I
t was dawn that morning in Betabara, where John was
baptizing. The sky was clear, with no trace of clouds, and the desert
wind was blowing intensely above our heads, agitating the waters from
the Jordan River. Although there was no sign of it, that morning proved
to be very significant. We would recall this a few years later....
Baptist: I am just one voice, a voice that cries in the wilderness!....
Make way, clear the road for the Lord is coming soon! He is coming,
He will not delay! Be converted! Cleanse yourselves, change your hearts
of stone to hearts of flesh, new hearts prepared to accept the Messiah
of Israel!
On that day, Philip, Nathanael and Jesus decided, finally, to get baptized.
The three fell in line, jammed among the crowd of pilgrims, and waded
through the muddy waters of the river...
Baptist: Come on, you better decide now. Do you want to be baptized
or not?
Philip: Well, I...
Baptist: Do you want to promote the Kingdom of God, so that justice
will prevail on earth?
Philip: Of course, but the trouble is....
Baptist: What is the matter with you, Galilean?
Philip: Nothing. It’s just that I am not very fond of the water,
you know... It’s been months since....wa..wait! Gulp....!
Baptist: May the God of Israel remove the filth from your body
and soul, that you may see with your own eyes the great day of the Lord!
And now, let me see; Who are you? What is your name?
Nathanael: My name is Nathanael, from Cana of Galilee.
Baptist: Do you want to be baptized? Do you want to be clean for
the coming of the Messiah?
Nathanael: Yes, John, I want to... I also want to prepare the way
for Him and... assist the Liberator of Israel....
Baptist: Well, you said yes. This word will hang over your head.
When the Messiah comes, follow Him.
Don’t betray Him, as God will betray you for the words that you
have just uttered. Are you decided now?
Nathanael: Yes, prophet, I.... I am....
Baptist: Come closer, and be sorry for your sins....
Baptist: Even if your sins are as red as blood, they will be as
white as snow; even if they are as dark as charcoal, they will remain
as clear as rain water....
The prophet submerged the hairless head of Nathanael in the river, just
as he did to our friend Philip and the others. Jesus’ turn came...
Baptist: You, where are you from?
Jesus: I am a Galilean, like the two. I live in Nazareth.
Baptist: In Nazareth? In the neighborhood between Naim and Cana?
Jesus: Exactly. Do you know the place?
Baptist: I have some relatives there.... What did you say your
name was?
Jesus: Jesus.
Baptist: You’re not the son of Joseph and Mary, are you?
Jesus: Exactly. My mother said we were distant cousins.
Baptist: That’s it. It’s indeed a small world! Will you stay here
at the Jordan for some time?
Jesus: Yes, a couple of days...
Baptist: Will you be baptized?
Jesus: Yes, John. That’s why I came. You are preaching justice.
I also wish to comply with God’s justice.
Baptist: Have you repented of your sins? Truly and with all your
heart?
Jesus: Yes, John. I am sorry for everything.... especially for
this fear....
Baptist: What fear? Do you fear anyone?
Jesus: I’ll be frank with you, John. I am afraid of God, because
he is exacting. At times he wants to harvest where nothing has been
sown. He scares me every time he demands what I am not capable of giving
him.
Baptist: If you get baptized, will you promise to prepare the
way for the Messiah? Think about it first.
God accepts no excuses. If you say yes, then that’s it. If you say no,
so be it. Make up your mind.
Baptist: Do you want to be baptized?
Jesus: Yes,
John, I want you to baptize me.
Baptist: Very well. You will be one of those who will assist the Liberator
of Israel.
Jesus: You
always talk of this Liberator, John. But, where is he? Who is he? You
told the emissaries from Jerusalem that you are not the Messiah that
we are waiting for.
Baptist: Of course I am not the Messiah. He comes after me, a lot stronger
than I. He comes after me, but he is before me. This I assure you, Jesus:
If he came ahead of me, I would not even dare untie his sandals.
Jesus: But
who is he, John? When is he coming?
Baptist: He has come. My heart tells me that he is already in our midst, the
Redeemer of Israel, although I have not seen him yet.
Jesus: How
do we recognize him when he comes?
Baptist: The Holy Spirit will rest upon him, like a dove, quietly.
The Spirit of God never makes noise.
The Messiah will come like a light breeze. He will not cut the almost
broken bamboo, nor will he extinguish the flickering wick.... Have you
not read what the prophet Isaiah says: “This is my beloved Son, with
whom I am pleased”? This is the Messiah, the chosen son of God...
Baptist: What is wrong with you, Jesus?... You are trembling.
Jesus: Nothing.... I’m okay.
Baptist: You tremble like the boats in the river when the desert
wind blows over them.
Jesus: I’m just feeling cold. That’s all.
Baptist: But it is not cold... and how is that possible when you
look flushed?
Jesus: I am nervous, John..., so please baptize me now, while
fear has not taken over me, or I might change my mind. Please do baptize
me now....
The prophet John, that sun-burnt giant, vigorously raised his arm, held
Jesus by the hair and submerged him in the rushing waters of the Jordan
River...
Baptist: Lord, give us our freedom; send us the Liberator. Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Shortly afterwards, Jesus was taken out of the water....
Jesus: Thank you, John. I feel more relaxed now. I feel... happy,
I don’t know why, but I’m happy!... Hey, John, what’s the matter with
you? You’re trembling... John, do you hear me?...
But the prophet was not listening. His eyes were fixed on the sky, as
if he were looking for something, scrutinizing the clouds, and examining
the flight of birds....
Baptist: I hear the voice of the Lord above the waters!
The God of glory is coming like thunder!... His forceful voice is calling...
Jesus: What are you saying, John?
Baptist: Nothing, nothing... For a moment, I thought I heard...
The birds in the desert speak a mysterious language and they are like
a mirage on the horizon... It’s nothing, don’t worry...
A
Man: Hey, let’s get this over with! What’s this big talk just
to soak one’s head!
A
Woman: Shut up, you dope! You should be ashamed of yourself
to be talking that way!...
Another
Man: Hey, stop pushing, woman, it’s my turn now!
Jesus: John, I would like to talk to you when there is less
confusion here. I need to talk to you.
Baptist: It is I who need to talk to you, Jesus. Now, go back
to the shore. The people are getting impatient with this heat....
In a short while, Jesus returned to the shore...
Peter: What happened Jesus? What took you so long?
Jesus: I took the opportunity to ask him some questions...
Philip: I thought you drowned in the river, ha, ha, ha! Look
at my hair. It is still dripping. What the heck, this prophet has arms
like a pair of pliers; he gets hold of you, pushes you and submerges
you in the water, and presto! You are baptized.
Peter: What did you ask him, Jesus?
Jesus: How’s that again, Peter?
Peter: I said, what did you ask the prophet, John?
Jesus: What every one wants to know, like, who the Messiah is,
and when the Liberator of Israel is coming.
James: And what did he tell you? Did he say something new?
Jesus: No James, his answer is the same...
Nathanael: There is a certain glow in your eyes...
Peter: Come on, Jesus, tell us. What did the prophet tell you...?
You were chatting with him for a long time....
Jesus: He said nothing to me, Peter. Well, he said that the
Holy Spirit comes quietly, like a soft breeze; you will feel it in your
face, without knowing where it comes from and where it is going.
James: And where does that lead to? Isn’t it John who was talking
about the fire, the axe, and the fury of God...? The Messiah cannot
be a soft breeze!
He will be a hurricane, and will come as flashes of lightning!
Jesus: I am not sure about that, James. Look at the bamboo.
A hurricane would destroy the broken bamboo and extinguish the flick
ering wicks... All of us here are not like that.... What
would become of us if God came like a hurricane? Who among us would
survive before him?
Nathanael: Hey, what’s the matter with you, Jesus? You’re talking
strange.... What else did the prophet tell you?
Jesus: That the Liberator has already come. That he is in our
midst.
Peter: Then let him come out in the open! Did he tell you where
he is hiding? Let us look for him, and carry him on our shoulders.
James: Friends, the only thing that is clear to me is that in
this stinking river, the Messiah will not find anything. Look at those
people by the riverbank... What has the Messiah got to do with them?
To form an army of scalawags and prostitutes?
Philip: Now look who’s talking. The son of Zebedee, who is found
to have more lice than hair in his beard!
James: Go ahead and laugh, Philip. When the Messiah comes and
finds you with your mouth wide open, he will shut it with a big punch!
Look at the group we have here – people who stink, prostitutes and foolish
men! A very good group to welcome the Messiah!
Jesus: They are like broken bamboo, James. The Messiah is coming
to straighten them, not to give them punches.
James: Look, Nazarene, that sounds pretty good, but what is
needed here is....
Philip: Enough of these bickerings, guys! I have just been baptized
and I will not allow my lips to be tarnished by cursing. Why don’t you
just go and eat some round biscuits. It is already getting late, damn
– and somehow we have to feed our stomachs.
Peter: Yeah, that’s better. First, let’s have lunch, and continue
with the discussion later. Hey, Andrew, John, Nathanael! Come on, guys.
Are you coming too, Jesus?
Jesus: Of course, Peter. Let’s go.
The sun was at its peak, enveloping the parched land with its scorching
heat. That morning the river, the wind and the desert birds became witnesses
of how God made his presence felt in the River Jordan. The Lord sought
Jesus, who in turn listened to his voice. Something marvellous happened
to us, but then, we were not aware of it.