death of a man for saying he can destroy the Temple and build it
again in three days.

Nicodemus became prolix and tedious, repeating again and again that it
was the second part of the sentence that would save Jesus, for it was
obvious that though a man might destroy the Temple in three days (a
great fire would achieve the destruction in a few hours), he could not
build it again in three days. This second part of the sentence proved
beyond doubt that Jesus was speaking figuratively, and the Romans would
refuse to put a man to death because he was a poet and spoke in symbols
and allegories. The Romans were hard, but they were just; and he spoke
on Roman justice till they came round the hills shouldering over
against Bethany, and found themselves in the midst of a small group of
men taking shelter from the wind behind a large rock. Why, Master, it is
you. And Joseph recognised Peter's voice, and afterwards the voices of
James and John, who were with him, called to Matthew and Aristion, who
were at some little distance, sitting under another rock, and the five
apostles crowded round Joseph, bidding him welcome, Peter, James and
John demonstratively, and Aristion and Matthew, who knew Joseph but
little, giving him a more timid but hardly less friendly welcome. We did
not know why you had left us, they said. But it is pleasant to find you
in Jerusalem, for we are lonely here, Matthew said, and the
Hierosolymites mock at us for not speaking as they do. But you are with
us here, young Master, as you were in Galilee? John asked. We knew not
why you left us. But we did, John, Peter interposed, we knew well that
Jesus said to him, when he returned from his father's sick-bed, that
those who would follow him must leave father and mother, brother and
sister, wives and children to live and die by themselves, which is as we
have done. Yes, Sir, Peter continued, freeing himself from John and
turning to Joseph, we've left this world behind us, or if not this world
itself, the things of this world: our boats and nets, our wives and our
children. All that Jesus calls our ghostly life we have thrown into the
lake. My wife and children and mother-in-law are all there, and John and
James have left their mother, Salome. But, said James, the neighbours
will not be lacking to give her a bite if she wants something when she
is hungry. She'll be getting men to fish for her, for we've left her
our boats and nets. They've done this, Peter chimed in,