ANOTHER PASSOVER
The year between the Passover feasts of 32 and 33 A. D. had been a busy
and eventful one in the Bethany household where Jesus made his home
during much of the time of his Judean teaching. Out of his frequent
visits and the thoughtful ministrations of Mary and Martha had come an
intimacy that had cemented the bands of love between them, while
Lazarus and the young Rabbi, close as brothers, studied the Law and the
Scriptures together.
Through the year Martha and Joel had been making preparations for their
marriage which was to take place soon after the Passover and in this
wedding Jesus was deeply interested. But the one great event of the
year had been the death and resurrection of Lazarus. This strange
event had not only been the miracle talk of the home, but it had been
widely discussed in Jerusalem.
Passover guests were beginning to throng the highways leading to
Jerusalem, and the home at Bethany was set in order for the coming of
Joseph of Arimathea and Jesus of Galilee, who were again to be guests
of Lazarus. Martha and Joel sat in the big window talking over their
own affairs while Mary and Lazarus stood by the table looking over a
scroll, all four meantime, listening for the approach of their guests.
"Is it not strange," Lazarus said, "that in the name of those who were
stoned yesterday for being prophets, the prophets of to-morrow are
stoned to-day."
"There are no good prophets but dead prophets," Mary answered.
"So it seemeth," and Lazarus turned to the scroll and began to read.
"The ox knoweth--" The words were interrupted by a knocking at the
door which both Mary and Lazarus hastened to answer.
"It is Joseph of Arimathea," said Lazarus.
"Perhaps Jesus cometh first," Mary replied, laughing.
The door was thrown open to Joseph who was greeted warmly, relieved of
his cloak and seated for foot-washing.
"Aye, but we are glad to have thee," Lazarus said, shaking his hand.
"The year hath been long since we saw thee last," Mary said, and Martha
added, "Thou dost honor us to be our Passover guest."
"The blessing of God be on thee, my daughters, and thou, Lazarus. And,
Joel, it seemeth I saw thee here also at the last Passover."
"Yea, indeed," laughed Lazarus. "And art like to find him here next
Passover, eh, Martha?" and his laughter called forth a response of
merriment from the company.
Before the face of Lazarus had yet straightened into its accustomed
good-natured lines, Joseph was looking intently upon it.
"Lazarus, my young friend," he said, stroking his long white beard,
"for one that hath been dead thy voice beareth strange meaning. Yea,
verily, my ears can not believe what my eyes behold. Of much people
have I heard of thy coming from the tomb where thou hast lain four
days. Now would I hear from thy lips of this miracle. Wast thou of a
surety dead?"
"So sayest those who did entomb me."
"And yet do I see thee alive," and his hand came to a rest on his
flowing beard as he studied Lazarus.
"So do I bear witness," Martha said, laughing. "Though it has been
weeks since the strange thing came to pass, yet doth he devour food as
doth the grasshopper that eateth clean the face of the earth."
"Ha! ha! Four days be a good fast to one not given to fasting,"
Lazarus replied to Martha.
"Herein is a marvel," and the hand of Joseph still lay quiet against
his beard. "Thou sayest thou wert dead?"
"Nay. I said those who did entomb me so said."
"The Law doth teach," and Joseph moved his hand down his beard slowly,
"that when the sword of death doth enter the soul of man from its cruel
point doth a drop of corruption enter into the flesh, of which death
maketh more corruption. The sword of death did enter thy soul, but not
the drop of corruption?"
"Of this I bear testimony," Martha quickly answered. "I feared greatly
to have the tomb opened lest the stench of corruption should sicken the
mourners."
"And there was no stench?" said Joseph, turning to Martha.
"None save the odor of grave spices."
"Then of a fact there must be death from which there is an awakening."
"Yea, surely." It was Lazarus who answered. "In days of old did not
the prophets make some to sneeze and sit up on their biers while others
might not sneeze for all the prophets?"
"Much have I heard of prophets raising the dead. Yet had none turned
to corruption."
"Even Jesus doth make no claim of bringing back to life those whose
flesh hath turned black."
Joseph made no reply to the last speech of Lazarus, but turned to Mary
and said, "What thinketh thou?"
"As my brother hath spoken," she replied. "There is one death, and
there is another death. Into one hath corruption entered. Into the
other it hath not. Hath not Jesus made this plain? Yet because of
their ignorance do the people not understand. When he did enter the
house of Jarius, synagogue ruler at Capernaum, to raise his daughter,
did he not tell them plainly the damsel was not dead? Yet wept they
and howled. And when he sought to quiet them by again saying, 'She
sleepeth only,' did they laugh him to scorn. But when he did take the
little damsel by the hand and bid her arise, she awakened. Then did
the shout go up, 'A miracle! A miracle!' The Master doth thus teach
there is a death from which the sleeper may be awakened. How cruel it
is to seal such dead in the tomb!"
"Thou hast spoken, Mary," Joseph answered. "Fearful it is." Then he
turned to Lazarus. "Canst tell how thy soul did feel as thou didst
pass into the state of the dead?"
"Of feeling I had no knowledge. The incantations of the physician grew
feeble as the buzzing of a bee. The pleading of Martha reached my ears
like a child's call over a vast mountain, and the eyes of Mary, rimmed
in tears, did sink into darkness like stars in a far sky and then go
out. Yea, sight, sound, feeling, even knowledge of my own soul faded
away--for how long I know not. They do tell me it was four days. Once
as I lay asleep I did feel something like a cold flutter and faint
touch across my cheek as in a dream, and from a great distance seemed
to come the scent of spice. Then did something startle me. Aye, the
blood in my veins which had refused to run, gave a mighty leap forward,
there came a flood of air and a great burst of sunlight which did shine
through my being, and I awoke and did walk from the tomb in obedience
to the voice that called me forth--_it was the voice of Jesus_."
Joseph shook his head slowly saying, "I understand not. Herein lieth a
mystery."
"Yea, a mystery," Lazarus repeated.
"A mystery to those who understand not," Mary said. "But to the Master
it seemeth to be no mystery. Once when I sat with him upon the
house-top and marveled at the mystery of music, he did tell me that the
soul of man is made of Waves of Being. Yet did I not understand until
again he taught me. And this have I gathered of his wondrous
wisdom--all Time and all Space, and all Power that moves therein is a
Great Sea of Waves of Being. And the soul of man is like a tiny cupful
of the Waves of Being, dipped from this sea that lieth between endless
shores. And for a time these waves run to and fro in that which hath
the form of a man. Then do they depart into another form that the eye
beholdeth not. But whether these Waves of Being are making motion in
the Great Sea of the Universe or the soul of man, they are one and the
same waves, so that from a great force without is a great force within
played upon, and we call it a mystery. Yet, when he had told all this
I did not understand clearly, nor when he called the Great Sea by the
name of 'God' and the soul of man a little God. But when he called
this Universal Sea of Waves of Being by the name of 'Love,' then had he
reached my understanding, for under the teaching of Jesus, the Master,
hath my own soul come to know a love boundless as the Sea of Being
itself. Since God is love, and God is life, it cometh that love is
life and according as a man loveth, be it much or little, so doth he
possess the powers of life. So all things are possible according as
one hath the power of loving. Is it strange therefore that to him who
loveth as Jesus doth, uncommon power be given? There _is_ a mystery.
_It is the mystery of love_."
"What eye is this that thou seest these things with, Mary?" Joseph
asked, after a moment of silence.
"Sometimes," she answered, smiling, "methinks I have a third eye that
hath long been sealed, but under the teaching of him whom we love, is
opening to the light."
"Thou art a wise disciple."
"Much wisdom is required of those to whom much opportunity is given.
Many of these things are grave yet simple, even as the fulfillment of
the Law by casting the Law aside is grave, yet simple."
"Mary," said Joel, "thy speeches ofttimes sound simple, yet are thy
words like a keen blade in a soft kid case. Thy talk would disturb my
peace of mind had I time to think on it."
"What doth now threaten to disturb thy peace of mind, Joel?" Lazarus
asked.
"In the setting aside of the Law I see great danger, yet Jesus is ever
so doing. Lo, it hath come to my ears that he hath declared no writing
of divorcement be given by a man, save for one reason."
"Even so, what matter?" Lazarus asked.
"Hath it not been since the days of Moses that a man be the rightful
head of the woman, and to him is given power to put her away when his
judgment sees fit?"
"Yea, for spoiling his mutton."
"And what man chooseth to dine on spoiled mutton?"
"Or scorching his porridge?"
"Scorched porridge maketh not a sweet temper for a man."
"Or speaking back with a sharp tongue?"
"Shouldst not a woman's tongue be meek in the presence of her husband?"
"And in thine own memory," Lazarus said to Joel as a climax, "hath not
a Rabbi put away an old and faithful wife for a fresh and ruddy one,
for no reason save her lack of freshness?"
"So doth the Law give man his right," Joel answered.
"And now cometh a Teacher who sayeth to this sort 'Nay!'" And Lazarus
laughed, for concern was written on the face of Joel as he spoke again.
"Canst thou not see whereunto this liberty to women will lead? Aye,
even there may come a time when women will be allowed to give a man a
writing of divorcement."
"Even so,--ha! ha! If he doth beat her with a stick or refuse to feed
her, let her do this to him."
"I look for the world to come to a speedy end when the Law and the
traditions of the Elders are overturned," and Joel heaved a heavy sigh.
"The traditions of the Elders," Mary repeated. "Often hath the Master
spoken of the Elders and their traditions. They claim to sit in the
seat of Moses, knowing not that the seat of Moses did pass with the
passing of Moses. As saw their fathers, so see they; as spoke their
fathers, so speak they; as did their fathers, so try they to do,
forgetting this, that as the times of their fathers have perished, so
have perished their needs, and with the coming of new generations have
come new needs. 'Harken not to these neither now nor in the days to
come,' saith the Master. 'They be blind leaders of the blind. Beware
thou that man who boasts of changing not.'"
"I perceive that closely thou hast learned of Jesus. Tell me now,
wherein, thinkest thou, lieth the secret that shall bring the Kingdom
of which he doth ever speak?"
The question was asked Mary by Joseph. She said, "Once was I standing
in the far end of the garden where the soil had been made soft for a
row of mustard trees. And the seed lay upon the palm of my hand when
Jesus did come softly behind me saying, 'What hast thou?' For answer I
held forth my hand black with seed like dust. 'Watch thou, Mary,' were
his words. 'As the tree doth come from the seed, so cometh the
Kingdom.' Then went he on a long journey. Returning he did ask of my
garden. Again did we walk to the far end where the wall was hidden by
branching mustard trees. And as we drew near the flutter of wings
greeted us, and over the garden wall to the olive trees flew the fowls
of the air that had gathered in the mustard tree to eat its bright
fruit and lodge in its branches. Then again did he speak of the
Kingdom saying, 'Lo, from the life of the tiny seed thou held in thine
hand hath come this more abundant life. Even so shall the Kingdom come
from the seed sowing of Truth. Truth is--'" The words of Mary who had
been sitting in the window came to a sudden stop. A step outside had
attracted her attention. She sprang up and hastened to put a fresh
basin of water by the guest stool at the door. Then she went back to
the window and piled cushions in a corner, making ready for a guest.
Before she had finished Lazarus was laughing.
"When Mary's hand, without the goad of Martha's tongue, fall diligently
to indoor labor, then know we who cometh."