed her face in the fountain as if the water could wash away her confusion and her sorrow. Then she sat in the place her papa had sat, to feel the echo of his presence. The angels surrounded her but allowed her to feel all her own feelings and to think all her own thoughts. God demanded that of them.
She sat and thought about the shocking news. She wondered what it was about the news of her imminent betrothal that was the most devastating. For so long she imagined herself to be a single child of God, devoted to prayer, chanting, serving the poor. Never had she imagined being forced to marry. She didn’t care who the man was, she just felt so ill prepared for life in the world. For any kind of life in the world. For life with a man whoever he was.
As she sat and thought, she wondered if God had rejected her, and that was why she was being thrust out of the temple. What could she have done to alienate her Lord. This thought burst the dam that held back her emotions. She cried.
The sound of weeping reached Joseph’s ears as he was carving in his makeshift workshop. He was sure it was a lady in distress, but he wasn’t sure if he should interfere. Joseph stepped away from his throne and looked for the lady in distress.
When he passed enough shrubs and plants he spotted her sitting on the bench. The poor girl looked so forlorn, as if she hadn’t a friend in the world. She had lost her foothold on the earth, and in heaven. Joseph sensed that he should leave her be, so he withdrew back to his shack.
Mary never felt so alone before in her life. Tears flowed freely with a deep yearning to be with her mama or her papa. Where could she find the comfort of her mother who would have known exactly what to say to her. She also cried without any thoughts at all, she just needed to cry, to cry as she hadn’t cried since she was a baby. Her whole world collapsed, and she was at a loss for any rope to grab on to. She hadn’t even returned to Nazareth since she was brought to the Temple ten years before. Jerusalem was her whole world. Her mind was spinning with fear of being thrust into a new life in the small town. She didn’t dare pour her heart out to the high priest or to any of the other girls. The tears slowed to a trickle as if they simply ran out. She wiped her face on the skirt of her gown, and tried to compose herself.
The gaggle of angels that surrounded her were filled with compassion for this orphan. ‘Poor girl, she didn’t expect this. She expected to always be what she had always known herself to be.’ A few more-sensitive angels wept with her.
In her machinations Mary thought to run away. She wanted to run away from the man they wanted to link her to. She could go...? Where? “Maybe,” she thought, “maybe I can go to Bethlehem to my aunts and my cousins. They would take me in!”
“And what would you do there?” she replied to herself. “I could be their maid.”
“And how will that serve the Lord?”
She cornered herself.
The temptation to run away, to indulge in her will over what her spiritual mother and father prepared for her, soon reminded her of Eve who was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit that said, “Don’t obey God. He doesn’t want you to be wise. Don’t trust Him.”
“A flicker of light entered her soul. Whether it was from an angel or from deep within her nature, she said to herself, “Is it possible that this marriage is the will of the Lord for me? How can it be?” She thought it was Mother and the the priest whose will she fought. Then she wondered, “What is God’s will for me?” The answer came easily. “God’s will was for her to obey the priest, and her spiritual Mother whom God put over her. She realized that the right path was in the Law. The Law is life. The Law commanded her to honor and obey her mother and father.” Mary walked over to the fountain and scooped some water in her hands and splashed her face again and again to wash away the salty tears. Then she wiped her face with her skirt and sat back down on the bench to continue her conversation with herself. Empty moments after sitting down, she realized that the ‘conversation’ was ended and resolved.
Mary walked back to look for Mother. She wasn’t in her office, she wasn’t in a classroom, she wasn’t in her apartment. Finally Mary looked in the synagogue and found Mother praying there alone. She smiled knowing that her resolve was confirmed. The decision for her to marry had been from the Lord, as unappealing, as as unlikely as it seemed to her. It was time to meet the man.