[♪ musical Swirl ♪]
[rocks clattering]
[woman vocalizing]
♪ ♪
♪ Oh, child, come on in. ♪
♪ Jump in the water. ♪
♪ Got no trouble with the mess you been. ♪
♪ Walk on the water. ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Walk on the water. ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Walk on the water. ♪
♪ Oh, child... ♪
♪ Walk on the water. ♪
♪ Got no trouble. ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Walk on the water. ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Walk on the water. ♪♪
[background voices]
MATTHEW: But where would be a good place to start?
PHILIP: For you?
- Yes, for me.
The Law of Moses?
The prophecies of Isaiah?
The wisdom of Solomon?
- Mm.
For you, I think Psalms of David.
A good start.
- I'm ready.
- For example,
"To the choirmaster, a psalm of David.
"If I ascend to heaven, you are there.
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there."
- And...?
- Just that.
Just a few more minutes.
Thank you for your patience, folks, thank you.
- But I'm not planning on ascending to heaven
or making my bed deep in the depths.
-You asked for a passage.
- Yes, but one that could help me understand how
you and everyone else knows more.
- That's what I know,
and what you must come to believe
if you want to make any meaningful study of Torah.
- I don't understand.
Excuse me.
Can you tell me what happened with Jesus.
EMOTIONAL WOMAN: He healed me!
- Healed you of what?
EMOTIONAL WOMAN Epilepsy!
- Yes, and how long have--
- Say it back to me.
- "If I ascend to heaven, you are there.
"If I make my bed deep in the depths,
you are there."
- There's nowhere you can go,
no heights you can climb to in your intellectual mind,
no depths you can reach in your soul,
where God is not with you.
Do you get it?
- I think so.
- No amount of learning can bring you closer to God,
or you make you more or less precious to Him.
He's always right here, right now,
with you, and for you.
- But I don't feel it.
- The feeling doesn't always come first.
Sometimes you have to believe first.
- Believing a thing does not make it true.
- That is wisdom.
But these aren't not just any words.
They are David's, in Scripture.
- But how do you know
whether David was only talking about himself,
and not about everyone else?
He did say, “If I ascend” not “If people ascend.”
- It almost sounds like
you don't want it to be true.
- Excuse me,
can you please tell me what happened with Jesus?
EXCITED MAN: Are you with Him?
- Yes, yes, we are His students.
- Oh, thank you!!
[laughing]
- Are you okay?
[annoyed] - I'm fine.
So, with the passage from David...
I'm just trying to understand.
- The trying is the thing.
Meditate on it for a few days and come back to me.
You're always writing things down.
Try writing it down several times.
Something about writing it down that goes a long way.
- That's what I say, too.
- Matthew, I think we've only just begun to know
all you can do.
MAN WITH JESUS: I've been healed, I've been healed!!
Thaddeus, Little James, you're up!
MAN WITH JESUS: I've been healed!!
- How's the line?
- It's getting longer.
I'll come back out soon and help you,
I won't take my full break.
- Where's Nathanael?
It's my turn to replace him.
- Said he's staying through,
doesn't want to stop his shift.
- Philip, take my place,
see if you can make some headway,
he's scary good.
- There have been over 60 people already,
with 50 waiting in line currently,
not including lepers
and others who are still in line.
- Did you say over 50 in the line right now?
- Yes.
- How long is this going to last?
- Well, it depends on each encounter you have--
- Never mind, I get it.
[background voices]
- Matthew.
- Yes.
- Did you get some ideas from Philip?
- Yes, from the songs of David...
the passage to study before we learn more.
- "If I ascend to heaven, you are there.
"If I make my bed deep in the depths,
you are there..."
- It's still bleeding.
- What?
is that from the firewood from before?
- Yes, and then, when I pushed back the man
that was rushing the line,
I cut it more on his bag.
Hand me that rag.
PHILIP: That same man you speak of
bumped into me on his way out,
after Jesus healed his wife.
I believe he's one of the men who arrived here last night.
BIG JAMES: Almost a four-hour walk this morning
and we didn't even have a moment to settle in.
I mean, it's great what He's doing, obviously,
but I wish it would have happened tomorrow.
- What is happening?
[chuckles]
What are we part of?
- Is it wrong to say I have no idea?
- No, it makes me feel better.
- I think that I haven't had time to think about it.
All this time my parents, I just know, hate it.
Other than that,
I figured Thomas and I would get our answers
from the rest of you.
- The word is already spreading so fast.
I didn't think about that.
Have you thought about the fame from all of this?
- I wouldn't mind being famous.
- Ha! I'm not surprised.
PHILIP: It's not as fun as you might think.
- I cannot remember a time
I did not think about the Messiah
at least once a week.
My whole life I prayed and prayed
that He would come during this time,
and I just hoped that I would at least get to see Him.
But to be close to Him, like this?
A nobody like me, I--
What's not fun about that?
- You call today fun?
- Maybe not fun, but good.
But with this fame comes enemies.
You will be hated, too.
MATTHEW: I'm used to that.
- Well, you were protected.
And your enemies weren't powerful.
- Speaking of enemies...
if someone had told you growing up,
that you would be a student of the Messiah.
You.
You would be close to Him,
and you will help Him in His mission,
what would you have thought?
- I would have said,
“Sorry, I'm a girl, ask my brother.”
BIG JAMES: Fair enough.
But, really, Thomas...
- Hmm?
- What would you have thought?
- I would have thought,
“I don't have military training.”
That's still a problem, actually.
- Exactly.
When I was a child,
I used to think how amazing it would be to see Messiah
kill all the Romans on my street.
And I wanted to help Him.
I trained every day with a wooden sword.
- Yes, and I have this scar that proves he was pretty good.
- I used to imagine
that the Romans would break into our home,
and I would be hiding under the bed with a knife.
And just when they came to get me,
Messiah would rescue me at the last moment.
- I didn't think we'd be spending our time healing--
well, watching Him heal.
And they'll never stop.
The people come the more they hear about it,
and we're just going to be doing this the next five years
and we'll never get to the fighting part.
PHILIP: Eager to bring out that wooden sword of yours, are you?
- Do you honestly not know what I'm talking about?
- I guess I haven't had any expectations,
that's probably why it's a little easier for me.
I can remember as a little girl
hearing about how someone would save us someday,
but I don't remember much about it.
Why is it you expect a warrior?
- Zechariah.
“For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem
"to battle,
"and the city will be captured.
"Then the Lord will go forth
"and fight against those nations,
"as when He fights on a day of battle.
"On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
which is in front of Jerusalem on the east--"
- Yes, yes, yes,
the Mount of Olives will be split in two
from east to west,
and half of it will move, all this craziness,
but we don't even know when this is going to be,
if it's even in this lifetime.
JOHN: Here's what I also do not understand.
Isn't the Messiah supposed to come
at a time when all is holy?
That's at least what you've been telling me.
RAMAH: What is that from?
- Even a prophetic poem from the rabbis
not so long ago.
“And there shall be no unrighteousness in them
"on his day,
"for they shall all be holy
and their king shall be the Lord Messiah.”
- I guess that's why the Pharisees
do not think He is the one, Mary.
You have to help clean out the Red Quarter first.
[laughing]
- I don't think He's waiting for us to be holy.
I think He's here because we can't be holy without Him.
- Whoa... that's good.
The Baptizer will want to use that.
LITTLE JAMES: Big James,
they need you to help with crowd control...
people were bickering, and getting physical,
and I can't help much in that department.
- Bickering?
- Are you serious?
- Yes.
I'm going to use my sword on them
before the Romans.
- So...
Let's see here, how are we doing?
[laughing]
PHILIP: Well, how do I put this?
Ehh....
- What? Are you serious?
I'm worse off than I was!
- Yes, yes, you are.
- I thought you said you were good at this.
- I thought I was.
- I can't get out of this now.
- Sorry, James.
- Ugh.
[sighs]
So, what was everyone talking about?
- Eh, not much,
just prophecy, our growing fame,
the Messiah healing disease
instead of overthrowing the Romans,
small topics like that.
- Well, I'm not sorry I missed it.
I'm ready for this day to be over.
- What about out there?
Anything happen in your short shift?
-No, it's the same as all day.
One thing that is annoying me, though,
is these people, they are believing in Him,
and praising Him--
and don't get me wrong, that's great--
but it's because He's healing them.
The Samaritans.
- Yeah, it was pretty much what He said.
That's all they needed.
- I know.
I just don't know how many of them
would believe in Him if He wasn't healing them.
- So, I have to ask...
[chuckling] - I think I can guess.
- I have two questions.
Forgive me, but I speak plainly.
What is your malady?
Forgive me, I don't mean to offend.
- It's fine.
It's a form of paralysis,
it's caused problems since birth.
MARY MAGDALENE: It's almost time for evening meal.
Are you hungry?
- So then why...
I mean... why hasn't He healed you?
How do you watch all these healings today?
Does it bother you?
- Whew! Fair questions.
Um... I'm still trying to figure out
how I feel about all of this.
I mean, I suppose one big thing is that I haven't asked.
- Why not?
- I don't know.
- If I had your... struggle,
and I was watching what was happening today,
I'd demand it.
- I don't know if I should.
It just doesn't feel right.
You know, and I suppose I've just been grateful
that He called me to follow Him in spite of it, but--
it's never come up, not even once.
I'm just afraid that if I mention it to Him,
it will make Him change His mind about me, or something.
[Thomas laughing]
- I'm pretty sure He knows your situation.
It's not like if you point it out,
He'd be surprised.
- That's true.
[laughing]
MARY MOTHER: Mary!
- Let's go.
MARY MOTHER: So good to see you!
MARY MAGDALENE: So good to see you!
MARY MOTHER: So glad to be here.
MARY MAGDALENE: We thought you were coming tomorrow.
MARY MOTHER: Well, some friends
were able to come with me earlier,
so they dropped me off today
and they are seeing some family in the area.
- You'll be with us for a little while, yes?
- Through the Feast, and then we'll see.
Oh, Philip, shalom!
What are you doing here?!
- I'm with your Son now.
- Is John all right?
I haven't spoken to him in a while.
- John is fine,
but he said the time was now,
so here I am, trying to make myself useful.
MARY MOTHER: Uh-huh.
THADDEUS: Mary, this is Matthew,
he wasn't with us at the wedding.
MARY MOTHER: Oh, shalom, Matthew, welcome.
Oh, look, that's fine clothing.
- Thank you.
MARY MOTHER: What do you do?
- I don't, I was--
- He's a new student; Jesus called him.
- Ah, lovely.
Well, I'm sure you're someone special.
So, was today a very long day?
I saw a lot of people,
Simon told me to come back here.
Do we know when Jesus will be finished?
- We walked from Philippi this morning,
and He hasn't stopped since then.
- Hmm.
He has always been a worker.
He gets that from his father...
both of them, I suppose, hm.
Speaking of work, I see the food.
You all look exhausted.
I'm here to help.
We'll have it ready very, very soon.
[♪ soft music ♪]
♪ ♪
[woman softly vocalizes]
♪ ♪
SIMON: Andrew, I need a mental break.
Do one of your “meaningless question” games.
- They're not meaningless... they're interesting.
And I've got one I've been thinking about lately.
What would you do for unlimited money?
Or what would you give up
to have all the money you could ever want,
for the rest of your life?
BIG JAMES: Meaning...
would I do something painful?
- Yes, or crazy.
Would you run through the marketplace
with no clothes on, screaming?
THOMAS: Of course not,
I'd be killed by a soldier.
- Plus, it would be immodest, it would be a sin.
- Fine, something that wasn't a sin.
Would you give up your left hand
if you would be rich the rest of your life?
- Maybe not a full hand, but a couple fingers, sure.
- What about love?
Would you give up ever getting married?
- I don't know...
Simon, is it worth it?
- Absolutely,
but you'll never be so lucky to find someone like Eden,
so... take the money.
[laughing]
- I have never had much money my whole life,
and I've been happy.
THOMAS: I don't expect we'll have much money
for as long as we're following Him.
- But you had some money before, yes?
Are you happier now or then?
- Ask Matthew.
- John.
- What?
That was a bad question?
You brought up money.
Matthew's had it; we have not.
- I feel better now,
I don't know if that means happy.
- It's not polite to talk about personal money.
ANDREW: Just a question.
[crickets chirping]
I think about it sometimes...
and then I feel guilty.
- For what?
- For thinking about things I shouldn't,
for wanting things I shouldn't care so much about.
Sometimes, I feel like...
like I'm living someone else's life.
Like...
when I look at myself from the outside...
it doesn't always feel like me.
It feels like someone who's...
trying to live up to the heroes of our history,
like, I have to do something great,
but I know I'm not great.
Know it even more now, being with Him.
- I understand.
I feel like I need to not make anymore mistakes.
- How do you think I felt?
- You must feel that every day, no?
- Not anymore.
He always reassured me,
and God always made me feel like
I shouldn't be burdened.
- So how did you feel when it happened?
- When what happened?
- His birth.
Even before that.
How did you know, when did you know who He was?
- Oh, I don't know.
We're all tired,
do you really want to hear all that?
ALL: Yes!!
- Oh. [chuckling]
Uh, hmm.
Well...
nothing about it was easy,
I can tell you that.
It wasn't in my hometown,
my mother wasn't there,
we had no midwife.
I don't know if I'm ready to give all the details,
maybe some other time.
But I do remember this...
When Joseph handed Him to me,
it was like nothing I expected.
It was like everything I'd heard about having a baby,
but I thought this would be completely different.
- What do you mean?
- I had to clean Him off.
He was covered in, um...
I will be polite; He needed to be cleaned.
And He was cold, and He was crying.
And... He needed my help.
My help...
a teenager from Nazareth.
It actually made me think for just one moment,
“Is this really the Son of God?”
And Joseph later told me
he briefly thought the same thing.
But we knew He was.
I don't know what I expected...
but He was crying and He needed me.
And I wondered how long that would last.
He doesn't need me anymore...
not since we taught Him how to walk and eat.
He hasn't needed me for a long time, I suppose.
And after Joseph passed-- may he rest in peace--
He grew up even quicker.
And I wish I could say that made me happy.
Of course, as a Jew,
I'm excited to see everything He does for our people,
and I'm proud of Him.
But... as a mom,
[sighs]
it makes me a little sad sometimes.
So, it's good to be with all of you for a bit,
I can find ways to help.
- We'll take it.
- Simon, when you were just with Him,
did it seem it would go for very long?
- It's tough to tell.
The line was dying down, but...
He won't send anyone away anyway, so--
[blows flame out]
--we'll see.
- I'll go check on them.
[fire crackling]
[crickets chirping]
MARY MOTHER: Can I take your plate?
- Yes, thank you.
[wind blowing] [fire crackling]
- I didn't know He lost His Father.
I lost mine several years ago,
I'll have to ask Him about that.
Has anyone else lost a parent?
- Mm-hmm.
- I'm sorry.
Was it recent?
- No, no, it was when I was a little girl.
- It's painful, I'm sorry.
- Thank you, it was.
I didn't fully understand it right away.
But, eventually, it made me really angry,
and... I left when I was young.
- Left home?
MARY MAGDALENE: Left everything.
Everything.
I, uh... I tried to stop acting like a Jew,
I tried to stop being myself.
And then, later, as some of the people from our town,
including some of you, knew about,
worse things happened.
Most of it is a blur,
but I forgot so much of everything I learned
as a little girl.
- But now you can catch up.
- Yes.
I hope.
With Matthew and Ramah.
You all are so far ahead,
and you're so good at all of this.
We're not as good as you think.
[laughing]
- Yeah, most of us,
but you were the one with your nose in the writings.
Still are.
- Ah, a little; not as good as others.
- Oh, come on,
you can recite half of Torah, if you had to.
- Maybe.
- Maybe, yeah, maybe.
THADDEUS: Still going.
I couldn't do anymore,
but they said they've got it.
- I really want to be a good student.
- I don't think any of us went to bet midrash
or did much study after school.
That's what's so surprising about all this.
Thomas, did you?
- No, I was in the family business
the day after I graduated.
Thirteen years old,
and I was preparing and serving food at weddings,
I was not a student at all, believe me.
- I wasn't even good at praying until recently,
I would get bored with it.
You know, the same thing over and over.
I learned to love it as I got older.
- I wasn't great at any of it when I was a student.
- I wasn't, either, I didn't like all the rules.
- I never struggled with it.
I do what I'm told.
- Yes, I'm the same,
I've always been a rule follower.
- I've always loved the history, the stories,
so I've always loved the rules, too.
- Simon?
- I've had my moments.
[laughing]
- One time when my parents were asleep,
I had meat with cheese, just to see what I was missing.
Have you ever done that?
- No, I'd feel too guilty.
- You feel guilty about everything.
Right after you were born,
you said sorry to Eema for causing her pain.
THOMAS: Forget the guilt,
I was sick for days.
I haven't violated a single food rule since.
- I tried pork once.
- How?
- We were traveling and we were in a Gentile marketplace,
and I just grabbed a piece.
- Really.
- Ah, it was marvelous.
[laughing]
- One time, on the boats,
we were approaching a Shabbat sunset.
Abba and John had finished their tasks,
and I still had to put my fish in the barrels
because I had so many.
- No, it was because you were going too slow,
because you're too careful.
- No, it was because I had so many...
- Okay.
- So, you have to put them away, obviously,
before the sun sets,
or they'll rot the next day,
and you can't clean them during Shabbat.
So, I started yelling to the others,
"Hey, come on, help me."
No.
They just laughed at me and walked home.
And I had to work so hard and so fast,
I ended up spilling some of the fish
back in the water.
But I finished, just in time.
And I was breathing so hard, I vomited on the shore.
JOHN: He had to wait two whole days
to clean it up.
Oh, um, sorry.
[chuckling]
- I've grown to love being Jewish,
and I've grown to love following the Law,
but it can be exhausting.
- Following the Law or being Jewish?
ANDREW: Both.
BIG JAMES: It always has been.
Even before the occupation.
MARY MAGDALENE: Yes, but aren't we used to it by now?
Hasn't it made us stronger?
THOMAS: I don't get it, if I'm honest.
I don't know why God has allowed the occupation.
I'll have to ask Him more about that...
why this has been allowed for so long.
It's hard to feel like "the chosen people."
- I've been there.
- But it's all worth it now, yes?
The wait is over.
[wind blowing] [fire crackling]
[owl hoots]
- What about you?
- What do you mean?
- Has it been difficult for you all this time?
The occupation, following Jewish Law?
- My life has not been easy.
SIMON: Oh, it hasn't?
What was more painful for you:
escaping Roman persecution by working for them,
or escaping your guilt with all the money?
And now you're catching up on Torah
and wanting to follow the Law?
Why now, all of a sudden?
Why not all the other times you had the chance?
- Simon.
- No, no, John, I want to know.
Mary had horrible trauma,
she didn't choose all that happened to her.
What's your excuse?
- What do you want me to say?
I don't know what you want from me.
- An apology.
- What?
- Simon's not wrong.
He could be more... delicate about it, but...
you did choose to work for them,
and you made my life even harder than it already was,
and you haven't apologized.
SIMON: No, no, don't say it,
I don't want you to apologize,
it doesn't matter.
What will hearing him say "sorry" do?
I won't forgive it anyway.
- What keeps putting you in authority?
Who are you to forgive or not to forgive?
- What, you're on his side?
- No, of course not,
but you've had your problems too!
What about apologizing for what you almost did to us
with the Romans?
SIMON: I didn't go through with it!
I was trying to save my family's life,
and I love you, John,
but that's not something you have to worry about
when Zeb and Salome are looking out for you.
But you put me in a desperate position
where I did things I would never have done otherwise,
and I've repented for them.
And John and James, I am sorry,
but I didn't go through with it!
THOMAS: What is your excuse?
I was a successful businessman,
and yet I was always behind.
- He wasn't your tax collector.
Quit defending him; I want an answer!
- Hey! You're new.
SIMON: Do you even know what it's like
to be Jewish?
To suffer for centuries and centuries because of it,
but to still commit to it?
To protect our heritage,
even though it never stops being painful?
Because the one comfort we have
is to know that we're doing it together,
that we're all suffering together.
But if we just wait a little longer,
if we hold tight just a little more,
we'll have rescue,
because we're chosen, all of us.
And you betrayed that, and you spit on it!
I can't forgive it!
I'll never forgive it!
BIG JAMES: All right!
You've said what you needed to say.
Sit down, Simon.
- You sit down first!
[approaching footsteps]
[wearily] - Good night.
[shaky, painful breathing]
Ugh!
Oh, Eema.
Thank you.
[woman vocalizing]
[trickling water]
[shaky breathing]
♪ ♪
[trickling water]
MARY MOTHER: [whispering] You've got blood on your hands.
One more.
There we go.
- I'm a mess.
[chuckles]
Good?
- Good.
[kiss] What would I do without you, Eema.
- Now, get some sleep.
- Okay.
I'm so tired.
Oh. [shuddered breaths]
Blessed are You, Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
who brings sleep to My eyes,
and slumber to My eyelids.
May it be Your will, Lord My God,
and God of My ancestors,
that I lie down in peace,
and that I arise in peace.