JESUS OF NAZARETH
In the hour when the King Messiah comes,
He shall stand on the roof of the Temple.
And proclaim that the time of deliverance has come.
Those who believe, and are faithful to God,
Will rejoice in the light that will rise upon them,
As it is written: “Arise, shine, for thy light has come.”
Only take courage and be careful to observe all things
- Written in the Law of Moses. - Amen!
And turn not to side from them, neither to the right hand, not to the left.
Take care only of this: in all diligence,
- That thou love the Lord thy God. - Amen!
Blessed are Thou, oh, Lord, our God, King of the Universe!
May your name be blessed among men,
As it is blessed in the immensity of the Heavens.
Blessed art Thou, oh God, Lord of the Universe,
Who consecrated the Sabbath and all of Israel’s celebrations.
- Amen! - May the Lord bless and preserve you!
May He let His face shine upon you!
- May the Lord lift up His countenance and give you peace! - Amen!
Thank you! Joseph! Joseph!
Joseph, there’s something I want to talk to you about! It’s very important!
If you just come with me, we can talk about it!
- Get away from me! - Tell your mother and father to come and see me tomorrow!
Once you master the craft, you will be free!
Always remember, only those who know how to use their hands are free!
Only they are not dependant on anyone else!
- Joseph! Could you… Please! - Anna!
I shall leave you to work on your own for a minute!
- Remember, don’t force the wood, treat it gently! - Yes, of course!
Anna, I intended to find you when we finished work, but I’ll come with you now!
- You know that my husband… - God rest him!
Was very fond of you! He would have come to you himself, but in the end…
He could hardly speak! Poor man!
What sleep he could get, was disturbed by dreams about his daughter!
Alone, without a brother, no man in the house!
And now, I can’t sleep!
- And when I die, as I must soon… - Why do you say that?
- I have a feeling that I will not live much longer! - You have years ahead of you!
And you can sleep soundly tonight! It’s a great change in a man’s life!
But I also know a single man is only half a person!
As for the contract and the date of the wedding, I leave all that to you and the rabbi!
Thank you, Joseph! You won’t regret it! Mary is a good girl! She’ll make you a beautiful wife!
Shall we sign the contract the first day of the Full Moon?
And then, after year’s betrothal, we’ll celebrate the wedding in the season of the harvest!
When the earth yields up its fruit and every heart rejoices.
With luck, I may live to see it!
(Children shouting)
Mary! Mary!
Come down, Mary! They’re waiting for you!
Mary! Mary!
Mary, come quickly!
Child, your shawl.
(Wind blowing)
- Thank you! - Do not be afraid!
Yes, here she is.
Joseph.
May this betrothal, one to the other…
Joseph, Mary…
Be blessed and sanctified according to the Law of Moses and of Israel.
Amen.
(cheering)
(Thud, creaking)
Who are you?
How can that be?
No man has ever touched me.
Behold the handmaiden of the Lord.
May it be done unto me according to your word.
Mary!
Who are you talking to?
There’s news of Elizabeth.
My cousin Elizabeth? What news?
She’s going to have a son in three months’ time.
She conceived the child six months ago…
On the nineteenth day of Tishri.
But Elizabeth was always barren.
Now she’s far too old.
- What nonsense is this, child? - Oh, but it is true!
She’s going to have a son.
And I must go and visit her.
Since I came to these parts of the empire,
I have often wondered about the beliefs of these nations - the Egyptians, the Syrians.
King Herod... er... to revert to the Jews. I wonder...
… is it because, as you say, they identify future with past that they have so many prophets?
Oh, the prophets. It's the sun which breeds them!
(laughter)
Many are harmless. They preach religion, we let them go...
...but some of them preach rebellion because it is written.
Altogether, literacy has had a disastrous effect on this country.
And those we eliminate...
...Rome has taught us that, although this may be indifferent theology...
...it is very good government.
(laughter)
Majesty, I've heard the word Messiah.
What exactly is a Messiah?
Oh, even you have heard that awful word, Proculus.
Is he a prophet, or is he something even...
Well, Rome, even Rome, cannot influence men's dreams.
And the Messiah is a bad dream...
... disguised as a solution to every problem.
It's a leveler of scores, a rewarder of righteousness...
... a scourge for the wrongdoer.
It is the bringer of everlasting 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. Only you try telling that to the Jews!
No, don't. It's much wiser not to consult them just when a Messiah appears.
Crush it underfoot like a young scorpion!
No, you can tell Great Augustus that he can rest in peace in Rome.
There will be no Messiahs, true or false, in Palestine while I am alive.
Come, Mary. You'll be comfortable.
God bless you, child.
Here. Take this to my sister in Be'er Kuni and tell her I'll be with her for Passover.
- All right. I will. - Go safely on your journey.
Where do you want this grain? Where should I put it?
Mary!
I've been longing to see you.
Mary.
So it is true.
How did you know? Who told you?
A messenger...
...from God.
And he told me another thing.
A thing even more wonderful?
You're blessed among women...
...and blessed shall be the fruit of your womb.
I too am highly favored...
...that the mother of the chosen should come to me.
From the moment your greeting reached my ears...
...the child in my womb leapt for joy.
My soul doth magnify the Lord!
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my savior...
...for he has looked kindly upon the most humble of his handmaidens...
...and he has told me that all generations shall call me blessed.
He who is mighty has done unto me a mighty thing!
- Is it true about Mary's dream? - Oh, yes.
News came that Elizabeth is going to have a child.
- Even though she's past the age? - Yes. She must be 50.
- The wife of Zacharias? - Yes. She's Mary's cousin.
Well, Joseph...
...are we going to get an invitation to your wedding?
(chuckles) Plenty of time for that, Jotham. The contract's only just been signed.
Just betrothed and his beloved's left him already.
Just like her. She's always been a bit strange. Not like the others.
That's something you'll have to live with.
But seriously, Joseph, Mary is remarkable.
We all think so.
A remarkable girl.
(crowd) Ahhh!
Elizabeth is here!
Give him to me, Elizabeth.
Blessed be Thou, our Lord, King of the Universe...
...who has blessed us with your commandments...
...and ordained us to initiate our sons in the Covenant of our Father Abraham.
Amen.
As this child 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 seal in flesh of the Covenant between the Lord and his people.
What is the name of the child?
(Elizabeth) His name is...
His name shall be John.
When you get back to Nazareth...
...tell Joseph what you have seen and heard, what you know.
The Lord God gives life where no life is possible.
And one life shall be the Son of God...
...and the other shall be his prophet.
Go.
Tell all this to Joseph.
But will he believe me? Will he believe me?
God will open his heart.
That’s too much for any man to believe!
But you are not “any man”! You, too, are chosen!
I’m sick in the heart!
You are to be my wife, but now the vow has to be broken!
I swear, I’ve never been with her!
What I said about Elizabeth was true!
Don’t worry, I believe in you!
God’s will be done!
- Are you sure? - She told me herself!
Women are the loveliest and brightest in God’s creations!
Thank you, oh, Lord, that you made me a man!
- Please, I need your advice! - What advice can I give?
- There’s a Law! - Rabbi!
May I…
Come on!
It is written in the Law...
...if, in the time of betrothal, a woman sins with any other man...
...let 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 Israel.
Should a man marry a woman and she find no favor in his eyes...
...because he has found in her the stain of uncleanliness...
...let him write a bill of repudiation and deliver it into her hands.
This Law applies, even if I haven't taken Mary into my house?
Yes.
All that is needed is for a bill to be written...
...and delivered in the presence of two witnesses.
No.
If I do that, I will expose her shame.
I can't.
I'll 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 will not abandon you.
Thank you.
(gasping)
(moaning)
(Joseph) Oh, no... no...
Oh...
No...
No! No!
No!
(man's voice) Joseph!
Joseph, son of David.
Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.
It is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived.
She will bear a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus, the Savior.
(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 Israel.
May the Lord bless and preserve you.
May the Lord make his face shine upon you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance towards you...
...and give you peace.
(all) Amen.
(music starts)
Your Majesty, we have always treated your country as far as possible…
… as a free and independent nation!
But the Governor of Syria has decided to include Palestine in a Census!
- In that event… - A Census in my territories?
In Galilee, Judea, Etruria? Whatever your motives to this, they’ll be misunderstood!
People will be resentful, suspicious, perhaps… perhaps even hostile!
As Counsel, I am here merely to carry out instructions!
My dear Counsel, there seems to be one aspect of the problem of which
… either Rome or you are entirely ignorant and I cannot believe it to be Rome!
The methods which you propose for your Census are contrary to our tradition!
- Tradition? - Permit me, your Majesty!
I do not think that Marcus Naso is aware of the tradition your Majesty refers to!
For such official purposes as the taking of the Census…
Every person living in these territories considers himself belonging not to the place…
Where he actually lives, but to the place of origin of his family group, his tribe!
- May I say “tribe”? - You may say “tribe”!
A Census therefore means the movement of every person back to what he considers to be “his native township”!
“Ancestral capital”! To dignify a place which is sometimes no more than a stinking dung hill!
Oh, you choose your phrases most exquisitely!
Caius Kragus!
So, if the Census were conducted according to local tradition,
You think your subjects will accept it more readily?
I see, now we’re supposed to count ourselves under your supervision! I hope starting with the king!
- That is not… - Seriously, have you any idea what this will entail?
The shifting of entire populations, the disruption of trade!
The divide Augustus is counting on your understanding, your Majesty!
I hope I shall not have to inform him of any lack of cooperation!
Thank the divine Augustus for his unswerving benevolence!
Ah! Census!
It's a trick to increase the taxes.
And we all know where the money ends up - in Rome.
But why should 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 rulers.
But we should have no earthly ruler.
No rule but the Lord. No king but God.
It's not for you to remind us of the Scriptures. Be quiet and go home.
I apologize for my son. He's too young to understand.
What are you doing to the faith of our fathers?
All over Galilee are thousands of Jews preparing for what you’re always talking about in there:
...the coming of the king who'll liberate us. But what are you doing about it? Nothing!
- We accept the violence of the Romans like sheep. - Come on!
- We are not worthy of the king to come! - Stop!
- The king to come will not bring violence. - Huh?
It is written.
He himself is pure from sin.
God shall cause him to be mighty through the spirit of holiness...
...and wise through the counsel of understanding.
Now come home. Stay there till you learn more respect for your elders.
Anna.
I must go to Bethlehem.
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 Bethlehem, art in no wise the least of cities...
...for from thee shall come forth a shepherd of my people.
Israel.
If only... I could come with you.
If only...
...I...
Joseph...
...you'll need help...
...when he's born.
Don't be troubled, Anna.
He will be well cared for.
Everything will be done as God ordered.
(Mary groans)
(panting)
They seem to be kings, Lord Melchior, from different lands.
I told you we could not have been the only ones to see the sign.
- Come in peace! Where are you bound? - Wherever I am led!
I follow that star!
I am sure that Herod keeps a strict watch on his frontiers.
He must know that we have crossed them.
I would have to tell him, as Balthazar has said...
...that I follow that star wherever it leads.
(Balthazar) But what will we find?
All my calculations showed that there was to be a new heavenly creature, a new star.
It was even precise as to place and time...
...so I made up my mind to set forth and seek what they would unfold.
You did not know?
Only that it would be something wonderful.
The stars are not distant and aloof, cut off from the lives of men.
The rising of a new star entails an immense labor in the heavens...
...that always has its counterpart on earth.
The universe is about to bring forth a prodigy beyond our understanding.
Your star, my brother Balthazar...
...is indeed a sign of wonder.
The divine Zoroaster says ''The next prophet will show himself...
...in a foreign land...
...and the truth he will reveal will be at first only for his own people.''
- But there is only one truth. - And only one God.
All the rest are vain...
...or parts of him.
The people of Israel know this.
Many of their wise men have been close to him.
And their writings confirm my calculations.
A king is about to be born.
A king?
A king who will free us from the evils of this world.
Where will he be born?
The sacred writings point to a small town in Judea.
Called Bethlehem, Ephrata.
(Mary gasping)
Rest there! I’ll try to find a place!
- Excuse me, may I speak with you? - What do you want?
- I desperately need a place for tonight. - Huh?
- My wife is near her time! - No, no! I can’t help you! I already have too many people!
- But I’ve got… - Can’t you see? Come on, close the door!
How many times must I tell you the gates should be shut?
Nothing! But there must be another place! I’ll try again!
How do you feel? I don’t like leaving you alone!
- Do you think you could walk a little further? Hold on to me! - Oh, no! No, no!
Stay there! Stay there!
God will help us!
Listen, it’s no use trailing around Bethlehem anymore!
Every inn is full! None of them are going to take your wife in like that!
Come, I’ll show you! Take your donkey!
That’s right! Now do what I tell you!
If you go through that gate over there, just outside the walls, on the road to Jerusalem,
You’ll come to some… careful! You’ll come to some stables!
Some caves, it’s not much, I know, but it’ll be warm,
Dry and plenty of fresh straw!
Look, they’re down there! Can you see?
Right! Now, then, if I can manage it, I’ll come back later
And help! Oh, and if anyone tries to throw you out,
Just say that Abigail sent you! Abigail, remember the name!
We’ll remember! Thank you!
(Mary gasps.)
(Mary screaming)
(baby cries)
Look... Mary...
Oh, beautiful child!
Come on, put him there in the manger...
...and see if there's some fresh straw that'll keep him warm.
I'll take care of her. Poor girl.
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 place for you.
Get out! Get out, d'you hear me?
Off! Off with you.
Can't you see? The poor girl just had a child.
That's why we've come. We were told to.
Told? By who?
We were out there in the fields.
This man came to us from nowhere.
An angel.
''Shepherds,'' he said...
...''they say that Israel is a scattered flock that lacks 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 savior has been born... for you. "
''Glory to God in the highest'', he said.
''And peace on earth for those whom he loves.''
Come.
They cross my border...
...yet not one of them sends a greeting.
- Are they armed? - Not heavily, your Majesty.
Our spies say they're equipped to travel fast and far.
But they were not heading here.
- If not here, where? - It was Bethlehem, Your Majesty.
They followed a star. The new star.
Bethlehem?
O thou Bethlehem Ephrata, thou art the smallest...
What was that phrase again?
Thou Bethlehem Ephrata...
...art a little one amongst the thousands of Judah.
Out of thee he shall come forth unto me...
...who is to be the ruler in Israel.
And his going forth is from the beginning...
...from the days of eternity.
A ruler in Israel?
Have those travelers watched...
...all the time.
And bring me the names of all newborn children in Bethlehem.
(sheep bleating)
Come, come!
It will not take long.
The Lord said to Abraham: “Keep my alliance
- To circumcise each child born into Israel on the 8th day of his life.” - Amen!
This is the seal in flesh of the Covenant between the Lord and His people.
The child shall be called…
His name shall be Jesus.
Where is he?
Now I can die contented, Lord!
According to Thy word!
I am Simeon, an old man who has waited long to see his salvation!
And now my eyes have seen the child
Who will bring the salvation Thou has prepared before all people.
A light of revelation to the Gentiles.
And the glory of Thy people, Israel.
And a sword shall pierce your heart.
- Next! What is your name? - Joseph Grah Elias.
- Where from? - Aescolad.
- Go over there with the rest of your family! What’s your name? - Johias Habib.
- How many children? - Seven. This is the youngest!
- How old is she? - Three. - Move on!
- My husband couldn’t come, he is ill! - I’ll give you one for him, too, if you explain!
- What are these? - A little token to prove you’ve registered!
Special orders!
- We want the names of all the newborn! - Newborn?
Note their names! The newborn!
- What did he say? - He wants the names of all the newborn!
Why do they want to know about the newborn?
The Roman army was with them! You just do what you’re told!
Wait.
Don't be afraid.
Where is the child?
We have come a long way to greet him.
This is the King of Israel...
...who will take away the sins of the world.
I did not know where we were to find you.
And coming here... a stable...
...I thought my brothers were mistaken...
...but now I see the justice of it.
There could be no other place.
Mm. Not in glory...
...but in humility.
Accept these poor tokens of our homage.
Incense...
...to perfume the halls of the mighty.
Gold...
...for kingly rule.
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 soldiers have followed us, hoping we'll lead them to you.
He knows of this birth. He'll seek out the child and kill him.
Go into Egypt.
It may not be for long.
Herod's days are numbered.
Have those travelers crossed my frontier again?
- Yes, Your Majesty. - ''Yes, Your Majesty''!
But the child must still be here.
Kill every male child up to one year...
No. Two years old.
Better the innocent should die than that the guilty should escape.
Guilty?
Your Majesty, a child?
Guilty in the womb!
Guilty in the stars!
I'll bring down their stars! I'll snuff them out in blood!
This is my world! I will 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 real king?
Courage, even in the face of Jewish prophecy...
...bits of old parchment...
...old blind men! Hah!
Now go to Bethlehem - and make history!
- Kill! - But, your Majesty...
Kill!
Kill them all!
Kill!
Kill them all!
(horses approaching)
(woman screams)
(women screaming)
Aaargh!
Leave my child, you bloodthirsty murderers!
Argh!
(screaming continues)
No! Don't kill him! Don't kill him!
No!
Don't! Leave me!
Argh!
(sobbing)
Thus it’s fulfilled…
That which was spoken…
By the prophet Jeremiah.
In Rama, was there a voice heard!
Lamenting, weeping, and great mourning.
Rachel weeping for her children.
But she would not be comforted.
Because they were no more.
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 Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Yet the yoke of tyranny will not be lifted from us.
Rome will choose a king from among his sons, and her grip will become stronger.
But you should lift up your hearts, for the Eternal will not abandon us.
He will send us a deliverer.
And his dominion is the everlasting dominion that shall not pass away.
And his kingdom, that which shall not be destroyed.
Come.
There. Look.
Do you see? Nazareth.
That's where we live.
(Joseph) Hear, O Israel...
...the Eternal our God, the Eternal is one.
Blessed be the name of the glory of the kingdom for ever and ever.
And thou shalt love the Eternal thy God...
...with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee, shall be in thine heart.
Amen.
A man skillful in his work
Will stand before kings.
And our work, like every other, has a second meaning in God’s eyes.
We use this to make a straight line on the wood before we cut it.
And as we use a ruler to make straight lines,
God gave us rules to make our life straight.
God gives the wood.
But man, with his skill and invention, that God gave him,
Is always finding new uses.
Sometimes wonderful uses for it.
A wheel, a plow, a ladder,
They all look simple, but they aren’t.
They are from God.
And a ladder can sometimes reach from earth to heaven.
- Joseph, Joseph, didn’t you say the plow was ready? - Coming.
Keep on with your work.
What is this? Look at it!
This is not how I asked you to make it!
(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 of good 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 truly a man.
Shh-shh-shh-shh.
Jesus bar Joseph, as a new adult 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 children of Israel...
...but remember that God's word is spoken in times of light...
...and in times of darkness and persecution.
May you always read from the Law in a time of joy.
(men) Amen.
May God protect you.
May God bring blessings on the boy.
(singing)
The Romans are here.
The Romans?
Hey, hey! Brothers! Brothers!
Quiet!
Romans... The Roman soldiers 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 long way to Jerusalem.
But Galilee isn't Roman territory.
Huh! The whole world is Roman territory.
Hey! Put your sword back. Ignore them.
We'll meet with plenty of those in Jerusalem.
They're called Zealots.
They're mad religious fanatics.
(women screaming in distance)
You there.
Remember this.
The Roman army is not a pack of bandits.
And we'll deal with the likes of you in our own good time. Come!
(shouting) May the curse of God fall upon these murderers!
How long must we wait, O Lord, for you to help us!
(women sobbing)
God has abandoned us.
How long!
(sobs)
(man wails) How long!
(man) How long, O Lord?
Look! Jerusalem!
This is a lamb with no mark!
Without blemish!
A prayer from the heart is more important. You remember what King Solomon said.
After he built the temple.
Standing in front of the altar of the Lord, he spread out his hands and said:
Can God indeed dwell with His creatures on earth?
Heaven itself, the highest heaven cannot contain Thee!
How much less this house that I have built!
Yet attend to the prayer and supplication of Thy servant, oh, Lord!
That Thine eyes may always be upon this house, day and night!
- This place shall receive my name! - Son!
We’ve been looking for you everywhere!
Why were you looking for me everywhere?
Did you not know you would have found me in my Father’s house?
Oh, no! I grow old.
What of Thy promise to the prophets, hm? Where are they?
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
...and tell her that her time of bondage has ended...
...that her penalty is paid.
Salvation is at hand,
...to be shouted from the mountain tops.
Comfort ye...
Comfort... God, comfort. (coughs)
The teaching is clear.
Behold, I send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me.
(softly) A messenger... before me.
A messenger...
And the Lord will suddenly come to his temple...
...and the messenger of the Covenant, behold, is here.
The people of Galilee thought that they have seen the depths of iniquity
When their land was ruled by Herod, the man of blood!
Yet now his son and heir, Herod Antipas, the new prince of Galilee, tries to outdo his father’s crimes!
For he follows his lusts and breaks faith with God!
He dares to defy the Laws of Moses by entering into unholy marriage
With the wife of his brother!
If we permit this, all of us will suffer for his sins.
Stop! Stop! Stop the procession! Message for the king! Your Majesty, he’s here! The Baptist!
- He’s here? - Well?
Well, well, what? Well… leave him alone!
On march again! Continue!
What harm can he do?
He’s been out there for years in the desert.
Living on locusts and prayer!
He doesn’t incite people to rebellion and he asks nothing for himself!
All he wants is to remain poor and naked.
He would very much like it if everyone else would do the same!
Ah, now, when the wedding festivities are over, I’ll have him preach at the palace!
You can hear him with your own ears! He’s a very remarkable man!
I’m glad there is somebody remarkable in Judea!
Herod! Herod! The tablets of the Law speak plainly!
You may marry the wife of your brother when your brother is dead,
But not while he lives!
This woman, Herodias, is the wife of your brother, Phillip!
And Phillip lives – tetrarch in Ituraea!
It is written: I have seen thine adulteries and thine abominations.
Woe unto them!
Wilt thou not be made clean?
Send back this woman to your brother.
Repent!
How can you allow this slander to continue?
No, no, no. We’ve decided to be clement on our wedding day.
I am not afraid of your power on earth, Herod Antipas!
If I do not warn you, you will die in sin…
And the Lord will ask me to account or your life!
(crowd gasps) Quickly! Into the palace!
(musicians start playing)
- John! John! - Repent!
- The Lord blesses you! - Repent!
For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
- Save us! - Brothers, we can make use of this man!
His attacks on Herod Antipas excite people!
- He makes them think about Israel! - Don’t be too sure about it!
- Prophets only make men think about God and heaven! - So do we!
And if we want to direct people’s thoughts, we must use what means we can!
Yes, but we, Zealots, want to see the power of God on earth fighting the Romans, does John want that?
The time has come! The great and terrible day of the Lord is at hand!
Repent!
And change your lives.
Every valley shall be exalted,
Every mountain and hill laid low.
The winding ways shall be straightened and the rough ways made smooth.
God led you back from Babylon to serve him, but you betrayed him.
Now you are warned. Flee! Flee!
(noise from crowd)
I am the Lord unchanging, says the Eternal!
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 will return to me, I will return to you, says the Lord!
Do not think you will be saved by your rituals, by going to the Temple!
It is not sacrifices the Lord demands!
Bring no more vain offerings, saith the Lord.
I delight not in the blood of bullocks and of lambs!
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!
Why is it? Then none of us know the way to salvation?
We know the Law as well as you and we try to obey it!
We are the sons of Abraham, we have always kept the Law!
To those of you that deem themselves just and pious,
I say that you must bring the fruits of repentance!
Do not content yourself with saying “Abraham was our father!”
“And that is enough to save us!”
The Lord can take anyone of these stones and turn it into a son of Abraham!
Pharisees, we know you! Go back to Jerusalem!
Yes, go back to Jerusalem! He’s right!
John, baptize me! I have sinned!
You are the prophet! Sent to us by God!
I baptize you with water,
...that you may be purified and ready for the coming of the kingdom.
Open up your hearts to God.
Receive this cleansing life.
Save me, save me, John! I have sinned!
I am a sinner!
Let this water wash away your sins.
Adulteress! The disgrace of Israel!
- Go back to your husband! Go back! - John, you’ll pay for it! You’ll pay for it!
- one day they’ll stone me to death! Is that what you want? - No, my love!
- You are tired of me, aren’t you? - No!
Yes, yes, admit it. You are tired of me!
I see the way you moon over my daughter!
- You like her! She’s a child! - No, don’t be silly!
- Beggar! Liar! Coward! - I am not!
- I am not a coward! - Prove me then!
Arrest the prophet. I demand that 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 pleasant it is, too!
Even if I wanted to, I could do nothing about his reproaches...
...until he once more sets foot in Galilee.
And then,
... my own, my heart, we'll throw him into prison!
(mockingly) Repent! Repent! Repent!
(both laugh)
A little repenting won't do him any harm.
After all,
... he preaches it.
Rabbi!
We have been sent by the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem,
Amongst whom you have many friends and admirers!
They understood why you could not come to the Temple.
It would have been wrong for you to abandon your mission even for a single day!
The reason for the invitation was to ask you one simple question!
Who are you?
All right, I will say who I am not!
I am not the Messiah!
The Messiah is yet to come!
Then in the name of the Living God, who are you?
I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness!
Make straight the way of the Lord!
If you are not the Messiah, or the prophet Elijah,
By whose authority do you baptize?
By the authority of him that shall come after me!
Whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose!
I baptize you with water,
But he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!
And with fire!
His rod is in his hand and with it he will cleanse the threshing floor!
And thus return to the earth,
And the spirit returns onto God who gave it!
Oh, Mary!
He’ll be left alone!
They will run the shelter!
But Jesus,
We have always known that it was not for us that Jesus came to earth!
If only I could have stayed a little longer!
God’s will be done!
Be at peace, Joseph!
To Thy hand I command my spirit!
Out by distress, I cried to the Lord and He answered me!
I cried and He heard my voice,
I went down into the cities underneath the earth!
To the peoples of the past!
But he lifted my life from the grave!
Hear, oh, Israel,
The Lord thy God, the Lord is one!
Hear, oh, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one!
You are born to a new life through your repentance...
...and the Lord pours his blessings on you.
The Lord rejoices in repentant hearts.
Go in peace.
He will forgive you, if you truly mean it in your heart.
Help me, O Lord.
Open up your heart. Be ready for the coming of the kingdom.
Let your heart now be cleansed.
Forgive me. I have sinned.
Help 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 fulfill all righteousness.
(John) Lord, Eternal Father,
...I hear your voice.
This is my beloved son,
...in whom I am well pleased.
You are born to a new life through your repentance...
...and the Lord pours his blessings on you.
The Lord rejoices in repentant hearts.
This water cleanses.
Andrew? Philip?
Behold...
...the Lamb of God,
...who takes unto himself...
...the sins of the world.
It is him you must follow 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 yourself! Come with us, please!
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 tell 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.
Isn’t that Joseph’s son?
Yes, Joseph’s the carpenter!
The carpenter! God rest his soul!
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 heal the broken-hearted,
...to preach deliverance to the captives,
...to give sight to the blind.
To set at liberty them that are bruised.
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
(men) Amen.
Today...
...in your hearing...
...the Scriptures...
...are fulfilled.
(man repeats) The Scriptures are fulfilled.
Did he say fulfilled?
But... how can he dare to say such a thing?
What do you mean?
The prophecy you have read can only be fulfilled 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 believe the good news.
The kingdom of heaven,
...behold,
...is suddenly upon you.
What?!
This man is mad. Rabbi, take the Scriptures away from him!
(uproar) He is a blasphemer! He defiles them! He shouldn’t touch them with his unclean hands!
(man) Blasphemer! I am sorry!
A prophet is never accepted in his own country!
Who do you think you are? John, the prophet?
You should be thrown out of this holy place!
Get out of here! Blasphemer!
Blessed is he who is not ashamed of me!
Take this man out!
Don't let him touch the Scriptures! Clear him out!
Today,
...in our hearing,
...the Scriptures... are fulfilled.
What’s happening inside the Synagogue?
Let’s go and see!
They’re making an awful noise!
Blasphemer!
Go away! Go away!
Rabbi, you must stop them! You cannot let this happen!
Rabbi, they don’t understand who this man is!
Andrew!
Who does he think he is?
Go away! Go away! Never come back to Nazareth!
- Don't let him go! - Blasphemer!
Stone him! Put him to death!
- Stone him to death! - Blasphemer!
That's what he deserves!
The Law states clearly - stone him!
Don't let him go!
Master!
We were told to make ourselves known to you.
I am Andrew of Capernaum. A fisherman by trade.
But your follower now, if you'll take me.
This is Philip.
We were sent by John the Prophet. The Baptist.
He has just been imprisoned by King Herod Antipas.
Andrew.
Philip.
Come with me.
Come on!
- Tell me, when was John arrested? - As soon as he returned to Galilee.
He had to return. So many people were waiting for him...
(Andrew) There it is: the Sea of Galilee, and Capernaum, where I was born.
It's a town of fishermen, but it also has the greatest synagogue in Israel.
You can stay at my brother's house.
He's a good man.
Simon Peter.
(Jesus) The Commandments God gave to Moses so long ago...
...must not remain dead stone for the reverence of unthinking minds.
Dead stone? The tablets of the Law? Dead stone?!
- What do you mean, Rabbi? - Stone is what the Law is written on.
But the Law itself is alive.
And living things are constantly changing.
- But our Law is eternal. - You cannot change the Law of Moses!
That's right, the Law is here.
A man is made of flesh and blood, 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 living like 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 fulfils the promise he made to our people Israel...
...and reconciles himself to man.
God is coming to you.
To all of you.
Even the most wretched.
Do not shut the door in his face.
Aaargh...!
The devil's in him!
(boy rants and raves)
(man) He's possessed by the devil!
Listen to me! Not to him!
Aaargh!
Hold 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!
Help my poor faith.
(boy still ranting and raving)
Hold 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 all right! He's all right!
Yes, we're all fishermen in our family. Andrew here knows us well.
But I was sent off to learn.
All you were fit for, perhaps!
And what have you learnt?
Oh, that two and two make four, sometimes,
...that most people 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 old Scriptures seem to become alive.
That's what we want.
We want the Law to be alive,
...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 let us in? - There's my brother now. Simon Peter.
And there's my brother - James.
He's shouting again. Angry as usual.
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 only things we catch these days are Roman taxes,
...and while we're out sweating, working our hands raw on the nets,
...the stinking tax gatherers take half and give it to the Romans!
Bloodsuckers!
Go, brother.
Go and tell that leech, that two-faced tax collector of ours, Matthew,
...that if he wants more money out of me, to put some fish in the lake.
Simon, this is the man I told you about.
The man John spoke of. John the Baptist.
What? Another holy man?
Are you another of those that tell us to be patient,
...and promise us better times will be ahead?
What about now?
What about our children? Who will fill their bellies?
A lot of talk these days, while we all starve.
Find a holy man who can put an end to that, then maybe I'll listen.
Go out again.
- I shall come with you. - We've just pulled in!
- Get the nets off the boat. - Please, Simon, do as he says.
- Why do you listen to these people? - He's different, Simon. Please!
Give me that!
Please!
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 all these fish!
It's a miracle!
It's not a miracle. Only God can work miracles.
They speak these profanities. They believe him.
We must go and speak to him.
I've never seen anything like that.
- (crowd shouting) - My house will not hold any more people!
Please!
My father is ill! I want the Master to cure him!
Stop! That's enough!
Help me up! I can't get up! I want to see him!
There are too many already!
Keep back! Keep back!
(girl) Touch me, Master! Touch me!
(man) I can see well 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 miracles, were there?
And a big catch, inspired by a prophet. What's his name? Jesus? Get out.
He's staying with Simon Peter. You know him? The fisherman.
Oh, I know him, yes.
He owes me back taxes, doesn't he?
Move!
Well, well, well.
Well, if there's been a big catch, he can pay, can't he?
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field.
A man finds it, and in his joy spends everything he has to buy that field.
It's like a merchant in search of fine pearls.
He finds one pearl of great value, and sells everything to have that pearl.
You, you're all fishermen.
Well, the kingdom of heaven is like a net, a great net thrown into the sea.
Suddenly it is filled.
It's almost bursting.
You have to call to the other boats to come and help.
Everybody's working together, happy, excited.
It's a time for joy.
For rejoicing in what God has freely given you.
But one day, God will ask you to account for the gift he has given.
Be prepared.
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
Rabbi, you say the Kingdom of Heave is at hand, but when exactly will it come?
When you see the clouds moving from the East, you say: “The rain is coming!”
And so it is. When the desert wind blows, you say: “It will be hot!”
And it is. All of you can read the signs of the earth and the sky.
How is it you can’t read the signs of the times?
The Kingdom of Heaven is here now.
- What’s he doing here? - That’s Matthew, the tax collector.
Get him out!
- Peter, your friend Matthew is here. - Get out! You're defiling this house!
Bloodsucking tax collector! No place for you here!
(woman) We don't want you.
Out of my house!
- You scum! Filth! - No, Simon, don't.
I will not have it defiled by you!
I hear you've had a big catch, Simon. We'll talk about it later, shall we?
But what about this friend of yours?
This new preacher or teacher or whatever he is.
Am I not allowed to speak with him?
Not... in my house.
(chuckles)
You seem to be unwelcome 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)
I see you and I must meet in a place where both of us are welcome.
Is your own house far?
Why do you ask?
I should like to have supper with you tonight.
You would enter the house of a sinner?
I would enter any house where I am welcome.
Keep him leveled!
Wait! What are you doing? Be careful, this is my property!
- Put him down! - Watch his head!
- Easy! - Help me!
I have been this way for 20 years! It is the curse of God,
Punishment for my sins and for my parents’ sins!
Your sins are forgiven you!
Rabbi, you must not speak so!
That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!
Which of these is easier?
To say: “Your sins are forgiven you”?
Or “Rise up and walk home”?
The Son of man has the power to forgive sins!
Rise and walk home!
It’s a miracle!
He doesn't seem to realize the scandal it would cause. Peter, you tell him.
I've told him.
Well, tell him again. They're all talking about it.
- Meaning some Pharisees, I suppose. - Well, they know the Law.
Tax collectors cannot enter a synagogue. Anyone who associates with them is defiled, as they are.
Yes, according to the Pharisees.
- Well, that's their argument. Peter, tell him again. - I've told him!
What do you want from me?
I said Matthew's my bloodsucking enemy, I hate Matthew,
...but all Jesus would say was: ''Why don't you join us as well?''
Andrew.
Andrew, I am not like you.
I’m not a follower of priests and prophets.
I am a fisherman. I have my family to think of.
You followed the Baptist. Now follow this one.
- Peter! - Just leave me alone!
Why did you bring him here to me?
This is my life!
My nets...
(sobs)
My boats.
Go on!
Follow him!
But leave me!
Come on. You can't talk to him when he's like this.
Come on, Philip.
This is where I belong.
Master!
It's a scandal for you to eat with these people.
Don’t you know who they are?
We've lived our lives honorably, made sacrifices to keep the Law.
They are thieves, whores, usurers.
Violent and godless people.
Now you sit and eat with such people, who spend their lives in orgies and perversions.
I am not come to call the virtuous to repentance, but the sinners.
They might enter heaven before you.
Listen, Master, if you eat with these people, they will contaminate you.
The town will abandon you.
- James is right. - James,
...the heart of the Law is mercy.
(man) You can't go.
(music plays)
(shrieks of laughter)
Come, my lovely.
He's here.
Quiet!
- (music stops) - Peace be with you.
(murmurs of surprise)
Thank you...
...for coming to my house.
Rabbi... you are welcome.
Welcome, Rabbi! (cheering)
(man) Seat for the rabbi!
- Move! - No, no, don't move. I'll 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 all here.
(distant laughter)
(wind howling)
(distant laughter)
Rabbi, we want to hear your words.
Please, speak to us.
- Yes. - No, no, no. Let's eat first.
No! Let him decide.
Oh, let him speak!
No. No.
- I'd like to tell 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 wealth between his two sons.
And a few days later this younger son set off for a distant land...
...and there he squandered all the money he had on riotous living.
Now, not long after this a great famine swept over the land...
...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 was feeding the swine began to look good to him.
And still nobody gave him anything.
Finally, 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 will go home...
...and ask my father to hire me as one of his servants.
And so... he set off.
Now he was still some distance from his home...
...when his father saw him coming,
...and he was so filled 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 called your son.''
But his father called 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.''
''Kill the fatted calf. We must celebrate with a feast.''
My son was dead...
...and is alive again.
Now,
...the older brother at this time was working in the fields,
...and as he came back to the house...
...he heard the noise of music and dancing.
He called for one of the servants and asked what was happening.
And he was told.
At this, the older brother became very angry...
...and he refused to go into the house.
The father came out and tried to plead with him, but he wouldn't listen.
''I have worked for you all this time, all these years,
...and never once have I disobeyed you.''
''In all 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 all your money on harlots,
...and for him you kill the fatted calf.''
''Please,'' said the father,
...''please,
...try to understand.''
''You are always with me.''
''Everything I have is yours,
...but it is right to celebrate.''
''Your brother was dead,
...and is alive again.''
''He was lost,
...and is found.''
Forgive me, Master.
I am...
(sobs)
I am just a stupid man.
Free the Baptist! He’s innocent!
He’s a man of God!
Free John the Prophet!
Murderers!
Get back!
Free him, Herod!
John! John!
What is it you want from me?
Is it just a matter of my … violating the marriage vows?
Is that it?
I have in mind to repent.
Is that good, John?
Will that satisfy you?
You think it makes me happy to see you rotting away…
Down there in the dark with the howling gang outside the bars?
Why don’t you listen to reason?
There’s work for you here, in this wretched kingdom!
If it’s power you want, you can have power!
Power to build, not to break!
My task has been to prepare the way …
For the one who shall wear the crown!
Who is this man, this prophet from Galilee?
Is he the one I ought to be talking to?
You’ll hear the toppling of your throne!
Before kingdoms change, men must change!
Ah, you say that, yes! But I’ve been listening to those fools outside!
What leaders intend and what their followers are after are not one and the same thing!
That crowd of your needs someone to control it!
John, if I set you free…
What would you do with you freedom?
I would follow the one whose way I have prepared!
Just like many others who already follow him!
But you will not set me free!
Herod, I was wrong!
Yes, I was wrong!
The curse of God is upon us!
Release John!
Yes, send him away, send him away!
Send him to Egypt, you’re right! What harm can he do us there?
Yes, tomorrow! Yes, tomorrow,
On your birthday, what better present…
Could you give to your servants and your people?
A great gesture of clemency!
I see, I see…
What a remarkable woman you are! How quickly your heart changes!
Once he was free and had gone to Egypt, he might just meet…
With some unfortunate accident!
What imagination, my king!
How fast your thoughts travel!
Imagination? You know I can always read your mind!
You forget I can read your mind too, my love!
Herod, what present shall I give you on your birthday?
What do you think I would like most?
Salome?
You see, I can read your mind!
(shouting) Welcome to the man from Nazareth! Welcome to our shores!
Bring blessings with you!
Come save us!
- He's coming! - He's here!
Help me, I am ill!
Welcome to our land!
Bless me, Master! Bless 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...
...will be members of his own family.
You may say “We have left our belongings to become your followers”.
I tell you this:
Anyone who has left home,
...or father, mother,
...wife, children, lands,
...for the kingdom of God...
...shall be rewarded a hundred times over...
...on earth,
...and inherit the kingdom of God.
Whoever wants to save his life will lose it,
...but if a man will lose his life for my sake and for the gospel I bring you,
...he will save it.
For many that are first will be last.
And the last first.
So do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth,
...where it grows rusty and moth-eaten and thieves break in to steal it.
Store up treasure in heaven,
...for where your treasure is there will your heart be also.
My name is Jairus. I am one of the elders of the synagogue here.
My little daughter is dying.
I beg you.
Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be cured and live.
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 child!
Do not weep!
The child is not dead.
Only sleeping.
Who are you to come here with your jokes?
We've seen she's dead. You haven't.
Peace, Thomas. Peace.
Talitha kumi.
Rise, little girl.
Give her something to eat.
(woman) Oh!
She's alive! She's alive!
(cheering)
Rabbi, I want to apologize!
I didn’t know who you were!
I thought the child was dead!
Well, she was dead! I saw her with my own eyes!
Can’t you believe without seeing, Thomas?
Sometimes I do, sometimes…
I think I know what I believe!
But something happens, my mind gets blurred!
And… I don’t know!
You doubt so much, you just want to be sure!
I do!
Then follow me!
You mean… give up my work and…
Yes!
Tyrus! Will you give me your servant to be one of my disciples?
With gladness, Master! I am happy for him!
Do you have doubts about following me, Thomas?
No, I don’t believe I have!
Women!
Huh!
I ask you!
Why won't they listen?
I told my wife I won't be away for long.
In any case, the fishing's hopeless. Why not go away?
I told her. I said...
''I'll come back in the spring.''
Don't lie to her...
...and to yourself.
Lie?
Yes.
You know very well. You'll never go back.
I will.
No, you won't.
Never.
You'll never fish again,
...you'll never get drunk again,
...and you'll never live in Capernaum again.
None of us will.
We'll never be the same.
And neither will the lives of everyone in the whole world.
We know why, Simon.
We're the first...
...to know.
(children whispering)
The ruthless shall be no more!
The arrogant shall cease to be!
Remember the words of the Scriptures! “Vanity of vanities…”
“… All is vanity!” Woe onto them that seek to do evil!
Woe onto them that call evil good and good evil!
Woe onto them that are wise in their own eyes!
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Music! Music! Music!
Go!
Dance, Salome!
- Dance! - When I’ve danced, what will you give me?
Whatever thou shall ask of me…
I will give to thee!
Unto the half of my kingdom!
Friends! The princess is going to dance!
You said anything!
Yes, anything!
I want the head of the Baptist!
Oh, no!
You promised!
Yes, you promised!
You promised, yes!
You swore, my lord!
Before all of the guests!
Shall it be said that King Herod does not keep his promises?
King Herod, you said anything! Yes, you promised!
- Oh, no! - Yes! You promised!
A king will rule in righteousness!
And princes will rule in justice!
- This way! - And the eyes of those that will not see…
Will not be closed! And their works are in the dark and they say:
“Who sees us? Who knows us?” Oh, woe onto them!
Woe onto them!
His head, sheered off like a rabbit’s!
And given as present to the dancing girl!
Only by killing him, could Herod hope to silence his voice!
But I can still hear him!
- We must avenge him! - Revenge? Bad politics, my friend!
Suppose we kill Herod, who will replace him?
I’ll tell you! Another servant of Tiberius!
- A Roman procurator, like Pontius Pilate! - So what shall we do, then? Submit?
Or become soldiers of Rome, like the Syrians or the Greeks?
No, the Romans must know they can never rule Galilee with ease!
Oh, I know that for the present we strike in the dark, but time will come
And God shall send us our leader!
Then we shall make open war!
You mean a real war?
The people of Israel, alone, against the Roman Empire?
Brothers, this is Judas Iscariot! I’ve asked him to talk to you!
You should hear what he has to say about Jesus of Nazareth!
Jesus of Nazareth? Do you know him?
Oh, I’ve heard him preach many times!
And I have seen the kind of power that he has!
- Is he the man to place our hopes on? - Why do you ask me this question?
John answered it! Remember what the Baptist said?
I bear witness that this is the man!
Tell all my friends and disciples to follow him!
And proclaim in his name the Kingdom of Heaven!
We know that! We know that! But could he be the one?
Priest and king who’ll lead our people Israel?
Could he be the Messiah promised by our Lord?
I believe that if one day the people of Israel do find the Messiah,
Oh, yes! It will be him!
But, no! I beg of you, let him fulfill his mission!
That is my advice!
I intend to follow him!
And I hope, if he will accept me,
- Become a disciple! - Very well, Judas!
Will you keep in touch with us, hm?
If you wish!
Peace be on you, John!
Though your blood cries out for revenge,
May your soul find rest in the glory of the righteous!
- May peace be with you, John! - Rest in peace, John!
- Eternal peace on your soul, John! - May your soul find eternal peace!
We shall not forget you, John!
Peace be on you, John!
(giggling)
(explosion)
(laughter)
You stupid idiots! Go on, go away!
And mind your mothers' business, you crazy...! And your sisters'!
Burn! Get out of here! Get out!
Get away! Get out of here!
Can I come in for a minute?
Can I come in for a minute, too?
Mm. Come.
Come. We'll talk about it, hm?
(boy yells)
You pigs! Don't you come near me any more!
I'll kill 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 neighborhood since you came here. Noise and filth...
The curse of God is on you.
(laughs) Don't worry, Mary. They are only boys' games.
Ah! Boys, they would only burn my house down.
The fathers...
They're all against me.
Not all, 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 flesh are nothing compared to the sins of the soul.
Hey!
A man will always forgive a man, but a woman's sin...
That's another story.
For most people, but not for him. I've never seen anybody like him.
Have you seen him often?
If you go round on business like me, you can't help seeing him.
Turn a corner, cross a square, go into a camp, there he is.
Come on.
It's been like that for about a year.
- You sure you haven't come across him? - I sleep in the daytime, don't I?!
(chuckles) Sorry, I forgot.
Well, there are big crowds following him everywhere,
...sometimes so big he has to sleep in a field.
He thinks nothing of eating and drinking with thieves and whores.
Any scum of the earth is good enough for him.
One of his disciples, as they call themselves, was a tax collector,
...the thieving swine.
But this Jesus...
Well, 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!
Look! There’s Joseph of Arimathea!
One of the leading Pharisees in Jerusalem!
Which of you, with all his worrying, can add one day to his life?
One inch to his stature?
So don’t concern yourself so much with the means of life,
What you should eat and drink.
Or with your bodies, and how they should be clothed!
Life is more than clothing!
Consider the birds of the air! They do not sow or reap!
Or gather into the barns, but our heavenly father feeds them!
Will He not all the more feed you? Are you not worth more than they?
Consider the lilies of the field!
They do not spin, they do not weave,
But not even Solomon, in all his glory, was so arrayed as one of these!
Now, if God so clothed the grass of the field,
Which is here today and tomorrow thrown into the fire,
Will he not all the more clothe you?
You have so little faith!
Therefore, do not ask:
“What shall we eat?”, “What shall we drink?”
“How shall we dress ourselves?”
It is only the faithless who set their hearts on these things!
You must first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness…
And everything will be added freely onto you!
So do not be anxious about tomorrow!
Tomorrow will be anxious for itself!
Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day!
Extraordinary!
But isn’t that taking it too far?
Surely, our religion isn’t opposed to honest hard work!
Actually, what he says has been said by the prophets, but…
- Not like this! - I agree with you!
We can’t be sure until we meet with him face to face! Why not invite him to eat with us?
- Would he come? - I’m sure he would!
Such a man must be willing to discuss his ideas with people who are open-minded!
This is the man!
I can see!
Good master!
Please tell me, master, what must I do to have eternal life?
Go and sell all you have,
And give it to the poor and you shall have a treasure in heaven!
Then come and follow me!
Sell everything? Everything I own?
Everything my father slaved for?
Everything! You cannot serve two masters!
God and money!
You see, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,
Than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God!
Master!
May I speak with you?
- What is your name, my son? - My name is Judas Iscariot!
Call me a scholar the state finds useful. I read and write Hebrew, Greek, Latin.
I… I translate 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 builder.
He said: “My son must never have calluses on his hands, nor brick in his hair.”
“My money must make my son into a scholar.”
Behold a scholar who wishes to serve you.
But do you need… a man like me?
The tree is known by its fruit.
Come.
Stay with us.
Synchronized by Luiza1202