230
May 1932
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
And a word from her, a little lie, could set Him free! And perhaps undo the plan of the eternal God for the ages to com e! But the God .of gods had prom ised ! He knew the end from the beginning! There was nothing to do but trust Him, and in her sorrowing soul she bowed and said softly to Him once m ore: “ Behold the handmaid o f the L ord ; be it unto me according to Thy word,” and she knew within her self that her precious priv ilege o f suffering for her wonderful Son was not yet over. Then she remembered the words o f her cousin Elisabeth, long ago, espe cially those last few words : “ Blessed is she that be lieved: for there shall be a performance o f those
wise men and their strange symbolic presents I T h e prophecies a b o u t Him which she had not under stood ! And now they were mak ing Him bear His cross. She caught one glimpse of Him through her tears as He sank under it. She was not hearing her other son’s words as he tried to lead her home away from it all, telling her that it was too late now. Though the words came with a thud against her soul she knew that even if it had not been too late she could not deny His heavenly birth. Calvary at last, and the awful sound o f the ham mers driving nails 1 She sank with the other women on a hillock and covered her face. Her J e s u s ! H e r p r e c i o u s Jesus!
“ T ruly ., th is was the S on of G od !”
things which were told her o f the Lord.” And God had performed it all as He had told her, could she not trust the future of that Son with Him who had sent Him, as well as she had trusted His past? Well, if God knew how to work His will through a crucified Jesus, who was she to try to pre vent it by denying the great miraculous truth, and setting a lie ringing down the ages? So Mary arose and went forth to Cal vary. Now on the way they passed the praetor- ium. A great crowd was assembled there, and as Mary and Salome skirted about it, they saw Mary’s other sons. The youngest one came and took her arm. “What is it all .about?” she asked fear fully as the crowd jostled her back against the wall. Her son drew her up into a doorway where she could see over the heads o f the company, and as they looked, there on the great stone platform of the place called The Pavement, came forth Pilate, and One after him clad in a purple robe with a crown o f cruel thorns upon His head.. “There! You see, Mother,” whispered her son, “they are mocking Him. That is my brother! Think o f it, my brother, up before the eyes o f the common herd! And you might have saved us all this by just a few words. List! Pilate is speak ing now. Hark, I want to hear what he says!” Pilate’s voice was clear, and the mob was suddenly hushed as he spoke. Mary heard the words quite distinctly: “I bring Him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in H im ! Behold the Man!” Mary caught her breath, and a great wave o f hope rushed over her. I f Pilate found no fault, why surely He might be saved! But suddenly from all about her there arose a cruel snarl o f cries, “ Crucify H im ! Crucify H im !” Some of those voices, too, came from chief priests and officers. But Pilate’s voice was ringing out again: “ Take ye Him and crucify H im : for I find no fault in Him.” •Then up rose a cruel-faced man, wear ing pompous robes, and claimed attention,
speaking to Pilate, and hushing the mob into silence once more. “W e have a law,” he said ominously, “and by our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son o f God!’’ Mary drew in her breath sharply. “There, it is, Mother, just as we told y ou !” her son whispered in her ear. “ It is for that absurd claim they are killing Him, nothing else. And one word from you would set it all right. Do it now, Mother, while yet there is time. Do it now, and let us slip Him away out of sight quickly be fore the mob is roused again. I’ll lead you up to Pilate. See, there is a way behind that group o f men! Pilate does not want to crucify Him, He will listen to you if you will go.” Mary’s eyes were on her Son, that pre cious heavenly face with a glory in the eyes that other faces seemed not to know. Those cruel thorns pressed into His loved brow, that brow she had kissed and fondled when He was a little babe. How her heart was wrung to see Him so, mock ed at and scorned, the great men of the council wishing to kill H im ! Her Holy One! That purple robe! With what dignity He wore it! And even a thorny crown, how royally it sat upon His brow ! Why could they not see it, those chief priests and scribes who called themselves wise; why could they not realize with what royal bearing He wore the robes put upon Him in scorn? A h ! She could not stand it to see Him so! Almost she yielded to her son’s ur gency. A lm ost! But then, her Jesus spoke in answer to Pilate’s boasting o f his power. “Thou couldst have no power at all against Me except it were given thee from above.” She drew back again and pulled away from the urgency o f the young arm that would have drawn her toward the stone seat of judgment where Pilate sat. No, that was her answer. It was not for her to deny God’s wonders. “ Thou couldst have no power at all except it were given thee from above.” That was her answer, her reminder that she was the handmaiden of the Lord. And then the crowd surged in. They were leading Him away. Her Jesus! Her first precious baby! She thought o f Him in the manger smiling so sweetly from the straw. The star and the shepherds 1 The
Her Lord! Oh, could mortal mother bear those sounds and not cry out, even a lie to save Him ? She rose and staggered up the hill, and Salome slipped a comforting arm around her unsteady shoulders. Her Babe o f Bethlehem! Her sweet little Babe with His heavenly smile! Oh, if she might but just have permission to deny His origin and save Him yet! And then as she wavered and sank down at the very foot o f the cross and looked up, He looked down and caught her glance. It was as if, through all His anguish, He yet had thoughts for her, and wanted her to understand that He knew what she was passing through, and that He was pleased, satisfied with her loyalty. And then He spoke! Oh, wonder o f wonders! He had called John and given her into his care! A h ! How precious! The tears flowed down without their former bitterness! He had justified her decision. She had been right. She could bear it now ! All through the insults that followed, when they spit into His precious face, and jeered, and slapped Him with the back of their knotted hands; when they bartered His garments that she had wrought, and called upon Him to save Himself, ter show His kingship! A h ! She had been right! He would claim His heavenly origin to the end. He wanted her to do the same. And then a great thing happened. Dark ness was coming down over the earth, though it was high noon! Heaven itself was putting out its light to condemn the awful deed, and testify to the truth of the claim o f the Holy One. And then an earthquake! Strange quiverings o f the ground, and rumblings. And suddenly, be side her, some one spoke—a voice she did not know, but the words were these, spoken with profound earnestness: “ Truly, this was the Son of G od!” Mary heard, and lifted her bowed head. Oh! Suppose she had told a lie to save Him? She was glad, glad that she had remained firm to the end. Then down at her feet, the lie, which had lain coiled ready for use should she weaken, slowly uncoiled and slithered away. Not -to die forever, only to lie coiled and hidden till another time when other souls less loyal, in other years, should find it and bring it forth to dishonor the eternal Son of God with blasphemies.
Made with FlippingBook Online document