That’s the kind of pressure Simon Maccabeus and his family were facing.
Our story picks up in the Book of Maccabees I, Chapter 16. Simon, the leader of the Maccabees after the deaths of his brothers Judah and Jonathan, was dealing with treachery on multiple fronts. Ptolemee, son of Abobus, was plotting against him. Power struggles, ambition, and good old-fashioned greed – it’s a tale as old as time, isn’t it?
Ptolemee's scheme was elaborate. He dispatched assassins to Gazera, with orders to murder John, Simon’s son. It's chilling how casually these acts of violence are described. And it gets worse. He also sent letters to the Roman tribunes, promising them silver, gold, and other rewards, presumably to gain their support or at least their neutrality in his planned coup.
Simultaneously, another group was sent to seize Jerusalem, specifically the Har Habayit, the Temple Mount. Can you imagine the audacity? To try and take control of the very heart of Jewish life and faith?
One of those in the know, likely someone loyal to the Maccabees, got word to John: "Your father and brothers have been slain, and Ptolemee has sent to slay you also!" Talk about a gut punch.
John's reaction is swift and decisive. Hearing of the plot against him, he was, understandably, "sore astonished." But he didn't freeze. He immediately apprehended those who had come to kill him and executed them. He understood that they were there to "make him away," a stark and unsettling phrase that underscores the deadly seriousness of the situation. It was a brutal act of self-preservation, a stark reminder of the ruthless realities of power during this period.
And what of John himself? Well, the Book of Maccabees I tells us that “concerning the rest of the acts of John, and his wars, and worthy deeds which he did, and the building of the walls which he made, and his doings, Behold, these are written in the chronicles of his priesthood, from the time he was made high priest after his father.”
In other words, there's more to the story, more details about John's life, his battles, his accomplishments, including the construction of walls—likely for defense. These events, the author tells us, are recorded elsewhere, in "the chronicles of his priesthood." This suggests that detailed records were kept, preserving the memory of these tumultuous times and the individuals who shaped them.
The story serves as a potent reminder of the constant struggle for power, the ever-present threat of betrayal, and the difficult choices leaders face when their lives and the lives of their people are on the line. It makes you wonder, doesn't it, what kind of person John was to act with such decisive force? What other stories lie hidden in those "chronicles of his priesthood?" And what lessons can we draw from their experiences today?