he stood at his workbench and knew it was time

This is something I wrote several years ago and may be the beginning of a book on Jesus.


He stood at his workbench and knew it was time.

He had felt the urgings for a couple of years now, getting stronger with each passing week.  He knew he had things to do outside of this small carpenter shop

His mother knew it too and had seen it coming for the last six months and dreaded the day when he left.  But the shop was going well, even though Joseph had passed away several years earlier.  James was old enough to take over now.  He didn't particularly like being second in command of the shop anyway.  The other boys were competent.  His mother would be taken care of. 

There was no reason why he should wait any longer.

He remembered being in this shop when he was younger, even as a baby.  He had a little set of carpenter's tools Joseph had made him and he "helped" his father make many a piece of furniture and build many a house.

He still had the first chair he had made.  It was over there in the corner.  His nieces and nephews liked sitting in it when they came to visit their parents in the shop.  They all wanted Uncle Jesus' chair.  It was special.

He looked around the shop he had grown to love.  It was a good place to work.  He and his brothers always did a good job, so they had a good reputation and a lot of business, even from as far away as Judea.  He had helped build Joseph's Carpenter Shop into a growing concern.

He would miss it.

The shop was empty.  He always closed up for his brothers, since they all had family to go home to and he didn't.  He like it because it gave some quiet time by himself.

He put the unfinished pieces in their places on and under the shelves.  He straightened the tools and dusted off the surfaces, then stood back and surveyed the shop.  In the growing dusk, it had such a golden quality: all the dust particles shining in the evening sun, the setting sun reflecting off the metal surfaces he kept polished.

Each of the brothers had learned this from Jesus.  He kept telling them that a workman was only as good as his tools, so they had to keep them in good order.  For the most part they had learned this, although Simon, the next to youngest seemed to have problems putting things away.  Jesus just didn't think he was cut out for the business.  He'll probably find something else to do with his life.

Well, he had tidied about all he could, had put off the inevitable as long as he could.  He took off his apron, folded it and put it in the bin with his name on it, and went to the door.  He had always said this shop had the best view of almost any around.  It had a good view of the hills around Nazareth, especially at sunset.  Over there was the vegetable garden his mother Mary and his sisters planted and cultivated.  It was nice, but he also like the flower bed that Rebekah, the sister closest to him took care of.  It was beautiful this time of year.

He would miss her, as well as Abigail and the other sisters.  They always fussed over him, since he had never married.  They knew he was special, although they really didn't know why.  They knew he was Mary's favorite, too, but they figured it was because he was oldest.

They had also heard rumors and stories about Mary being pregnant before she and Joseph were married, but they didn't care.  Small town people love to talk, but they didn't have to listen.

He stepped outside the door, turned and looked back inside one more time.  He shut the door and made sure it was latched closed.  No good to have it blow open in the night and have some animal wander in. It took them a while to clean it up last time that happened.

Mary was waiting for him at the kitchen door as she usually was even though he was a little later today.  She looked like she had a feeling of sadness on her today.  She had gone through a spell like that when Joseph had died a few years back but had bounced back.

He was always struck by how pretty she was.  Even in her mid-forties, she looked better than most of the girls around.  Fortunately her daughters had inherited that elegance and sweetness of disposition for the most part,  Of course, Judith had her father's nose, but she made up for it by being so vivacious.

She knew.  He could tell that she could see it on him.  He was going to leave.  She had known it wouldn't be long since Elizabeth had told her John had left to go out and preach in the desert.  The day she had been dreading for so long was here.  But she didn't say anything.

He sat down at the table and looked at her.  "It's time.  I have to leave", he said.

"But you don't have to go this minute, do you?  You can stay for supper."

"I thought that if I left, I could get to Nain before it was too late."  He was stalling.  He knew he would stay for supper.

"I made your favorite tonight," she said, "lamb stew.  You need to eat anyway and you can start tomorrow after breakfast."

"No," he replied, "I'll stay for supper and I guess I might as well spend the night here, but I'll be off tomorrow morning before everyone's up."

She brought his bowl and spoon to the table, along with some bread and a mug of wine.  She put a napkin by his plate thinking that he was sure the neatest one of her bunch.  Jesus watched Mary watch her first-born eat his stew.  He liked eating her lamb stew.  She could stretch less lamb more than any of the other mothers.  Of course, she'd had to learn to, a widow with eleven kids.   By now, of course, they were doing pretty well financially.  But some things die hard to a woman who has been in need.  She was not one to waste things, even now that they can afford to do so.

She took his bowl when he was finished and washed it out.  Dirt nor dirty dishes never stood a chance in her house, he thought with affection.

They sat and visited for a while as they always did after supper.  They talked of inconsequentials: the neighbors, some fabric she had seen at the store in town, an irrigation project Simon had talked about for her garden to keep it watered as summer got hotter.  He may not be much of a carpenter, but he sure has an engineering head on him, Jesus thought.  That is probably the life he will make for himself and his wife if he ever gets married.

Jesus stood and kissed his mother.  He  knew she regretted his not marrying and having kids.  Sometimes he did, too.  But the pull of the Mission was so strong in him, he knew he was better off not tangled up in a family and such.  He knew his Father had something for him to do, even if it was not yet clear to him.  God had told him that in the next couple of weeks it would become painfully clear.  First he had to go find John, his cousin. Then he had to ... well, he would think about that when it was time.  Tomorrow had enough worries of its own without worrying about it today, too.

He went to his room and closed the door.  It was a simple room with few possessions.  He never had need of much.  The furniture was well-made, but then, he had always had an eye for good quality.  He liked the feel and substantialness of good furniture and clothing, too for that matter.  Not that it really mattered.  He could sit on, sleep on and wear anything if need be.  He wasn't a proud man.

Jesus sat down and pulled off his sandals and sat them under the edge of his bed.  He took off his outer robe and stretched out on the bed for a moment, thinking about what was coming up.  He knew it was important and was what he was here for.  In prayer, God had told him that he didn't need to know the details yet, just that what he was going to do was of prophetic importance.

He got back up and read for a while in one of the scrolls he kept in his room until the light was no longer adequate.  He went back into the main room and got a twig of fire from the fireplace, came back to his room and lit his lamp, then read some more.

After a while, he spent an hour or so in prayer, especially praying for direction tomorrow morning.

His prayer finished, he stood up, stretched, stood for a moment aware that it was the last time he would do so as his mother's son.  Tomorrow he was off.  He packed his bag with the scroll he had been reading and a few other things he knew he would need.  His mother would probably have some food for him tomorrow morning, and no matter how early he got up, she'd be up first.  A good woman.  One of the reasons he'd waited until now was that his brothers would be able to keep the business going and take care of her.

Tomorrow was going to be the start of a great adventure.  God be praised.  He blew the lamp out, lay down on his bed and went to sleep.