A Pretender, or the Passover Lamb?
Holy Week, Part 1
The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people. – Luke 22:2
In the Advent story “The Tower of the Flock,” Tobiah was among the shepherds who saw the heavenly host praising God and singing, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.” He was among those who saw Jesus, the Savior, the Passover Lamb, on the night he was born. Thirty-three years later . . .
Sunlight glinted off metal, announcing the approach of the Temple Guards. Of Simeon. Tobiah ground his teeth. Most days, he liked tending sheep. Sheep could be better company than people. And he’d rather be in the wide open pasture land than the crowded, closed-in city any day. And it seemed like a wolf or a lion showed up just when things were getting boring.
Today was not most days. Today, four days before the Passover, the High Priest would come to choose the lamb. And the Temple Guards would come with him.
His brother, Eliezer, gave him a warning look. “Don’t let him get under your skin. He only persists because you give him a reaction.”
“He gets to me because he’s a bully. A pompous bully. A pompous, ignorant bully.” It was too late to avoid him. Simeon was close enough that he’d see if Tobiah headed for the hills. Instead, he continued tending the lamb who’d gotten tangled up in a briar bush. This little one wasn’t without blemish any more. He wouldn’t be chosen today.
Eliezer used his staff to pull himself upright and brushed grass off his cloak. “What gets me is that the High Priest doesn’t understand that Messiah has come. When do you think Jesus will reveal himself?”
Tobiah watched a dragonfly buzz a lazy trail over the meadow, letting Eliezer’s question hang in the air. Yes, he’d heard the angels proclaim that Messiah had been born. He’d seen the baby for himself. He’d even watched Jesus take his first steps. But he’d also overheard Mary telling Joseph that Jesus would be opposed. That sorrow would pierce her soul like a sword. And even out here in the back of beyond, he’d heard tell of Jesus’s enemies. Jesus wouldn’t be recognized as the Anointed One without a fight.
As Simeon approached, Tobiah stood up with the bloody lamb in the crook of his arm. No sense in giving the Temple guard a reason to call him insolent or lazy. Not that Simeon needed an excuse to insult someone.
The guards fanned out along the perimeter of the meadow, but Simeon made straight for Tobiah. “This is a big day for you, Tobiah. The High Priest is on his way. I hope you have better lambs than that one for this year’s sacrifice.”
Tobiah’s brother stepped in between them. Since Eliezer was the Chief Shepherd, Simeon should have greeted him first. “Peace to you, Simeon. All is as it should be. We understand the importance of providing a sacrifice without blemish for the Passover celebration.”
With a gleam in his eye, Simeon rubbed his hands together. He leaned in and said in a low voice, “This year’s Passover will be one to remember.”
Eliezer had told him not to give a reaction. That worked. Tobiah let his face relax into a vacant stare.
Simeon’s nose twitched, and his tone turned from smug to irritated. “That trouble maker from Nazareth has gone too far. There’s nothing like a common enemy to bring the Pharisees and Sadducees together. Jesus, son of Joseph, is coming to Jerusalem for the Feast, and this time they’re going to get him.”
“What do you mean, get him?” Eliezer hadn’t followed his own advice.
Simeon turned his gaze on Tobiah’s brother. “I suppose you don’t get much news out here in the pasture, but the itinerant rabbi from Galilee has gone too far. There are rumors he’s healed a leper, that he’s a healed a man born blind, and that he’s cast a demon out of a mute. And Jesus has done nothing to put a stop to them.”
Tobiah had heard enough. “What if they’re not rumors, Simeon? What if he’s not putting a stop to the rumors because they’re true?”
“Only the Messiah can perform those miracles, Shepherd.”
Tobiah cocked his head to the side. “So. . .”
Simeon scoffed. “Don’t tell me you’re one of his followers. I knew you were slow, but I didn’t realize you were that gullible. You’d better take care, Tobi. You don’t want to get caught up in this. When they come for him, they’ll root out his followers, too. No sense getting yourself killed for a . . .”
Simeon’s voice got fainter the farther Tobiah ran from him.
