SAUL & THE RESURRECTION CHAPTER TWENTY TWO- Page 1

EARLY THE FOLLOWING morning, the sun was shining from a cloudless sky. Esrom stooped at the door to kiss Miriam. "I will return tonight but it will probably be very late. So, try not to worry about me."

He hurried down the stairs and headed for the road through the hill country to the north. Walking briskly in the fresh morning air, he arrived on the outskirts of Emmaus in less than two hours. He had promised a friend Cleopas that he would stop for refreshment at his home whenever passing through the town. He found Cleopas in a despondent mood. His hope that Jesus would be the Messiah had been dashed to the ground, and his outlook for the future faith of the followers of Jesus was crushed. Although Esrom would have liked to linger a while with Cleophas, he drank water, ate some fruit and continued quickly on to Arimathea.

At noon Esrom stopped at the historic Inn in Modin, where the priest Mattathias once killed the emissary of Antiochus, the Syrian king who tried to force the people to offer a pagan sacrifice. When Esrom had refreshed himself again, he left the inn and wound his way through the hills on to Arimathea. In this city at the foot of Mount Ephraim, Samuel the prophet was born, eleven centuries previously. On the southern edge of the city stood a magnificent home, the residence of Joseph.
His destination in sight, Esrom paused at a roadside fountain to wash his face. He rested while admiring the gardens and orchards that surrounded the home of the distinguished man who had buried Jesus.

Soon Esrom made his way to the expansive entrance of the home. When a servant announced his arrival, Joseph immediately appeared and received Esrom with a warm embrace.

"Did you leave Jerusalem this morning?" Joseph asked.

"Yes."

"You made excellent time, Esrom, and you need nourishment. I will ask for food to be brought to you immediately."

"That will not be necessary. I stopped at the Inn in Modin. My purpose for coming, Joseph, is to inquire about the future for believers in Jesus, now that he is dead."

Moments later, as the two were seated in a quiet place in the garden, Esrom told Joseph how he had passed through Emmaus, and found Cleophas most despondent, openly declaring that he had placed hope in Jesus in vain. As he talked, Joseph carefully watched Esrom to see if he reflected the same attitude.

"You and Nicodemus took him from the cross," Esrom said. "Tell me about it."

"We had the body prepared with 100 pounds of ointment, spices and ingredients, just as Lazarus' body was prepared. I watched as they wrapped him in strips of linen and laid him in the grave. I had the entrance of the tomb prepared with a heavy stone. I saw the stone rolled back in place. It took two men to move it. The Roman guard attached the seal, and it is interesting, the Temple Guard standing nearby watched me closely. He asked if I felt dismay to see the seal attached. I surprised him when I said that I, as much as the High Priest, did not want anyone stealing this body away. Finally, I stayed at the tomb until the first changing of the guard. It is well protected."

"I have heard," Esrom answered, "that when the priests spoke to Pilate about the burial, they characterized Jesus as a deceiver who said while he was alive, that 'After three days, I will rise again.' Jesus did say that, didn't he, Joseph?"

"He not only said it once, nor even twice, Esrom. He continued to repeat this statement. That is the principal reason I wanted him buried in my own tomb. Esrom, my confirmation comes from no less than Peter himself. I asked him, when they arrived in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus had first made this statement. He said, 'Well, the first time was over a year ago when we had come into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi.' He said that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders, and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again on the third day. He said that Jesus mentioned it again when Peter, James and John were with him on the mountain. And again, while still in Galilee, he said, 'The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall rise again.'

"He said this so often, Esrom, this statement became widely known and repeated. When he was dying some in the crowd threw the promise back in his face. They shouted, 'Thou that destroyest the Temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself.' They had heard Jesus say as much in a metaphor while in Jerusalem. He said, 'Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up.' He also used the illustration of Jonah, when he said, 'As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.'
"So, his disciples heard him say he would die and on the third day rise again. You and I heard. The priests heard him say this. The masses heard him say it. This is why the crowd at the cross mocked him with his words. This is why Caiaphas was so adamant that Pilate make the tomb secure until the third day."

"Do you know much of Pilate?"

"Pilate is not an ignorant man. He is cruel and hard, but a man to be pitied, I think. His whole face and character reflects an emptiness of meaning. He fought his way to the position of procurator, and after arriving in Judea, he seemed to hate every minute of it. He hates the Roman way of surfeiting. At Roman feasts here in Judea he would quote Seneca in scorn, Comunt ut edant, edunt ut vomant; 'They vomit to eat and eat to vomit.' So the endless rounds of banquets and games at the circus never brought him what he was looking for. He was heard quoting Euripedes, "All man's life is but ailing and dim and rest upon earth comes never . . . other life is a fountain sealed, and we drift on legends forever.' Pilate seems at least spiritually interested. He may have heard about Jesus' promise to rise from the dead and he may be curious about it."

"But I suspect that it is more than that," Esrom replied. "Pilate despises the Roman gods. On the other hand, when Jesus said to Pilate, 'I came into the world to bear witness to the truth,' Pilate answered like a true seeker, "What is truth?" he asked.

"So, if Pilate was told that Jesus said he would enter the grave and rise again, he may be seeking the truth of that statement?"

Esrom nodded.

"Pilate knows that this is not about Jesus being an earthly king," Joseph continued. "No other king, ruler or emperor has ever made such a claim. And if what I hear is correct, Jesus said that he would rise on the third day, and that is tomorrow."

"If Jesus does not rise, then I must say I agree with Cleopas whom I saw this morning in Emmaus, that we have been misled. I think often of his broken, bloodstained, lifeless body, Joseph. You and Nicodemus were the last to touch him. Can you . . . do you believe this one you wrapped in grave clothes and placed in your tomb . . . do you believe he can arise?" Esrom gazed intently into the face of his friend.

Joseph closed his eyes and sat in silence. His mind said "Impossible" but something in his heart hindered him from saying so to Esrom. The struggle between the natural mind and the inner spirit would always be the same. The mind could say "no" when the heart said "yes." How could this be? Which would prove right? Slowly Joseph of Arimathea, distinguished ruler and member of Jerusalem's Council, turned to his guest Esrom, and in a voice so low it was barely audible, he said, "I can only wait and see."

"And, Joseph, if he should rise again, what will be the future for his followers? Are you able to foresee what their lot could be?"

"If he appeared on a horse like Alexander, or leading a victor's parade like a general in Rome, then all would hail him as the promised One, the Messiah. But, how will he come? And if he does, to whom? This, Esrom, I cannot say." Then with a serious expression, Joseph said, "Should he manifest himself only to his own, only to those of us who believed in him, then his enemies will endeavor to exterminate us."

At this point, Esrom realized his learned friend had said all that he could say. "You are right, Joseph, we can only wait and see. And we need wait only one more day." Getting to his feet quickly, Esrom embraced his guest, saying, "I must leave now, Joseph."

"But evening shadows are already falling, and it means you will be walking through the hills in the dark. It will be nearly daybreak when you arrive home. Are you sure you want to start back now?"
"Very sure, Joseph. No matter what happens or does not happen tomorrow, it will be a most significant day for both the friends and foes of Jesus. And I must get home before morning."
Joseph said a final farewell to Esrom and watched him leave. The night was cool, and Esrom hurried through the darkness on roads virtually deserted at this late hour. When he reached Modin, there were early travelers already moving toward the city of Jerusalem, with their carts, caravans and carriages, and many on foot like himself.

In Jerusalem, Miriam continued to linger at the window, looking down on the dimly lit streets, hoping no harm had come to Esrom as he journeyed alone in the night.

Saul could see how weary his sister had grown. "Why don't you retire, Miriam? I will wait up for Esrom."

Feeling the need of some rest, for the past days had been ones of great strain, Miriam followed her brother's advice, and was just falling asleep when she heard her brother removing the bars on the door, and saying, "We are glad you are back safely, Esrom. I encouraged Miriam to retire, and told her I would be glad to let you in when you arrived home."

It was not what he said that impressed Esrom. It was the tone of his voice and attitude that was so different from his former days. Esrom did not know whether inwardly he appreciated this radical change or not. He was annoyed at his own feelings. He felt Saul was too kind, and almost patronizingly so, with a voice that sounded like he was seeking to comfort someone who had failed. Harder still for Esrom to accept was the fact that time was now run out for the final test of the promise Jesus had made. He found himself fighting hard for a spark of faith that now seemed lost in the dying embers of defeat.

He silently climbed the stairs to Miriam's room. "Joseph could not give me any assurance. All he could say was, 'Esrom, we will have to wait and see. But we won't have long to wait.'" Esrom almost welcomed the thought of retiring exhausted, and for at least a few hours he could sleep and escape the turmoil that raged within. Miriam shared much the same feeling, and it did not help her own morale to see Esrom depressed.

Hardly had his head touched the pillow than Esrom was fast asleep. Hulda and Joel remained asleep in their rooms, and Miriam dropped into a chair near her bed. The house seemed deathly quiet.

Suddenly, Miriam gave a start, and stood to her feet. There was a violent pounding at the door. Then it came again and again, as though the caller was desperate. Frightened, she shook Esrom who sprang to his feet, wondering if the enemies of Jesus had come to seize members of his family. As he hurried down the stairs, he was startled to see Saul already there admitting the early morning caller. It was none other than John Mark. In an excited tone of voice, and gasping for breath from having run with his news, he exclaimed, "Mother sent me to tell you something amazing is happening at Jesus' tomb. Women have been there early this morning, and returned to say the tomb is empty!"
Before Saul had reason to even express himself, two men of the Temple Guard were at the door, saying, "Caiaphas has dispatched us with a most urgent request for you to meet with him immediately at his residence." Saul, who was already dressed, left with the messengers without comment.

In a matter of moments, Esrom was dressed. "Miriam, you and Joel go over to the home of John Mark. Joel can assist in delivering messages for you. I will join the disciples." And in reply to her quizzical look, he said, "Yes, Miriam, I know where to find them."

ON HIS ARRIVAL at the room where the disciples had gathered, Esrom had some difficulty in gaining admittance. The door was barred so strongly, he had to wait after much knocking, and gave his name several times to convince the one on guard to loosen the bars and let him in.

"Yes," said Andrew, after Esrom was admitted, "we got the message. Peter and John left immediately for the tomb. When the women said that they had found it empty, the first reaction was that they had to be mistaken. Thomas suggested that in the darkness they had gone to the wrong tomb?