The Chosen

The first time?

You know the first time, you were there.

Humor me.

Uh... I was out on Andrew's old sloop.

I'd had a bad night.

At first, I didn't even know it was Him.

Remember?

I thought He was a Roman, about to ruin my life.

And what happened next?

- It was at a moment when I thought my career

and my reputation were about to be destroyed.

Phillip just said "Come and see."

And I did.

And... look, I don't know how to describe it other than...

He knew me before He knew me.

- I was standing next to John the Baptizer--

Creepy John.

--and He walked by.

Out of nowhere

And John freaked out.

He said, "Behold--"

I'm eating a new bug.

He was just sitting there...

eating lunch with all the construction workers,

cracking jokes.

I was on my way to Jerusalem.

I'm sorry.

All of this is just, uh, it's difficult to talk about.

It reminds me of how much I miss Him.

But we have to.

I know, I just...

I talk about Him to others every day.

But... it's difficult with all of you.

It's different with all of you.

Just tell me about the first time

you actually saw Him.

It was in a tavern.

He set His hand on mine.

Which, isn't what it sounds like.

Maybe leave that part out, people will get confused.

I don't know yet what I will be including...

I'm just writing it all down.

Good.

It was the fourth morning

of the third week of the month of Adar,

sometime during the second hour.

It doesn't have to be precise.

Why wouldn't it need to be precise?

Mine will be precise.

My answer might not make sense.

Try me, Mother.

- I can hardly remember a time when I didn't know Him.

There was one little kick...

Go on.

My son... why are you doing all this?

Why now?

- Because we're getting older, and our memories--

I mean, why now... during shiva...

Because everyone is here.

I need to get their memories--

You need to mourn Big James.

- He won't be the last of us this happens to.

Who knows when I will see the others again, or if?

I'm not in a hurry to write a whole book,

but I do want to get the eyewitness stories now,

while we're together.

Isn't Matthew going to write something?

He's only writing about what he saw,

and about what Jesus told him directly.

But I was there for things that Matthew doesn't know about.

I was in His inmost circle.

He loved me.

He loved all of you.

You just feel the need to talk about it more often.

I prefer to treasure these things in my heart.

You know that if you try to write

every single thing He did,

the world itself

could not contain the books that would be written.

Hmm, a disclaimer.

That's good; I'm gonna say that.

You see, Mother,

if I do not write these things down,

they'll be lost to history.

James would agree.

Where will you start?

In the beginning, naturally...

I'm just not sure which beginning.

His birth?

Earlier.

His ancestry?

I'm sure Matthew has that covered.

Maybe the prophecies?

The promise to Abraham?

I thought about starting with Abraham.

But still so much came before him.

What was before Abraham?

Noah.

And before him?

The Garden.

Well, you could start there.

But I want it known that He was much more

than what could be seen or touched.

What was before the Garden?

"In the beginning, the earth was formless and void..."

- I cannot hear it without thinking of you two.

I can't believe how much He put up with.

Others...

they will not even remember the sound of His voice.

They'll just be words.

- He said they weren't just words, remember?

"Heaven and earth will pass away--"

"But my words will never pass away."

Hmm... they're eternal.

You'll think of something.

But take your time.

I'm off to bed.

- I'd rather clean out the hold after a long weekend.

Yuck! You'd reek for a month!

I'd rather mend every hole in Abba's sails.

- And probably sew your hands together in the process.

I would rather wrestle a swordfish.

Just get in the water with it?

I meant on the hook.

But I'd snatch it out of the water with my bare hand

if it means not spending a night with these people.

- You know it has a sword on its face, right?

We lucked out, brother.

Planting this field,

while the others try to keep up with Rabbi in Sychar.

It wasn't luck; He chose us.

You're going two thumbs deep?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, rows three handbreadths apart.

So, why do you think He did that?

We're good workers...

and maybe He knows we don't like Samaritans.

Maybe Jesus just likes us best.

Yes, that must be it.

So, why do you think He likes me best?

For the same reasons I like you best...

you pose no threat to anyone,

intellectually or physically.

Thank you, brother.

Wait a second--

- What I want to know is who are we planting this for?

He said it would feed generations.

I assume travelers.

People passing through, like us.

"Hospitality

isn't just for those with homes, John."

Don't quit your day job.

It's too late for that.

- Ha! Yeah, me, too.

Come on, let's pick it up.

I don't wanna lose this job.

I would rather

talk with Matthew for a whole minute.

I'd rather listen to Andrew's jokes.

Sychar is on the other side of the Mt. Ebal.

- And the map says to head southward along the east side.

- It could be this fork, taking us down toward Shiloh.

This left could be too early.

That's a theory.

It's a fact that we must veer south

because if we keep going westward,

we'll encounter the hostile city of Sebaste.

- It's faster to go between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal.

But more dangerous.

Not if we avoid the cities.

There's no avoiding cities on a road.

That's what roads do, they connect cities.

You're not taking my daughter off road.

Kafni, I've given you my word

that I will protect Ramah from harm.

Can you even protect yourself?

With due respect--

You are walking toward Samaria

to find a group of men you do not know--

And a woman.

--a woman who would be with a group of men.

Do not talk back to me, young lady.