The land was yellow and green

After meadows came sand

Jesus and Judas his friend traveled across the land

And came at last to a city, and to a tavern therein.

In the land of Galilee lived the stout men, fit for soldiers

Who worked all day,

Lived through life without a word

Despised the silent sage,

And he who could not love nor fight.

At night these men, the stout men, fit for soldiers

Came to the tavern to drink their fill.

Music and voices in the dark -

Music and noises around the tables -

Judas was afraid, and pulled back, and faltered.

But Jesus met with those men and shared cups and laughter.

There, in the nights of Galilee, and for many nights,

He spoke to them.

And those men could not help but laugh,

When they saw his white garb browned with dust,

When they heard of his Father,

And when Jesus spoke of his intent,

And of his First Men.

Who are those First Men that you speak of ? they asked

They are you, and the men like you.

The Galileans laughed heartily, and let the mad man be

Until the mad man spoke in stronger accents, and drew them in, and spoke some more,

And even on that first night,

Some hearts were changed.

One night, in the streets of the city,

In the dusty streets of the bustling city,

Where those men extorted undue payments,

And met with their cursed women,

Jesus followed and prayed.

Why do you follow us where we go, praying ?

We can see that it is not your path, begone !

And their hands trembled near their swords,

As Jesus looked on them as the lion looks on his prey,

And said nothing.

The men of Galilee could feel his eyes on their head.

Yet they could not strike such a man,

In a white garb browned with dust,

Who spoke to any man as to his brother.

The next man that they tried to ambush, they did not strike.

And the cursed women they met, they did not lay with,

And they would drop to their knees,

And bend to their own shadows,

Gnashing their teeth, eyes wide, and confused

While Jesus looked from afar, and waited.

Three of these men he had elected in his heart,

That he would come back for, on the last day.

One morning came and Jesus reunited with Judas, saying :

I need to rest, outside of this city.

Here, the light of dawn shines in my eyes,

Let us go on this day,

Lead me to your brothers, who live as fishermen on the sea.

*

When Jesus and Judas reached the shore, they saw a long line of people

Rushing to the water with baskets and cheers,

To partake of the nets that had been cast deep into the sea

And returned home at last

Jesus and Judas appeared derelict to those fishermen

Who wore the short tunic of their craft,

And they took them in, saying

Our distant cousin, you will not go now a day without a meal, a bed and a woman,

And your friend will know of our good life too.

And Jesus felt something restless in their hearts,

And smiled as he followed them to their houses of stone on the hill.

After some time there,

And all the duties of home fulfilled

The fishermen prepared to go to sea again.

Jesus came to Judas dressed in a fisherman’s clothes, saying,

Let me be there one day and night with the men of your family,

For they are as lost children.

And Judas did not understand, and followed,

And yet the ocean terrified him.

They embarked on a ship in the morning,

And at night the ship went into a storm.

Under dark clouds the waves rose

And for a moment Jesus saw his own death

And the face of an unknown God in the water.

The sailors, who knew the sea, shouted and moaned.

There came the lowest ebb, and a wave above all others arose

And cast a shadow over them all.

There Jesus raised his head

And he did laugh,

And his laughter was louder than the storm.

And he defied the wave by beatings of the rope, beatings of the chest,

Watching him, the fishermen found courage again,

And sustained the wave.

When the wave had passed, one man had disappeared,

But under the guidance of their brother’s friend,

They rescued the drowning man.

Holding onto the ropes of the ship,

Jesus took Judas’s hand,

And shouted, look, am I not at peace ?

Am I not as a man sleeping, even in the storm ?

See, I am a fisher of men !

And Judas’s eyes widened, and he held onto the given hand,

And the storm abated.

Later, as they returned, Jesus tended to the drowning man, and whispered to him

So as to be heard by all,

I will not only speak to those who hear, but also to the deaf and the blind, and the one whose ears are covered by a storm.

And these strange words made the men mutter, and form visions.

When they reached the shore, the fishermen all went into their house,

And barred the door to Jesus and Judas both.

Inside the house there was much discussion and raised voices.

Judas was afraid, saying

I have offended the men of my family

I have cursed us with a storm,

But he saw Jesus, humming a song in the sun.

Then the door opened, and the fishermen were dressed in traveling clothes, saying

We are ready to follow your friend,

And go with you wherever you will go,

We know now that it was not life that we lived.

Followed by the fishermen, Jesus came again to the city in Galilee,

There he saw again three of the men he had spoken to,

And those three had changed their ways -

Now their swords were sheathed,

And the cursed women freed,

Now evil had been cast out

And a pleasant sun rested on the street,

And Jesus said

Come with me,

And the work you have done here,

Will be done in every place,

And these man said, likewise :

We see now, that it was not life that we lived,

And changed their clothes for traveling clothes.

The three men joined Judas, and the fishermen.

Together they followed Jesus, not knowing where to,

And from this day Jesus began to preach and said :

All things must change, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.