“Matthias,” Nicodemus said proudly, “here is the man responsible for all these gifts from God you see growing here. His name is Shobi.”

“Shobi,” I began, “this place is a miracle of—” Bang! Delayed reaction. Double take. Shobi? Where had I heard that name before? Shobi? Shobi!

I swung around toward Joseph. “Can it be …?”

“It is he, Matthias. The Temple officer who ran, with the other three, to take the news to Caiaphas that the tomb they had been guarding was empty.”

“The high priest told me that three of them took their own lives and the captain, Shobi, disappeared!”

Joseph nodded. “He has remained here with Nicodemus, secluded from the outside world, for six years. I promised you one more witness when we departed from the house of the widow Mary, remember? Shobi has agreed to talk with you, but there is one stipulation—mine, not his. Only two or three trusted friends know that he is still alive and in the employ of Nicodemus. Whatever else you may do, during your stay in Jerusalem, you must not violate his trust. If the high priest knew that Shobi was here, he would undoubtedly have him put to death under some pretense. Do you accept my terms?”

As soon as I nodded, Joseph rose and motioned for Shobi to sit next to me on the bench.

“Well wait for you at the house,” he called over his shoulder as he and Nicodemus walked away, leaving me alone with the only living witness to whatever might have taken place in Joseph’s garden before dawn on that most mysterious of nights.

“Your name,” I began hesitantly, “is most uncommon.”

He spoke with dignity and fluency, articulating his words without the usual guttural quality common to Aramaic. “I was named after Shobi, the son of an Ammonite king who was instrumental in providing David and his troops with food and other supplies during his terrible battles with Absalom, his son. Without Shobi’s assistance, Israel would have lost its greatest patriot and leader.”

“How long were you a Temple guard?”

“For ten years. Caiaphas recruited me personally, during his second year in the office of high priest.”

“Did you enjoy serving in the Temple?”

“Very much. During my eighth year I was promoted to the position of captain with more than thirty guards under my supervision. Since I had been raised as an orphan, in nearby Bethpage, I was very proud of the rank I had attained through hard work and devotion to duty. Who could ask for more than to spend one’s days, and sometimes nights, in the house of God? Despite the difficulty in preserving peace there on occasions, I soon earned a good reputation for the manner is which I trained my guards to handle the large crowds in the courtyard.”

“How did you feel when Caiaphas called upon you to guard a dead man in his tomb?”