Outside the synagogue there were crowds of people, obviously more interested in speculation on Jesus’ attendance than in joining prayer. There was a more disturbing sight near the entrance, too- a score or more Roman troops were wandering about the square in twos and threes, trying to appear off-duty and at their leisure, but obviously on hand to prevent rabble rousing. As ever, Roman narks had kept their masters informed.
At last, we were seated in the synagogue, and as the service was about to commence, there was a disturbance in the porch. We turned to look, and saw a man break through the standing crowd along the rear wall, for all the seats were taken. Wild in aspect and manner, was he, dressed in rags, and hair matted with filth- one of the possessed ones. As he struggled through the crowd, I could hear him yelling- screaming, even. I could not catch his words at first, for the admonitions of those who were trying to force him back to the porch, and out, but they were no match for the evil fury in him, and he worked closer. As he did so, I began to catch his words.
“Nazarene! Jesus! Jesus of Nazareth!”
I looked at Jesus, who was seated across the aisle from me, and I saw, of all those present, he was surely the only one who had not turned to observe the commotion. He still sat calmly, facing the front, and I could see that he was praying.
Suddenly the demoniac was upon him, grabbing him by the shoulder, almost dragging him off the bench, and screaming-
“What do you want with us, Jesus? Why are you here? Will you judge and kill us all? I know who you are! We all know! You are the Messiah!”
The madman’s words exploded in my brain but I had no time to think on them for the words clearly affected Jesus too. He immediately sprang up from the bench, grabbed the man by the shoulders, and yelled in a voice like thunder-
“HOLD YOUR TONGUE AND LEAVE HIM!”
For a moment there was no sound, no movement, not from the principal figures in this harrowing event, not from the spectators. Jesus held the man still, in a grip like a carpenter’s vice, and gazed into his face with an expression of- hate? Anger? I cannot say, but his eyes seemed to burn down into the man’s very soul. Then the madman let out a long wailing scream, which seemed to carry all the torment of his long affliction. The scream slowly dropped into a succession of pitiful sobs.
The unfortunate creature collapsed on Jesus’ breast to cry away the misery of a lifetime, as Jesus enfolded the man in his arms to comfort him. The crowd began to call for Jesus to preach, and two of the priests came to invite him, formally. Jesus tried to persuade the unfortunate one to sit on the bench, but he refused, and no one could persuade him to let go of Jesus. I could not hear what was said, because the chatter and salutations of the crowd were so full. Eventually Jesus moved towards the table, and sat on the step before it, with the unfortunate huddled up against him. Jesus held up his hand, and the noise quickly subsided. When all was quiet, Jesus began-
“What have you seen, this day? And those who have told you of other recent happenings, what have they seen? Some of you say you have seen miracles, but I say you have seen nothing that should not be part of your daily lives. These miracles were no more than this: I have asked my Father, in faith, that he have pity on this man, and rescue him from the evil which consumed him, and my Father has given that which I have asked. If there must be a miracle, call it not the cure, nor the asking, but the faith. A man without faith is a man drowning. A man with faith, unshakeable faith in the living God, our Father in heaven, is a man living in a continuous miracle.
But you will ask ‘How may we find such faith? How can sinners attain such peace?’
The answer is through love.
Is love such a lofty aim? Is love so mysterious and unattainable? No. You all know of the joy of love shared between a man and his wife, or the love between children and parents, between brothers, between friends. Your Father would have you love all his children, for you must know that God created all men, even those Roman soldiers in the square- even they are your brothers, and so, if only for the sake of the Father they share with you, you must love them.
If you love someone enough, you cannot sin against them. The love in you will not brook it. If you do sin against someone, it is because you have not loved them enough. As you learn to love all men, so you will learn to understand them, so you will learn that their sins grow only out of their fears. So you will learn compassion, and a compassionate man cannot hate.
As you learn to love and know all your brothers, so you will come to love and know the Father who created you and them. When you know your Father, you will trust him, you will find faith in him, in his love. Then you are on the road to the Kingdom of Heaven.
The one miracle is that, through love and faith, any man may enter”.
Later, outside the synagogue, there was so much shouting and jostling of people wanting to talk to Jesus, that the Roman soldiers very quickly drew close in a threatening ring of swords and spears. When the people saw how they were menaced, they fell quiet. A centurion stepped through the circle, and pushed through the crowd, to Jesus.
“You are the one they call Jesus?”
“I am”.
“Sir, I need your help- not for myself but for my servant, one of your own people, who is ill”.
“Take me to him”.
But I am what you call a Gentile, and this is your day of prayer. You would defile yourself if you came into my home”
“Then what do you suggest?” The officer’s composure failed him fleetingly, but then he regained his confidence and continued-
“Sir, I am a man of authority. I give a man an order and it is done. I tell a man to go here or there, do this or that, and I leave him to it. I do not need to see for myself; I know that it will be done as I command it”. Here the man looked found the ring of faces, half looking for – approval? encouragement? sympathy, even? Whatever, he only saw silent, sullen hatred.
Jesus, with the faintest trace of a smile, said- “Go on”.
“I am told- I believe you have such authority. You can…If you command that my servant be well he shall be well. I shall rest content if you shall say that it shall be so”.
Jesus now smiled broadly, and clasped the centurion by the shoulders.
“Would that I could find such faith in my own fold! Go! All will be as you ask!”
The centurion seemed- uplifted, and then, quickly regaining his composure, saluted Jesus, turned and strode away. There were angry, derisive mutterings from the crowd, until Jesus cried-
“Did you not listen to my words in the synagogue? Have you forgotten so soon? Must all my words be in vain?”
With that he strode angrily away, and we, his followers, hurried after.