East of the Dead Sea, apart from the Arnon River basin, lies a mountainous region so barren it is nearly a wasteland. Here stands the fortress of Machaerus, built atop a mountain surrounded by deep valleys. Along with Masada and Herodium, it was considered one of the three great fortresses of Judea, renowned for its impregnable strength. The site was originally established by Alexander Jannaeus of the Hasmonean dynasty to prepare for border disputes with the Nabatean kingdom. After being destroyed by the Roman general Pompey, it was rebuilt by King Herod, who constructed a summer palace there and often stayed at the site.
In truth, the surrounding area was so desolate that it could hardly be considered an ideal location for a palace. However, the hot springs flowing from the mountains provided King Herod, who suffered from skin disease, with a place of rest superior to any other. After Herod’s death, his son Herod Antipas inherited this summer palace and continues to use it to this day.
Atop the mountain, which commands a clear view of the Dead Sea and the Judean wilderness beyond, stand ramparts, a royal palace, water reservoirs, and facilities such as baths. On the steep slopes halfway up the mountain are several small caves used as prisons; in one of these, John the Baptist was held captive.
After being seized by soldiers, John the Baptist was imprisoned here for a long time. His situation was ambiguous—neither clearly good nor bad—because of Herod Antipas’s indecisive attitude. Suspicious by nature, Antipas feared that John’s growing influence might spark a rebellion, yet he hesitated to execute him, worried about the reaction of John’s followers. Furthermore, knowing that John was a righteous and holy man, Antipas found it both painful and strangely satisfying to listen to him. Leaving John alone risked the spread of criticism against himself, but for various reasons, Antipas could not bring himself to have John killed. Thus, he simply kept John imprisoned in the remote border fortress of Machaerus, far from Judea and Galilee. As a result, although John the Baptist was confined to prison, he was able to meet with his disciples from time to time, and apart from the loss of his freedom, he suffered no great hardship in daily life.
After being imprisoned here, John the Baptist found an opportunity to reflect anew. In this situation, where he did not know whether he would live or die, he began to wonder whether he had truly fulfilled the mission God had given him, or if he had failed.
Clearly, I have met Jesus, the Messiah, but when I saw His disciples baptizing with water, I lost my confidence and even considered waiting for the arrival of another high priest Messiah, as the Essenes spoke of. After that, I was brought here as a prisoner for criticizing Herod. If I am to die here, then it would mean that the One I met truly is the Messiah—not only the royal Messiah, but also the high priest Messiah. This is because when God gives a person a mission, He never allows them to die before it is fulfilled. Therefore, if I die, it can be seen from another perspective as proof that my mission has indeed been completed. To confirm this, some time ago, I sent my disciples to Him. They will ask Him plainly:
“Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?”
Ultimately, this is my own question about Him, and my thoughts will be settled according to His answer.
I once again recalled the news I had heard through my disciples.
Because He travels so widely, the accuracy of information about Him is sometimes lacking, but in any case, it was clear that He was healing many sick people and delivering teachings. I also heard that He has twelve main disciples, most of whom are from Galilee, with only one from Judea. Among them, I know two: Andrew and John, who were my own disciples, and I heard that their brothers, Peter and James, are also among the twelve. Since I knew them personally and had heard about them, it made sense to me. But I was truly astonished to learn that He had also accepted tax collectors and a Zealot—people regarded as sinners—as His disciples. Especially in the case of the tax collector, it wasn’t even that he came seeking repentance; rather, Jesus went to him and called him to be His disciple. I simply cannot understand His method of choosing disciples. I only accepted those who came to me to repent and turn back, but He goes out Himself and calls people to be His disciples regardless of whether they have repented or not. His way is completely different—the calling comes first, followed by discipleship and mission. In any case, it is truly an unfamiliar combination. Are there any conflicts among them because of this?
Perhaps because of this composition of disciples, His attitude toward fasting and the Sabbath is also quite different from what Jews generally consider holy. I did not enjoy eating and drinking, and I often fasted, so I taught my disciples to do likewise. But His disciples do not fast and enjoy eating and drinking. My disciples could not understand this, so they went to Him and asked:
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?”
When they said this, others also seemed to have been waiting for the chance and asked similar questions. It must have been something that everyone had been wondering about for a long time. To this, He answered:
“Can you make the friends of the bridegroom mourn, or can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can’t fast, but the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.
No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth, or a piece from a new garment, on an old garment; for if he does, the patch will shrink and tear away from the old, and the piece from the new will not match the old, making the hole even worse.
No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. Instead, new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
To summarize His words in one sentence, it means that He and His disciples are building the kingdom of God in a way that is entirely different from any previous way. Then, what is the difference between the kind of kingdom the Essenes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Zealots each want, and the kingdom of God that He speaks of?
Just then, I heard the voice of my disciple outside the prison.
“Teacher, I am coming in.”
At last, the disciples I had sent to Him had returned.
* * *
“So, that’s what He said?”
“Yes. That’s right. He may have said more after we left, but what we heard ends here.”
“Hmm... I see. Would you mind waiting outside for a while? I need some time alone to sort out my thoughts.”
“Of course. Please call us whenever you’re ready.”
After my disciples had gone out, I once again contemplated the words of Jesus that had been relayed to me by them. They told me that Jesus answered my question this way:
“Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.”
Once again, Jesus did not reveal His identity to me outright. Instead, it seemed as if He was saying, “Listen to what I have done and judge for yourself.” Through my disciples, I was able to hear many stories of miracles. When people went to Him, the blind saw, the lame walked, and the deaf heard. Lepers were cleansed, the dead were raised, and the poor heard the good news.
Why did He want these stories to be told to me? I have already heard such things before. Since He is the Messiah sent by God, such miracles are certainly possible. But what I am curious about is whether He also fulfills the role of high priest—the one who mediates between God and man, who brings reconciliation, the Messiah as the high priest who grants forgiveness of sins.
Sigh... Truly, His words are difficult to understand. If I were a citizen of the kingdom of heaven He speaks of, perhaps I would understand what He means, but as it is, I can’t even grasp the words that the least in that kingdom would understand. No wonder the Pharisees and Sadducees cannot judge Him favorably. He speaks in ways that are simply incomprehensible. But it is absurd for those who should repent and turn back to judge Him. Judgment belongs to the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire.
I recalled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“There shall come out a shoot from the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit. The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh. His delight will be in the fear of Yahweh. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears.”
Jesus, who came from the stock of Jesse. He truly possesses all these things, just as the prophecy foretold—wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of Yahweh. He delights in proclaiming the kingdom of God.
Ah, wait a moment. Could it be that what He is speaking of is precisely the kingdom of God that He will bring about? A kingdom where incomplete bodies are made whole, the unclean are cleansed, the dead are given life. A kingdom where even the poor hear the good news.
The prophet Jeremiah prophesied about the coming kingdom of God in this way:
“Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; my covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Yahweh. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and I will write it in their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. They will no longer each teach his neighbor, and every man teach his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh;’ for they will all know me, from their least to their greatest, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Like new wine in new wineskins, a kingdom established not by the old covenant, but by a new covenant. A kingdom where all, from the least to the greatest, will know the Lord. A kingdom where every sin and transgression is forgiven by God and remembered no more.
Let’s consider not only the miracles, but also His actions. He eats with the poor and needy, those whom people ignore and avoid, and He understands and heals the pain of many women. Isn’t this just as the psalm says?
“Who is like Yahweh, our God, who has his seat on high, who stoops down to see in heaven and in the earth? He raises up the poor out of the dust, lifts up the needy from the ash heap, that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. He settles the barren woman in her home, as a joyful mother of children. Praise Yah!”
And the region where He mainly ministers, Galilee—there is also a prophecy from Isaiah concerning it:
“But there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.”
Moreover, even as He performs countless teachings and miracles, He is also cautious about letting them become widely known. Nevertheless, His teachings have spread throughout Judea, Galilee, and even to the Gentiles, drawing crowds wherever He goes. Is this not exactly the Messiah as foretold by the prophet Isaiah?
“Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights—I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout, nor raise his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. He won't break a bruised reed. He won't quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice. He will not fail nor be discouraged, until he has set justice in the earth, and the islands will wait for his law.”
Though He is the Messiah, He humbles Himself and becomes a shepherd to the people, healing the wounds of the poor and the sick. He is doing what the leaders of this land cannot. This is the fulfillment of the prophecy given through Ezekiel:
“For thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture; and on the mountains of the height of Israel their fold shall be. There they shall lie down in a good fold; and they shall feed on fat pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down,’ says the Lord Yahweh.
‘I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in justice.’
‘As for you, O my flock, thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the male goats. Does it seem a small thing to you to have fed on the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture? and to have drunk of the clear waters, but you must foul the residue with your feet? As for my sheep, they eat that which you have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which you have fouled with your feet.’
Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh to them:
‘Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the diseased with your horns, until you have scattered them abroad, therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I, Yahweh, have spoken it. I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil animals to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places around my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in its season; there shall be showers of blessing. The tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land; and they shall know that I am Yahweh, when I have broken the bars of their yoke, and have delivered them out of the hand of those who made slaves of them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, neither shall the animals of the earth devour them; but they shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. I will raise up to them a plantation for renown, and they shall no more be consumed with famine in the land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more. They shall know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people,’ says the Lord Yahweh.
‘You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God,’ says the Lord Yahweh.”
Oh, God... how is this possible...?
The moment sudden understanding dawned on me, I was overcome with awe, my heart pounding in my chest. He truly is the One written about in the Scriptures. How meaningless all my wrestling had been over whether He is the royal Messiah or the high priest Messiah! From the very beginning, He has been revealing that all this is the fulfillment of prophecy. Not to accept it, even after seeing it, was my own fault. Thinking of myself as a leader, I had led those who followed me down the wrong path... I am truly a shepherd who deserves judgment.
John the Baptist wept as he realized the enormity of his mistake. He prostrated himself before God and repented with all his heart. He was truly the one who prepared the way for the Lord in this land, the Elijah foretold by the prophet Malachi.
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.”
Elijah, the prophet who stood directly against the wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of the northern kingdom of Israel, calling for repentance. Like Elijah, John the Baptist had called for repentance in the face of a wicked world. He was truly the greatest among those born of women. His mission was now fully accomplished, but there was one fact he did not yet know—a fact even the least in the kingdom of heaven knows. It was the names by which the Son of God, who had come down to earth, would be called.
“For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.”
The passages from Psalm 113:5-9, Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 ,11:1-3, 42:1-4, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 34:11-31, Malachi 4:5, Matthew 9:14-17, 11:3-6, Mark 2:19-22, Luke 5:34-39, 7:19 quoted in this narrative are taken directly from the World English Bible (WEB) translation.
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