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quite some time, we sat down in the shade of a
palm tree and caught one another up on what had been happening in
our lives.”
    “I told him of the growth of my uncle and
father’s fishing fleets, and of my family’s prosperity. “I too have
prospered,” he said smiling, “but in a much different way.”
    “When I questioned him about it, he asked me
if I would go with him to Bethel.
    “There,” he added cryptically, “you will find
your answer.”
    “By the time we arrived, a great multitude
had gathered in a large semi-circle. In front of them, reclining
against a tree, was a man. The hot afternoon sun filtered through
the tattered canopy of palm leaves, lighting His face as if it were
glowing.” Joseph sighed and poked the embers of the fire with a
stick. “His gaze was penetrating, unwavering, and I had the
impression that as he made eye contact with each of us he could
read our character in an instant. I was overcome with an almost
overpowering desire to touch Him.”
    “Why?”
    “Because, when he spoke, it was difficult not to listen to Him —His words were full of power.”
    Uriel nodded with understanding. “Go on.”
    “I implored my cousin to get me close enough
to the man called Jesus, so that I might address Him personally. He
was on his knees, praying for a group of children. When he looked
up at me, all I could think to ask of him was, ‘Good Master, what
good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?’”
    “He didn’t answer me immediately, but again
looked deep into my eyes. This time my whole body trembled as he
stared at me.”
    “‘Why do you call Me good?” he asked. “There
is none good but one that is God: but if you would enter into life,
keep the commandments.”
    “Which commandments?” I asked.
    “You shall not murder, nor commit adultery.
You shall not steal, nor shall you bear false witness. Honor your
father and your mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
    “But all these things I have kept from
my youth,” I replied, bewildered. “What do I lack?”
    “If you would be perfect, go and sell all
that you have and give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure
in Heaven. . .then come and follow me.” Joseph paused and sighed
heavily, then added, “That was something I could not do.”
    Night fell as the two men talked, and the
cave walls came alive with shimmering shadows of flickering
firelight as Joseph placed another log on the dying fire.
    “There comes a time,” began Uriel as he
watched the red-hot embers ignite the dry wood, “when an individual
must make a choice between what his five physical senses tell him
is real, and what his inner man, what the Scripture refers to as n e shamah , the breath of life,
tells him to be aware of.” His eyes sparkled with light coming from
some other source than that from the now steadily burning fire.
    “It is not an easy path to follow, but as you
learn more about the enemy that has been the source of your
torment, you will learn patience. Soon, the thief will be
exposed.”
    Joseph’s whole body tingled. This man
seems to know more about me than I do about myself, he thought,
intrigued . Strange. . .he speaks with the same authority as the
Nazarene.
    “Continue your story, Joseph—we haven’t much
time.”
    “I went back to Joppa and spent two weeks of
intense study in the Scripture at the temple there. Although I had
a vague sense that I would recognize what I was searching for once
I found it, I wasn’t sure I could explain it to anyone else. Even
so, by the end of the second week I was beginning to despair.
    “One afternoon, late in the day, I was
walking on the outskirts of the city. I’d been studying Isaiah for
several days, not quite sure why I lingered upon his words. I
experienced mixed emotions as I read, alternating sadness and joy.
The great prophet’s words came alive in me as never before, almost
as if he were reaching out with his visions and revelations,
traversing through