James: But Mary, for God’s sake, how are we to believe such
a thing?
Mary: Oh yes, it was he, I’m sure! How should I not recognize
my son, Jesus?
Magdalene: And I saw him too, my golly!
Mark: What I see is that you two are even crazier than King
Saul!
The sun of that first day of the week started to warm the roofings of
the city of David and to paint the Oriental walls with golden color.
Jerusalem was still sleeping, weary from the holiday spree and from
having drunk too much wine, after the great feast of the Passover. We,
who had been hiding in the dark basement of Mark’s house, were jolted
by the women’s news that Jesus’ tomb was open and empty. To top it all,
after Mary of Magdala came Mary, the mother of Jesus, claiming she had
seen her son alive, and had talked to him…
James: Well, well, I’ve heard enough of your stories. We’ve
got to leave for Galilee as soon as we can and there’s no time to lose.
Philip: I agree with James. So, get your cane and your sack and
let’s get moving!
Peter: We can’t leave just like this, buddies, without knowing
what has happened.
James: Nothing’s happened, Peter, don’t you understand? Are
you telling me that you buy the stories of these two crazy women?
Magdalene: It was Jesus and nobody else! I saw him and talked to
him!
Mark: Shut up, young woman! Shame on you, you’re like a parrot,
always repeating the same thing!
Peter: Listen, buddies, whatever it is, we must look into this.
John, come with me. First, we go to the tomb and see what the hell is
happening. All of you, wait here. No one moves from here and don’t open
the door for anyone, not even for the prophet Elijah, if he comes!…
John, cover your head with a rag, so no one recognizes you...
John: Don’t be a coward, Peter. There’s no one in the street
yet…
Peter: So what… After what had happened, I don’t trust even
my own shadow anymore…. Hurry up!
Peter and I crossed the patio and headed for the solitary streets of
Barrio Zion… Up ahead, at the back of the aqueduct, shone the white
marbles of the Temple… Around it were piles of houses where thousands
of pilgrims, with the holidays over, would start going back to their
villages in the interior within a couple of hours…
John: Hey, Peter…
Peter: What is it, John?
John: Peter, do you think the… the…?
Peter: Nonsense, John. Who is to believe the stories of these
women?
John: What if it were true…?
Peter: If it were true, if it were true! Ha!… If my mother-in-law
too, had a wick on her head, she would be a candle!… No, John, if anyone
dies, he dies. That is the only truth… Hey, let’s run, so we don’t lose
time!
We started to run down the street. We passed through the plaza of the
fruit vendors, through the marketplace, leaving behind us Herod’s palace.
We crossed the first wall…
Peter: Hell, John, don’t run too fast, wait for me…!
I was always ahead of Peter. Without looking back, I crossed the gate
of the Angle and headed for Golgotha. Behind that hill, round and bald
like a skull, was the tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea where we had
placed the crushed body of Jesus last Friday, at nightfall…. The round
stone door, which I myself had pushed, was now moved, as the women had
claimed…. I peeped through, but didn’t dare enter alone through the
dark and humid opening of the cave... In a few seconds, Peter came,
gasping….
Peter: To hell with you, John, you run faster than a hare!
John: Psst…. Don’t shout…. Look, troublemaker…. The women were
right…. The tomb is open….
Peter: That’s true… Who could’ve done it…?
John: There’s not a single soul around, not even the guards…
Peter: They must be still sleeping, drunk from yesterday’s feast…
John: What do you think, Peter?… Shall we go down…?
Peter: Pff…! I dunno…
Juan: Are you scared of the dead?
Peter: The dead, no, but the living… Hello!… Anyone down there?…
Hear something, John?
John: Nothing.
Peter: Well, then… go down, John… I’ll wait for you here….
John: No, man, you first, Peter… I… I’ll be the rearguard…
Peter: Oh, yeah?… Fine… I’ll go ahead. But don’t stay far from
me. Hold on fast to your dagger… just in case… Let’s go!
We groped through the humid steps of the tomb… The first rays of the
sun timidly sneaked through and we saw that the cave was empty…
John: Look, Peter, the shroud and the sheets are here… but
not the body…. Here, take a look…
Peter: Something fishy’s going on here…. What a big fool I am!
Why didn’t I realize that at once?
John: Hey, what’s wrong? What’s the matter with you?
Peter: John, let’s get out of here fast!
John: Yeah, and better to inform the rest to come over and….
Peter: No, John! That’s exactly what these people want! The
mouse is caught by baiting it with cheese. They have left the tomb empty…
and this is a trap! They’re not interested in a dead man…. they’re after
us, the living…. Don’t you see?
John: Do you think so, Peter?
Peter: I’m dead sure! This is a trap!… If we don’t get out of
here fast, then we’ll be buried alive!… Hurry, John, let’s go!
Filled with fear, we crawled through the slippery steps and hurriedly
left the cave….
Peter: Wait, John... don’t leave me alone here…!
John: I’ll see you in Mark’s house! Goodbye!
Peter: To hell with you, John…!
Without looking back, I ran as fast as I could, getting lost among the
narrow streets of Jerusalem…. Peter was trailing behind, trying to overtake
me, in vain…. Soon, I stopped running. I was tired. I continued walking
slowly, waiting for Peter… While we were almost at the house, I felt
him right behind me… He came like an arrow, unaware that he was overtaking
me….
John: Hey, where have you been, troublemaker…? And whatever
happened to the big nose?… Was he bitten by a bug or something? Peter,
wait for me…!
I hastened my pace and in a couple of minutes, I was in the house. Peter,
who had overtaken me at the last minute, was seated on the basement
floor, panting and surrounded by the whole group. Susana and Salome
were fanning him with a piece of rag…
James: Now, John, tell us what happened…
John: What do I know, James! I know nothing…!
Susana: Weren’t you with him, young man?
John: Well… Peter was left behind… then, he came speeding by,
for reasons I’m not aware of…. I dunno what’s the matter with
him…
Philip: Neither do we… but ever since he came, he hasn’t stopped
laughing… something must be tickling him to the bones…
James: Damn you, Peter. It’s okay now!… C’mon, what’s the joke,
huh?… What the hell has happened to you?
Peter: Buddies… listen… I… I thought it was an ambush… so we
left hurriedly… John went ahead of me… I was behind him, as always,
no matter how I try, this brute always beats me… Then I leaned against
the wall of a house to catch my breath…. And there, breathless as I
was, with my tongue sticking out, I turned my head and saw a man in
the other street… he was kind of weird… and was looking at me….
Philip: Who was he, Peter?
Peter: How would I know, Philip?… I continued to walk, as if
I had seen nothing… but I was all alert… and then, I felt his footsteps
behind me… I quickened my pace, and he did the same… I reduced my speed
and he did likewise… Damn it, he was trailing me!
Susana: So what did you do, Peter?
Peter: What did I do? When I got to the corner of the street,
I turned at once, ran as fast as I could and sneaked through the first
patio I saw… Psst! Then I hid behind some barrels and waited…. He walked
past me…. I thought I had lost him… Then I tiptoed my way to the wall
where I leaped quietly, and walked the opposite direction up to the
street of the potters…. I looked from one side to the other… there was
no one… So, I continued walking up to the corner where I was going to
cross… then I felt a hand on my shoulder!… Holy God, all my hair stood
on end…! There he was again, this fellow, right in front of me!
Mark: So what did you do?
Peter: What was I to do? I gave a leap but he had me cornered…
I stepped back and glued myself against the wall like a slug… but the
man was getting nearer and nearer… After swallowing hard, I asked: Who…
who are you?… What do you want from me?… Then I could speak no more….
Now, I can’t help but laugh at it…. Ha, ha, ha…!
Reclining against the basement wall, Peter continued laughing…. All
of us surrounded him, as we bit our nails, waiting for every word he
would utter….
Susana: Give him room, damn… He needs some air…
Philip: Go ahead, Peter…
Peter: …Can you imagine this man getting too close and asking
me: “And you, who are you?… What’re you doing here?” Then I realized
he spoke like all of us, from the north… He was a Galilean… I thought
he was one of Herod’s policemen, those who go under cover, you know….
James: Did he carry a sword?
Peter: No, but it seems I’ve heard his voice before,…
Susana: Finish it, man, you’re putting us all on tenterhooks!
Peter: That’s exactly what had happened to me! I was hoping
somebody would pass by to give me assistance, but there wasn’t a single
soul in the street. Then this man asked me again: “Who are you?” He
was much closer now, and every time, I moved closer to the wall…. His
eyes were fixed on me and he had a certain smile that terrified me no
end…. Again he said: “You’re Peter, aren’t you, the troublemaker, as
they say, the fisherman from Lake Tiberias?”…. Having said this, I got
tongue-tied, my blood rushed to my feet, believe me, buddies, like what
happened to Lot’s wife. He recognized me.
James: So, what did you say?
Peter: I told him: “No, no, no, I’m not that man you’re saying
I am.” “Oh yeah, you are.” I said no, but he said yes. So I said: “Look,
buddy, you’re mistaken, my name is Jullian, the potter, and I haven’t
been in the sea.”
Mark: You’re a coward, Peter!
Peter: That’s exactly what he said: “You’re a coward, Peter!…”
And he began to laugh! The more he laughed, the more horrified I became!
Susana: And so…?
Peter: I closed my eyes and pretended to be dead. But the man
laughed and continued laughing… filling the entire street with his laughter…
damn it… where did I hear that laughter before, where?… Suddenly, it
dawned upon me…. Do you know who this man was before me?
All: Who was it, Peter?
Peter: Jesus! It was Jesus! Ha, ha, ha…!
James: What did you say…?
Peter: It was Jesus! That laughter belonged to the Moreno, and
nobody else!
Mark: Oh, Peter, please…
Peter: Ha, ha… Yeah, it was his… And I asked: “Is that you,
Moreno?…” He said: “Of course, Peter. Can’t you see? God always ends
up winning. He always laughs last…” When he said this, I rubbed my eyes
to be sure I wasn’t dreaming. I wasn’t, I was even more awake than Jeremiah
when they stepped on his corn. So, that’s it, buddies. I came here running
to tell you about it!
James: Open your mouth, Peter… c’mon… You’re drunk, Peter.
Peter: Who, me?… I haven’t even tasted a drop since Thursday!…
No, no, it’s not that… Mary was right!… So was Magdalene! Ha, ha, hay…!
Magdalene: So, it’s all woman’s talk, right?
Philip: What’s all this nonsense? One scratches his back and
all the rest follow!
Peter: So, you don’t believe me, huh? Do you think I’m out of
my mind? Well I’m not, I’m very lucid and I’m not seeing visions! I’ve
seen Jesus with my own two eyes!
Philip: Look, Peter, how can we believe such a crazy idea?
Peter: Ha, ha, ha…! Fine, I don’t give a damn. Don’t believe
it, if you don’t want to… but I saw him!
Susana: Pour cold water on him, it might bring back his senses!
Peter: Ha, ha, hay…! Hot or cold, it doesn’t really matter!
But I saw him!… It was Jesus!!… It was he!!! Ha, ha, hay!!!
James: Shut up, Peter, you’re waking up the whole city.
Peter: Well and good, so they will know!… But I saw him!… It
was Jesus! It was he!…
Peter was acting crazy. He ran through the streets of Jerusalem to bring
us the good news that Jesus was alive. And now, he was laughing incessantly,
looking at everyone with a joyful glow in his eyes that we had never
seen before…
How beautiful are the messenger’s feet standing on the mountains to
bring peace.
He brings the good news,
and proclaims salvation.
He tells us: The Kingdom of God has come!…
Laugh and rejoice,
you forlorn of Jerusalem,
because the Lord has consoled your people.
He has freed them from bondage!
The idea that the Jewish leaders had stolen the cadaver of Jesus – the
first interpretation offered by the group to the news brought in by
the women when they saw the empty tomb – was perfectly logical. That
Pilate had allowed a decent burial for a political criminal had surprised
the Jewish authorities. That was something unusual. That is why, it
would not be surprising that some of them should carry out the ultimate
revenge by taking the corpse from the tomb to be thrown into the common
pit, the ultimate destiny of the delinquents, according to the laws
of the Sanhedrin.