The Feast was now past, and winter would soon be here.

The first frost of the season had painted the leaves with bright hues; the harvest was over, the fields being gleaned of their last produce by the poor, the haze of cooking fires hanging in the higher valleys.

As they descended the forested slopes from Jerusalem, they saw fields riotous with golden, rust, brown and green.

Jesus and the others had gone on back to Galilee by the usual roads, but Peter, Andrew and Thomas had asked to stop by Simon the Tanner's shop down in Joppa. It was far out of the way, but Peter knew Simon was a loyal believer in Jesus, and he was up on most of the latest information, talking with ship owners, sailors and tradesmen from many nations.

As they passed the browning fields, they noticed many threshing operations in progress, the women using the ancient hand method of beating the sheaves against the stone floors and the oxen patiently plodding around and around as the grain was shoveled under the huge round stone they pulled, pulverizing the grain into flour.

Peter sneezed violently.

"Me too," said Andrew, rubbing his red nose. "Sometimes, if I get too close to a threshing floor, it makes my eyes water for days."

"A fairly good harvest this year," commented Thomas.

"Yes, but you'd be surprised how much of it will be loaded aboard ships to be taken to Rome," said Peter bitterly.

"Yeah, or confiscated by the Romans for their garrisons," said Andrew.

"Or taxed by Herod," added Thomas, matching the futile tone.

"Well, not for much longer," Peter said, quickening his stride. Shifting the heavy sword further to the side to prevent it chafing his leg, he said, "If the Lord sets up His kingdom next spring, He'll see to it Isaiah's prophecy about every man having his own land, his own fig tree, fields and cattle, comes true!"

They continued talking about the tremendous reforms that would occur, how the outpouring of Judea's wealth to Rome would cease, heavy taxation stop and the oppression of the people be replaced with true freedom and opportunity.

A day later they came to Simon's shop in Joppa.

Here in Joppa it was almost as if there was no autumn or spring. The weather had a sameness to it, except for a chance storm that would turn the normally blue Mediterranean into a dull, leaden gray and send huge, muddied breakers crashing into the shores as the last of one of the "euroclydons," as the seafaring men called them, would blow themselves out on these shores.

Peter wanted to purchase another set of heavier boots. Simon was incredibly busy now. Huge bales of rare and exotic hides awaited his racks and smoke. He had hired more help, Peter noticed, and one bale of zebra hides was quickly snapped up by a Roman whose wife had rare tastes.

Simon made footwear by taking some of the wild animals' hides and turning them inside out so the hair or fur was inside and the coarsely finished hide on the outside. Several layers of tough skins, sometimes from a wild ox from Africa with black, stiff hair and incredibly thick, tough hide, was then stitched to the bottoms and laced with decorative sinew.

Andrew and Thomas had each come with a shopping list from others whose shoes had seen the wear of many dusty paths, muddy creek beds and city streets—and winter was near.

They enjoyed Simon's evening stories. After he had satisfied the last customer and given instructions to the last servant, they would talk by the big indoor ovens in the main cooking room.

The talk was of Persia and the islands beyond Hercules, and of monstrous animals in Africa that seamen swore had only one horn jutting out from the front of their head. Simon wanted fervently to see one, but no one had yet succeeded in capturing the beast, for it was said to be the fleetest of all the gazelles, and wary.

They talked about a strange, short, bandy-legged man wearing bundles of skins that flopped here and there with tails, ears and colorful leavings who had a sallow complexion with deep pockmarks and squinted, puffy eyes who had stopped in yesterday.

Simon wondered aloud if all those people from the far lands beyond Persia didn't get that way from living in the perpetual snows that made them squint so.

The little fellow was full of questions about a strange star that had appeared more than thirty years ago that a caste of priests in his country had made up prayers and chants about, Simon said.

Peter wished he had been there to see the man and to tell him what he knew about the Magi, the star and Herod. Priests of Zoroaster, some claimed. Peter didn't know, but he was impressed with the civilizations of the East of which so little was known. Punching holes in their money made sense, for it was custom to string it in circles, and when a man had the money around his leg, arm or neck it was far harder to misplace, lose or have someone steal.

Simon spoke of the latest shipwrecks and of naval battles and fracases here and there. He seemed to be a fountain source of everything that was going on, and Peter was hoping he could remember most of it in case Jesus wanted to receive any news of other areas.

Soon, Peter told Simon, a new government would be in charge.

The heavy taxes Simon paid, and the surcharges on the things he imported, could be lifted and the country would be returned to the ancient tithing practice. It seemed the Romans wanted to tax even the air they breathed, and many a bawdy joke had been told about whether they would tax marriage!

The visit to Joppa was over too soon. Peter wanted to hurry back to Galilee now, after telling Simon that Jesus had intended sending out a full seventy men now, just the way he and the other eleven had been sent.

They made good time back to Capernaum, arriving three days after leaving Joppa with weary pack animals, and then handed out their purchases, much to the delight of all. Judas ruefully looked over the stuff, noting each purchase according to the record Andrew had kept, and turned up a lip when he was handed the meager change and counted it carefully.

Peter smirked at him and turned away. Judas bothered him, with his incredible concern for money and the way he was always fingering their coin sacks. Peter was glad Judas had been thwarted from taking this side trip with them. What if Judas had lifted something from them? Peter fervently hoped he could catch the swarthy little crook with his hand deep in the till, but Peter was no publican, and there was no way he could demand a weekly accounting when Jesus seemed unconcerned about it.

A few days later Jesus spent a long time in earnest speech with seventy of the one hundred twenty who were with them most of the time, sending them in teams of two and instructing them almost exactly as Peter and the others had been instructed earlier.

This time things were really heating up! With seventy men—thirty-five teams—out there stiffing up the people and giving advance notice that Jesus and the others were coming, Peter expected that things were shaping up so that the coming Passover season would lead to the final revolution.

There followed weeks of wearying labor, weeks of hard travel, of confrontation, or miracles and wonders, and of the crowds, always attentive, happy, shouting, rejoicing crowds, with the Pharisees' and Sadducees' spies and agitators among them trying to stir up trouble, and following about after Jesus with their rumors of "bastard" and "winesot," "a glutton" and "He breaks the Sabbath. "

All that winter they trudged up and down the country, experiencing one major event after another. Peter was particularly struck by Jesus' reference to the dividing of families in all that was happening. His ears really pricked up when Jesus said, "Do you suppose I came to send peace to this earth? I tell you no! But rather division. For there shall be from here on five in a house, and three will be against two, and two against three. They will even be divided between father and son; the son against the father and the father against the son, and a mother against her own daughter, and daughter against her mother, and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. No, I didn't come to send peace, but a sword! "

Peter reveled in this message of a sword and the stern rebukes and warnings to the Pharisees. It must mean Jesus would soon reveal His "time" He always spoke about. Peter was both elated and apprehensive. Jesus often talked of being "delivered up," and that He would be given into the "hands of sinners," and similar statements.

Peter supposed He would allow Himself to be mistreated in some way. And then, when the Jews had shown what true hypocrites they were, He would shock the whole population with a great sign and accomplish His enthronement in Jerusalem.

They were in Peraea for several months, journeying beyond Jordan to Bethany, when some of the Parisees warned Jesus about Herod Antipas.

A messenger from the Pharisees said, "You had better get out of this region because Herod would love to kill You!"

It was here, in the villages of Peraea, that He was accused so vehemently of being "the friend of publicans, harlots and sinners!"

To Peter these were exhausting months. Yet, a shocking event occurred, one which seemed to pale into insignificance all Jesus' other miracles, if that were possible.

A messenger had been sent by the sisters, Mary and Martha. He arrived with hair plastered to head, having ridden miles through a cold, driving rain.

His tired animal was unsaddled, rubbed and fed by a servant, and when he had been given dry clothing and brought to Jesus he said, "Lord, Lazarus, whom You love, is terribly sick! "

"This sickness is not unto death," Jesus said quietly, "but for the glory of God that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

The man nodded, smiling, but later voiced his doubts. It seemed both sisters were beside themselves with worry. Lazarus had suddenly taken sick, with high fever and dramatic weight loss. He was delirious with fever.

Peter knew the messenger was hopeful Jesus would saddle up and hit the trail immediately, and the man was clearly resentful when he awakened to find Jesus and the others eating a breakfast in the kitchen with the innkeeper and his wife and making no attempt to leave.

The messenger promptly left, flogging his braying donkey down the road as fast as its short legs would carry it, no doubt primed to tell Mary and Martha that the Lord was in no special hurry.

As a matter of fact, Jesus stayed two days right where He was, and then they began their journey to Bethany.

Thomas, Thaddeus and Simon the Canaanite all carried the same warnings to Him, saying how the rumors were widespread that if He dared show Himself openly in Jerusalem or the nearby environs again it was as good as giving Himself into the hands of the Pharisees, that they were plotting to stone Him to death as soon as they found Him.

Jesus insisted on going, saying, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going down there to awaken him. "

"Lord, if he's only sleeping, then certainly he'll recover," they said.

John knew that Jesus meant Lazarus was already dead, but when John voiced the idea to Peter they both wondered how He could have known.

Finally, Jesus confirmed it.

"Lazarus is dead," He said. "And I am happy for your sake that I wasn't there during his illness—to the purpose that you may believe!

"Come on, let's be going," He finished.

Of course, Thomas had not been present in Jairus' home, as Peter had, nor had he been on the mount and seen the transfiguration, for that matter. Still, Peter had told the full account of Jairus' daughter, but perhaps Thomas still doubted. Several of the men had taken to calling Thomas "Didymus," or "The Doubter," because of his timid, negative nature.

When they finally arrived in Bethany, it was to be met on the road by Martha, who burst into tears when she saw Jesus and said, "Lord, if You had only been here my brother surely would have survived. You could have saved him. I'm sure he wouldn't have died!"

Peter grimaced to himself. The woman was so obvious in her little female ways. Sure, he knew she was sick with grief, but the irk she felt toward Mary's apparent inside track (which it wasn't) with Jesus and her small disapprovals of Jesus' conduct came to the surface rather plainly. This was not only a plaintive cry from heartbreak, it was also a little female rebuke.

But she mollified it when she finished, "But even now I know whatever you ask of God He will give You."

"Your brother will rise again," Jesus said confidently.

"I know he will Lord; I know he will rise in the resurrection in the last day," she said, thinking He meant countless years into the future.

"I am the resurrection and the life, and he that believes on Me, even if he dies, yet shall he live; and whoever lives and believes on Me shall never die! Do you believe this, Martha?"

"Oh, yes, Lord! Of course I do. You know I believe You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God; that One who was to come into this world! "

They continued their walk to the house, leading their pack animals, and Martha hurried on ahead to arrive breathlessly in the house, calling, "Mary, the Master is here, and He is calling for you!"

Some of the wailers saw her get up hastily and leave, and they followed, supposing she was going to go back to the tombs and weep there.

Jesus was still coming along the track with the disciples and a growing crowd of people when Mary finally found Him. She fell down at His feet and said, "Lord, if You had only been here my brother would not have died! "

Peter patted Mary gently on the shoulder and tried to comfort her as Jesus stood with the emotions of the moment playing across His face.

Jesus looked about and saw the friends and relatives and professional mourners. He saw Mary, with stooped shoulders, head hung, hair in disarray, reddened eyes and runny nose, sobbing out loud.

To all these weeping relatives, death was the ultimate finality. It was the slam of that final door from which there was no reprieve. Lazarus had been a favorite of them all, a man of great good humor, sparkling wit and good personality.

Peter heard Jesus groan within Himself.

Seeing the terrible anguish of Mary, and having a deep personal affection toward them that He had, seeing the weeping and wailing of all the other people around, Jesus asked, "Where have you buried him?" They said, brokenheartedly, "This way, Lord. Come and see the tomb!

At this, Jesus wept!

The Jews said, "Look how much He loved him!" But some of them said, "Couldn't this Man, who opened the eyes of him that was blind, have caused that this man should not die?" Again, Peter heard Jesus groaning within Himself because of their lack of faith. Coming to the tomb, Jesus said, "Take away the stone!"

Martha said, "Lord, by this time there will be a terrible stench because he has been dead four days now!" Jesus said to her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believe you would see the glory of God?" He gestured they should do as He said, and so Peter and some of the disciples assisted in rolling away the stone.

Jesus lifted His eyes to the skies and said, "Father, I thank You that you heard me and I know that You hear Me always. But, because of the crowd that stands around, I said it that they may believe that You did send Me! " When He had prayed briefly, He cried out in a loud voice, "LAZARUS! COME FORTH!"

With a gasp of amazement, the crowd fell back as if seeing an apparition. A figure stirred, emerged from the gloom of the cave and came out, bound both hand and foot with grave wrappings! Even his face was bound about with a napkin, and he had his hands extended before him, walking zombielike, because of the hindrance of all the grave clothes.

Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go!"

The women were hanging back, shocked and afraid, but Peter and Andrew stepped up to unwind the burial clothes. Lazarus was already talking the minute they had his face uncovered, and he shouted out his recognition of Jesus and asked, "Whatever happened?" and "Where am I" and "Who are all these people, Mary?"

Mary and Martha took turns grasping and kissing Jesus' hand, kneeling before Him (had there been fewer people about, Peter suspected, Mary would have grabbed Him in a bear hug for sheer delight).

The wailers and relatives were standing there openmouthed, stunned.

Some of them began to recover and were heard saying, "But how did he breathe in there?" and "Well, the rabbi that pronounced him dead just must have made a mistake! " Another began to recount how he was about to butcher an ox once that he had struck in the head with a maul over two hours before and the animal had gotten up, lunged at him and run off.

Peter smiled.

Leave it to these people and in a few hours Lazarus wouldn't have been dead at all. Those who were not right here, standing here and witnessing what had occurred with their own eyes, would have no hopes of hearing a clear version of what had really taken place, not with the prejudices of religion a party to it.

But many of the Jews there believed.

Peter was happy to see several of the leaders humbly drop to their knees and thank God aloud, and then come up to Jesus and acknowledge Him as Lord and thank Him for what He had done! That was a breakthrough, Peter thought!

What a fabulous miracle!

Peter still found himself moving as if in a dream. Was this really happening? Had Lazarus really been dead? Of course, he had! And now he was alive! Peter had seen the dead raised before, but this was nothing a man became accustomed to! His skin was prickled into gooseflesh, and his hair fairly stood up.

That voice. Jesus had spoken with such a ring of confidence and such surety when He had commanded, "LAZARUS, COME FORTH! " Peter rarely heard that tone in the Master's voice. Jesus knew Lazarus would hear Him! There was no bravado here, no mere show of human ego or vanity! This was the very work of God!

Peter was reminded of how Pharaoh's magicians had finally come to their chief and had said in hushed and awed tones, "This is the finger of God!"

But there they went, Peter noticed, a group of the hardheads, murmuring among themselves. They began questioning Mary about what she had given Lazarus and what kind of food and drink he had for the last hours before his "death," and which rabbi had pronounced him dead, and how long she claimed he had been buried in the tomb.

They hurried off, then, for a meeting.

John went along and was in time to hear them conclude the meeting. Caiaphas was the high priest that year; it was his course of office. They were worriedly saying, "Whatever will we do? If we let Him keep doing all these signs, the Romans will surely intervene and we'll lose our very nationality." Caiaphas said, "You don't know anything at all! Nor do you seem to understand that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people that the whole nation perish not!"

He looked amazed at what he had said, and wondered why he had said it. But the Holy Spirit prompted the saying, being a prophecy that Jesus should die, not only for the nation but that He might die for everyone, and gather together into one nation all the children of God. That was what John told Peter that night.

But there was an evil aftermath, because John knew the final, formal decision was now made, and they were taking counsel about how to kill Jesus.

For Peter's part, he spent hours encouraging the others to do their part and protect the Lord. Peter felt the responsibility keenly.

The days passed with Jesus giving many more parables and healing ten men all at once, one of whom, to Peter's great distaste, was a Samaritan, and yet he proved to be the only one of the whole group who came back to Jesus to give thanks. What a bunch of ingrates, Peter thought.

Jesus seemed determined to drive home the new idea he had planted in their minds. For instance, when they came to Jericho in the foothills above the Dead Sea, they stayed with Zacchaeus after Jesus convinced him who He was by telling the little man to climb down from the tree he was in (he was so short he had to climb up there to see over the crowds).

While they were at Zacchaeus' home, the arguments had raged wildly back and forth as the disciples' expectancies were honed razor sharp, believing that Jesus would establish the kingdom almost any day now with a great, dramatic march on Jerusalem.

It had been a long, tough winter.

Peter had enjoyed only one brief visit home and had been unable to really unwind and relax with the family as he had wanted, for he was sorely disappointed in the entire affair down there in Jerusalem during the Feast and afterwards.

The boots he had purchased from his friend Simon the Tanner were in sad condition now, for they had carried him countless miles. They had covered the whole Peraean area, and Jesus became ever more intense, spending longer periods of time by Himself, rising very early in the mornings and not always getting enough sleep, Peter thought.

The trips down the Jordan valley had been respite from the colder nights of the hill country, and the greater warmth and humidity were more to Peter's liking, living close to the sea the way he had.

The first new growth came earliest down along the river with the fields here already green with their winter wheat and barley.

Soon it would be time for the priests to take out a sample sheaf, in the famous "wave sheaf" ceremony, holding it up to God in praise and waving it as if for God to see. Peter had been taught that wave sheaf symbolized a Messiah, in some way, as if the first of the first fruits of the whole world.

Soon the families would choose out their unblemished lamb or kid and set it aside in preparation for the ancient ceremony of the Passover. The disciples saw increasing traffic along the trails, sometimes large groups of a hundred or more traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover just ahead.

Jerusalem was already buzzing with rumors. The chief priests were sure Jesus would try something dramatic at this coming Passover. The whole countryside from Galilee to Judea was rife with talk about the Messiah. Thousands said He was that Prophet who should come, and others argued He was just another Theudas or would be Maccabean revolutionary.

But a rumor that chilled and enraged Peter was that some of the priests had begun to plot how they could trap Lazarus in some alleged sin and stone him to death!

Imagine that!

The common people regarded Lazarus as a curiosity (hundreds of them were continually journeying to Bethany, which was only a few furlongs from Jerusalem and less than half a day's easy walk), and they would pester the family until Lazarus would consent to talk to them and answer their questions.

As a living example of one of Jesus' greatest miracles, the leaders felt they could not allow him to stay alive!

Peter was amazed at the utter hatred of these religious fanatics! "Can you imagine trying to put to death a man God has just raised from the dead?" Peter would say to himself.

It was only another seven days to the Passover, and they were taking a full day to cover the final miles to Bethany when news came to them about the plots being hatched against Jesus and Lazarus.

They stopped along the road at a small hostel for a noonday meal of lentils and roasted ears of corn, washing it down with the cool water, of a spring that welled out from the base of a huge up-thrust of rock. Below them along the trail another large caravan plodded along, the carts jouncing over the rutted road, with at least sixty animals in the train. The jingling of the ox harnesses came faintly on the breeze. Peter was relaxing with Thomas, leaning back against a pack, when he heard a startled "What?" from James over by the spring.

Peter walked over and listened.

"He said they spread the word through the city that anyone who sees Jesus is commanded instantly to run to the chief priests."

"So what?" scoffed Bartholomew. "They'll never betray Him like that. He's too popular with the people, and they're afraid of the priests."

"That's the whole point! Their fear!" said the messenger. "They are so afraid they'll be put out of their synagogues that many of them are openly saying they'll cooperate with the priests and reveal His whereabouts if He shows Himself."

"I can't believe they would do that," said Peter.

"Then think back about that blind boy's family," the new arrival continued. "The parents were so frightened they couldn't even embrace their son. And, remember, they stayed right there in the synagogue while the priests put the son out, and they were not allowed to have anything further to do with him!"

"That's true enough," Peter admitted. "But what was this you were saying about Lazarus?"

"Just that he has become a major source of irritation to the priests. So many people have been over to Bethany to see him and are talking about his being raised from the tomb that he is one of the most important attractions in the country! It's one thing to hear rumors about so-called 'big works,' but another to saddle your camel, ride over and talk to a living miracle!"

"I see," said Peter. "Then you mean it is true; they are actually plotting to kill Lazarus too?"

"It's true, all right! " he affirmed.

They talked on about the mood of the general populace. Strange, Peter thought, how people could be controlled by fear of being "put out" from their familiar surroundings. But "put out" from what?

Put out from a fear-ridden religious organization that kept its followers in a state of apprehension and doubt? Peter supposed the common fold would doltishly follow along even if the leaders in the synagogue were caught in bloody-handed murder. Somehow they had absolved themselves of all personal responsibility.

That was where Jesus' teachings ran head on into those of the Pharisees and religious fanatics. He taught personal responsibility, personal choice; He continuously emphasized the fact that every man stood alone before God and that he couldn't get into the glittering kingdom of which Jesus spoke on someone else's shirttails.

So now they were plotting to kill Lazarus!

"Rumor has it a meeting took place between the chief priests themselves and they're trying to arrange Lazarus' death," the messenger said, looking at Peter.

"Well, we'll warn Lazarus and Mary. Maybe Jesus will feel they should leave town. Maybe they should go up into Galilee until Jesus sets up His kingdom and brings down the present priesthood." Turning to Bartholomew, Peter said, "Bart, why don't you saddle up and get over there and then come on back tonight. I think Jesus may want to go into Jerusalem tomorrow."

"I'll go right away," Bart said and turned to saddle up one of their pack animals that was standing by the sheep, its tail switching flies. Bart and the messenger jogged out of sight below while Peter and the others went back down to the hostel to tell Jesus and the disciples of this latest development.

The following morning Jesus told Peter, "Go into that village over there and as soon as you enter it you'll find a colt tied that has never been ridden. When you find him, untie the colt and bring him to Me. And if anyone says anything to you just answer, 'The Lord has need of him,' and they will tell you to take him."

Peter wondered if He had already sent a messenger into the town yesterday, or had seen a vision, or had somehow used His supernatural powers to communicate to the owner of the colt. But, no matter, after all the miracles he had seen he wasn't about to doubt Jesus' ability to produce a free ride on a new colt.