W
hen
Jesus left the desert, his feet were swollen, his eyes dilated and his
hair and beard full of sand. He was happy, in spite of exhaustion and
hunger. But was in a hurry. He bade goodbye to the old Samaritan who
took him on his camel, and went back to the Jordan...
Jesus: I must see John... I have to talk to him... I will say:
“John, I have finally decided to serve my people.” How do I begin?…
What must I do? Do you want me to stay with you and baptize people too?...
I am ready for everything.... I am not scared anymore... well, I am
still afraid... but I am willing to do anything. God gave me the courage
while I was in the desert...
When Jesus got to Betabara, at the bend of the river where John was
baptizing, he saw no one on the riverbank of the Jordan. The place was
deserted. There was no baptism, nor were there caravans of pilgrims.
John was not around, either. From afar, Jesus saw two women and he rushed
toward them....
Jesus: Hey, wait, the two of you!... Don’t go away. I mean no
harm... Wait!
Magdalene: You look like a crazy man or a leper! Who are you?
Jesus: I just came back from the desert, that explains my dirty
appearance... Please, don’t be afraid. Wait for me...
Old
Woman: What do you want, young man? Are you also wanted by Herod’s
men?
Jesus: No, I came to look for the prophet, John and..... but
what has happened here?
Old
Woman: Now there are two of you asking the same question. She
came when everything was over... Well, that is life.
Jesus: Tell me, what has happened here? Where is John?... Where
are the people?
Magdalene: The prophet was taken away by Herod’s men. That’s why
the Jordan is deserted.
Jesus: Was John arrested by Herod?
Old
Woman: Don’t you know? The news spread like wildfire all over
the land. What a great misfortune, Oh Lord!
Jesus: But why?.... What right did he have?
Magdalene: By force. He sent his soldiers, with whips and swords...
The prophet was tied to a horse and they took him away.
Jesus: Where did they take him?
Old
Woman: To the worst of all prison cells, to Machaerus, beyond
the mountains of Moab....
Magdalene: May the worms consume Herod like his wicked father!
Jesus: And the people did not do anything to defend the prophet?
Old
Woman: What could we do, young man? We all fled, running, that
was what we did. Who would dare lift a finger against Herod? Who is
brave enough to open his mouth in this country?
Magdalene: The only man who could do that was John. This man feared
no one, not even Herod, nor the devil put before him!
Old
Woman: They shut him up in prison, and one of these days, they
will kill him. What a misfortune, Oh my God!
Well, what can we do? The prophet’s life is over.
Magdalene: And that puts an end to your business of selling cookies,
old Ruth, which hurts even more than the shackles of the baptizer.
Old
Woman: Look who’s talking. Listen to this, young man. I am a
poor widow who earned a living by selling cookies to penitents who wanted
to be baptized....
Magdalene: And they got out of the water feeling more starved than
contrite.
Old
Woman: Fine, but if I could sell my wares, thanks to the people
who came to listen to John, then, what is wrong with that?
Jesus: You are right, old woman. The prophet helped some people
by his preachings, and he has helped you by improving your trade.
Magdalene: He was not able to help me. I wasted this trip.
Jesus: Did you come to be baptized by John?
Magdalene: Well, yes..... yes.... that is.....
Old
Woman: She is laughing because she.... well, you can see from
the make-up she has on her cheeks... The men from Capernaum rushed here
to see the prophet, while this woman ran after them, ha, ha.....
Magdalene: And what else did you expect? Each one lives in accordance
to their means. Am I right, countryman?
Old
Woman: She must have frightened away the clients. This place
is deserted. Such bad luck for you, Mary!
Jesus: Your name is Mary?
Magdalene: Yes, and yours?
Jesus: Jesus, and behind this dirty face of mine, I am a good
man, I assure you.
Old
Woman: You speak like the Galileans. Are you from there like
this woman?
Jesus: Yes, I am from Nazareth, a small village inland.
Magdalene: I come from Magdala, by the lakeside.
Old
Woman: There is no need to say so. All Magdalenes are known
for their perfume.
Jesus: Did you not say you were from Capernaum?
Magdalene: Well, I was born in Magdala, but when my mother died,
I was left alone... Now I live in Capernaum. I do anything for a living.
Old
Woman: She works as a whore for all those filthy fishermen on
the wharf!
Jesus: What a coincidence! Recently, I met a group of friends
from your place... Maybe you know them...
Magdalene: I guess so. I know all the men from Capernaum... Tell
me their names...
Jesus: They are Peter, James, John and Andrew...
Magdalene: Hell! I know them... Andrew is a little serious, but
the two brothers, James and John.... well, I’d rather avoid them every
time I see them. And I’d rather not talk about Peter.
Jesus: I find them to be nice people....
Magdalene: Well, they turned me off. They were always pestering
me. To hell with all of them. And I told them to their face: “You go
your own way, for I don’t wanna have anything to do with you. And once
and for all, be sure you have a mouthwash before talking to me!”
Old
Woman: You talk
like you were a decent woman!
Magdalene: No, I’m not. But this fellow is. Look, just between the
two of us; avoid their kind. If you only knew what I know...!
Old
Woman: Alas, the
only decent person I knew was the prophet, John. Oh, the way he looked,
and spoke! He was God sent, I would say. But now... this country is
doomed. Israel has become an orphan. There is no prophet to lend her
a hand, to guide her nor to lead the way. Now we are lost.
Jesus: Please don’t talk that way, Grandma. John paved the way
for us. We must continue what he started.
Old
Woman: No, young
man. It’s all over. John was the voice of the poor, of all of us. You
never heard him speak? He was shouting, and do you know why? Because
he had in his throat a thousand voices: he was speaking for the thousands
of poor, downtrodden people who never enjoyed the right to speak...
Tell me, who is now going to fight for justice for us?
Jesus: We must do it ourselves. Yes, why not? We ought to have
our own voices heard, and we must do it. God will be on our side to
fight for us.
Old
Woman: John always spoke to us of a great and powerful liberator
who was to come after him.... Now, he is locked up in prison, but the
liberator hasn’t come.
Jesus: He’ll come. The Messiah and the Kingdom of God will come.
Let us not lose hope.
Old
Woman: No, young
man. What we need is someone who will take up the prophet’s staff and
talk to the people, like John did.
Magdalene: But who is brave enough to do this, huh? Damn, this country,
it has no more men like John.
Jesus: On the contrary. I believe there are many who would be
willing to die for justice. They are just waiting for a signal to start.
They are waiting for someone to tell them: “Now is the time, brothers
and sisters. The kingdom of God is near, and so is our liberation!”
John is imprisoned, but the Messiah is not. He is coming. Don’t you
feel it in your hearts? ...Rejoice, grandma, and you too, Mary, for
soon, we shall be free!
Magdalene: What are you talking about? Hmmm... I’m afraid the heat
of the desert sun has got into your head.
Old
Woman: Come here,
young man. You must be very tired. My hut is not far from here. Mary
and I will prepare you something to eat. Let’s go....
Jesus: Thanks
for everything. No, I must go. They are waiting for me in Galilee.
Old
Woman: Did you
like my doughnuts?
Jesus: They are really very good...
Old
Woman: Then take
some with you...
Old
Woman: Take them
to your mother. Tell her they come from an old woman who lives by the
Jordan and who is very fond of her.
Jesus: But you haven’t met my mother...!
Old
Woman: It doesn’t
matter. I have met you and I am very fond of you, young man. Your mother
must be like you.
Magdalene: Goodbye, Jesus. I shall be in Galilee next week. If you
happen to pass by Capernaum.... well, come and visit me, if you don’t
mind going to my house.
Jesus: Of course, I will see you, Mary. Goodbye, Grandma!...
When the Messiah comes, offer
some of your honeyed doughnuts. He will be as delighted as I have been...
Old
Woman: Goodbye,
young man, goodbye... Enjoy your journey! Jesus undertook the long journey
back home towards the north, in the Galilee of the Gentiles. He was
exhausted, his sandals worn out, and his tunic half torn. Notwithstanding,
he continued his journey, and walked faster than ever...
Jesus: Somebody must take the place of John... Someone must
give hope to the people... Lord, send us our Liberator now!... Where
is he, Lord? We can’t do anything while we wait for him.... The fruit
is already ripe and we must harvest... I am getting impatient.... I
ought to do something now.... I must follow the example of John...
Jesus walked for several hours through the river valley. On the second
day, he reached the heights of Gadara before dusk. From there he could
see the Lake of Tiberias.... He was on Galilean land!... Suddenly, it
began to rain... The waters from the sky gave back to the earth its
freshness and fertility. Jesus felt an immense joy in his heart, as
if he were seeing his beloved homeland in the north for the first time.
In his mind, Galilee, drenched by the rain, was secretly giving him
a welcome that night.
Jesus: Galilee, here I am, back to you, my land!
Land of Zabulun, Land of Naphtali! On the way to the sea, by the other
side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles! The people who walked in
the dark, saw a light, on those who lived in the shadow of death, a
great light shone. You made great joy and they delight in seeing you,
like those who sing on the day of the harvest. Because you have broken
the yoke that bound them and destroyed the tyrant’s rod; and to the
fire shall be cast the boots he wears with pride and his blood-stained
cloak.
For a Liberator is born and endless is the peace he’ll bring to us!
Mary Magdalene, as mentioned several times in the gospels, was a prostitute.
The name of Mary was very common in Jesus’ time. “Magdalene” gives reference
to her probable birthplace, “Magdala.” Therefore, prostitution was more
a reflection of an economic problem than a moral concern, just as often
happens in many places today.
In a male chauvinist society, a single woman who is jobless is constrained
to sell herself in order to survive. Mary of Magdala was undoubtedly
one of these women. She was probably very young then, since prostitution
was rampant among girls thirteen or fourteen years of age. The stereotyped
picture of a woman of the upper social class, well-attired, smelling
of perfume and with some sentimental indiscretion, has no relation whatsoever
with the vulgarity of a low class prostitute as was the case of Mary
Magdalene.
When he learned about the imprisonment of John the Baptist, Jesus was
given a new dimension to the realization of his own vocation. Israel
was left orphaned without the prophet announcing her liberation by God.
Jesus felt it was his obligation to take over where John had left off.
He would take his message of justice and bring it to his land, to Galilee.
He would not baptize like John did nor expect people to seek him; rather,
he would mingle with the people and be one with them. From the streets,
the barrios and the plazas, he would announce to the people the liberation
that God had promised them. From the banks of the Jordan, Jesus started
his journey to the north. It was a long stretch by foot, consisting
of about three or four stops, passing through the river valley by way
of Perea and Decapolis or by taking the mountain route through the region
of Samaria.
“The Galilee of the Gentiles” is an epithet given by the prophet Isaiah
about seven hundred years before Christ describing the lands in the
north. He indicated that the region, the hometown of Jesus which originally
belonged to the sons of the old patriarch Jacob, appeared to have been
forsaken by God and left to the “Gentiles” (pagans, foreigners). These
were the times when the Galileans were made prisoners and were deported.
In the midst of suffering, there seemed no future for them. The prophet
told them of a light shining amid darkness. When Jesus began to preach
the Kingdom of God in Galilean lands after his baptism in the Jordan,
Matthew remembered this prophecy of Isaiah and included it in his gospel.
(Mt
4:12-17)