Stephanus - Chapter 4 - The Following Day...

Chapter 4 – The Day Following...

“Stephanus! What are you doing?!” Akakios shouted, his voice thick with impatience.

“Okay! Okay! I’m hurrying!” Stephanus replied, fumbling with his sandals. “You are so slow!” complained Akakios, “Why am I the one always stuck with watching after my little brother?” he muttered to himself. “Do you want me to run out half-dressed?” Stephanus shot back

“Everyone is in the square! Akakios said, "We'll barely see anything by the time we get there!"

Stephanus frowned, his voice uncertain. “I don’t understand what’s happening, Akakios,? It seems only a few days ago everything was fine, and now that we are in the week long celebration for Chag HaMatzot, everyone hates him? And why did they arrest him? I don’t get it? And, I’m not sure I even want to go?”

“Well, you can’t stay here! Mom would punish us, both! And I’d get the worst of it for not taking care of you!”

“I’m not a baby! I can look after myself!”

“Come on, baby!" Akakios teased, "We’ve wasted enough time! And I'm not missing this!”

The boys late father, Alexandros, and surviving mother Katherine were Greek by birth, but settled in Jerusalem, the Holy City, to raise their family in the Jewish faith close to the Holy Temple. Because their native language is Greek, they are called Hellenistic Jews.

Their parents believed it important to properly raise all family members into the Jewish faith by making their home in Jerusalem.

Their mother, Katherine and older sister, Ophelia, had left their home some hours before dawn to harvest barley in the fields, providing for them. Their late father had been singled out by a Roman detachment to be made an example of when he tried to help a woman falsely accused of infidelity.

Stephanus painfully remembers the scene not too far from their little home when the woman’s husband publicly declared her unfaithful, demanding that she be stoned-to-death according to Mosaic law. Father bravely intervened when no one else would defend her. Vividly recalling these events in his mind with the image of the poor helpless woman visibly shaking, Stephanus could see and hear her husband publicly screaming at her, putting all their marital issues before the entire neighborhood. He selfishly heaped his doubtful accusations of infidelity squarely on her shoulders, as if he were innocent of any wrong doings. Accusations without proof. Who else saw this happen? Who else will side with the husband? Father was suspicious. And it looked more like the husband was trying to create a frenzied event, by stirring up emotions from the neighborhood.

Father tried, unsuccessfully, to defuse the whole situation by appealing to the husband’s mercy for his wife, but this only led to an argument between the two men. Stephanus watched this exchange, hearing in the husband’s voice that he had tired of his wife and wanted to do away with her, even though he did not put it in those words.

Now, neighbors were joining in with the disturbance, remarkably siding with the husband, which shocked Stephanus! The whole neighborhood had known about his late nights! So, why defend him? He was the one violating their marriage vows! More than one prostitute had kept him out late at night. Often, long after the entire neighborhood had settled down for the night, he would come home noisily having had too much drink.

The argument between the two men attracted Roman soldiers, and they demanded to know what was going on?

There is a certain animosity that exists between the Jewish people and the occupying Romans ruling our land. Even as a child, Stephanus saw this conflict between their Roman-rulers and the Jewish people, both factions were guilty of prejudice, bias, and self-righteousness. A hatred so real you could feel it.

At the time, Jerusalem was under the Reign of Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great and the grandson of Antipater the Idumaean. Herod Antipas had been recognized by Caesar Augustus as the Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, ruling as a Roman client king.

Although his father was an Edomite by birth, his family had converted to the Jewish faith hoping to win favor with the Jews. For over three decades his late father, Herod the Great, had ruled seeking the acceptance of the Roman authority by orchestrating a complete makeover of Jerusalem. Many in Jerusalem, even referred to the Temple mount area, as “Herod’s Temple”, as his building ambitions had transformed the city.

Father addressed the Roman soldiers, reassuring them that everything was under control, and they did not need to intervene.

The hate-filled Roman legions who were supposed to bring order to the city; more often, brought pain and suffering where ever they went, and when they could.

This became but another such example; my father was the first to speak, and the first to fall when a Roman soldier plunged a dagger deep into his stomach, driving the weapon up and under father’s rib cage, and into his heart! The soldier did this with a chilling precision, and father crumbled to the street!

“Anyone else have something to say?” growled the Evocatus soldier...….“Then go about your business, peasants!”

Now, the gathered crowd dispersed as ordered, for more than one reason. They did not want to deal with the ill-tempered Auxiliaries, and others were sated by the bloodshed. With the shock of his father’s sudden mortal wound, Stephanus, Akakios, Ophelia, and Katherine gathered around Alexandros as he laid gasping for his last breath. “Let it go, let it go!” He was pleading with us.

“Do not!….Look for revenge!” he commanded us.

Alexandros!, Oh, Alex!” Mother sobbed.

And then, his final words; “Children, love your mother and be there for her because I can not…Oh!” Then, an almost unnatural sound was emitted from his mouth, his lungs trembled and gurgled in an effort to continue breathing. An eerie rattling sound escaped his lips. With that I saw a strange look in his eyes, as we were all bent over him, staring intently to prolong our time with him. All present were sobbing in what came out as a strange surreal sound.

Then a spirit unforeseen by the common senses burst forth from father’s now motionless body only to quickly evaporate into the unknown. He was gone.

This final moment was abruptly interrupted, again, by the soldier that had assailed father screaming at us to “Clean this mess up, you Jewish swine!”

The shock of the event left all of us in a daze. We had heard of these atrocities, but had never experienced them; this kind of brutality that was the pleasure of our rulers.

We were not comforted to know we had involuntarily become part of a select group, having joined those willing to challenge our life’s brutal conditions while suffering the authoritarian rule in the Roman occupied city of Jerusalem.

Hope had evaporated from our little family much like the spirit that had escaped from my father’s body that fate-filled day. We were all numb, almost as if we were living in an out-of-body experience, daily emotional shock had become normal.

“Will we ever smile again?” Stephanus wondered. “Isn’t there something more to living? Are we just passing through life, a brief existence, then die?” He knew he was only being rhetorical, after all these complaints were not the belief his parents had instilled in them.

Besides, Stephanus could not, and would not accept that life was so trivial; there had to be more to living! But, if so, what could that be?

The atrocity they had suffered affected all of them, and became deeply harbored in the minds of the young boys, as well as, all family members present that day when father was violently slaughtered like an animal before their very eyes!

Now, the remaining family members had taken on the yoke of glumly picking up the pieces of their broken lives, struggling to carry on. For the next few weeks in the midst of their grieving, relatives, friends, and neighbors paid their respects and tried to comfort them in their loss. Alexandros’ burial was a sad affair, with so many good people expressing sympathy at his tragic loss and premature death. He was loved by so many!

“A celebration of life? What is that?” Stephanus wondered. All he knew was he no longer had a father who could guide him, give him sound advice, or a manly hug of approval.

“Life is a gift from on High demanding mutual respect from all!” our Rabbi began in his final words at the internment. “Yahweh has granted us the privilege of being born into this world, and we should be forever grateful to Him for his blessing. When we pass from this existence is not important, what is important is that we were first given this existence. It is also important what we did with our life: did we love and honor Him and the ones around us, our family and friends while here? You can see by all that are gathered here, today, that Alexandros was loved by many. And I’m sure he is smiling on us from heaven!”

"What can we call his defining moment?" the Rabbi continued, "The selfless defense of an almost helpless human being will receive great favor from the Most High, we can be quite sure!"concluding, he asked all present, "How will Yahweh judge each of us when we pass from this world, into the next? Let Alexandros be an example for us all!"

His father’s funeral and burial became a much more significant event than Stephanus could anticipate as he listened to family members and friends talk with joy about time they had spent with Alexandros and the many smiles he had put on their faces. He wasn’t with them physically, but he was still present in the special memories they had of him. This enabled Stephanus to find some closure, even though his heart ached terribly to be absent of his father.

As a matter of fact, Stephanus still felt as if he was completely lost.

As the youngest child in their little family, he labored to sort all this out? Was he conceited to believe that he was his father’s favorite? Of course he was! Those were his feelings,….. but with some self-examination, he was able to admit that this was not true. Reasoning with himself, Stephanus concluded that this was not who his late father had been. Alexandros loved all his family equally; he didn’t have favorites!

What would you call him? As Akakios would put it “a people’s person”.

Just like the neighbor’s wife, when falsely accused, father was there for her even to the point of his own life. He knew the risks, and had seen how volatile non-regular Roman soldiers could be!

Stephanus, along with his brother, sister, and mother, had lived in the north Second Quarter of Jerusalem inside the city walls for his entire life. His mother, Katherine, along with their older sister, Ophelia, would go to the neighborhood well and draw water for the family mornings and evenings. His parents spoke during meals and family gatherings about life in the neighborhood. Not judging, but observing life around them. They always warned the children not to pass judgment on others: that privilege was reserved for Yahweh, and Him alone.

Stephanus recalled his mother’s comments about the young married couple living next door, and when they all joined in their daily prayers they appealed to Yahweh for the young couple’s safety, and the safety of all their neighbors and friends throughout the city. Stephanus was suspicious that the prayers for the couple next door, were better intended for the safety of the young attractive wife, because her husband appeared self-serving, had a reputation of unfaithfulness and made it perfectly obvious that he was in charge of their marriage. His heart was, (and most likely still is) corrupt, and to him, his wife is no more than an object, or a possession, and not a person in his vain eyes.

Sadly, because of our neighbor’s husband, Stephanus’ father had become a casualty in their community. “Collateral damage” was the expression used, but it gave Stephanus no comfort to know that his father had been reduced to a mere statistic. An unjustified and senseless death! With no one in authority to plead to for justice or restitution!

Many of the Roman Evocatus had joined the military ranks as younger men, gone to war, saw it’s horrors and returned to their homelands unable to adjust to civilian life. They became the Evocatus, or non-regular Roman soldiers because they could no longer serve in battle, and did not fit into the norms of society.

They got the assignments regular soldiers would shun, or find lacking in nobility or deemed unworthy. The Evocatus often did the dirty work for the authorities because it would allow them their freedom to pursue the demons they had taken on; these non-regular soldiers were ruthless, often drunk or drugged, and frequently angry. They served as the authorities henchmen, often taking what they want, when they wanted it, and without regard for property, lives, or people. They embodied the cruel and often brutal life in Jerusalem. They took pleasure in the pain they inflicted, and as a group they would become a frenzy of mistreatment and abuse to anyone and anything within their grasp. They represented one significant example of the culture of death in Jerusalem. Their superiors encouraged them in their brutality and gave them literally anything they wanted: drink, women, drugs, and food while the Evocatus took on all the unsavory tasks, and desires of their commanders and superiors.

Stephanus had often been impressed by his mother’s sense of intuition, which he believed, was a wonderful gift from Yahweh and possessed by many women.

How insightful women can sometimes be! Seeing more than life itself, and deducing hidden intent, or seeing ulterior motives with remarkable accuracy.

While thinking of the women he was acquainted with, Stephanus had to wonder if beauty was a curse? For it appeared to him that injustice was often attracted to those endowed with physical beauty. These thoughts forced him to re-evaluate beauty, defining it beyond the typical pretty face, or an expensive wardrobe with jewels. Beauty was inside, waiting to be discovered through open minds and hearts ready to accept others different from themselves. Just look at a person, really look, and you will see, we aren’t all that different. Family and good friends are the beauty of life! But they are far too infrequent in our brief lives. Beauty is only skin deep, and some of the most beautiful people Stephanus had met in his short life were very common, and many an individual would simply walk right past them not even noticing them.

The ironies of life jolted Stephanus! Here they were under Roman occupation, claimed to be the most peaceful time in the history of the human race, Pax Romana, as the Romans would boast. And yet, the faithless husband next door is protected by Mosaic law which allows him to put away his wife, so, he can violate his marriage vows, even to the point of having his wife stoned to death! All the husband has to do was go through the motions of Jewish devotion in observance of Mosaic law, and he gets what he wants! But he is pathetic and unable to be honest even to himself: calling a desire a need!

So, how does a person remain hopeful in the midst of these atrocities? This unkind life? And why do so many good people suffer such a miserable fate?

And, how can we claim that this is the “most peaceful time” ever for mankind in the face of such injustices? Such brutality! The Jewish people are hardly at peace, and harmonious living is laughable!

Stephanus sees conflict everywhere! Among families and relatives, in the marketplace, and even in the temple and synagogues! Wow, the emotions and conflict in the temple area over the past couple of years have really hit a fever pitch!

Ever since the death of John bar Zachariah, who baptized almost everyone in Judea, in the very spot where tradition tells us Joshua had crossed the Jordan River into the promised land leading the people of Israel out of Egyptian slavery.

“John the Baptist” as he was commonly referred to, was a remarkably humble man, claiming that “one greater than he” would soon arrive in the world baptizing with fire and the Holy Spirit! Stephanus marveled at this claim, and at the same time wondered what John meant by this?! What is his message? Many baptized by John regarded him as one of the great prophet! And many talked of miracles that had taken place at his hands. Those possessed by demons were released from their evil grip.

Stephanus recalls something extraordinary which took place when he and Akakios entered the

River Jordan together at the hands of John the Baptist. Their parents and older sister were the first in their family to go to the Baptist. There was something mystical about the whole experience. Hard to explain, but, some kind of euphoric calm had seized him during the baptismal ritual they partook in, while their father, mother, and older sister stood approvingly on the banks of the river in observation. Stephanus contemplated these events and realized a profound love had surrounded the entire baptismal ceremony. And it was addictive! It was divine!

Before his death, Father had ventured deeper into the claims of John the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God!" (Jn 1: 29)

One of the last conversations Stephanus and his two siblings had with their father was about Y'shua and his teachings. No one could argue with him! He was so well versed in scriptures!

"Mark my words: Y'shua is an extraordinary man and you should all follow him!" Alexandros guided his children. "He is the most peaceful man I have met! I believe he has a joy in his heart that is present even in the most difficult times!"

This was the answer Stephanus had longed for: this was a drop of water in a bleak desert of human emotional drought that he had an almost unquenchable thirst for. It did not answer all of Stephanus’ questions, for now he was filled with an even greater thirst, but he had discovered a reason to carry on! This divine love he realized was filling the emptiness in his heart, and made him thankful for the life Yahweh had given him!

"Now, Y'shua's future is uncertain?" Stephanus thought. "Doesn't matter" he decided privately, "I will follow him wherever he goes! Let the Sanhedrin banish him!"

 Upon further reflection, Stephanus had to ask himself why had he come to understand this? Out of all the people he knew why hadn’t they enjoyed the same experience? Or had they? The same, so to speak, enlightenment? “Why me?” He asked. So he tried talking to Akakios to help sort things out in his mind.

But, Akakios was not so contemplative, and accused Stephanus of being too pensive; “You think too much!”, he asserted, but Stephanus was of the opinion that it was not possible for a person to think too much….maybe, you could worry too much, or maybe you could think too much in the sense of not acting, and then, there is always self-denial, when an individual justifies all their actions, hiding behind their own opinion, in a distorted reality that is afraid of the truth. But to think too much in your waking hours? Impossible!

No! The world is full of so many things! So much to contemplate, experience, and enjoy! And what about human emotions? Stephanus secretly admitted to himself that all the emotions he experienced were remarkable! They had such power over him!

And, he had already concluded that even those feelings that were less than pleasurable, had a purpose! He was not repugnant about unpleasantness, and did not separate himself from others by claiming to enjoy pain, or disappointment, but he did realize that even the so called “bad things” in life could bring about “good” results. And help you grow to become a better person.

Of course, sometimes it was awfully hard to find the “good” in bad, especially when the bad took away someone dear to you, like his late father!

But, Akakios and he were stumbling along towards manhood, following in the steps of their father, and trying to make the world around them a better place.

For a brief period following father's death, the two boys had roamed the streets of Jerusalem unsupervised. Their Mother and sister were working in the fields. The two entertained themselves in destructive behavior, destroying things needlessly: like when they torn down a fence, allowing cattle to wander as they do. Then, there was the stealing in the market place. With this, Stephanus resolved to no longer engage in destructive misbehavior, self-indulgence, deceit, or covetousness. He resolved to be the man his father ordered him to be.

“Oh, Yahweh! Who cares and loves us all, and knows us better than we know ourselves, through Your Divine Love for us, how can I make sense of father’s loss? How can I make sense out of life?!”

Stephanus prayed to himself, as he imagined himself old and gray, and still suffering the pain of father’s loss. “I’m afraid I will never get over father’s loss!”, he surprised himself, saying it out loud.

“You’re thinking about Dad, again, aren’t, you?” inquired Akakios. “Stephanus, am I a cruel person?” to which Stephanus replied, “No, I don’t think so.”

“Okay, well I miss Dad, too! But, even though he is not here for you and I to touch and see, he is with us everyday.” pointing to his heart. “We have so many good memories of all the time we had with him. And, look at the life he gave us! Would we have been better off if we had not known him at all? Of course, not! He was a part of us while he was with us, and now we are a part of him now that he has passed from this world. We are his legacy, and we keep his spirit present in his bodily absence.”

Brave Akakios, Stephanus realized, has taken tragedy, and found good in it. The why mankind struggles on, tenaciously clinging to life. When father was alive he told us life is a precious gift which we should be grateful for, thanking Yahweh every day we are given. We should always remember that we should fight to live with every breath we can take, and should not discard or take life for granted. “You protect life, all life!” he instructed his sons and daughter. “This separates man from beasts! And why we are different. We can think and honor our dead remembering them. Our emotions and thoughts make us different. A great responsibility.”

To think how callous and cold people can be about life itself! People putting themselves before others, and believing their life is of greater significance! Why do they hide from the truth?

No one wants to die, but does that mean another human being deserves death by another person, or group of people, putting a greater value on their own life? The Evocatus were some of the worst in their lack of regard for life. They were purveyors of misery, and Stephanus had to wonder how they slept at night? How could they have any comfort in their dreams? Or, perhaps, Yahweh mercifully spared them from dreaming during sleep.

What was their childhood like? Did they have a father to guide them and love them as they matured?

And what happened to them while at war? Some of them must have suffered a traumatic event judging from the scares and disfigurements brought home.

Had life set them up for failure? And is that why so many of them are so angry? He found it peculiar that they are what they have become. Almost as if they didn’t have a mother or father to lead them into adulthood. Poor choices, he concluded.

This gave Stephanus a little more insight into how fortunate he was to have his parents guiding him. “At least I had 13 seasons with my father”, he comforted himself. But, at the same time it saddened him to know many did not have a father figure in their life! It’s no wonder they are so lost!

All this thinking had made him weary, as he felt the pain of loneliness creep into his mind, wishing he had just a few more minutes with his father to talk with him, and be held by him.