those suffering severe pain,
the demon-possessed, those having seizures,
and the paralyzed, and He healed them.
Large crowds from Galilee,
the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and
the region across the Jordan followed Him.
Bennett could still hear every word as she said it, as if she were reading to him right now. He could still see her underlining the passage with her bright yellow highlighter, reading by flashlight under the stars. He could still hear her asking, “The Decapolis — did you catch that, Jon? That’s right here! That’s right where we are!”
Honestly, he didn’t remember answering her the first time. He had probably drifted off, but a few minutes later, she was nudging him again. This time she was reading to him from Matthew chapter 8.
When He [Jesus] came to the other side
into the country of the Gadarenes,
two men who were demon-possessed
met Him as they were coming out of the tombs.
They were so extremely violent
that no one could pass by that way.
And they cried out, saying, “What business
do we have with each other, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
Now there was a herd of many swine
feeding at a distance from them.
The demons began to entreat Him, saying,
“If you are going to cast us out,
send us into the herd of swine.”
And He said to them, “Go!”
And they came out and went into the swine,
and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank
into the sea and perished in the waters.
The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city
and reported everything, including what had happened
to the demoniacs. And behold, the whole city came out
to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him,
they implored Him to leave their region.
“Gadarenes, Jon — that’s Gadara. That’s right here,” she had whispered again with an almost childlike sense of awe and excitement that gave him goose bumps even now, so many months later. He loved this woman. He loved everything about her, but especially her love for Jesus and her heart of compassion for lost and suffering people.
And then a thought suddenly struck him from out of the blue, as if it had been whispered into his ear by God Himself: had there ever been a time when this part of the world was not a battleground between Jesus and the demons?
40
“Jonathan, is that you?”
Bennett suddenly straightened in his seat. He hadn’t heard that voice since January, but just doing so brought back a flood of memories and immense respect.
“Shalom, Mr. Prime Minister; boker tov. What an honor.”
“Shalom, Jonathan — but please, the honor is all mine,” Doron said, his familiar voice kind but urgent. “I’m so sorry to hear about Erin’s illness, but I’ve also heard the good news. Mazel tov, young man. You’re going to be a wonderful papa.”
Bennett was startled. No one knew Erin was pregnant. How could Doron?
“That’s very kind,” he said, “but how did you know?”
“You cannot keep secrets from a man who possesses the Ark of the Covenant.” Doron laughed. ”Look, Jonathan, this is a terrible day, your own personal blessing notwithstanding. I cannot even begin to tell you how terrible I feel for you, for your entire country, and for my dear friend Jim MacPherson and his beautiful family.”
“Thank you, sir,” Bennett replied. “That means a great deal to me.”
“Jim MacPherson and I had many disagreements, as you know,” the prime minister continued. “But I truly did count him my friend, and my wife loved Julie as one of her dearest friends. We absolutely cannot believe they are gone.”
“I can’t believe it myself, Mr. Prime Minister,” Bennett said. “I keep telling myself it’s a nightmare I’ll soon wake up from.”
“I wish that were so. The whole thing sickens us, and I am afraid it’s about to get worse. I am sorry to say that I am calling you with more bad news.”
“What do you mean, sir?” Bennett asked, wondering how in the world this could all get worse. “What now?”
“Well, first of all, you and Erin are in grave danger.”
“We are? Why?”
“I know you spoke earlier with President Oaks,” Doron said. “And I know all about the operation under way in Bangkok.”
Bennett was stunned, but his surprise quickly turned to anger. Israeli intelligence was monitoring his satellite phone? They were listening in on his calls? But why? And for how long?
“Yes, Jonathan, we’ve been watching you,” Doron said, before Bennett could ask. “We’ve been doing so since you arrived in Jordan.”
“But why, sir?” Bennett asked, trying to keep his emotions in check.
“Because you found the Temple treasures,” Doron said.
“So?”
“So I owe you.”
“Owe me what?” Bennett asked.
“Anything I can do to keep you alive, my friend,” Doron replied.
“But I don’t get iT — why would Erin and I be in danger?”
“Don’t be so naive, my friend. The Mossad captured and killed a lot of Legion operatives involved in the hunt for the Temple treasures, and those involved in killing my team of archeologists and advisors. And the U.S. just killed Umberto Milano, the Legion’s number two. But you know very well that neither we nor the U.S. has this group under control. There are more out there — too many more.”
“I’m not following,” Bennett admitted.
“Whoever wants to prevent me from building the Third Temple is still out there; he’s not going to stop until I stop, and I’m not going to stop,” Doron explained. “Tactically, the operation to halt the Temple construction is being run by the Legion. This much we know. What we don’t know is who is running them from a strategic standpoint. Who’s paying them? Who’s feeding them intelligence? Who’s giving them orders? And what’s their endgame? Is stopping the Temple all they want? Or is there something larger at work here? We’ve been hunting down leads ever since you decoded the secret of the Copper Scroll, but one thing I’ve always been sure of is this: whoever came after you before, Jonathan, is coming after you again. You can count on it.”
“But why me?” Bennett asked. “I’m out of the game, off the grid. I’m irrelevant.”
“Au contraire, Monsieur Bennett,” Doron insisted. “You, my friend, are the missing link.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Whoever is running the Legion thinks you’re the link to the treasures,” Doron continued. “You’re the link to me. You were the link to President MacPherson. Now you’re the link to President Oaks. If someone wants to get to me, or to Oaks, all he has to do is kidnap you and Erin, torture you both mercilessly, send a message to me or the president demanding whatever he wants, and what are we supposed to do? Disavow our friendship to you? Abandon our loyalty to you? Cut you loose? The State of Israel can’t afford to have you fall into the hands of the enemy, Jonathan. You and Erin have become too valuable. Maybe the Americans don’t see it that way. But we certainly do.”
“Well, I certainly appreciate that,” Bennett said. “But with all due respect, Mr. Prime Minister, I really think you might be overstating the threat.”
“I’m not. If anything I’m understating it. That’s why after you and Erin found the Ark and the Temple treasures, I ordered the Mossad to put a team in Jordan to keep an eye on you 24-7. Look behind you.”