ALIVE: Chapter 123 TWELVE Plus One

After Matthew joined the group, the band of men lead by the young Teacher and Healer from Nazareth continued to travel from town to village throughout the region of Galilee. For the first several weeks Matthew had to change from being the feared and greedy rich tax collector, to becoming an obedient disciple. He had to shed himself of his home and his treasured belongings even as he had to shed himself of his pride and arrogance. It was a difficult transformation, and it took time for Matthew to evolve, but he was determined to change. He abhorred his old self more and more as he compared himself to Jesus. Listening to Jesus every day, and watching the miracles made Matthew feel like his mind and heart were being scrubbed of thick crusty dirt, layer by layer came off until the tender flesh appeared.  One morning he woke up knowing that he was a new man, a child of God, yielding, pliable, open minded and open hearted, like a golden vessel ready to receive the nectar of the grape and to transform it into wine. It’s not that he was free from the struggle, but rather Matthew was given a glimpse of the reality of the kingdom of God within his soul. It was so shocking and so real that the vision gave him a stronghold to grasp onto and cling to for dear life. And cling he did like fingertips clutching the windowsill above a hundred foot drop to the cement floor. With the same cunning that he had used to cheat and steal; with the life-threatened determination of a parasite turned against his pride and lust, Matthew fought his inner enemy to change, one hour at a time. 

One by one each of the disciples was chosen, although each thought it was he who chose the life of a vagabond and body guard, a student of Jesus the Teacher and Wonderworker, when actually Jesus chose each man carefully until the number of this group reached the number of the sons of Jacob. Twelve. 

Twelve sons of Jacob formed twelve tribes which multiplied fast like fetal cells to become a nation, the ever expanding but finite totality of the chosen people of God, the Creator. Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham who was promised to become the father of many nations  from one son, Isaac. Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, became the father of only one nation Israel, the name G-d gave him in anticipation of the nation his sons formed. But why from twelve did the nation emerge? Why not ten so Jacob could count his sons on his fingers?

Why do twelve months, twelve full moons become a year? Who figured that out? Was it because that person observed the repetition of the four seasons? Were there four seasons where that Neanderthal lived? What was God telling us? What does the number twelve teach us?

Obviously, Jesus chose twelve men to be His disciples to replicate the twelve tribes that made up the nation of Israel, the first phase of fulfilling His covenant with Abraham. By contrast though Christ’s twelve men did not each represent one of the twelve tribes. They were twelve random great grandsons of Abraham. Right off Jesus blended the people of God, the second phase. Where the Father needed to keep them distinct, each tribe with its own land, the Levites with their responsibilities, Jesus blended them in preparation for receiving the other ethnicities into the fold and fulfilling the covenant with Abraham to be the father of many nations. By contrast also, unlike the sons of Jacob, the ‘Sons’ of Jesus were born, “not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of men, but of [the will] of God.”

As for the twelve men, why did they abandon family and earned income to travel with Jesus? Could it have been an indescribable attraction to the mystery of His being that was the allure? No one that anyone had ever known had the confidence to challenge the Pharisees and their Scribes as this young man had, but at the same time the humility it took to work as hard as Jesus did.

To some, seeing Jesus in person gave them relief from their fears and worries because He showed them the possibility of breaking through the mundane, the anxieties that accompanied a purely physical existence with its illusion of being victims of nature and of other people. Like the rain and winds, harsh sun and freezing cold are uncontrollable, yet they govern our physical existence, likewise the people were affected by illness, poverty, wrath, danger and necessity. Yet, this Man, this Wonder Worker and traveling rabbi was not so affected. How could that be? How fascinating to behold! He commanded nature by stilling waves and wind, walking on water and multiplying loaves and fish as easily as He commanded organs, muscles, cells in the body to be restored. Who can do that? But the Creator? 

So they followed Him. The ranks of the disciples grew, Peter and Andrew, James and John, Phillip, Nathanael who wanted to be called Thaddeus, Matthew and Jude who adopted the name James, were soon joined by Bartholomew, and another Simon. Ten men, tall and short fair and dark, different dispositions, but all adventurous and committed to the Rabbi. 

…

On the second day of that week Jesus and His men arrived by boat at the docks at Tarichea. Looking around at the new town to assess the situation, Phillip called out, “Let’s go this way.” pointing to the street with shops selling fruits and vegetables and the ovens. Tarichea was a tidy village with colorfully painted homes abutting each other built up the side of a hill overlooking the sea.  They all followed Phillip who behaved as if he had been there before. All the men looked around while they followed him looking for the synagogue.

“Hey, Phillip, is that you?” The cluster of men stopped to let the two greet each other. “Thomas! How have you been? What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been living here with my brother and his wife for about three years.” Looking at the group, Thomas asked, “What is this? Who are these men? And what brings you to Tarichea?” 

Phillip replied, “Are you the only man in Judaea who hasn’t heard about Jesus, the healer?” He said nodding to Jesus  who stepped forward to meet Thomas. “Pleased to meet you! Yes, of course I have heard something about a man who has been aggravating the Pharisees and their scribes.” said Thomas with a satisfied chuckle. “Listen, where are you staying? Do you want to come to our house?” 

Phillip replied, “I have been waiting for you to ask!” 

“Come, follow me.” As the men followed Thomas to his house an acquaintance of his approached. “Hail Thomas, what is this? Who are all these men? Is this a party starting? Can I come?”

Thomas replied, “This is an old friend, Phillip who has become a follower of the rabbi Jesus. Have you heard of Him? I am taking them to my house. They just arrived in town. Of course you may join us Judas.”

Jesus buried in the center of the cluster of men studied the new men, Thomas and Judas, with an analytical gaze. 

“Good, let’s go.” said Judas. Both Thomas and Judas nodded to the band of men, “Pleased to meet you.” Hands were shaken and friendly expressions exchanged and then the group continued on to the house of Thomas where they were greeted by his brother and his brother’s wife. Surprising Thomas they welcomed the large group of men into their home and set about to arrange bedding and supper. Judas spent the evening with them and went to his own home with a mind filled with wanderlust. He was impressed by how well these men seemed to have no cares about finances. He had enjoyed their company. 

After supper, and after Judas left, Peter pulled Jesus aside, and asked, “What do you think? Should you ask Thomas and Judas to join us or no?”

Jesus smiled and replied, “Each of them has a role to play. I’ve been expecting them. Now you are complete.”

Perplexed by Jesus’ response, Peter quickly dismissed his confusion and replied, “Okay, I wanted to make sure that you are okay with these two. They both look a little sketchy to me.”

“Don’t worry. They’ll be fine. I’ll invite Thomas to follow Me tomorrow, and I expect Judas to ask Me if he can join us.”

Peter and Jesus rejoined the group as they continued to talk and drink wine into the night. The sister in law was a good hostess, making sure that her guest were well fed and comfortable. The party got boisterous from time to time with men talking over each other and laughter piercing the din. 

Gradually the party broke up and man after man retreated to his bed or bedroll. Jesus was the first to withdraw. 

The following morning, as usual, Jesus had gone off to pray alone. Thomas’ brother and sister came into the great-room looking at their guests, some awake, some still snoring. “Good morning, she said quietly to the men who were awake. We are going into the village to buy bread. We will be back shortly.”

“Matthew jumped up and said, “Please let me give you money. We are grateful for the shelter.” 

The brother waited and thanked Matthew who quickly found his pouch and pulled out a few denarii and handed it to him. Thomas was still asleep.

When Jesus returned all the men were awake, and eating bread.  James looked over at Jesus and asked, “Hail Master, what are we going to do today?”

…

That was the week that the eleventh and twelfth men were chosen. From that day on, the group was fixed. Yes, other people tagged along, even some women, but this was the group, the inner circle of Jesus, the Master, the teacher, the healer. 

Jesus and His men continued to make the circuit around Galilee until He was well known everywhere. They didn’t always have a generous home for men to stay in so they usually set up camp in remote places. As the pack grew to thirteen, Jesus plus His twelve, it was almost impossible to find a home willing or able to shelter them. Fortunately, it almost never rained. 

Jesus actually liked camping and traveling. From time to time, He had the sensation of Abraham leaving Ur of the Chaldeans, and what it was like when Moses left Egypt, or when the entire nation of Israel, like a swarm of bees or a huge flock of birds marched in a pack to the promise land. Oh true, in God Jesus had watched over the Wandering Jews from heaven, but this was His chance to be there, to walk the earth and walk they did for miles and miles. Jesus always helped set up camp and break it down again, He gathered wood, He worked. He found joy in being with His companions. The Father had chosen well for Him. No one argued or complained of the hardship of the vagabond life. From time to time the food supply ran down, and then they used the sensation of hunger to pray with fasting. They prayed for continued safety from serpents that also lived in the wilderness, and other predators. They prayed for water. 

Week followed week, as Jesus tirelessly preached and healed in town after town. And like the serpents, the scribes showed up at most of His talks to find fault, or to prod Him. 

Like a bookmobile filled with wisdom moving from town to town, and like a doctor making house calls Jesus didn’t wait for people to come to Him, He went and sought them out. That was His mission, that was His adult life. He was successful, expanding crowds of people flocked to see Him. 

….

One evening as they sat around the camp fire Jesus made an announcement. It wasn’t good enough that He alone could heal and conquer demons. In His conversations with His Holy Father God Jesus became increasingly aware that His mission was to multiply Himself in the world. First with His men, and through them others until humanity regained the life giving power and authority over nature bestowed upon Adam. On this night Jesus announced a trial run. 

With a thousand twinkling stars overhead illuminating the night sky, and the fire blazing at the core of their circle Jesus said in a clear strong voice that He had developed for speaking to large crowds of people “Tomorrow you are to go out two by two. I will give you authority over evil spirits. Take nothing for the journey except a staff- no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet, as a testimony against them.”

The men were dumbfounded. “What, Jesus, do you expect us to do what you can do?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. I will stay here alone. I need this time of rest and prayer, but more importantly you need to understand that you can do what I do. Not for your own benefit, but because the world needs more healing and less sickness and death. We will transform humanity, and bring the world closer to our God’s original intention.”

Silence. The men quietly pondered if or how they could do such things. They had been observing Jesus for months, but to be Him was a completely different matter. Yet, He said He would give them the authority needed. 

“Matthew you go with Andrew. John you go with Bartholomew. Thomas and Phillip. Thaddeus and James. Judas and …let me see any volunteers?” There weren’t many left.

“I’ll go with Judas.” said Simon Peter. 

“Good. Now let’s talk about what towns you will go to and when to return.”

The rest of the evening was spent in planning where they would go and what they would teach and how they would heal. Some of the men felt confident, and enthusiastic, others were concerned and insecure but each man knew that this assignment was an important part of the deal. They needed to grow in themselves. It wasn’t good enough to watch, to assist in crowd control, to provide and protect the Master, they had to be like Him. They had to do the same work He did. Jesus said He would give them the authority. That would help! They couldn’t imagine being able to preach and heal without inspiration. “After all” thought Peter, “I’m a fisherman. What do I know of healing or public speaking?” 

“I’m a tax collector, that’s all I’ve ever done. Can I wake up one morning and be a doctor or a lawyer? How is this possible except by the Spirit of God that combines my pennies with Its gold.” 

“I am little more than a child,” thought John, “but I can do this.” 

Jesus prayed over His men asking the Father to go before them, and the people who needed their Wisdom and Healing to be open to them. He strengthened them with His own confidence in them and the Holy Spirit. 

The six groups set out the following morning after a good night’s rest. Each set of men knew exactly where they would go, but not what they would find, or whether they would return with a spiritual treasure chest, or an empty bag. 

Jesus stayed at camp alone. Everyone was gone, morning noon and night, day after day alone, alone with the Father. These days, this week was His respite. Every morning He was reminded of His first such days alone in the wilderness after His baptism. He needed this extended time with His Heavenly Father to listen and to ask. Lightening and thunder, crashing tidal waves on the shore, butterflies smelling nectar, tiny fleas floating in air aim to describe the conversations of this week between Father, Creator, Hope of the world and all knowing, Son, the light and life and refuge of mankind, the perfect Adam, and Holy Spirit, the protector against all evil forces of decay, destruction, and corruption. 

Each set of men had their own adventure, but we will just follow Thomas and Phillip. 

There were only so many towns and villages in Galilee. Thomas and Phillip were sent to the one that they had been to with Jesus a few times. It was interesting how each village had its own personality, as if the people infuse each other. They were sent to Apeiranthos high on a mountaintop where the people were rugged, loud and intelligent. 

Phillip said, “There’s the synagogue, let go. You be the first to talk.” 

Thomas confidently took the lead. He walked into the synagogue with an air of strength and importance aiming to emulate Jesus. The room was sparsely populated, which was good for them. There were few men who wanted to speak, but enough to listen. When they walked in the rabbi was censoring the tabernacle. The fragrant smoke filled the room. Some men bowed out of reverence and to focus on their prayers. A speaker was reading psalm 51, the one that David wrote when He was filled with remorse about ordering Uriah the Hittite to the frontlines to be killed in battle so he, David, could take the poor soldier’s wife. David was overcome with shame, not only for his decision, but also for being so driven by lust that he had to be told of his egregious sin. 

When both the reader and the rabbi had finished, Thomas stepped forward. "My brother and I come to you from Jesus the Nazarene with greetings and teaching. May I speak?”

The rabbi, being familiar with Jesus who had visited them often replied, “Of course, speak.” Then he went and sat down to listen to Thomas.

“Love one another, do not judge, criticize and condemn your brother or sister, be satisfied with one wife and in this you will be fulfilling the law and the prophets. Have a modest opinion of yourself, for who are you but a servant of the Most High?”

A young man cried out, interrupting Thomas, “If you are sent by the Nazarene, then prove it. Heal my lameness.” He said this because he had walked with a limp since he was a boy and was run over by a cart when he darted in front of it to retrieve a ball.” 

Thomas looked at the young man with compassion, and then over to Phillip questioningly. Phillip had been praying and looked up at Thomas, and then over to the crippled young man. Phillip said, “Come to me.” The young man hobbled over to him. All eyes were on Thomas and Phillip and the young man Timeous whom they knew from birth. 

Timeous bowed his head and Phillip placed both hands on it. Thomas placed his right hand on the young man’s back. “Phillip prayed, “Lord God of all, restore the legs of this son Timeous that he may walk, and indeed run as You intended, my God. Forgive his iniquities and give him cause to worship You all the days of his life.” 

Then Thomas added in a strong voice, “Walk Timeous, don’t be timid, receive your healing.”

The young man lifted his head and straightened his back. That was the first sign that something was different. He took his first few steps and immediately saw the difference. 

Sounds of “ahhhh” came from the small crowd. 

“Go home and bring back a thank offering Timeous.” said Thomas. 

“I will, oh I will.” replied the healed young man enthusiastically. 

Seeing that, three women rushed up to Thomas and Phillip and invited them to stay at their homes. Thomas picked one and she proudly ushered the healers to her home to feed and shelter them for as long as they would stay in town.

The next day Thomas and Phillip returned to find a larger crowd at the synagogue. They anointed many sick and preached that people should repent. Phillip, to his own surprise drove out many demons. Their power and authority surprised Thomas and Phillip since this was the first time that they had been able to do such things. They knew that the power was from God and that they had no ability without God to do anything. 

…

Several days later all the disciples headed back to where they left Jesus. Peter and Judas were the first to return. They found Jesus in a state of deep contemplation and didn’t want to disturb Him so they quietly unpacked and set out to wash their clothes.

“Look who’s coming.” said Judas to Peter as he saw Phillip and Thomas walking towards the camp. 

Peter looked up and saw his friends with great joy. He scurried over to Phillip and said, “Hello buddy, let me take your satchel. How did it go for you? How many people did you heal?” Peter said partly sarcastically and partly sincerely.

Meanwhile, Thomas drifted over to Judas to greet him too.

Phillip answered “It was actually quite amazing. I felt great calm and then as if by the grace of God, people were healed! It was amazing. I could never imagine that I could do such a thing. I didn’t do it! So let me ask you, did you have to shake any dust off your shoes Peter?” 

Peter chuckled, “No, the family was good; we were well fed and taken care of. How about you?”

“We were fine too. Is anyone else back yet? Where is Jesus? Speaking of food, is there any here?”

Judas and Thomas drifted over to them and Judas said, “We were waiting for you to bring us some.”

By this time Jesus heard His friends talking and emerged from His prayer and walked over to the four disciples. He was glad to see them. “Welcome! Tell me how did you do? Now I will no longer call you my disciples, I’ll call you my Apostles, because I sent you out. The Post Office of God! and out you will go for the rest of your days. Doing what you see Me do. It’s not enough that you have been crowd control. For that we need, but that has been a sideline. What you just experienced is the real work.” 

The four returning Apostles listened carefully, each man coming to a new understanding of his life and mission. There was no response.

“Look!” said Jesus, “Here come some others! Go help them.”

By evening everyone was back at the camp. Bartholomew had carried in a whole lamb on his back for them to cook. It was a gift from the family they stayed with. Simon’s family gave them wine. The Apostles and Jesus spent the evening round the fire telling each other about their adventures. Jesus was so pleased. It had been a successful first venture out into the world as an emissary of the Master. Only Jesus understood that just as He was sent to reflect the Father in the world, His apostles were gradually becoming mirrors of Himself. Slowly growing into the image and likeness of Jesus the Messiah.