Johann Quisumbing

An Adventure Story of Yeshua bar Yosef by JQuisumbing

“But Master, you must not!” Sy whispered angrily and desperately. “He is not of the people.”

Two others in this group whispered their agreement. Yeshua turned to look back at them who were clustered together telling him their grievances about the tax collector.

Yeshua looked at each of their eyes until they all quieted down. He smiled and said, “When I called you, can any of you say that you have not done anything wrong during your lifetime?” 

He then focused on Sy and silently said, “How about you, Sy the zealot?”

He shook his head then looked down guiltily. Yeshua chuckled and placed his hand on Sy’s shoulder. “Did I not say before that I came to save the lost?” He turned back to look at the tax collector in his booth. There were about ten people in a line waiting before the grilled window of the tax revenue booth. The guards were leaning against the blockhouse looking bored. “I have need of him,” he said more to himself. ’Tomorrow,’ he thought. ‘I shall call him tomorrow.’

Then, Shimon and Andraus showed up from doing another errand for Rivkah, the mother of Shimon’s long gone wife, whose house they are currently staying at.

“Master, ever since you took away Rivkah’s fever last week, she had been running us ragged,” Shimon exclaimed.

“She is relentless, Lord,” Andraus laughed tiredly. Then he collapsed on a bench.

“What are we doing here at the square?” Shimon asked. Iakob whispered into his ear.

“What?! Levi!” Shimon said, flabbergasted. “Oh no, Master. Not him… not that tax collector…” 

Andraus was quick on his feet. “It was he who almost took our father’s boat, if it were not for that miraculous catch of fish on that day…”

The protest would have gone on some more, until Jesus turned to Sy. Sy called for quiet and said, “The master had already decided. We either trust him or not.” Everyone quieted down. 

“There are things that you don’t know and might be surprised to hear. Did you know, Shimon and Andraus, that this same tax collector whom you hate so much, had actually prevented your mother-in-law from losing her house? Have you not noticed that your boat should have been taken away from you months before I came to you? Think! If that happened, you would not have been able to fish and bring in revenue… revenue that Levi diverted little by little for your mother-in-law.

“Levi had made a mistake. He had chosen a path that brought him wealth but had, in effect, drained his soul. He is starving spiritually. He is desperately finding ways to make amends and to Adonai’s good grace. Well, my Father had seen his deeds.”

Yeshua smiled. He took a glance at the tax collector in his booth then walked away, followed by the rest. 

‘Yes, tomorrow,’ he thought.

TO BE CONTINUED

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