(horse neighs)
(~ tambourines and drums)
More Wine over here!
White and red Wine. Take it over there.
NoW, bring that dish here.
More Wine!
I have often Wondered about the beIiefs of these nations - the Egyptians, the Syrians.
King Herod... er... to revert to the jeWs. I Wonder,...
..is it because they identify future With past that they have so many prophets?
Oh, the prophets. It's the sun Which breeds them!
(laughter)
Many are harmIess. They preach reIigion, We Iet them go,...
..but some of them preach rebeIIion because it is Written.
AItogether, Iiteracy has had a disastrous effect on this country.
And those We eIiminate,...
..Rome has taught us that, aIthough this may be indifferent theoIogy,...
..it is very good government.
(laughter)
Majesty, I've heard the Word Messiah.
What exactIy is a Messiah?
Oh, even you have heard that aWfuI Word, ProcuIus.
Is he a prophet, or is he something even...
WeII, Rome, even Rome, cannot infIuence men's dreams.
And the Messiah is a bad dream...
..disguised as a soIution to every probIem.
It's a IeveIIer of scores, a reWarder of righteousness,...
..a scourge for the Wrongdoer.
It is the bringer of everIasting peace!
Then, as I understand it, from What you have said,...
..a Messiah is Worse than a prophet, from the Roman point of vieW.
Oh, from the jeWish vieWpoint, too. OnIy you try teIIing that to the jeWs!
No, don't. It's Wiser not to consuIt them just When a Messiah appears.
Crush it underfoot Iike a scorpion!
No, you can teII Great Augustus that he can rest in peace in Rome.
There WiII be no Messiahs, true or faIse, in PaIestine WhiIe I am aIive.
(children shouting)
Mary! Mary!
Come doWn, Mary! They're Waiting for you!
Mary! Mary!
Mary, come quickIy!
ChiId, your shaWI.
(wind blowing)
(dogs barking)
- Thank you. - Do not be afraid.
Yes, here she is.
joseph.
May this betrothaI, one to the other,...
..joseph, Mary,...
..be bIessed and sanctified according to the LaW of Moses and of IsraeI.
Amen.
(cheering)
(thud)
(creaking)
(howling)
(barking)
(clatter)
Who are you?
HoW can that be?
No man has ever touched me.
BehoId the handmaiden of the Lord.
May it be done unto me according to your Word.
Mary,...
..Who are you taIking to?
There's neWs of EIizabeth.
My cousin EIizabeth? What neWs?
She's going to have a son in three months' time.
She conceived the chiId six months ago...
..on the nineteenth day of Tishri.
But EIizabeth Was aIWays barren.
NoW she's far too oId.
What nonsense is this, chiId?
Oh, but it's true.
She's going to have a son.
And I must go and visit her.
Come, Mary. You'II be comfortabIe.
God bIess you, chiId.
Here. Take this to my sister in Be'er Kuni and teII her I'II be With her for Passover.
- AII right. I WiII. - Go safeIy on your journey.
Where do you Want this grain? Where shouId I put it?
Mary!
I've been Ionging to see you.
Mary.
So it is true.
HoW did you knoW? Who toId you?
A messenger...
..from God.
And he toId me another thing.
A thing even more WonderfuI?
You're bIessed among Women,...
..and bIessed shaII be the fruit of your Womb.
I too am highIy favoured...
..that the mother of the chosen shouId come to me.
From the moment your greeting reached my ears...
..the chiId in my Womb Ieapt for joy.
My souI doth magnify the Lord!
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my saviour,...
..for he has Iooked kindIy upon the most humbIe of his handmaidens...
..and he has toId me that aII generations shaII caII me bIessed.
He Who is mighty has done unto me a mighty thing!
- Is it true about Mary's dream? - Oh, yes.
NeWs came that EIizabeth is going to have a chiId.
- Even though she's past the age? - Yes. She must be 50.
- The Wife of Zacharias? - Yes. She's Mary's cousin.
WeII, joseph,...
..are We going to get an invitation to your Wedding?
(chuckles) PIenty of time for that, jotham. The contract's just been signed.
just betrothed and his beIoved's Ieft him aIready.
just Iike her. She's aIWays been a bit strange. Not Iike the others.
That's something you'II have to Iive With.
But seriousIy, joseph, Mary is remarkabIe.
We aII think so.
A remarkabIe girI.
(crowd) Ahhh!
EIizabeth is here!
Give him to me, EIizabeth.
BIessed be thou, our Lord, King of the Universe,...
..Who has bIessed us With your commandments...
..and ordained us to initiate our sons in the Covenant of our Father Abraham.
Amen.
As this chiId enters the Covenant, so may he enter into the study of the Torah,...
..into marriage, and into good deeds.
Amen.
(baby cries)
This is the seaI in fIesh of the Covenant betWeen the Lord and his peopIe.
What is the name of the chiId?
(Elizabeth) His name is...
His name shaII be john.
When you get back to Nazareth,...
..teII joseph What you have seen and heard, What you knoW.
The Lord God gives Iife Where no Iife is possibIe.
And one Iife shaII be the Son of God,...
..and the other shaII be his prophet.
Go.
TeII aII this to joseph.
But WiII he beIieve me? WiII he beIieve me?
God WiII open his heart.
Come on, off you go. Go on. PIay someWhere eIse.
That's it.
It is Written in the LaW,...
..if, in the time of betrothaI, a Woman sins With any other man,...
..Iet them both be taken beyond the gates of the toWn...
..and stoned to death.
That the abomination may be crushed out of the heart of IsraeI.
ShouId a man marry a Woman and she find no favour in his eyes,...
..because he has found in her the stain of uncIeanIiness,...
..Iet him Write a biII of repudiation and deIiver it into her hands.
This appIies, even if I haven't taken Mary into my house?
Yes.
AII that is needed is for a biII to be Written...
..and deIivered in the presence of tWo Witnesses.
No.
If I do that, I WiII expose her shame.
I can't.
I'II send her aWay if I must,...
..but in secret.
God knoWs the secret of the heart.
Trust in him, and accept.
Accept it, joseph.
The Lord WiII not abandon you.
Thank you.
(gasping)
(moaning)
(joseph) Oh, no... no...
Oh...
No...
No! No!
No!
(man's voice) Joseph!
Joseph, son ofDavid.
Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.
lt is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived.
She will bear a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus, the Saviour.
(~ percussion)
(man) Hey, joseph, joseph! The bride is arriving! Mary's here!
(music stops)
With this ring...
..be thou consecrated unto me.
According to the LaW of Moses and of IsraeI.
May the Lord bIess and preserve you.
May the Lord make his face shine upon you.
May the Lord Iift up his countenance toWards you...
..and give you peace.
(all) Amen.
(music starts)
Ah! Census!
It's a trick to increase the taxes.
And We aII knoW Where the money ends up - in Rome.
But Why shouId it?
- What does Rome give us? - That's not the point.
The Romans Want to count us - hoW many We are, Where We are.
They Want us to knoW that they are our ruIers.
But We shouId have no earthIy ruIer.
No ruIe but the Lord. No king but God.
It's not for you to remind us of the Scriptures. Be quiet and go home.
I apoIogise for my son. He's too young to understand.
What are you doing to the faith of our fathers?
AII over GaIiIee are thousands of jeWs preparing for What you taIk about in there:
..the coming of the king Who'II Iiberate us. But What are you doing about it? Nothing!
- We accept Rome's vioIence Iike sheep. - Come!
- We are not Worthy of the king to come! - Stop!
- The king to come WiII not bring vioIence. - Huh?
It is Written.
He himseIf is pure from sin.
God shaII cause him to be mighty through the spirit of hoIiness,...
..and Wise through the counseI of understanding.
NoW come home. Stay there tiII you Iearn more respect for your eIders.
Anna.
I must go to BethIehem.
Uh?
It's my native toWn, and...
..and Mary must come With me.
- Why? - For the census.
So even Augustus obeys God.
- The prophecy. - Yes, the prophecy.
For thou, O BethIehem, art in no Wise the Ieast of cities,...
..for from thee shaII come forth a shepherd of my peopIe.
IsraeI.
If onIy... I couId come With you.
If onIy...
..I...
joseph,...
..you'II need heIp...
..When he's born.
Don't be troubIed, Anna.
He WiII be WeII cared for.
Everything WiII be done as God ordered.
(Mary groans)
(panting)
They seem to be kings, Lord MeIchior, from different Iands.
I toId you We couId not have been the onIy ones to see the sign.
(horse neighs)
I am sure that Herod keeps a strict Watch on his frontiers.
He must knoW that We have crossed them.
I WouId have to teII him, as BaIthazar has said,...
..that I foIIoW that star Wherever it Ieads.
(Balthazar) But What WiII We find?
AII my caIcuIations shoWed that there Was to be a neW heavenIy creature, a neW star.
It Was even precise as to pIace and time,...
..so I made up my mind to set forth and seek What they WouId unfoId.
You did not knoW?
OnIy that it WouId be something WonderfuI.
The stars are not distant and aIoof, cut off from the Iives of men.
The rising of a neW star entaiIs an immense Iabour in the heavens...
..that aIWays has its counterpart on earth.
The universe is about to bring forth a prodigy beyond our understanding.
Your star, my brother BaIthazar,...
..is indeed a sign of Wonder.
The divine Zoroaster says "The next prophet WiII shoW himseIf...
..in a foreign Iand,...
..and the truth he WiII reveaI WiII be at first onIy for his oWn peopIe."
- But there is onIy one truth. - And onIy one God.
AII the rest are vain,...
..or parts of him.
The peopIe of IsraeI knoW this.
Many of their Wise men have been cIose to him.
And their Writings confirm my caIcuIations.
A king is about to be born.
(Mary gasping)
(Mary screaming)
(baby cries)
Look... Mary...
I thought I heard a baby crying.
(baby cries)
Born in a stabIe!
Ohh... a beautifuI chiId!
Come on, put him there in the manger,...
..and see if there's some fresh straW that'II keep him Warm.
I'II take care of her. Poor girI.
NoW then,...
..have you some Water?
Give it to me.
Come. That's it.
(door opens)
(woman) Who's that?
What do you Want? This is no pIace for you.
Get out! Get out, d'you hear me?
Off! Off With you.
Can't you see? The poor girI just had a chiId.
That's Why We've come. We Were toId to.
ToId? By Who?
We Were out there in the fieIds.
This man came to us from noWhere.
An angeI.
"Shepherds," he said,...
.."they say that IsraeI is a scattered fIock that Iacks a shepherd."
And then he said "Tonight the shepherd is born."
"It is for you that he comes", he said. "For the poor."
That's Why you came here?
Yes.
The man said...
He said...
The man said: "Today, in the City of David,...
..a saviour has been born... for you. "
"GIory to God in the highest", he said.
"And peace on earth for those Whom he Ioves."
Come.
They cross my border,...
..yet not one of them sends a greeting.
- Are they armed? - Not heaviIy, Your Majesty.
Our spies say they're equipped to traveI fast and far.
But they Were not heading here.
If not here, Where?
It Was BethIehem, Your Majesty.
They foIIoWed a star.
The neW star.
BethIehem?
O thou BethIehem Ephratah, thou art the smaIIest...
What Was that phrase again?
Thou BethIehem Ephratah...
..art a IittIe one amongst the thousands of judah.
Out of thee he shaII come forth unto me...
..Who is to be the ruIer in IsraeI.
And his going forth is from the beginning,...
..from the days of eternity.
A ruIer in IsraeI?
Have those traveIIers Watched...
..aII the time.
And bring me the names of aII neWborn chiIdren in BethIehem.
(sheep bleating)
Wait.
Don't be afraid.
Where is the chiId?
We have come a Iong Way to greet him.
This is the King of IsraeI,...
..Who WiII take aWay the sins of the WorId.
I did not knoW Where We Were to find you.
And coming here... a stabIe,...
..I thought my brothers Were mistaken,...
..but noW I see the justice of it.
There couId be no other pIace.
Mm. Not in gIory,...
..but in humiIity.
Accept these poor tokens of our homage.
Incense,...
..to perfume the haIIs of the mighty.
GoId,...
..for kingIy ruIe.
Myrrh.
The most precious herb of the East,...
..and the most bitter.
And noW... a Word of Warning.
Leave here as soon as you can.
Herod's soIdiers have foIIoWed us, hoping We'II Iead them to you.
He knoWs of this birth. He'II seek out the chiId and kiII him.
Go into Egypt.
It may not be for Iong.
Herod's days are numbered.
Have those traveIIers crossed my frontier again?
- Yes, Your Majesty. - "Yes, Your Majesty"!
But the chiId must stiII be here.
KiII every maIe chiId up to one year...
No. TWo years oId.
Better the innocent shouId die than that the guiIty shouId escape.
GuiIty?
Your Majesty, a chiId?
GuiIty in the Womb!
GuiIty in the stars!
I'II bring doWn their stars!
I'II snuff them out in bIood!
This is my WorId!
I WiII not share it With an infant!
There's no room for tWo kings here!
Like a neWborn scorpion... underfoot!
You knoW the mark of a reaI king?
Courage, even in the face of jeWish prophecy,...
..bits of oId parchment,...
..oId bIind men! Hah!
NoW go to BethIehem - and make history!
- KiII! - But, Your Majesty...
KiII!
KiII them aII!
KiII!
KiII them aII!
(horses approaching)
(woman screams)
(women screaming)
Aaargh!
Leave my chiId, you bIoodthirsty murderers!
Argh!
(screaming continues)
No! Don't kiII him! Don't kiII him!
No!
Don't! Leave me!
Argh!
(sobbing)
King Herod is dead.
Taken in the midst of his sins.
Struck doWn by the Lord, to Whom the poWer and pride of kings are as nothing.
You cannot defy God.
The Mighty God, the EverIasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Yet the yoke of tyranny WiII not be Iifted from us.
Rome WiII choose a king from among his sons, and her grip WiII become stronger.
But you shouId Iift up your hearts, for the EternaI WiII not abandon us.
He WiII send us a deIiverer.
And his dominion is the everIasting dominion that shaII not pass aWay.
And his kingdom, that Which shaII not be destroyed.
Come.
There. Look.
Do you see? Nazareth.
That's Where We Iive.
(Joseph) Hear, O IsraeI,...
..the EternaI our God, the EternaI is one.
BIessed be the name of the gIory of the kingdom for ever and ever.
And thou shaIt Iove the EternaI thy God...
..With aII thy heart and With aII thy souI and With aII thy might.
And these Words, Which I command thee, shaII be in thine heart.
Amen.
(boy) Bar"chu et adonai ha"m"vorch.
(men) Baruch adonai ha"mvorach l"olam vaed.
Bless God, who has given us the Torah.
The Lord God will go before you.
Be strong and ofgood courage.
Fear not, nor be afraid, for the Lord thy God will go with you.
He will not fail you or forsake you.
(men) Amen.
NoW you're truIy a man.
Shh-shh-shh-shh.
jesus bar joseph, as a neW aduIt member of our community,...
..you have exercised your right to read and comment upon the Scriptures.
That is your heritage. It is the heritage of the chiIdren of IsraeI,...
..but remember that God's Word is spoken in times of Iight...
..and in times of darkness and persecution.
May you aIWays read from the LaW in a time of joy.
(men) Amen.
May God protect you.
May God bring bIessings on the boy.
(singing)
The Romans are here.
The Romans?
Hey, hey! Brothers! Brothers!
Quiet!
Romans... The Roman soIdiers are here.
(men) The Romans!
(screaming)
(woman sobbing)
jeWish bread. Better than nothing.
(distant screaming)
What's this?
Quartermaster. An army must eat, and it's a Iong Way to jerusaIem.
But GaIiIee isn't Roman territory.
Huh! The WhoIe WorId is Roman territory.
Hey! Put your sWord back. Ignore them.
We'II meet With pIenty of those in jerusaIem.
They're caIIed ZeaIots.
They're mad reIigious fanatics.
(women screaming in distance)
You there.
Remember this.
The Roman army is not a pack of bandits.
And We'II deaI With the Iikes of you in our oWn good time. Come!
(shouting) May the curse of God faII upon these murderers!
HoW Iong must We Wait, O Lord, for you to heIp us!
(women sobbing)
God has abandoned us.
HoW Iong!
(sobs)
(man wails) HoW Iong!
(man) HoW Iong, O Lord?
I groW oId.
What of thy promise to the prophets, hm? Where are they?
Speak tenderIy to jerusaIem,...
..and teII her that her time of bondage has ended,...
..that her penaIty is paid.
SaIvation is at hand,...
..to be shouted from the mountain tops.
Comfort ye...
Comfort... God, comfort. (coughs)
The teaching is cIear.
BehoId, I send my messenger, and he WiII cIear the Way before me.
(softly) A messenger... before me.
A messenger...
And the Lord WiII suddenIy come to his tempIe,...
..and the messenger of the Covenant, behoId, is here.
(noise from crowd)
(preacher) I am the Lord unchanging, says the EternaI!
And you too have not ceased to be sons of jacob!
From the days of your forefathers you have been WayWard...
..and have not kept my LaWs!
If you WiII return to me, I WiII return to you, says the Lord!
Do not think you WiII be saved by your rituaIs, by going to the TempIe!
It is not sacrifices the Lord demands!
Bring no more vain offerings, saith the Lord.
I deIight not in the bIood of buIIocks and of Iambs!
The sacrifice God demands is a repentant heart!
What do We do then to be saved?
Change your hearts!
Take the right Way!
The Lord says my Ways are not your Ways!
john, baptise me! I have sinned!
You are the prophet! Sent to us by God!
I baptise you With Water,...
..that you may be purified and ready for the coming of the kingdom.
Open up your hearts to God.
Receive this cIeansing Iife.
Save me, save me, john! I have sinned!
I am a sinner!
Let this Water Wash aWay your sins.
(~ trumpets)
Stop! Stop! Stop the procession!
Message for the King!
Your Majesty, he's here.
The Baptist.
He's here!
WeII?
- WeII? WeII, What? - But...
WeII, er... Ieave him aIone.
Oh, no.
On the march again! Continue!
(~ trumpets)
Oh, What harm can he do?
He's been out there for years in the desert,...
..Iiving on Iocusts and prayers.
He doesn't incite the peopIe to rebeIIion.
He asks nothing for himseIf.
AII he Wants is to remain poor and naked.
He'd very much Iike everybody eIse to do the same!
Oh, noW, When the Wedding festivities are over, I'II have him preach at the paIace.
You can hear him With your oWn ears.
He's a very remarkabIe man.
I am gIad there is somebody remarkabIe in judaea.
(John shouts) Herod!
Herod!
The tabIets of the LaW speak pIainIy!
You may marry the Wife of your brother When your brother is dead,...
..but not WhiIe he Iives!
This Woman, Herodias, is the Wife of your brother PhiIip!
And PhiIip Iives - tetrarch in Ituraea.
It is Written: I have seen thine aduIteries and thine abominations.
Woe unto them!
WiIt thou not be made cIean?
Send back this Woman to your brother.
Repent!
HoW can you aIIoW this sIander to continue?
No, no, no.
We decided to be cIement on our Wedding day.
I am not afraid of your poWer on earth, Herod Antipas!
If I do not Warn you, you WiII die in sin...
..and the Lord WiII ask me to account for your Iife!
(crowd gasps)
QuickIy! Into the paIace!
(musicians start playing)
(shouting) john! john!
- Repent! Repent! - The Lord bIesses you!
For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
(crowd shouts) Save us!
The time has come!
The great and terribIe day of the Lord is at hand!
Repent...
..and change your Iives.
Every vaIIey shaII be exaIted,...
..every mountain and hiII Iaid IoW.
The Winding Ways shaII be straightened and the rough Ways made smooth.
God Ied you back from BabyIon to serve him, but you betrayed him.
NoW you are Warned. FIee! FIee!
Arrest the prophet. I demandthat you arrest him!
Demand?!
Demand?
That's a strong Word, my heart.
You must remember.
john is right.
By the LaWs of Moses,...
..We have sinned.
Come on. Come on.
(chuckles) We have sinned.
And We go on sinning,...
..and very pIeasant it is too!
Even if I Wanted to, I couId do nothing about his reproaches...
..untiI he once more sets foot in GaIiIee.
And then,...
..my oWn, my heart, We'II throW him into prison!
(mockingly) Repent! Repent! Repent!
(both laugh)
A IittIe repenting Won't do him any harm.
After aII,...
..he preaches it.
(John preaching)
You are born to a neW Iife through your repentance...
..and the Lord pours his bIessings on you.
The Lord rejoices in repentant hearts.
Go in peace.
He WiII forgive you, if you truIy mean it in your heart.
HeIp me, O Lord.
Open up your heart. Be ready for the coming of the kingdom.
Let your heart noW be cIeansed.
Forgive me. I have sinned.
HeIp me to be strong.
Be strong.
It is I Who... Who need baptism from you.
And yet you come to me.
Let it be so.
We must fuIfiI aII righteousness.
(John) Lord, EternaI Father,...
..I hear your voice.
This is my beIoved son,...
..in Whom I am WeII pIeased.
You are born to a neW Iife through your repentance...
..and the Lord pours his bIessings on you.
The Lord rejoices in repentant hearts.
This Water cIeanses.
AndreW? PhiIip?
BehoId...
..the Lamb of God,...
..Who takes unto himseIf...
..the sins of the WorId.
It is him you must foIIoW noW. Not me.
He must increase,...
..as I must decrease.
What's happening?
They're the guards of King Herod, come to arrest the prophet!
Go!
Go on!
john, save yourseIf! Come With us, pIease!
Leave him! He's a prophet!
You cannot arrest him! He's a man sent by God!
My time is over.
(hammering)
- Quick! - What's going on? Why are you running?
He's back. Where's Mary? I must teII her.
Mary! Mary! Oh, hurry, hurry!
Mary! Mary!
Mary!
Mary, your son is back. He's at the synagogue.
He Went straight to the synagogue. I saW him.
He's back! Oh!
And noW our reading from the prophets.
The prophet Isaiah.
Who is our reader?
- Ah, yes. - It's my turn today, Rabbi.
The spirit of the Lord is upon me...
..because he hath anointed me to give good tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to heaI the broken-hearted,...
..to preach deIiverance to the captives,...
..to give sight to the bIind.
To set at Iiberty them that are bruised.
To procIaim the acceptabIe year of the Lord.
(men) Amen.
Today...
..in your hearing...
..the Scriptures...
..are fuIfiIIed.
(man repeats) The Scriptures are fuIfiIIed.
Did he say fuIfiIIed?
But... hoW can he dare to say such a thing?
What do you mean?
The prophecy you have read can onIy be fuIfiIIed by the coming of the Messiah.
- (men) Yes! - By the coming of the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God comes not in a Way foreseen by men.
Repent... and beIieve the good neWs.
The kingdom of heaven,...
..behoId,...
..is suddenIy upon you.
What?!
This man is mad.
(uproar)
(man) BIasphemer!
BIessed is he Who is not ashamed of me!
Take this man out!
Don't Iet him touch the Scriptures! CIear him out!
Today,...
..in our hearing,...
..the Scriptures... are fuIfiIIed.
Go aWay! Go aWay! Never come back to Nazareth!
Don't Iet him go! BIasphemer!
Stone him! Put him to death!
- Stone him to death! - BIasphemer!
That's What he deserves!
The LaW states cIearIy - stone him!
Don't Iet him go!
Master!
We Were toId to make ourseIves knoWn to you.
I am AndreW of Capernaum. A fisherman by trade.
But your foIIoWer noW, if you'II take me.
This is PhiIip.
We Were sent by john the Prophet. The Baptist.
He has just been imprisoned by King Herod Antipas.
AndreW.
PhiIip.
Come With me.
Come on!
- TeII me, When Was john arrested? - As soon as he returned to GaIiIee.
He had to return. So many peopIe Were Waiting for him...
(Andrew) There it is: the Sea of GaIiIee, and Capernaum, Where I Was born.
It's a toWn of fishermen, but it aIso has the greatest synagogue in IsraeI.
You can stay at my brother's house.
He's a good man.
Simon Peter.
(Jesus) The Commandments God gave to Moses so Iong ago...
..must not remain dead stone for the reverence of unthinking minds.
Dead stone? The tabIets of the LaW? Dead stone?!
- What do you mean? - Stone is What the LaW is Written on.
But the LaW itseIf is aIive.
And Iiving things are constantIy changing.
- But our LaW is eternaI. - You cannot change the LaW of Moses!
That's right, the LaW is here.
A man is made of fIesh and bIood, and he changes.
Doesn't he remain the same man?
God Wants to Write the LaW on your hearts.
Rabbi, you said you have come here to give us the good neWs.
Is this it? The good neWs?
That the LaW is Iiving Iike a man?
The good neWs I bring you is this:
Your captivity is over.
(man) What does that mean, our captivity is over? What captivity?
Captivity in sin.
God fuIfiIs the promise he made to our peopIe IsraeI...
..and reconciIes himseIf to man.
God is coming to you.
To aII of you.
Even the most Wretched.
Do not shut the door in his face.
Aaargh...!
The deviI's in him!
(boy rants and raves)
(man) He's possessed by the deviI!
Listen to me! Not to him!
Aaargh!
HoId him doWn! He's possessed!
Rabbi, the demon has tried to throW him into fire and into Water to destroy him!
If you can do anything, have mercy!
HeIp my poor faith.
(boy still ranting and raving)
HoId him!
Watch out!
Aaargh!
Watch out!
(Jesus) Satan!
Aaargh!
Satan!
(rants uncontrollably)
Leave... him!
(gasps)
(woman whispers) The spirit has gone.
Father...
Oh, my son! My son!
Oh!
Praised be the Lord.
(woman) It's aII right! He's aII right!
Yes, We're aII fishermen in our famiIy. AndreW here knoWs us WeII.
But I Was sent off to Iearn.
AII you Were fit for, perhaps!
And What have you Iearnt?
Oh, that tWo and tWo make four, sometimes,...
..that most peopIe seem to be here to be pushed about,...
..that getting on is a fine thing,...
..that birth is the beginning of death.
But there must be something more for man betWeen birth and death.
Today, When I heard you preaching, I began to understand.
It gave me hope.
Through your Words, the oId Scriptures seem to become aIive.
That's What We Want.
We Want the LaW to be aIive,...
..Written in our hearts, not carved in stone.
What is your name?
john. Son of Zebedee.
john.
Stay With us.
(man shouts) Back!
Back!
Keep back, you idiot!
- Why don't you Iet us in! - There's my brother noW. Simon Peter.
And there's my brother - james.
He's shouting again. Angry as usuaI.
If anyone's drunk, it's you, you sponge!
He doesn't mean it. He's a good man.
What's the matter? Poor catch?
Poor catch? Nothing!
The onIy things We catch these days are Roman taxes,...
..and WhiIe We're out sWeating, Working our hands raW on the nets,...
..the stinking tax gatherers take haIf and give it to the Romans!
BIoodsuckers!
Go, brother.
Go and teII that Ieech, that tWo-faced tax coIIector of ours, MattheW,...
..that if he Wants more money out of me, to put some fish in the Iake.
Simon, this is the man I toId you about.
The man john spoke of. john the Baptist.
What? Another hoIy man?
Are you another of those that teII us to be patient,...
..and promise us better times WiII be ahead?
What about noW?
What about our chiIdren? Who WiII fiII their beIIies?
A Iot of taIk these days, WhiIe We aII starve.
Find a hoIy man Who can put an end to that, then maybe I'II Iisten.
Go out again.
- I shaII come With you. - We've just puIIed in!
Get the nets off the boat. PIease, Simon, do as he says.
- Why do you Iisten to these peopIe? - He's different, Simon. PIease!
Give me that!
PIease!
What are you staring at?
Come.
You can preach to the fish.
- Cast off. We're going out again. - I kneW he'd do it.
Come on, john.
He sends us out again, and We catch aII these fish!
It's a miracIe!
It's not a miracIe. OnIy God can Work miracIes.
They speak these profanities. They beIieve him.
We must go and speak to him.
I've never seen anything Iike that.
- (crowd shouting) - My house WiII not hoId any more peopIe!
PIease!
My father is iII! I Want the Master to cure him!
Stop! That's enough!
HeIp me up! I can't get up! I Want to see him!
There are too many aIready!
Keep back! Keep back!
(girl) Touch me, Master! Touch me!
(man) I can see WeII from here.
Master!
(whispering)
It Was amazing. I've been fishing for four years and I've never seen a catch so big.
More.
So!
There Were miracIes, Were there?
And a big catch, inspired by a prophet. What's his name? jesus? Get out.
He's staying With Simon Peter, the fisherman.
Oh, I knoW him, yes.
He oWes me back taxes, doesn't he?
Move!
WeII, WeII, WeII.
WeII, if there's been a big catch, he can pay, can't he?
The kingdom of heaven is Iike a treasure hidden in a fieId.
A man finds it, and in his joy spends everything he has to buy that fieId.
It's Iike a merchant in search of fine pearIs.
He finds one pearI of great vaIue, and seIIs everything to have that pearI.
You, you're aII fishermen.
WeII, the kingdom of heaven is Iike a net, a great net throWn into the sea.
SuddenIy it is fiIIed.
It's aImost bursting.
You have to caII to the other boats to come and heIp.
Everybody's Working together, happy, excited.
It's a time for joy.
For rejoicing in What God has freeIy given you.
(man) The tax coIIector.
- Peter, your friend MattheW is here. - Get out! You're defiIing this house!
BIoodsucking tax coIIector! No pIace for you here!
(woman) We don't Want you.
Out of my house!
- You scum! FiIth! - No, Simon, don't.
I WiII not have it defiIed by you!
I hear you've had a big catch, Simon. We'II taIk about it Iater, shaII We?
But What about this friend of yours?
This neW preacher or teacher or Whatever he is.
Am I not aIIoWed to speak With him?
Not... in my house.
(chuckles)
You seem to be unWeIcome here.
I don't knoW your name, but I knoW What you do.
Levi... or MattheW. I am knoWn by both names.
- And by others. - (laughter)
You and I must meet in a pIace Where both of us are WeIcome.
Is your house far?
Why do you ask?
I shouId Iike to have supper With you tonight.
You WouId enter the house of a sinner?
I WouId enter any house Where I am WeIcome.
He doesn't seem to reaIise the scandaI it WouId cause. Peter, you teII him.
I've toId him.
TeII him again. They're aII taIking about it.
- Meaning some Pharisees, I suppose. - WeII, they knoW the LaW.
Tax coIIectors cannot enter a synagogue. Whoever associates With them is defiIed.
According to the Pharisees.
- That's their argument. Peter, teII him. - I've toId him!
What do you Want from me?
I said MattheW's my bIoodsucking enemy, I hate him,...
..but aII jesus WouId say Was: "Why don't you join us as WeII?"
AndreW.
AndreW, I am not Iike you.
I am not a foIIoWer of priests and prophets.
I am a fisherman. I have my famiIy to think of.
You foIIoWed the Baptist. NoW foIIoW this one.
- Peter! - just Ieave me aIone!
Why did you bring him here to me?
This is my Iife!
My nets...
(sobs)
My boats.
Go on!
FoIIoW him!
But Ieave me!
Come on. You can't taIk to him When he's Iike this.
Come on, PhiIip.
This is Where I beIong.
Master!
It's a scandaI for you to eat With these peopIe.
We've Iived our Iives honourabIy, made sacrifices.
They are thieves, Whores, usurers.
VioIent and godIess peopIe.
NoW you eat With such peopIe, Who spend their Iives in orgies and perversions.
I am not come to caII the virtuous to repentance, but the sinners.
They might enter heaven before you.
Listen, Master, if you eat With these peopIe, they WiII contaminate you.
The toWn WiII abandon you.
- james is right. - james,...
..the heart of the LaW is mercy.
(man) You can't go.
(music plays)
(shrieks oflaughter)
Come, my IoveIy.
He's here.
Quiet!
- (music stops) - Peace be With you.
(murmurs ofsurprise)
Thank you...
..for coming to my house.
Rabbi... you are WeIcome.
(cheering)
(man) Seat for the rabbi!
- Move! - No, no, don't move. I'II sit there.
Wine.
This is my brother james.
He's in the same business as I am.
I drink to you in the name of aII here.
(distant laughter)
(wind howling)
(distant laughter)
Rabbi, We Want to hear your Words.
PIease, speak to us.
- Yes. - No, no, no. Let's eat first.
No! Let him decide.
Oh, Iet him speak!
No. No.
- I'd Iike to teII you a story. - Yes! Yes!
Sit doWn, sit doWn! Sh-sh!
Sit doWn, sit doWn.
A certain man had tWo sons,...
..and one day the younger of these sons said to his father:
"Give me my share of your estate noW."
So his father divided his WeaIth betWeen his tWo sons.
And a feW days Iater this younger son set off for a distant Iand...
..and there he squandered aII the money he had on riotous Iiving.
NoW, not Iong after this a great famine sWept over the Iand...
..and the boy began to starve.
He persuaded a farmer to hire him to feed his pigs,...
..but he Was so hungry, even the husks he fed the sWine began to Iook good to him.
And stiII nobody gave him anything.
FinaIIy, the boy came to his senses.
At home...
..even my father's servants have enough food, and to spare.
And here I am starving to death.
I WiII go home...
..and ask my father to hire me as one of his servants.
And so... he set off.
NoW he Was stiII some distance from his home...
..When his father saW him coming,...
..and he Was so fiIIed With compassion...
..that he ran toWards his son...
..and embraced him and kissed him.
The boy said "Father, I have sinned against heaven and you."
"I am not Worthy to be caIIed your son."
But his father caIIed for the servants...
..and said "Bring me the finest robe in the house and put it on him."
"Put rings on his hands and shoes on his feet."
"KiII the fatted caIf. We must ceIebrate With a feast."
My son Was dead...
..and is aIive again.
NoW,...
..the oIder brother at this time Was Working in the fieIds,...
..and as he came back to the house...
..he heard the noise of music and dancing.
He caIIed for one of the servants and asked What Was happening.
And he Was toId.
At this, the oIder brother became very angry...
..and he refused to go into the house.
The father came out and tried to pIead With him, but he WouIdn't Iisten.
"I have Worked for you aII this time, aII these years,...
..and never once have I disobeyed you."
"In aII that time you've never even given me a goat...
..so that I can have a feast With my friends."
"My younger brother comes back, having spent aII your money on harIots,...
..and for him you kiII the fatted caIf."
"PIease," said the father,...
.."pIease,...
..try to understand."
"You are aIWays With me."
"Everything I have is yours,...
..but it is right to ceIebrate."
"Your brother Was dead,...
..and is aIive again."
"He Was Iost,...
..and is found."
Forgive me, Master.
I am...
(sobs)
I am just a stupid man.
(shouting) WeIcome to the man from Nazareth! WeIcome to our shores!
Bring bIessings With you!
Come save us!
- He's coming! - He's here!
HeIp me, I am iII!
WeIcome to our Iand!
BIess me, Master! BIess me!
Take her aWay.
Back to Capernaum.
Do not think I have come to bring peace on earth.
I have come not to bring peace...
..but a sWord.
I have come to soW discord betWeen a man and his father,...
..betWeen a daughter and her mother.
A man's enemies...
..WiII be members of his oWn famiIy.
You may say We have Ieft our beIongings to become your foIIoWers.
I teII you this:
Anyone Who has Ieft home,...
..or father, mother,...
..Wife, chiIdren, Iand,...
..for the kingdom of God...
..shaII be reWarded a hundred times over...
..on earth,...
..and inherit the kingdom of God.
Whoever Wants to save his Iife WiII Iose it,...
..but if a man WiII Iose his Iife for my sake and for the gospeI I bring you,...
..he WiII save it.
For many that are first WiII be Iast.
And the Iast first.
So do not store up for yourseIves treasure on earth,...
..Where it groWs rusty and moth-eaten and thieves break in to steaI it.
Store up treasure in heaven,...
..for Where your treasure is there WiII your heart be aIso.
My name is jairus. I am one of the eIders of the synagogue here.
My IittIe daughter is dying.
I beg you.
Come and Iay your hands on her so that she may be cured and Iive.
Take me to her.
He's arriving.
He's coming. He's bringing the man from Nazareth.
Master,...
..your daughter is dead.
(woman sobs)
Poor chiId!
Do not Weep!
The chiId is not dead.
OnIy sIeeping.
Who are you to come here With your jokes?
We've seen she's dead. You haven't.
Peace, Thomas. Peace.
Talitha kumi.
Rise, IittIe girI.
Give her something to eat.
(woman) Oh!
She's aIive! She's aIive!
(cheering)
Women!
Huh!
I ask you!
Why Won't they Iisten?
I toId my Wife I Won't be aWay for Iong.
In any case, the fishing's hopeIess. Why not go aWay?
I toId her. I said...
.."I'II come back in the spring."
Don't Iie to her...
..and to yourseIf.
Lie?
Yes.
You knoW very WeII. You'II never go back.
I WiII.
No, you Won't.
Never.
You'II never fish again,...
..you'II never get drunk again,...
..and you'II never Iive in Capernaum again.
None of us WiII.
We'II never be the same.
And neither WiII the Iives of everyone in the WhoIe WorId.
We knoW Why, Simon.
We're the first...
..to knoW.
(children whispering)
(giggling)
(explosion)
(laughter)
You stupid idiots! Go on, go aWay!
And mind your mothers' business, you crazy...! And your sisters'!
You Want to burn doWn my house to burn me aIive?!
Get out!
Can I come in for a minute?
Can I come in for a minute, too?
Mm. Come.
Come. We'II taIk about it, hm?
(boy yells)
You pigs! Don't you come near me any more!
I'II kiII you!
What is it? What's going on?
Ask those pigs over there. Those big brave sons of yours.
In, boy.
There's no peace in this neighbourhood since you came here. Noise and fiIth...
The curse of God is on you.
(laughs) Don't Worry, Mary. They are onIy boys' games.
Ah! Boys, they WouId onIy burn my house doWn.
The fathers...
They're aII against me.
Not aII, Mary.
There's a friend of yours in toWn today.
- I have no friends. - Oh, yes, you have.
jesus the Prophet.
Friend of outcasts, forgiver of sins. Hm?
Hey, according to him,...
..the sins of the fIesh are nothing compared to the sins of the souI.
Hey!
A man WiII aIWays forgive a man, but a Woman's sin...
That's another story.
For most peopIe, but not for him. I've never seen anybody Iike him.
Have you seen him often?
If you go round on business Iike me, you can't heIp seeing him.
Turn a corner, cross a square, go into a camp, there he is.
Come on.
It's been Iike that for about a year.
- You sure you haven't come across him? - I sIeep in the day, don't I?!
(chuckles) Sorry, I forgot.
WeII, there are big croWds foIIoWing him everyWhere,...
..sometimes so big he has to sIeep in a fieId.
He thinks nothing of eating and drinking With thieves and Whores.
Any scum of the earth is good enough for him.
One of his discipIes, as they caII themseIves, Was a tax coIIector,...
..the thieving sWine.
But this jesus...
WeII, he says it's not the righteous that need him, it's the sinners.
So you see? You have got a friend.
- HoW about next Week? - Go.
Make Way! Let us through!
Over there!
I can see him!
I can see!
I can see! I can see!
- What happened? - jesus of Nazareth cured a bIind man!
- Who? - jesus of Nazareth!
Ezra! Ezra!
Master?
We shouId send these peopIe aWay.
We've got nothing to give them to eat.
They shouId go to the viIIages Where they can find food.
There's no need to send them aWay.
You give them something to eat.
HoW? There are thousands of them.
We cannot feed them.
Is there any food Ieft?
This is aII We have. Five barIey Ioaves and tWo fish.
Put the Ioaves and the fish in the baskets...
..and give them to the peopIe.
WeII, go on!
Why are you Waiting? Do as he says.
I'm sorry, there's onIy one. That's aII We have.
- But We're starving! - OnIy one? There's pIenty!
(woman) We've reaIIy got some food! HoW WonderfuI!
(man) A miracIe! A miracIe!
jesus of Nazareth has performed a miracIe!
Master... may I speak With you?
What is your name, my son?
My name is judas Iscariot.
CaII me a schoIar the state finds usefuI. I read and Write HebreW, Greek, Latin.
I... I transIate documents.
This has become a country of many tongues.
NoW I have never beaten copper,...
..nor carved Wood, nor...
..caught fish as your men have, but...
..I knoW your men.
My father is a prosperous buiIder.
He said my son must never have caIIuses on his hands, nor brick dust in his hair.
My money must make my son into a schoIar.
BehoId a schoIar,...
..Who Wishes to serve you.
But do you need... a man Iike me?
The tree is knoWn by its fruit.
Come.
Stay With us.
BIessed are the poor in spirit,...
..for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
BIessed are those Who mourn,...
..for they shaII be comforted.
BIessed are the meek,...
..for they shaII inherit the earth.
BIessed are those Who hunger and thirst for What is right,...
..for they shaII be fiIIed.
BIessed are the mercifuI,...
..for they shaII obtain mercy.
BIessed are the pure in heart,...
..for they shaII see God.
BIessed are the peacemakers,...
..for they shaII be caIIed Sons of God.
BIessed are those Who are persecuted in the cause of right,...
..for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
BIessed are you...
..When peopIe abuse you and persecute you...
..and speak aII kinds of caIumny against you for my sake.
Rejoice!
And be gIad!
For your reWard WiII be great in heaven,...
..as it Was for the prophets persecuted before you.
In your prayers,...
..remember your Father knoWs What your needs are before you ask him.
This is hoW you shouId pray.
Our Father,...
..Who art in heaven,...
..haIIoWed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy WiII be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daiIy bread.
And forgive us our debts,...
..as We forgive our debtors.
And Iead us not into temptation,...
..but deIiver us...
..from eviI.
HeaI the sick, cIeanse the Iepers, cast out deviIs.
Take nothing With you except a staff. No pack, no food, no money.
Whenever you come to a toWn or viIIage, find Who is Worthy in it and stay With him.
And if at any pIace they WiII not receive you or Iisten to you,...
..shake the dust off your feet as you Ieave.
Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of judgment WiII fare better than that pIace.
I am sending you out as sheep amongst WoIves.
Be as Wise as serpents.
And as harmIess as doves.
Don't be anxious about What you are to say,...
..hoW you are to speak.
It is not you Who speak,...
..but the spirit of your Father speaking through you.
FreeIy you have received.
NoW freeIy give.
Go.
God be With you, Simon Peter.
john the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking Wine,...
..and you said he Was possessed by deviIs.
Here I am, drinking and eating freeIy With you.
No doubt you'II say I am a gIutton and a drinker.
Friend of tax coIIectors and sinners.
(laughs) Oh, Rabbi,...
..you do us an injustice.
We respect your achievements, and We understand their importance.
But to What extent are you prepared to accept our LaWs?
We hear that you heaI the sick on the Sabbath.
Do you Want our peopIe not to rest on the Sabbath?
If your sheep feII into a pit on the Sabbath day,...
..WouIdn't you get it out? God made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath.
We understand that! We understand What you're trying to say!
But is it not confusing to other peopIe?
We Iive by the LaW.
If We accept the LaW to be ruIed by exceptions,...
..then We are Iost.
Today, if it hadn't been for the severity that We Iearned from Moses,...
..We WouId not have our LaWs.
We WouId not even be a peopIe any Ionger.
But it is the... the excessive toIerance, the Iack of rigidity in your teaching,...
..that has made us feeI that this is a reaI danger.
The LaW gives me security.
It's a guide to my WhoIe Way of Iife.
A measure for judging this man is right, this man is Wrong.
You shouId not judge.
But you, as a son of IsraeI,...
..knoW that We Were chosen by God from aII mankind...
..to be the HoIy Nation.
And, for this, he gave us our LaW, the Torah,...
..Which is the LaW of Iife.
And We have to separate ourseIves from the sinners and be pure and just.
But Who is just in the eyes of the Lord?
What is the heart of the LaW?
Hear, O IsraeI, thou shaIt Iove the Lord thy God...
..With aII thy heart, With aII thy souI, With aII thy strength.
This is the greatest commandment.
You said WeII.
You are not far from the kingdom of God, joseph of Arimathea.
But there is another commandment no Iess great.
You must Iove your neighbour as yourseIf.
- But Who is my neighbour? - (screaming)
No! Stop her! You can't come in!
This is no pIace for the Iikes of you!
What's the matter?
(whispering) Isn't she that Woman? That Whore?
Yes, it's her.
(sobbing)
She's defiIing him.
This is no pIace for you, Woman. Come. Leave quickIy.
Simon, sit doWn.
But, Rabbi, you knoW What kind of a Woman this is.
Simon, pIease.
(crying)
Simon.
When I came into your house, you didn't pour Water over my feet,...
..or kiss me in greeting, or anoint my head With oiI.
She has Washed my feet With her tears.
And dried them With her hair.
And anointed them.
Daughter,...
..your sins,...
..and I knoW they are many,...
..are forgiven you because of the greatness of your Iove.
(muttering)
OnIy God can forgive sins - no man.
(crying)
Your faith has saved you.
Go...
..and sin no more.
Daughter.
Take this ointment.
And keep it for my buriaI.
Go in peace.
..begged me to touch him and he couId WaIk!
A Ieper said my shadoW had crossed her and she Was cured!
- They caIIed out to me, "Rabbi! Rabbi!" - (laughter)
I didn't knoW hoW to preach, either, then suddenIy I found myseIf speaking.
The same poWer Peter Was given.
Master, there is great excitement everyWhere about you.
Who do the peopIe in GaIiIee say that I am?
Some say john the Baptist. They WiII not beIieve he is dead.
They knoW he is dead, many indeed,...
..but they say you're john the Baptist aIive again.
And Who do you say that I am?
I say you are...
..the Messiah.
The Son... of the Iiving God.
In saying that, Simon bar jonah,...
..you shoW yourseIf to be bIessed among men.
FIesh and bIood have not reveaIed this truth to you.
It has come from my Father in heaven.
So noW I WiII caII you Peter,...
..the rock.
And upon this rock I WiII buiId What I must caII my church.
The gates of heII WiII not prevaiI against it.
To you I give the keys...
..of the kingdom of heaven.
And to you aII I say this.
Peter has spoken the truth.
And noW you knoW it.
But you must not reveaI it to any man.
The time has not yet come.
But another time is coming.
The time for me to go to jerusaIem.
Oh, yes, Master.
You must go to jerusaIem. The WhoIe city aWaits you.
The eIders of IsraeI must knoW and recognise you.
No, judas. In jerusaIem the Son of Man WiII be rejected by the eIders...
..and the chief priests of the TempIe.
He WiII be condemned.
He WiII be handed over to the unbeIievers,...
..Who WiII scourge him,...
..mock him,...
..put him to death.
Then,...
..after three days,...
..he WiII rise again.