The Jesus Conspiracy by Thomas Gordon;

Author:Thomas, Gordon; [Thomas, Gordon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1805150
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
Published: 2011-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Jesus and the disciples reached the vicinity of Bethany without incident. Simon had gone ahead and returned with the reassuring news that the Temple guards had not returned, but Lazarus and his sisters were back home. Jesus led the way down the winding path which descended from the desert through a wadi into the village. Like many other Jewish settlements the hamlet was too small to have a protective wall and gates which could be closed at night with sentries posted on the battlements. Its workmen’s houses and unpaved streets huddled round a couple of wells. The community numbered too few to warrant its own court of law and a judge; all crimes were referred to the Small Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. No one could remember when that had last happened; the people of Bethany were hardworking, God-fearing and law-abiding. Yet, despite its lack of size, it was still a noisy place from early morning to late at night; only in the heat of the day were the alleys and courtyards peaceful.

The arrival of Jesus was a matter of further excitement, following on the heels of the return of Mary, her sister and brother. Virtually the whole village followed Jesus to the house where they waited to greet him. He climbed the stairs to the flat roof, picked his way over Lazarus’ tools, avoiding the washing spread out to dry. Many times these past years he had used a roof to emphasize a point. “That which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” Jesus thanked the villagers for the welcome and asked for their understanding; in the morning he must go to Jerusalem, tonight he wanted to be with his three friends in their home. The onlookers saw the emotional significance of the request; the word “home” had a strong biblical connotation; it was a reminder that the Chosen People had ceased their wandering and no longer lived in tents but had sent down permanent roots. Respecting his wish, the gathering dispersed.

Lazarus had built a house for his sisters and himself around a central courtyard with sleeping accommodation and other small rooms leading from it. During the evening Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene arrived. The women had walked from Galilee for another Passover; his mother had not seen him for months. Since that clash in the synagogue he had never returned to Nazareth. As they greeted each other, the recognition of the redemptive sacrifice he must make was already seared into her face. But there, too, was the realization that she must accept it—that the reality of what he must soon experience was, in part, designed as a test of her faith in his messianic mission. What passed between them was more than words: it was an understanding that he would not be able to help her struggle between her feelings as a mother and accepting that she had borne him for this one purpose.

Apart from his mother one other woman enjoyed a special intimacy with him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.