The Chosen: Not My Will… E-Book

Jerry B. Jenkins

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 321

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

In Not My Will… Jerry Jenkins invites you into the tumultuous final days of Jesus' earthly ministry—what's become known as Holy Week. Beginning with His triumphant entry into Jerusalem astride a donkey's colt, the story covers a side of Jesus we haven't seen before: His righteous rage at the moneychangers in the temple. The story delves deeply into the minds of the disciples and other close followers of Jesus, including the fear and scheming of both High Priest Caiaphas and Governor Pontius Pilate and his dream-tormented wife. Judas's haunting betrayal looms while Jesus faces His darkest night of the soul in Gethsemane, where His surrender to His Father and then to the Romans comes at an unspeakable cost. In vivid detail and with emotional depth, this novel captures the heartbreak, hope, and humanity of the most pivotal week in the history of the world.   More than retelling the story, Not My Will… takes you deeper into the hearts and minds of the show's many intriguing characters like Mary Magdalene, Pontius Pilate and his wife Claudia, and Judas.  

Leseprobe

PRAISE FOR THE CHOSEN

The novels make me weep the same way Jerry’s son’s The Chosen does, which oughta keep tissue stocks rising. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Mark Lowry Singer, humorist

The novels bring the story of Jesus and his followers to life in a way never before seen. By imagining plausible back stories to well-known characters, Jerry allows us to see ourselves in them and bring our own frailties to Christ and draw closer to him. The streaming series and these novels may very well usher in a global revival of love for Christ and move us to love others as he loves us.

Terry Fator Singing ventriloquist/impressionist and winner of America’s Got Talent

If you have ever wondered what it might have been like to have been a friend or family member of the twelve disciples of Jesus, The Chosen novels, written by Jerry Jenkins, will transport you into the minds of the early followers of Christ. You will be reminded of their humanity and might even see yourself as you seek to follow the One who still radically changes lives today.

Gary D. Chapman Author of The Five Love Languages

A fictional work that expands on Bible stories is successful when it drives you back into the Word of God. And Jerry Jenkins’s novels paint a beautiful behind-the-scenes portrait of the first people whose lives were transformed by Jesus. The words chosen for poignant dialogues strike home in deep and powerful ways. Keep a tissue on hand; your heart will be moved.

Joni Eareckson Tada Joni and Friends International Disability Center

The stories of Jesus’ life and ministry in the New Testament are some of the Bible’s most encouraging and illuminating passages. Jerry Jenkins has once again provided a gripping story that will point readers back to the beauty of Christ as revealed in Scripture.

Jim Daly President and CEO of Focus on the Family

Well, Jerry Jenkins has done it again in The Chosen novel series. The depth of emotion he captures in those around Jesus only deepens our understanding of what Jesus goes through in this escalating, tension-filled period of his ministry. We were hooked on page one and left wanting more at the end. If you love watching The Chosen, this is a must read.

Al & Phil Robertson Authors & Co-hosts of The Unashamed Podcast

The Chosen novels connect me again to Jesus. And, oh, what a Savior he is!

Ernie Haase Grammy-nominated tenor and founder of Ernie Haase and Signature Sound

Writing with accuracy and immediacy, Jerry Jenkins immerses us in the greatest story ever told in a fresh and powerful way. Jenkins is a master of taking profound scenes and themes from the Bible and weaving them into captivating journeys, whether they are centered on the time of Jesus or the end times. The Chosen novels expand on the amazing TV series and will move readers through the unique retelling of the gospel story.

Travis Thrasher, bestselling author and publishing industry veteran

The only thing better than the film is the book, and the only thing better than the book is the film. Jerry B. Jenkins has taken the brilliant project of Dallas Jenkins—this look into the lives of those Jesus chose to be his followers, his friends, and his “family”—and gone a step (or more) deeper. Readers will be drawn as quickly into the pages as viewers were into the theatrical moments of The Chosen film project. I cannot say enough about both.

Eva Marie Everson, president, Word Weavers International, and bestselling author

The TV series brought me to tears, but Jerry’s book showed me the Jesus I wanted to know. He draws the reader into the humanity of Jesus. The story captures authentic insight into his personality. His love, humor, wisdom, and compassion are revealed for every person he encountered. Through Jesus’ interaction with the real-life characters, I too experienced the Savior who calls the lost, poor, needy, and forsaken into an authentic relationship.

DiAnn Mills, Christy Award winner and director, Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference

Jerry Jenkins is a master storyteller who has captured the action, drama, and emotion of The Chosen TV series in written form. Far more than a mere synopsis, Jerry has shaped and developed the episodes into fast-paced novels. If you enjoyed the series, you will savor the stories again as Jerry brings each character to life. And if you haven’t watched the series, these novels will make you want to start … just as soon as you’ve finished reading the books, of course!

Dr. Charlie Dyer, professor-at-large of Bible, host of The Land and the Book radio program

The Chosen series is Jesus in present tense. The story engages the heart and allows you to experience what people see and feel and taste. Get your feet dirty with them. It will transform your present tense.

Chris Fabry, bestselling author of The War Room and the Left Behind: The Kids series

What better way to bring the gospel to life than to explore the impact Jesus had upon those with whom he came into contact. And what better encouragement for those of us today who hunger for his life-changing presence. I heartily recommend both the TV series and the books for any who long to experience his transforming love more deeply.

Bill Myers, author of the bestselling novel Eli

For over 70 years I have heard the redemptive stories of the Bible told without the emotion and passion that would indicate real people actually experienced these events. Who drained the life blood from the hearts of these men and women? Jerry Jenkins’s account is a refreshing transfusion that restores life to the people of the Bible and to its redemptive story. You will feel like you are there.

Ken Davis, award-winning author, speaker, and communication consultant

To a girl who cut her teeth on Bible stories, it’s no easy task to transform all-too-familiar characters into an experience that is fresh and alive. That is precisely what Jerry Jenkins has done with these novels. From the first chapter, I was enamored. And by the second and third, I started to see the Jesus I’ve long loved with new eyes and a more open heart. These books offer the reader more than mere diversion. They offer the possibility of true transformation.

Michele Cushatt, author of Relentless:The Unshakeable Presence of a God Who Never Leaves

The story of Jesus has been told and re-told, but with this beautiful novelization, Jerry Jenkins brings unique and compelling perspectives to the biblical accounts of Jesus and his followers, echoing those in the acclaimed The Chosen TV series created by Dallas Jenkins. As someone who always thinks the book was better than the movie, I was delighted to discover a book and film series that are equally enthralling and even life changing.

Deborah Raney, author of A Nest of Sparrows and A Vow to Cherish

Any author who has written and sold as many books as Jerry Jenkins might be forgiven a tendency to lean on familiar structure while producing yet another manuscript. Fortunately, Jenkins is not just “any author.” While the broad storyline of Jesus choosing his disciples will be familiar to some, it is the author’s deft handling of the historical language and customs of the time that give his newest release a vibrancy rarely felt by readers of any novel. These novels have been crafted with wise and insightful context. These are the books Jerry Jenkins was born to write.

Andy Andrews,New York Times bestselling author of The Traveler’s Gift, The Noticer, and Just Jones

BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC.

Savage, Minnesota, USA

Broadstreetpublishing.com

The Chosen: Not My Will…

© 2025 Jenkins Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.

9781424567751 (hardcover)

9781424567775 (softcover)

9781424567768 (eBook)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. No portion of this book may be used or reproduced in any way for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies. As per Article 4(3) of the Digital Single Market Directive 2019/790, BroadStreet Publishing reserves this work from the text and data mining exception.

The primary source of Scripture quotations is The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2001 by CrosswayBibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover design by The Chosen®.

Typesetting and interior design by Garborg Design Works | garborgdesign.com

Editors: Andy Scheer and Michelle Winger

“The Chosen” and the “School of Fish” designs are trademarks of The Chosen, LLC, and are used with permission.

Printed in Malaysia.

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my dear friend Michael O’Malley, an example of the believer in word and deed (1 Timothy 4:12).

Based on The Chosen, a multi-season TV show created and directed by Dallas Jenkins and written by Ryan M. Swanson, Dallas Jenkins, and Tyler Thompson.

NOTE

The Chosen was created by lovers of and believers in the Bible and Jesus Christ. Our deepest desire is that you delve into the New Testament Gospels for yourself and discover Jesus.

Contents

PART 1: Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

Chapter 1  Not Today!

Chapter 2  The Confrontation

Chapter 3  Tears

Chapter 4  Commoner

Chapter 5  Shrimp

Chapter 6  The Sermon

Chapter 7  Seeking an Audience

Chapter 8  Terrifyingly Plain

Chapter 9  The Blessing

Chapter 10Resolve

PART 2: Righteous Indignation

Chapter 11The Sendoff

Chapter 12Peter’s Debut

Chapter 13A Lesson in Economics

Chapter 14Chag Pasach Sameach

Chapter 15The Chamber of Oils

Chapter 16The Prophecy

Chapter 17The Apparition

Chapter 18Bedlam

PART 3: The Things that Make for Peace

Chapter 19Authority

Chapter 20Trouble

Chapter 21The Rubicon

Chapter 22Above All

Chapter 23The Parables

Chapter 24Woe!

Chapter 25“If Only You Had Known …”

PART 4: Enough

Chapter 26Validation

Chapter 27Assignment

Chapter 28Plagiarism?

Chapter 29The Time for Unity

Chapter 30Advice

Chapter 31Hunger

Chapter 32The Dayenu

PART 5: Crescendo

Chapter 33Agents of God

Chapter 34“Delivered Up”

Chapter 35The Nightmares

Chapter 36“Kill”

Chapter 37Discord

Chapter 38The Asset

PART 6: Dexterity

Chapter 39The Task

Chapter 40The Spy

Chapter 41The Negotiation

Chapter 42Kafni’s Option

Chapter 43Tenuous Alliance

Chapter 44Turmoil in the Hideout

Chapter 45The Other Zealot

Chapter 46Searching

PART 7: Preparations

Chapter 47A Vision Fulfilled

Chapter 48The Threat

Chapter 49The Risk

Chapter 50The Encounter

Chapter 51Discreet

Chapter 52Abject Regret

Chapter 53Beyond Imagination

Chapter 54Thomas’s Lament

Chapter 55Melancholy Memory

Chapter 56Painful Recall

Chapter 57Lost?

PART 8: The Kiss of Death

Chapter 58First Called

Chapter 59The Example

Chapter 60The Betrayer

Chapter 61Rejoice

Chapter 62Greater Love

Chapter 63Into the Night

Chapter 64Mother Rome

Chapter 65Unlawful Assembly

Chapter 66Sorrow

Chapter 67Dry Bones

Chapter 68“It’s Time”

Acknowledgments

And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

MATTHEW 21:10-11

PART 1

Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

Chapter 1

NOT TODAY!

Jerusalem, city center, Holy Week, Sunday

Rabbi Shmuel is fully aware that the countless pilgrims jostling him shoulder to shoulder during what should be the most joyful celebration of their year must notice he doesn’t share their broad grins. His highest-level Pharisaic garb is unmistakable, and many try to catch his eye and exult with him over all the revelry and feasting that will mark these days.

Many seem deep in thought, others already in worship mode, still others laden with supplies for their family observances. In previous years—even before his appointment to the Sanhedrin—Shmuel himself would have shared their reverie, eager for community with his family, friends, fellow Jews, and especially other clergy.

Not today.

Not even the smoke and incense from the burgeoning markets delights him as it normally would. He simply doesn’t know what to make of all that has happened, all he experienced when Yussif and his father Arnan accompanied him—with the High Priest’s knowledge—to the home of the so-called resurrected Lazarus of Bethany. Something deep within tells him the raising of Lazarus is more than some kind of a trick. Nearly everyone in that beautiful home, including Arnan himself, was an eyewitness to the miracle and swear it happened exactly the way even the mourners are telling it.

And yet Jesus’ teaching—in front of all his disciples and several other followers, including his own mother—is so confusing! He calls himself the very Son of Man and yet identifies with the hungry, the poor, the stranger! And in the next moment he allows a woman—a woman—to uncover her head, to touch his feet, and to anoint him with a priceless perfume!

Well, it’s time Joseph ben Caiaphas hears about this. Caiaphas has served as the high priest for nearly twenty years since his own father-in-law stepped down from the role. They are both known for opposing the Pharisees, favoring the wealthy elite Sadducees, and clearly currying the favor of Rome. Still, even as a Pharisee, Shmuel knows Caiaphas will be sympathetic to his report about Jesus of Nazareth.

Shmuel so wants to believe! Yet how can he, after what he encountered with Jesus himself? He considers himself a smart cleric, but this leaves him troubled, angry, lost. Can he really go from recognizing alarming evidence that Jesus just may be who he claims to be … to giving the high priest what he needs to get Rome to execute the man?

Suddenly out of the crowd and the sun, Shmuel enters the cold, long sterile hallway that leads to Caiaphas’s quarters. He nods at the high priest’s righthand, a man in his twenties. “Malchus,” he says, and looks past him to Caiaphas himself. “It’s everything I feared.”

Chapter 2

THE CONFRONTATION

The road to Jerusalem

Tamar ambles along with her now dear friend, Mary of Magdala, at the back of the band of men following Jesus. The rabbi sits astride a donkey, more precisely the colt of a donkey, meaning the grown man makes the humble beast appear even smaller. It amazes her the young thing can bear the burden, but it appears entirely able.

Rabbi. Her rabbi. Not many women can say such a thing. Traditionally, rabbinical studies are exclusive to men, with women forbidden from religious education. Yet Jesus himself welcomed her, Mary, and even their late friend Ramah to follow him, learn from him, and he urges them to study the Torah.

Tamar still has much to learn, today being one example. What is this all about, Jesus riding a donkey toward a city so dangerous and unwelcoming that, were it not for him, she would avoid at all cost?

She marvels at what has become of her in little more than two years since she met Jesus. Merely picking flowers to sell in the Capernaum market, one of her favorite things, that was all she was doing that day just outside the city—that and keeping her distance from the Jews. A stranger in a strange land, a Gentile from Egypt, she had come to love her new homeland despite what she often considered her other-ness.

Sure, people stared, some even commenting on her ebony skin. Some, mostly women, complimented her on its radiance and “flawlessness.” Tamar never quite knew how to respond. Did they have an angle or were they simply being kind?

Men often leered, and she was careful to neither meet their gazes nor glare. Better to ignore them than to mislead, or worse, offend. As she recalls it now, she was on her knees in a clearing, filling her flower basket, when Mary greeted her with a “Hello!”

Had Tamar known the woman was accompanied by a group of men—Jewish men—she would have stepped out of view. But Mary seemed so pleasant, Tamar responded with a smile, the way she would to her customers in town.

The man she came to know as Jesus gestured toward her ornate headdress of metallic pendants and broad necklace of polished wood. “Is that Egyptian?” he said.

She told him yes, that she’d grown up there and that her father was from Ethiopia. To her shock, Jesus responds in her native tongue, saying her necklace reminded him of his childhood there. He said he and his family had fled there to escape King Herod’s slaughter of the innocents.

Tamar would never forget bidding them all shalom and returning to her flower picking, only to be startled by Mary’s scream when a gaunt man in a ragged, sage-green tunic and filthy yellow turban staggered toward them, his breath coming in rasps, his skin ravaged. One of Jesus’ disciples pulled a knife. Another shouted they should not breathe the man’s air.

But Jesus approached the man despite the others’ warnings, and the leper cried out, “Please don’t turn away from me!”

Not only did Jesus not turn away, but he healed the man. Tamar had never seen anything like it. She left her basket and flowers on the ground and raced back into Capernaum to find a friend who had been lame since she’d known him. It was he whom she and others lowered through the roof of Zebedee’s house, so he too could be healed. That was the day she began to follow Jesus.

Everything that has happened since persuades her that Jesus is who he says he is: the Jewish Messiah, the Son of God. And her rabbi.

Now from the walls of the City of David less than half a mile away come roars from crowds shouting, “Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest!”

Peter, who has assumed leadership among Jesus’ followers, appears overcome with excitement, and Tamar finds it infectious. “The Son of David!” he hollers.

John chimes in, “The Messiah!”

Judas looks giddy and tells Zee, “This is the moment!”

It’s all terribly exciting, but Tamar remains guarded, and confused. She leans in to Mary. “Hosanna?”

“It means ‘Save us.’”

Andrew turns the crowd’s chant into a song, and the rest join in, singing, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

Tamar wrestles with conflicting emotions. She longs to exult with the others, but she can’t suppress terror over what might await them. She doesn’t want to mistake what sounds like a joyous welcoming throng for some sort of ambush.

Just ahead, off the path, await three men in clerical garb. One Tamar recognizes as the Pharisee Yussif. A disciple identifies the others, muttering, “Gedera and Zebadiah.” The first is an elegantly dressed Sadducee, the other a heavyset Pharisee. Whoever they are, they clearly alarm the disciples.

Zee spreads his legs, ready for action. John unsheathes his knife and shouts, “Stop! Stay away!”

The Sadducee holds up his hand. “We mean no harm!”

“You tried to kill us!” Big James says, still sporting the scar on his forehead from the attempted stoning of Jesus.

“No one wants a riot,” the fat Pharisee Zebadiah says.

“John!” Judas cries out. “Zee! I want to hear them out.”

“If you turn back now,” Zebediah says.

“Wait,” Judas says. “We’re not going to do that, but—”

“Do you hear that chanting?” Andrew says. “The people sound like they’re ready to crown Jesus king!”

Gedera the Sadducee addresses Jesus. “And for declaring yourself a sovereign, Rome will descend on us all.”

“I have said nothing about an earthly crown,” Jesus says evenly. “Ever.”

“You’re riding a donkey!” Zebadiah says. “For those of us who know prophecy, your meaning could not be more clear!”

“What does he mean?” Tamar says.

“Zechariah’s prophecy of the Messiah,” Philip says. “‘Behold, your king is coming to you, righteous and having salvation, riding on a donkey.’”

“But the people haven’t even seen the donkey yet,” Zebadiah says.

“Once they do,” Gedera says, “everything they’ve hoped for will be confirmed.”

“Exactly!” Judas says to Yussif’s companions. “Don’t you see? You should be rejoicing! This is the moment! We will all be saved!” He pumps a fist toward Jerusalem. “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

The rest join in.

Tamar doesn’t know what to make of Yussif. As he pulls Peter and John aside, he appears as conflicted as she feels.

“I don’t stand with Gedera and Zebediah,” Yussif says, “but they are right. Raising Lazarus changed everything. Jesus will not be safe inside the city.”

Meanwhile, the other two try to shout down the chanting disciples. “You’re calling for his killing!” Gedera says. “Don’t you see?!”

“Teacher,” Zebadiah says, “if you value your own life, tell your students to stop this!”

“I could tell them to stop,” Jesus says. “But I tell you, if they were to be silent, these very stones around us would cry out in their places!”

That’s true, Tamar thinks as the others cheer all the louder. Jesus nudges the donkey with his heels and continues toward Jerusalem with his followers in tow, shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest!”

James and John’s father, Zebedee, grabs Gedera by the shoulders. “Come on, man! It’s good news for you too!”

Gedera swats him away.

Zebadiah says, “What do we do now? We can’t walk in with them. We’ll look like followers!”

“We’ll find another gate,” Gedera says. “Come on.”

Tamar turns and beckons to Yussif with a smile, as if to say, “Join us!”

He looks pained and gently shakes his head.

“Yussif!” Zebadiah calls out. With a last, apparently longing look at the family he appears to want to join, he trudges up to his fellow Pharisee and the Sadducee.

Tamar wonders if there’s hope for him yet.

Chapter 3

TEARS

Jerusalem’s Golden Gate

Struck by the incongruity of the gentle sway of the colt beneath him and what he knows is coming, Jesus feels a heart full of love for every person he’s chosen to follow him. They’re excited, these men and women who have cast their lots with him. Yet he knows each one—with the exception of his own mother—has somehow missed what this is all about.

Once he allows his tiny mount through the gate, all the chaos of hades will break loose.

Yes, on the one hand this will be the triumphal entry of the Messiah foretold centuries ago in the Scriptures. But on the other, this is his no-turning-back moment.

He’s tried and tried to tell them, but it’s as if they’re spiritually blind and deaf. How can this be? They’ve been in the very presence of the Son of God, the Son of Man, the embodiment of the Law of Moses, the Son of David, and yet they cannot comprehend what he’s tried to tell them. Somehow they can’t see the tapestry for the woven threads.

His disciples, all of them, might just as well be trying to interpret the flights of birds as the pagans practice augury. Even the women—Mary of Magdala, Zebedee’s wife Salome, the gentile Tamar, Peter’s wife Eden, and Laz’s sisters Mary and Martha—while they have been just as apprehensive of returning to this city of danger—appear exhilarated at the sounds of the crowds inside, anticipating Jesus’ arrival. He knows it won’t be long before their optimism turns to horror.

The colt slows nearly to a stop as Jesus notices something about the cornerstone of the city gate. A bright, rust-colored streak runs through it, and he sees the symbolism. He is overcome with affection and grief for the city. Tears streaming, he whispers, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes …”

Jesus’ mother and Mary Magdalene come alongside, and the younger Mary says, “Rabbi, are you all right?”

He nods, but his mother is not convinced. She wants to say something or do something, but his entourage is at the gate, and the crowds surround them. Revelers shout for joy, spreading their cloaks on the ground for the donkey to trod upon. Someone breaks into song, praising the Davidic king. Children ride their parents’ shoulders, and all wave palm fronds. The chants deafen. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

* * *

Deep within, Peter is wary and protective of his rabbi, but he squelches that with enthusiasm. He turns to his brother. “Andrew, remember what he said the day we met him?”

“I met him before you,” Andrew says.

That’s all you remember? “He said we’d be fishers of men. We used to fish to feed men. Now we’ll feed them spiritually.” Resolve overcomes him. “I’m going to learn how to preach!”

“Now?!” Andrew says.

“What better time? All these people …”

Thomas leans in. “Exactly why it’s risky.”

Now John. “What are we looking at?”

“All these strangers,” Thomas says.

Veronica, the woman Jesus healed of an issue of blood, emerges from the crowd, wildly waving. Mary Magdalene greets her, clasping her hand as she passes.

“Not all strangers,” John says. “Friends. Family even!”

Jesse, whom Jesus healed at the Pool of Bethesda, breaks through—beaming through his tears—to embrace his brother Zee.

* * *

Atticus, Emperor Tiberius’s Cohortes Urbanus, takes all this in, recognizing many from his long observance of the rogue preacher. He remembers quizzing Jesse on his healing. He’s aware of Veronica and her bold testifying of her own restoration. Atticus even recognizes Joanna, formerly of King Herod’s retinue, who looks out of place in her finery and yet seems to rapturously glow.

Who’s that watching, the man with the canvas hood obscuring most of his face? He’s jotting a note. A spy? Atticus suppresses a smile. Like recognizes like.

I wonder if the high priest … Sure enough, Atticus spots Caiaphas on his balcony above, scowling then retreating inside.

A cart passes, from which Atticus purloins an apple and blends back in with the crowd.

Chapter 4

COMMONER

Jerusalem

Peter pushes from his mind all foreboding. He tells himself he shouldn’t have worried so much. Yes, the religious leaders won’t like this, but what can they do in the face of such a lavish welcome of Jesus? Everyone seems as excited as he, except, of course, Thomas—ever the cloud on an otherwise sunny day.

“No doubt we’ll encounter just as many who want to send us home,” Thomas says.

Peter shakes his head. “Can’t you just take a moment to appreciate all this?”

“Give him a break,” Nathanael says. “He’s not well.”

“My mind is clear,” Thomas says. “Remember what Shmuel said at Lazarus’s house? He said some would wait here with open arms, others with daggers.”

Shmuel had said that for sure, Peter recalls, and suddenly he’s sobered. He calls Zebedee over, barely hesitating to exercise authority over him. “Zeb, take your wife and Eden and Laz’s sisters to the Court of Women until things calm down. I’ll meet you there later.”

To his relief, Zeb merely says, “Understood,” and hustles off.

A huge palm frond thwacks Peter in the face.

“Oops!” Barnaby says, Shula by his side. “Sorry, sorry, sorry!”

Peter has to laugh. “Watch where you’re waving that thing!” He embraces them both.

* * *

Not far away, the canvas-hooded notetaker appears to notice Yussif and his two allies enter the city through the Dung Gate.

Yussif stops just past a merchant booth. “You two go on ahead. I’ll catch up.” As they rush on, he turns back to the merchant’s table and points under the covered section of the tent. He pays for a bundle wrapped in paper and a side bag, then makes his way behind the booth where he changes out of his clerical robe and headdress and gets into the plain, drab clothes of a commoner.

Chapter 5

SHRIMP

The Governor’s mansion

Pontius Pilate stares out the window. This could be a good week. It always is, but this time …

Footsteps behind tell him the annoying Atticus has arrived—a necessary evil. If he weren’t the lapdog of the Emperor, Pontius would censure him for his boorishness alone. Without so much as turning to acknowledge his visitor, the governor mutters, “All that fuss and he rides in on an ass. Pathetic.” Finally he turns and smirks at the cohortes urbanus. “I admit the fervor of the crowds had me nervous for a minute.”

“A whole minute?”

“Oh, come now,” the governor says. “Did you see his grubby little followers? Not a soldier in the lot.”

“That’s what Antiochus said about the Maccabees.”

Servants wheel in a cart of steaming oysters, shrimp, and pork. No surprise, Atticus pops a shrimp into his mouth.

“Where are your manners?”

“You hate shrimp,” Atticus says.

“Hate is too strong. I disfavor them. I enjoy that they’re forbidden.”

Two more servants arrive, pushing a giant wardrobe on wheels.

“Aah!” Atticus says. “Happy Caiaphas Day!”

“He needs me,” the governor says.

“You need him, you mean. And his temple. What do you get, a quarter of your annual revenue from this week every year?”

“Sometimes more.”

Atticus raises a brow. “He keeps both the peace and the exchange rates high. So play nice.”

The governor’s wife Claudia enters in her underclothes, obviously distracted and on edge. “Pontius, you know I hate the smell of—”

She freezes and quickly pulls on a robe.

“Smell?” Atticus says. “Me? I bathed a week ago!”

“Shellfish,” she says. “Pontius, you offend these people by bringing that kind of meat into this city.”

“There is braised pork too, my love. Cut from the shoulder.”

“Not hungry, thank you,” she says, exiting.

Though Atticus merely flashes the governor a look, Pontius says, “Shut up. She’s fine.”

“No, she seems great.”

A servant appears. “The high priest?”

“Send him in!” Pontius turns to Atticus. “Care to stay for the show?”

Atticus shakes his head and plucks another shrimp on his way out. “I’ve seen enough pageantry for one day.” As he passes Caiaphas, his cape hits the man.

* * *

“Josef ben Caiaphas! Do you mind if I call you Joe?”

“You ask that every time.”

Pontius gestures to the non-kosher platters as he approaches his desk. “Help yourself! Fresh from the Mediterranean overnight in cold water vessels.”

The high priest glares.

Pontius pulls a key from a drawer. “We have this lovely appointment three times a year, and you never seem grateful.”

“Governor, pardon me for saying this, but you should be washing my feet in gratitude for my ensuring an orderly festival.”

Pontius unlocks the wardrobe, laden with the priest’s ritual garments, including the gleaming breastplate of gemstones. “In the Empire, we tolerate other religions because we see them all as variations on the same thing. For instance—” He reaches as if to touch one of the gemstones.

“Don’t!” Caiaphas shrieks, and Pilate backs off.

“If I touched them, the garments would be unclean for, what, five days?”

“Seven.”

“So many lambs would thank me.”

“I’ll take the garments and be out of your way.”

“Ah-ah-ah, not take. Receive.” He uses a rod and hook to extend the hanger with the robes to Caiaphas. “You know your twelve gemstones correspond to our zodiac in the heavens, first put forth by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy.”

“Okay, enough. I get it.”

“To the victor belong the spoils,” the governor says. “Because these are ours, remember that your right to borrow them is dependent on your ability to keep your people under control. No riots.” He slurps an oyster. “I notice there are nearly double the pilgrims this year.”

Caiaphas cocks his head. “I do not recall a greater turnout in my lifetime.”

“Then is it reasonable to assume double the revenue?”

“Between currency exchange and the temple tax, our coffers are already beginning to overflow.”

“See that they do,” Pilate says. “Is there anything else?” Surely the man knows why this year is different from all the rest.

Caiaphas stares him down. “No. Thank you, Governor.”

“Oh, one more thing, Caiaphas. We have three executions scheduled for Friday—including one for a Zealot murderer. Please make sure your people are there to watch. I want to send a clear message.”

“To the extent I have any influence, it will be done.”

“Thank you,” Pontius says with a sneer. “We’re going to be friends one day.”

Chapter 6

THE SERMON

The Jerusalem temple

And so it has come to this, Jesus tells himself as he weaves his way through the crowd and mounts the steps of the holy place. If nothing else, he projects confidence and courage, something he does not feel. He trusts his Father to superintend this entire ordeal, knowing that revealing himself to his enemies in such a stark fashion is dangerous, even foolhardy. Yet he is resolved to obey.

His followers, bless them despite their naïvete, have been right to worry and, yes, even to fuss over his insistence on seeming to beg for another attempt to stone him. But in an instant, it seems, they have been swept up in the enthusiasm of the crowds, as rapt as the strangers and hero worshipers now pressing around him.

Though he is, as always, wholly prepared—in fact eager— to declare his message, he notices not only his own entrusted charges but also the several orbital players somehow invested in his destiny. Naturally, they have no idea what is to come.

As the jostling assemblage goes from excited babble to silence, clearly prepared to hang on his every word, Jesus scans the mass of them. He suppresses a smile at Yussif, the conflicted Pharisee, trying to blend in, dressed as a commoner. That’s certainly the opposite of most clerics, whose extravagant robes announce their presence.

And there’s Veronica, the one Jesus called daughter, whose faith made her whole.

Jesse, Zee’s brother, whom he healed at the pool.

Jesus’ mother stands with the beloved John.

Hmm, there’s even the stranger, under a canvas hood, who watched the raising of Lazarus.

Everyone falls silent as Jesus begins, his eyes on Peter— blessed Peter who will pay close attention to the sermon and also remain on high alert for peril.

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” Jesus says. Once again, no one has any idea what he’s talking about. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. What does this mean? It means that whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternity.”

* * *

As Jesus continues with this strange message, Mary of Magdala stands with Tamar, trying to make sense of it. What is Jesus saying?

Joanna, the friend of Andrew and the late John the Baptist, approaches. Tamar greets her. “You are a sight for sore eyes.”

“Where else would I be?” Joanna says.

Mary grabs Joanna’s hand but turns back to the teaching.

“Where are you all staying?” Joanna whispers.

Tamar shrugs. “Maybe the men know.”

“Well, I have use of a large home in the Essene Quarter, owned by my friend Phoebe.”

“Would she welcome fifteen strangers?”

“She leaves town during these festivals,” Joanna says, “because she hates the crowds. But her place has plenty of beds and a discreet entryway through the alley in the back.”

“It sounds perfect,” Tamar says.

“Say the word and I’ll see to it that the rooms are prepared.

And I can tell her to have it ceremonially cleaned as well.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Jesus has stopped speaking, as silent as the desert at midnight. Now my soul is troubled. Yet he’s aware the crowd is troubled by his sudden pause and his obvious discomfort. They murmur, asking each other what’s going on. Peter seems deeply concerned, but Jesus doesn’t want him to intervene.

“And what should I say?” Jesus begins again. “‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify Your name!”

As if on cue, thunder rumbles overhead, immediately followed by a deafening crack and a distorted voice. “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

* * *

The crowd recoils and appears to search the heavens. Andrew turns to his brother and says, “Was that an angel, Peter? I’m sure I heard the word glorify.”

“Keep listening,” Peter says.

* * *

Veronica, standing with Jesse and Zee, says, “Did you hear that?”

Jesse searches the sky. “Strange thunder.”

“That wasn’t thunder,” she says.

* * *

Jesus sees the other disciples are speechless, and Yussif looks rattled.

“Those of you who heard a voice,” Jesus says, “that was for your benefit, not mine. There will be many signs this week, as now is the judgment of this world. Now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

* * *

Mary Magdalene is struck by this, and the crowd has hushed again. Except for Nathanael. “What do you mean?”

“The light is among you for a little while longer,” Jesus says. “Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons and daughters of light.”

Another clap of thunder.

“This time it’s just thunder,” Jesus says. “And I think we all know what that means. Time to find shelter. I will speak with you again soon.”

* * *

Zee and John rush to come alongside Jesus and lead him away as questions and protests fly from the crowd. Peter quickly faces them, arms outstretched. “He said he will preach again soon! You will hear more! Until then, find shelter!”

* * *

The disciples sprint to catch up with Jesus, but Mary Magdalene feels frozen in place. John approaches and they lock eyes. “‘Father, save me from this hour’?” he says. “Save him from what?”

“He’s said it before,” she says. “I think we all just haven’t wanted to hear it, or it’s not sinking in, or—”

“Sometimes he speaks in parables.”