The Galilean Secret: A Novel by Evan Howard

like her? She had heard others proclaim him the anointed one of God, especially after the healings he had performed, but he always downplayed the idea and told his disciples not to repeat it. Such caution made sense to her since she didn’t think Jesus fierce enough to be the kind of messiah the Jews wanted—a warrior who would free them from the Romans. His message of peace contradicted the Zealots’ call to arms. Her parents, like many Jews in the towns around the Sea of Galilee, had quietly supported these freedom fighters, but after following Jesus, she no longer could.
     
    She also couldn’t believe he was divine because she had seen him sweat in the sun and shiver in the cold. Nicodemus’ claims suddenly struck her as ridiculous. “Jesus is a loving man and a great teacher and healer,” she said. “But he is not God. Nor could he be the Messiah, because he couldn’t be a warrior-king as David was, and that’s what our people expect.”
     
    “I had hoped that he would save us from war,” Gabriel said, stepping back from the fire he had started. “I thought he was popular enough to turn the people against the Zealots.” Gabriel sat next to Mary. “But the Messiah will be righteous, and Jesus isn’t. After what we saw at Simon ben Ephraim’s house, I think he only cares about himself. Besides, how can he stop the Zealots now? They’re planning for war. Even my brother has joined them.”
     
    Mary heard the hurt in Gabriel’s voice and saw the pain etched on his face and wondered what had happened. Why would his brother’s joining the Zealots hurt him so? Was theirs a troubled history?
     
    Nicodemus interrupted her thoughts. “If you two knew more about Jesus, you would change your minds about him. He loved that prostitute purely. He’s a spiritual messiah. His message has nothing to do with lust, let alone war.”
     
    With the sun going down, Mary held out her hands to warm them by the fire, its smoke as gray as the dusk, its sooty smell inescapable. “How could a messiah who preaches grace and peace be our liberator?”
     
    Nicodemus moved closer to the fire. “Jesus is the messiah we need, not the messiah we want. He brings us the grace that heals us from within. We cannot make peace if we’re at war with ourselves. Sometimes we cause our own heartbreak because we live outside of God’s will; other times, our hearts break through no fault of our own. When we are despairing, we fear that we’ll never know happiness again. But by grace, either the circumstances change or we learn to adjust to them so that we recover our sense of hope, even joy. When we receive God’s grace, healing takes root inside us. We begin to become whole, as Jesus is. Then we use peaceful means to secure the justice we deserve.”
     
    Mary turned away, not wanting to hear the words, but Gabriel squeezed her shoulder in understanding. “I know how deep your pain must go,” he said. “When my brother joined the Zealots, he ran away with my betrothed. My heart is still heavy, and I fear I may never completely recover.”
     
    Mary glanced down and admired the hands that had rescued her. Swallowing against the tightness in her throat, she resisted the urge to embrace him because she feared that holding him would make her cry. And if she started she might never stop.
     
    Nicodemus stared earnestly at Gabriel and said, “Jesus has more to say to you, my son.” Nicodemus then met Mary’s gaze. “And to you, my daughter.” He reached into his bag, withdrew the scroll and held it out to her. “This is a letter that Jesus wrote you some time ago. He wanted to give it to you himself, but you left before he could.”
     
    Mary waved the scroll away and stared into the night. “If you care about this letter, you will keep it safe because I might throw it into the fire.”
     
    Nicodemus frowned. “Why would you say such a thing, my daughter?”
     
    “Because if Jesus really cared about me, he would not have