#the chosen kafni

[the-chosen-fanfiction]

Kafni | Faith Over Blood | Platonic

Following the Messiah brings forth division when you lose more than just your sister.

Requested by Lizzy

“Are you ready to go?” 

Your hollow eyes find John’s as the innocent question reaches your ears. Still, it makes you want to snap at him. Your expression is crestfallen as you regard him with nothing but silence and an empty glance. Of course you aren’t ready to go; you doubt that you ever would be. He sighs at the look on your face and reaches out his hand.

“Come,” he says instead, not awaiting another answer, and you take it to allow him to help you up. He leads you to the cart where Ramah lies in off-white linen and a dark blanket, her fragile body wrapped up and making her appear tinier than you had ever seen her as. 

Your heart rests like a heavy stone inside your stomach, shattered into a million pieces when you find the man who would have been brother-in-law if things hadn’t gone the way they did. John squeezes your shoulder as he releases you, leaving the two of you be with your grief. 

“I can’t believe this,” Thomas whimpers as his forehead rests against her covered one, “How could this happen? I looked away for one second. One second!” 

“Don’t blame yourself for this, Thomas,” you whisper, realising a second too late that his bitterness was directed elsewhere. You knew that the former vintner is enraged with Jesus, blaming Him for not healing her as she bled to death on the dirty ground in Capernaum, dark red saturating her gown as her face paled, and honestly, you cannot hold that against him. 

Ramah had been everything to you, too. Growing up together, you had always looked up to her, admiring her diligence and sweet nature, hoping to be like her one day. You had seen the way she and Thomas looked at one another back when they didn’t realise that they were in love yet. Your heart is just as broken as the one of the man in front of you, even though you have a different way of showing it.

Unlike him, you do not blame Jesus for what happened nor that He didn’t revive her from this state. When Jesus says it is not the time, you want to trust Him. Even though it is difficult to do so, you are well aware that Him saying no does not take away from His divinity. Ramah loved Jesus, so you refused to do otherwise. After all, you weren’t the one ripped away from life itself way too soon. She whispered her wish for you to follow Him in her dying breath, and so, you would honour that.

The hand you rest on Thomas’ shoulder blades is met with tense muscles. “We need to go,” you croak, your eyes burning with unshed tears. The vintner sniffles and releases your older sister, turning to you with dejected eyes. 

“What will you tell your father?” 

“The truth,” you whisper in honesty.

“You know how he will take it.” 

You nod meekly in reply. “But it is the way of things. Being dishonest about it will not soften the loss.” 

“But it might harden his heart.” 

You bite your lip, letting your gaze go to Jesus as He stands with a few other Disciples, discussing the journey towards Tel Dor to deliver the remains of your sister for burial. “I know,” you say softly, “But I will let Him figure it out.” 

“I don’t know how I feel about Jesus figuring anything out for us right now.” Thomas bitterly confesses through gritted teeth. The words make your chest burn.

“I know you are grieving. I am, too.” 

“I don’t understand why you aren’t angry.” 

Your brow furrows. “I am angry, Thomas. I am enraged at how unfair and broken and full of sin this world is! But it is why we need Him!” Towards the end of your sentence, your voice has increased in volume, and by the time you point at Jesus to put power behind your words, tears roll down your cheeks unannounced. 

Thomas’ throat moves visibly as he swallows. “You know what He can do! You know that Jesus is the Son of God! Could we not have expected of Him to heal Ramah? Did she deserve this, with a faith like hers?!” 

“Jesus owes us nothing!” you sob, “We cannot decide for God to whom He does and does not heal! It is not how things are! If anything, we all deserve death! His ways are not our ways—” 

“I do not need you to rationalise it for me, (Y/n)!” Thomas hisses. 

The two of you stare at one another for a long moment before you avert your gaze. “I know. I’m sorry. We deal with this in our own way. If you need me, you know where to find me, but I’m not looking to argue in a futile attempt to find a reason that both of us will understand. Because neither of us will.” 

Thomas’ gaze softens in apology. “I didn’t mean to yell, either. I suppose we’re both exhausted.” 

You close your eyes and sigh. “Right,” you say, “We should go, yeah? My father is already on his way.” The former vintner nods, and the group sets out on their trip towards your hometown to meet Kafni somewhere in the middle. 

You choose to travel without someone next to you, needing the space to sort out your thoughts. Mary and Tamar seem to understand the sentiment, allowing you the distance.

As you wordlessly walk in front of the humbly decorated bier, your mind drifts to your father. You feel your chest tighten in agony as you picture the anger and grief on his face. Ramah had told you that Kafni was not a believer in Jesus yet, and you have always remained hopeful alongside her. Every night before bed, your older sister and you would pray together that your father may come to Christ. This event, however, makes you way less confident that it would happen one day.

Your gaze is fixed on the back of Jesus’ head. He leads the group, walking with Big James and Simon Zee, eyes upon the horizon. The sun stings your skin. You had imagined your ministry otherwise.

How much hatred would your father spew upon seeing the Messiah Who he would ultimately blame for Ramah’s passing? You pitied his shallow view, had known of his skepticism, and even though it had been your older sister’s greatest wish that Kafni would believe in Him, you are well aware that your father will forever use it as the reason to not believe. 

It’s human nature after all, as it is to try and find a scapegoat to explain a lack of righteousness in this world. It’s an instinctual thing, you remind yourself. The last thing your father needs right now is for you to calmly explain why this happened, even if you would have known the answer.

Dust blooms in the distance, a cluster of people headed your way at a rapid pace. The bier creaks behind you as John and Thomas dutifully push Ramah towards the arms of her loving father. For a moment, Jesus looks over His shoulder to look at you, giving you a small nod, which you mirror. Nervously, you hug your bag a bit tighter to your body.

Kafni can barely keep up with how fast he wants to go. He has called a handful of men from the village to come with him to fetch Ramah, and they leg towards you with purpose. The group halts, Zee releasing the rope he had been using the pull the bier forward. Behind you, you can sense your brother-in-law tensing. 

“Thomas,” Simon the former Zealot mutters, “I’ll talk to them.” For a moment, his gaze goes to you in question, but you shake your head. 

“You stay back, we will take care of it,” suggests Peter.

“No,” Thomas says, “This is ours to do.” You give him a small nod. “I can’t let you shield us from this.” 

“We’ll just ask them what they want and report back, okay?” 

Jesus joins the conversation. “It’s alright, Zee. Thomas, (Y/n), I’ll go with you. We will face them together.” 

The three of you head for your seething father, Jesus holding a hand on both your and Thomas’ shoulders, and you feel your feet heavily thump in the sand with every step as your gaze finds Kafni’s face, almost feeling too overwhelmed to look at him. 

“Where is she?” is the first thing that your father mutters, his bad leg barely allowing him to walk in a straight line as he leans onto his walking stick. “Where is my daughter?!” 

He comes to a halt and looks between you, where the bier with Ramah’s wrapped body stands. 

After a beat of silence, Kafni pushes his way between Jesus and Thomas, completely ignoring your presence alongside them. “Abba!” you try, but the plea is in vain as he hurries to his oldest. Out of breath, he cradles her face and removes the covering from her head, staggering back at the pale greyness of her lips. Ramah looks oddly peaceful. The defeat slips into his shoulders as Kafni leans back over her, starting to break down as he holds her and cries bitter tears. 

 Quietly, the men from the village approach just as he pulls the covering back over her face. You don’t dare to turn to him, feeling his gaze prickle on both Jesus and yourself. The men take the poles of the bier to start pushing it towards Tel Dor. There are no words exchanged, nor is there resistance as Ramah is taken away.

Your father watches the cart go past and takes a breath. “(Y/n). Come.” He doesn’t even look at you.

Your eyes widen. “What?” 

“You will come home with me to Tel Dor.” 

Feeling your throat run dry, you straighten your back. “No.” 

He sharply turns, now finally regarding your presence for the first time ever since walking up to the group. “What do you mean, ‘no’? It isn’t a suggestion.” Kafni steps forward and takes your wrist with more force than he intended. You flinch a little, an almost apologetic look flashing through his gaze before it hardens again. “I am not going to lose you, too.” Behind his words, more heartbreak lingers. 

“Abba,” you whisper, “This is not your choice.” 

“You are all that I have left now.” Kafni pleads, “Please, if you ended up the same, it would be my undoing.” 

You give a small shake of your head. “No, abba, I will not come with you. Ramah would not have wanted me to stop following Jesus.” 

“Ramah is dead!” your father spits, “Because of your Preacher!” 

“It is not His fault—” 

“—If He is such a wonderful Miracle Worker, I have yet to see it! You and your sister may have fallen for this— This blasphemous farce, but I will not let you follow this nonsense any longer!” 

Biting your lip, you fight the tears blurring your vision. They fall regardless, rolling down your cheeks. “We prayed for you every single night,” you tell him, “That you would join us one day—” 

“—And look where that brought your sister!” he hisses bitterly. “You will come with me, home, and we will—” 

“No,” you once again refuse, “Ramah is dead because of a Roman soldier, not because of Jesus.” 

“If the two of you hadn’t gotten the idea to follow some rogue, wayward Preacher—” 

“—Ramah’s last words were a plea to stay with Him.” 

Kafni’s eyebrows knit together. “I can verify that,” Thomas whispers. 

“Of course you can,” your father scoffs. Brief silence as he looks you up and down, pondering over his next words. 

“You will either come with me,” he says, “Or I will go home alone and mourn your passing, too.” 

Your heart rears as the weight of his words settles in. 

You’d be dead to him.

Instead of verbally responding, however, you maintain eye-contact for a few long beats of silence, until the message is loud and clear; you will stay right where you are. Your father gives you a disappointed look as he lets out a noise of disapproval and turns on his heel to follow the men to get your older sister back to Tel Dor.

Thomas attempts to follow Kafni, but is forced to a halt when your father sharply turns. “Thomas, stop! You will proceed no further.” His gaze goes to Jesus. “You are forbidden to enter this town.” 

“Kafni,” Jesus reassures him, “We are in mourning with you. We grieve, but we are not dangerous.” 

“Then why,” your father bites, “Is my daughter dead?” 

Thomas lets out a sob. 

“Dead?!” your father repeats.

“I’m so sorry— I’m so sorry.” 

“You’ve already killed me, Thomas.” Kafni taunts, “And you, (Y/n). Then you went and killed her.” 

Kafni’s gaze goes between you and your brother-in-law. “You did this.” 

“I blame myself.” Thomas whispers, “I’m sorry, I failed in my promise.” 

“Thomas loved Ramah dearly, Kafni.” Jesus adds. “And she loved him.” 

You nod. “And Ramah loved Jesus until her dying breath.” 

The man from Tel Dor won’t hear it, directing his anger towards Jesus. “What are Your words worth?! You are a fraud and a devil! Deceptive sorcerer…!” He pauses, then turns to look at you from the corner of his eye. “The biggest disappointment in my life is that I didn’t teach my daughters better… Both of them. They had brilliant minds until You cast a spell on her.”

“As (Y/n) just mentioned,” Thomas says with sudden confidence, “Ramah was murdered by a Roman, Kafni. And you don’t speak for her. She loved Jesus, just as your other daughter said. She felt her calling was an honour. And she wanted everyone to know that, including you! Maybe you should have listened better to both your children!” 

In an attempt to calm him down, Peter puts his hands on Thomas’ shoulders to lead him away from Kafni. Crying softly, the former vintner allows himself to be pulled back. The group turns to head back to Capernaum, but Jesus, Big James and Zee remain with you for a few more moments. 

“Let’s go,” Jesus announces, turning away to give you a moment with your father. Perhaps for the last time, you think to yourself as tears streak down your face. Instead of a heartfelt goodbye, however, your father spews his disdain as well as dark promise.

“I curse You,” Kafni utters, causing the three men to momentarily turn. “And Your followers.” 

Big James gently leads Jesus away. “We grieve with you,” he calmly responds, the only reasonable reaction to such hate.

Your father’s shoulder hits yours rather painfully as he storms past you, legging after Jesus. “I will spread the word far and wide, as long as blood runs in my veins, I will move mountains to expose You, Jesus of Nazareth!” 

There is immense mourning in Jesus’ eyes as He momentarily looks over His shoulder, snapping you out of your dazed state, and you quickly follow them as your father rants and raves on.

“I will make sure the world knows You are a liar and a murderer!”

“You have made your feelings clear,” Simon Zee speaks up, “We will leave you in peace.” 

“You will see me again,” Kafni threatens, “And when you do, it will be the last thing you see!” 

Zee halts and paces back towards your father, pointing a finger at the man. “I said no more.” His eyes find you. “Come on, (Y/n).” You say nothing whilst you join him. Feeling Kafni stare at the back of your head, you walk towards Jesus and the rest of the group, whom have started to withdraw back to where you came from. 

“(Y/n)!” he exclaims, “Turn back to me now or suffer the eternal consequences!” 

You want to tell him off, to say that he will be the one suffering for eternity instead if he chooses to reject the Messiah like this, but you know that it would not help. Instead, you cannot fight the sob that leaves your lungs, and beside you, Jesus puts a hand on your shoulder, Thomas walking on your other side. 

“Let it all out,” Jesus allows you to cry, “It is not easy losing family, let alone two people in such a short span of time so quickly.” 

“Ramah knew the cost,” you sniffle, “And so do I.” 

Jesus gently squeezes your shoulder. “I know it doesn’t make it any easier. Give yourself time, now. You have a different Father to turn to. Allow yourself to mourn.” 

For a moment, you glance over your shoulder again, seeing your abba’s dejected form stand in the middle of the road, the bier carrying Ramah a dot at the horizon. 

A heavenly Father, yes. One Who is not tied to Earthly boundaries and death itself. You cast your gaze upwards, praying silently for comfort, as you proclaim your faith with every step away from Tel Dor.

[rosiewitchescottage]

The Chosen S4 e4

Under the cut, spoilers for both this episode and for episode 3

Ramah is dead 😥😥😥

Killed by Quintus, who's completely lost the plot.

This is a crime too far, even for Rome, and he faces not only his own demotion. But he has to see Gaius elevated to Praetor, in his place.

Now The Gang have the unenviable task of taking Ramah back home to her family, for burial.

En route, we hear their thoughts about how to help Thomas, who's absolutely beside himself with grief.

On the outskirts of Ramah's home town, they are met by Kafni, with a contingent of either family or neighbours.

Besides his own grief for his daughter, he's angry that Thomas didn't protect her.

But his fury is reserved for Jesus. He curses him, saying that Jesus corrupted Ramah's mind with sorcery!

In a wordless series of vignettes, showing the passage of a few months, we see Kafni in the process of denouncing Jesus. We see Jesus publicly teaching, watched by Roman soldiers and religious elders.

We learn that The Gang will soon be moving on from Caperneum and heading towards Jerusalem.

James and John, urged by their well meaning, but wrong thinking Eema ask Jesus to let them sit at his left and his right in glory.

This goes down like a lead balloon. 🙄

Jesus is devastated and frustrated. Again he emphasises what is going to be happening to him, and how they are not yet ready to share in that, which means that they don't understand what they are asking for.

The climax of the episode is Gaius. He sends for Matthew, who arrives with Simon Peter.

Gaius tells them that he has information that The Sanhedrin are intent on eliminating Jesus. And he wants to protect their Master.

He finally admits to his own belief in Who Jesus Is. He longs to ask Jesus to heal his dying son, but feels unworthy to do so.

Simon Peter and Matthew persuade him that this isn't how Jesus will see things. They encourage him to come with them and ask for help.

Jesus is absolutely thrilled by Gaius' faith in him. He sends the Roman home, telling him that his son is already well.

Gaius homecoming is a beautiful moment. ❤❤❤❤

Frustrated by James and John's ill considered request for glory. Jesus sets The Gang off on their long journey South, towards Jerusalem, saying he'll catch them up.

He goes alone to pray, pacing up and down, clearly wrestling with some heavy thoughts.

There's an occupied building nearby. It's revealed to be where Zeb, Mary M and Tamar are pressing their olives for oil.

This is is a great scene! I suspect we're getting a foreshadowing of Gethsemane, Jesus seeing his Passion in the crushed olives and flowing oil. It terrifies him.

Relief comes in the form of the blissfully grateful Gaius, who pulls Jesus into a hug.

[sublimacje]

What would you think if on The Chosen, Kafni later led a rebellion against the Romans and was given the nickname Barabbas?

I don't think it would be accurate as historians (and not everyone agrees that Barabbas ever existed what's very interesting) say that Barabbas was part of Jewish group called Sicarii (something similar to Zealots) who fought with Romans and killed them frequently. Jews wanted Barabbas to be spared because he was the closest thing to what Jews imagined while thinking about the Messiah – they wanted to be free of Romans.

[loupsgarou]

What would you think if on The Chosen, Kafni later led a rebellion against the Romans and was given the nickname Barabbas?

that would be interesting if he weren’t an older man.

it’s never said how old Barabbas was when he was in Rome’s custody, far as i know, but Barabbas was a brawler for lack of a better word and a troublemaker.

Kafni was acting on his grief and anger, anger at Jesus and Thomas and maybe himself for letting Ramah go. him cursing Jesus can’t have lengthened his own life.

[the-chosen-fanfiction]

I'm not sure if it has been said before.

But when Jesus said "it is not her time" when Thomas begged for Him to bring Ramah back, perhaps He meant for her to rise from the dead the moment Jesus Himself dies on the cross.

The verse in the Bible itself says that this applies to saints, but I can totally see Dallas include this moment in such a way.

I can vividly imagine that in his newfound mission to expose Jesus, Kafni will come to stand face to face with his risen daughter unexpectedly, which causes him to believe at last.

(Ref: Matthew 27:51-53) (Note: The Chosen is not 100% Biblically accurate nor does it claim to be.)

[sojourner-between-worlds]

Things/people I'd like to see more of in future seasons of the Chosen:

Matthew's dog. More of the Best Boy, please.

Matthew's family, including his sister. Honestly I'd love to see a scene of him sharing Shabbat with them.

Kafni. He's an interesting character, willing to give up his daughter to a cause he doesn't even believe in.

Photina and Neriah

Gaius. Ya'll should already know this, however, lol.

Nicodemus. Especially since he's one of the men who requests Jesus' body.

Shmuel. Love to hate him, lol.

Quintus for same reason as Shmuel, lol.