Christmas gold, p.273
Christmas Gold, page 273
CHAPTER XV.
LAZARUS.
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Lazarus, that name which Jesus had given to the poor beggar carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom, was also the name of a friend whom He loved dearly, and of whom His mind was at this moment full. About the same time that the Pharisees had come to Him with their cunning stratagem to drive Him into Judea, there had reached Him a message from the home in Bethany: ‘Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick.’ Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, did not, because they could not, urge their Lord to come to them. The peril was great Nay, if He had gone at once He would have fallen into the very snare His enemies had laid for Him. He stayed, therefore, two days where He was, teaching the people as usual, and betraying no design of leaving that place. But on the third day, when the danger was somewhat passed by, though His disciples still remonstrated with Him for venturing again to Judea, He set out for Bethany. Thomas, the most timid and doubtful of the disciples, said to his companions, in a despair which proves the strength of his attachment to his master, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him.’
It was a toilsome journey, hurriedly and secretly taken. The disciples, like other men in a country of foes, must have been anxious and uneasy, not altogether seeing the necessity of this new peril. The Lord Himself was probably troubled and sorrowful, for He knew that Lazarus was dead, and He sympathized with the grief of his sisters. On the fourth day after his death He reached the village, but did not enter it, only sending a message to the sisters that He had come. The house was filled with Jews from Jerusalem, which was only two miles away, and Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was near, rose up, and went out to meet Him, lest He should be unaware of the risk He was running. But Mary was too deeply sunk in sorrow even to hear that He who loved them was so close at hand. It was not until He sent Martha to her, who told her secretly, ‘The Master is come, and calleth for thee,’ that she knew He was there.
Mary did not possess Martha’s characteristic caution and prudence. She rose up quickly, and hurried to seek Jesus outside the town where He was staying, without attempting to conceal her movements. A number of the Jews followed her, thinking she was going to her brother's grave to weep there. The whole company, weeping and mourning, came to the place where Jesus was waiting for Mary, in the midst of His anxious disciples. But the grief of the two sisters, and His own tears, saved Him at this moment They even wept with them, and exclaimed, ‘Behold, how He loved him!’ In a sacred brotherhood of grief they led Him to the cave where His friend had been lying for four days.
Some of them, who had known of the miracle performed on the blind beggar, asked among themselves if He could not have saved Lazarus from dying. But it was too late now. Here was the grave, with the stone laid upon it, beneath which the dead body had been decaying these four days. Even Martha objected to having the stone taken away. It may be that some among them had heard how the widow’s son, at Nam, had appeared to come to life again when he was about to be buried; but how different that was to the case of a man so well known, who had been dead so long! Close by Jerusalem, too, where the rulers were seeking to put Jesus to death as an impostor!
But the stone was taken away, and all stood silent, looking on with awe. Did Jesus wish to see once again the form of His friend, now conquered by the last enemy, Death? He did not enter into the cave, but crying with a loud voice., which rang through the silence of the crowd and the stillness of the grave, He said, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’
How every heart must have throbbed! Was it possible that the dead ear could catch the sound, and the dead form move? Did they press round the cave, or shrink away in fear? We cannot tell; but the moment of suspense was short They could hear a stir and movement within the sepulchre; and Lazarus, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes, and his face hidden from them by a napkin, appeared in the doorway on which all eyes were fastened. The deathly pallor of his face had vanished, and his eyes were bright again with life, before they could take away the cloth that hid it; and the limbs that had been bound in grave-clothes for four days were strong enough to carry him home to his house, across whose door-sill they had borné him in the stillness and helplessness of death.
Many of the people from Jerusalem who saw this miracle believed in Jesus. We may confidently suppose that for this night at least He was secure from all attempts to arrest Him; and that He could safely stay with the friends He had so marvellously blessed. But some of the bystanders went their way at once to the Pharisees to tell them what had been done. The time was at last come when the chief priests began to take a more active interest in crushing this prophet from Nazareth. They were mostly Sadducees; Caiaphas the high priest, and Annas, his father-in-law, a most powerful man, being at the head of the Sadducees. Hitherto they had regarded Jesus with contempt, as one beneath their notice. But one of their leading tenets was the denial of the resurrection; and this strange story from Bethany could not but be exceedingly repulsive and alarming to them. They took counsel together with the Pharisees to put Him to death; and as they, the aristocracy of the Temple, had much more political power than the middle-class Pharisees, their antagonism greatly increased the peril of Jesus. Caiaphas, the high priest, was exceedingly emphatic upon the necessity of destroying Him, saying sharply to the counsel, ‘Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.’
Jesus had two friends among these counsellors thus plotting His death, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea; and possibly they gave Him instant warning of His increasing danger, for He left Bethany immediately, and that home which He had made so happy, to withdraw to Ephraim, a town on the borders of Samaria, where at any hour He could cross the frontier and place Himself beyond the reach of both Sadducees and Pharisees. He stayed there not many weeks, and then began His last farewell circuit through Samaria and Galilee, as it would seem rather for the purpose of visiting these places once more, than of teaching or of healing. It was now the early spring, and the corn-fields of Samaria and Galilee would be already springing into life under the ripening sun; half-opened leaf-buds were green upon the trees; and the grassy turf was strewn with daisies, and lilies, and anemones of all colours. Probably He crossed the plain of Esdraelon, over which He had so often gazed from the hills of Nazareth. But we do not find that He ventured into any of the familiar villages; but rather, like one hunted as a partridge upon the mountains, the wandering Son of Man turned aside out of Galilee, and descending into the deep valley of the Jordan, waited on the eastern bank of the river for His hour to come; that hour which was very soon to strike.
But even here He was not left alone in peace with His disciples. The spies, with whom He was always surrounded, came to Him as usual with perplexing and difficult questions. ‘Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?’ they asked. Herod, as we know, had put away his wife to marry Herodias, much to the displeasure of his people, who regarded it as a scandalous act. This question of divorce was one angrily disputed among the people, and especially among the Pharisees. It could scarcely be answered without giving deep offence to large numbers of persons. For once Jesus took the side of the bitter and bigoted Pharisees of the school of Shammai; and by so doing gave occasion to His own disciples to venture upon a remonstrance to Him, saying the case of the man was hard. But the women, who were the real sufferers under the law, were greatly pleased; and immediately upon His answer, so wise and just, becoming known, they brought to Him their little children, both girls and boys, that He might pray for them. The disciples somewhat bitterly rebuked their enthusiasm, and would have sent them away, had not Jesus interfered, being much displeased. He had come to raise woman to her proper position, and to make little children the care of all who would enter the kingdom of God. He ordered them, therefore, to be brought to Him, and having laid His hands upon their heads, and blessed them, He left the place; probably lest the enthusiasm of the women should create too great a commotion.
Not long after this there came to Him a rich young man, a ruler of a synagogue, who had kept the law from his youth up, and wanted some good thing yet to do. Quickly, Jesus put him to the test ‘If thou wilt be perfect,’ He answered, ‘go and sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ He was exceedingly grieved at this reply, and went away sorrowful Jesus, who, when He saw him, loved him, exclaimed mournfully, ‘How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!’ Upon that, Peter began to contrast himself and his fellow-disciples with this rich ruler, saying, ‘No, we have left all to follow Thee!’ It was true; and Jesus must have felt deeply the faithfulness of His simple-minded followers. He promised them that they should receive the reward the young ruler had been seeking to obtain, even eternal life. But, as though He must check the vain hopes always at work in their hearts, He told them many that were first should be last, and the last first.
CHAPTER XVI.
THE LAST SABBATH.
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Lingering on the eastern banks of Jordan till a few days before the passover, Jesus was there no doubt joined by His mother, His kinsmen, and the women from Galilee, who had so often ministered to Him, as they went up to Jerusalem for the feast. Numbers of pilgrims had already gone up before the feast-day to purify themselves; and both the chief priests and Pharisees had given commandment that if any man knew where He was, he should tell it. They wished to take Him quietly, before the great masses of the people were gathered together in the Holy City; but they began to fear that He would stay away, as He had done the year before. They asked one another in the Temple, ‘What think ye, that He will not come to the feast?’
Already Jesus was on His way, and was pressing onward, His face set towards Jerusalem He went before His bewildered and troubled disciples, as though eager to get to His journey’s end. The disciples were often depressed by His incomprehensible warnings, but still oftener they seem to have been dazzled by visions of some approaching splendour. Amongst the women who had joined them from Galilee was Salome, the mother of James and John. She came to beg a boon from Him—that her sons might sit on His right hand and on His left in His kingdom. Though the rest were much displeased with James and John because of this petition, they had frequently discussed among themselves which should be the greatest; and possibly Judas, who kept the common purse, felt himself of more importance than the others, and at least certain of being treasurer in the coming kingdom. Jesus called them to Him, and after telling them that whosoever among them would be the chiefest must be the servant of all, He added the beautiful saying, ‘For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.’
But what did His mother think of this kingdom of her son’s? We do not know. She was now once more with Him, treading the familiar, yearly pilgrimage which they had taken together for so many happy spring-tides. Probably, she partook more fully of the mood and spirit of Christ than His other friends; and though now and then there might be a flutter of timid hope in her mother’s heart, His grave, sad face, and solemn warnings, must have prepared her for the darkness, not the splendour, of the coming hour.
The city of Jericho was a few miles from the Jordan, on the way to Jerusalem, standing in a magnificent grove of palm-trees, and amid gardens of balsam. Jesus was passing through the city, surrounded by a multitude of followers and curious spectators, when the chief of the tax-gatherers, a rich man, who was desirous to see Him, ran before, and climbed into a tree; for he was little of stature, and, in spite of his wealth, possessed no favour or influence with his fellow-country men, that they should make way for him in the press. Jesus, coming to the place, looked up, and called him by name. ‘Zaccheus, make haste, and come down,’ He said; ‘for to-day I must abide at thy house. Joyfully he descended from among the branches, and led the way to his dwelling-place. But at this all who saw it murmured. The man was a notorious sinner, one who had enriched himself by unfair means, besides engaging in an infamous trade. But Jesus had not called him without knowing his nature, and what influence He could exercise over him. A day or two before, when the rich young ruler had come to ask what more good things he should do, having kept the law from his youth up, Jesus had proposed to him as a test that he should sell all that he had, and give to the poor. We know how he shrank from giving up his riches. This very test Zaccheus adopted of his own choice. He stood up in the midst of his accusing fellow-citizens, and said, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.’ If the cheating of Zaccheus in his tax-gathering had been on any large scale, this restitution would leave him a poor man indeed. Jesus, knowing how hard it was for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, said to him, ‘This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham;’ and He finished by perhaps His most beautiful and most characteristic saying, ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’
Probably Jesus stayed that night in the house of Zaccheus; and set out the next morning for Bethany. A numerous body of friends and pilgrims as usual gathered around Him to accompany Him up the steep and rocky road, which led to the Mount of Olives, under the brow of which stood the little village where Lazarus lived. The day before, as He entered into Jericho, a blind man had heard Him passing by, and asked who it was coming thus surrounded by a crowd. Now this blind man, with a comrade in the same plight, sat by the wayside, waiting for His approach. No sooner did they hear that Jesus of Nazareth was nigh, than they began to cry out to Him, a shrill, piercing cry, which reached His ear, even amid the babble of the crowd. It was a strange cry in Judea. ‘Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on us!’ ‘Son of David!’ All who heard it knew what it meant: and many amongst them must have been offended. They rebuked the blind men, and charged them to hold their peace. One of them was a well-known beggar, blind Bartimeus; but he was the loudest in his petition, crying out a great deal the more in spite of their displeasure, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still, and called the blind men to Him, having compassion on them; and they, receiving their sight, followed Him up the steep ascent to Bethany, glorifying God.
It was probably Friday when Jesus entered Bethany; and one quiet Sabbath day He spent there with His friends, Lazarus and his sisters. No doubt they had been forewarned of His arrival, and Martha, as once before, had been cumbered with household cares in His honour. For they made Him a feast, in the house of Simon, a leper who had been restored to health by the Lord; and Martha served at this supper. It was only a few weeks since Lazarus had been called back from the grave; and this was the first opportunity they had had of giving Him public honour and thanksgiving. The Sabbath was always a day of feasting and rejoicing among the Jews; and no doubt a large company was invited on this occasion—so large, perhaps, that Simon’s house was chosen as being more commodious than their own. It is specially noticed that Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus; and that much people of the Jews knew that the Lord was there, and came out to see not Him only, but Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
Mary, wishful to show her love and devotion as well as Martha, who was waiting upon their Master, and counting nothing too costly to be spent for such a purpose, brought an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and breaking the box, anointed both His head and His feet with it, caring not to save a drop of the rare perfume for any other use. The fragrance of it filled the whole house where they were assembled. Some of the disciples, specially Judas Iscariot, felt indignant at this extravagance. For they were poor man, unaccustomed to luxury, and naturally intolerant of expensive whims, such as this act of Mary's seemed to them.
‘Why was this waste of ointment made?’ they asked. Judas calculated how much it was worth, and said it might have been sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor. These murmurs troubled Mary, who had thought of nothing but how she could best show her love to the Master. ‘Let her alone,’ said Jesus; ‘against the day of My burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you, but Me ye have not always.’ They were mournful words for Mary to hear. Was she indeed anointing her Lord beforehand, as if already death had laid its hand secretly upon Him? Was it for this she had saved her precious ointment? She had kept it carefully to be used on some rare occasion, and now that she had poured it all without stint upon His head and feet, He said it was for His burial! But to take away if possible the sting of His sad words, Jesus said tenderly, ‘Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached in the whole world, this shall be told as a memorial of her.’
This feast, given so publicly to Jesus, aroused the anger of the chief priests against Lazarus. The miracle had been so manifest, and so difficult, if not impossible, to gainsay, that by reason of him many of the people in Jerusalem believed in Jesus. That Lazarus also must be put to death was the decision arrived at by the chief priests; though the Pharisees do not seem to have had anything to do with this resolve. He was too well known at Jerusalem for him to be left as a witness to the miraculous powers of Jesus of Nazareth.
BOOK III.
VICTIM AND VICTOR.
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CHAPTER I.
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