Jesus' Entry

I recently came across an old beaten and well worn manuscript. Its content is one of great interest to me and I believe that others might find it of sincere importance. As far as I can tell, it comes from a person writing down their account of the holy week in which Jesus was crucified. True or not, this exceptional story is one worth sharing.

“Jesus of Nazareth is a man almost everyone in Jerusalem and the surrounding territory has heard about. He has a peculiar following—twelve close followers which he deemed his personal disciples and others, including women, that love being close to him. I have only heard him speak once. I definitely see his appeal, “Blessed are the poor, meek, peacemakers” etc… He isn’t like any of the other magicians running around this world claiming to be the son of Zeus, Y-H, or any other known god. Though he certainly is another man magically performing miracles in the name of our G-D and claiming to be G-D’s son. And this is precisely why I do not follow him. If they are rumors, lies, or the truth I am unsure. Regardless, he is simply another Rabbi teaching his understanding of our tradition. 

And yes, it does come into conflict with the ruling elites of today. It’s apparent that the Sadducees and Pharisees are not happy with this Jesus of Nazareth; though I’m unsure about the Essenes—no one hears much from them, and when we do it’s always apocalyptic. This Jesus is indeed openly critical of the ruling religious figures, and rightfully so. I too am concerned with the Roman’s ruling of G-D’s holy seat. The High Priest is not so much a priest as he is a peacekeeper through donations between Pilate and us Jews. He has whored out our temple to the Roman gods and made G-D a servant of them. It’s despicable, and Jesus of Nazareth is right in his critique. But what of it. This has been the way of our people since the Babylonians and then Greeks took over. Prophets have always spoke out against this, and anytime our people try to fight back, we are crushed and further oppressed. We appreciate what Jesus is doing, but the common belief among the people is that we do not want another war or rebellion. They have already threatened to burn down the Temple many times, and have yet to. But they care not about G-D’s holy house, and thus do not care about us. 

Personally, I stick to my people and my religion. I consider myself a healer, though a radically different one than this Jesus of Nazareth. I have never seen him heal anyone, so I am doubtful of the stories—especially raising up of Lazareth, for no-one has yet seen him since it was rumored. I do not heal in the bodily sense, nor do I perform necromancy. I merely sit with the dead, dying, poor, and oppressed during their struggles. I listen to them. I am present with them. Most of our people simply need a companion in their struggles, and I have learned that this is the most effective way of helping our people in this time. To be ‘here’ with a person during their great tribulation does more than the promise of “stand up and walk!” that any sorcerer or magician can give. It was at a time of being with such a person in need of comfort and healing that I saw Jesus of Nazareth days before Passover. 

A small crowd ran past us saying, ‘he’s coming! He’s here!’ The person I was with, dead now, asked me, ‘Who are they speaking about?' ‘I don’t know,’ I responded. Pilate had earlier rode into the city on his large war stallion with hundreds of roman guards keeping the crowds away from him. Herod was in his father’s home eating and drinking his power away; and Caiphas and his followers were at the Temple preparing for the coming days. 

I ask a young girl running with a large palm frond who she is in such a hurry to see and why she is bringing a frond with him. ‘Jesus of Nazareth is coming!’ I wince at the thought of it. Every time he comes into the city, he and his magical zealots cause trouble. I’m not necessarily condemning them, but can we not simply celebrate our religious festival in peace? 

‘Will you take me to see him?’ Asked the man I was with. Admittedly, I wanted to see what all the commotion was about as well. So I agreed and picked his frail body up to carry him to see Jesus. 

I was astonished to see that the crowd was relatively large; though it seemed that many of those present were simply there to witness the commotion. I set my friend down on a mat at a distance from the crowd, and we could see a larger crowd walking our way. Through the tan haze of the sun’s heat beating down on our bare surroundings, we could see a man riding an animal. As he and the crowd came closer, it became clear that Jesus of Nazareth was riding into Jerusalem on a donkey! That was the first moment that I ever felt hate towards that man, for he knew exactly what he was doing and the statement he was making. Even his disciples looked worried. But the crowd loved it. 

They were shouting praise for this courageous act. Regardless of what the elites say about Jesus, the crowds did like him. But he is not King David or Elijah. He is not the messiah of our people, no matter what he thinks. 

As he drew closer to where we were sitting, my friend asked me to help him stand up. I put his arm over my back and stood with him to watch Jesus pass us by. Nothing happened other than the crowd waving palm fronds in front of him and pretending it to be a royal parade. Though I should mention that Jesus was not smiling. In fact, he almost seemed mournful.

‘Well, that’s that.’ I said to my friend. ‘I wonder where he’s heading to with such a following.’ He responded. ‘To cause trouble, no doubt.’"