Letters from Adina - #24

Letter XXIV. Lazarus lies sick, near death.

“Is there no hope for him?” I asked. “None! The physicians say he will never rise again.”

My Dear Father,

As I was closing my last letter to you, intelligence reached my uncle Amos, that Lazarus, the amiable brother of Martha and Mary, was grievously sick.

The message was brought by Elec, the Glibeonite slave, who, with tears in his  eyes told to us the sad news.

My cousin Mary and I at once set out to go to Bethany with him, uncle Amos offering his two mules for us that we might ride thither, promising himself to come also after the evening service in the Temple if the sickness of Lazarus should continue.

Although we did not expect to be able to help our dear relatives by hastening to them in their affliction, yet we hoped by our presence and pity to relieve much of the grief of the beloved sisters for their dear brother.

‘‘Knowest thou, Elec, what this sickness is that hath so suddenly seized my cousin,’’ asked Mary, as we wound slowly up the path that leads around the steepest side of Olivet.

“In truth, noble lady, I know not,” answered Elec, shaking his head: ‘‘He has just returned from the city, where he had been staying night and day for a week, laboring industriously to complete a copy of the five books of the blessed Moses for the Procurator’s chief captain, for which he was to receive a large reward in Roman gold.”

“What was the name of this captain who seeks to obtain our holy books?’’ I asked, hope half answering the question in my heart.

“It is Aemilius, the brave knight, who was made a proselyte at the last Passover.”

I rejoiced to hear this proof of the continued desire of the princely Roman knight to learn our sacred laws, dearest father.

But Elec, went on speaking, and said – ‘‘It was his hard work to complete this copy which made him ill; for he slept not, nor ceased to toil, until he had finished it; and when he was come home, with the silver-bound roll in his hand, and laid it upon the table before his sisters, he fell fainting to the ground.

When they raised him up, a fierce fever was upon him, and raved insomuch that he knew no one around him."

At length, an hour after leaving the gate of the city, we drew near to Bethany, and beheld the roof of the house of Lazarus: Upon the house-top, gazing towards Jerusalem watching for us, we beheld the graceful form of Mary, who no sooner saw us, than she waved her hands in earnest greeting. In a few moments we were in her arms, mingling our tears together.

“Doth he yet live?” I asked, scarcely daring to put the question, as she led us into the house.

“Yes, lives, but fails hourly,’’ answered Mary, with sad composure. ‘‘May God bless you both for hastening to me.”

At this moment, Martha’s pale and mournful face, beautiful even in its pallor, appeared in the door of the inner room. When she beheld us, she advanced, took both our hands in hers, and said in a touching whisper - “You have come, sweet friends, to see my brother die!”

She then led us into the room, where upon a couch lay stretched the sick man, whose danger had brought sorrow to the hearts of so many dear and loving ones around him.

Upon entering the chamber, he turned his lustrous eyes upon us, and smiled faintly a thankful welcome.

Noble and beautiful as his countenance was in health, I thought that its expression, with his brilliant eyes and feverish cheek, had a more than earthly beauty.

“He has slept a little while,’’ said Martha softly to me; ‘‘but the fever is consuming him.”

“He has now closed his eyes again, and seems heavy with sleep; but his slumbers are restless, as you see. Sometime he seems to think his dear friend, Jesus the Prophet, is by him; or again he talks of Rachel, as if she were not here.”

“And who is Rachel, dear Martha?” I asked, as I turned to follow her out of the room, leaving her brother to his restless tossing.

‘‘Alas! it was for love of the gentle Rachel he now lies there,’’ she answered.

“Yonder is the sweet maiden kneeling by the other side of his couch, her tearful face buried in the folds of the curtains.

She leaves him not a moment; nay, though he does not seem to know she is there, if she but go from the room, he awakes directly and calls for her.”’  Lazarus now moved and murmured her name, and she dropped her eyes, and bent over him like a ministering angel.

“Who is this maiden of marvelously beauty?”I asked of Martha, as we went out of the sick chamber.

“The betrothed bride of our beloved brother," answered she.

“A few weeks ago, as he was sitting late and alone in the copying-room of the Temple, working upon a roll which the noble Aemilius had desired him to complete on a certain day, and for which he was to give him a large reward, he was startled by the sudden entrance of a young girl in great terror, who seemed to be flying from an enemy.

Upon beholding him, she ran towards him, and casting, herself at his feet, implored his protection.

Amazed and moved, he promptly promised to aid her, but had hardly spoken the words, before Annas entered, and advanced towards her.

His face was flushed with rage, and his voice was loud and fierce, as he demanded her at the hand of my brother.

“Nay, my lord Annas,” answered Lazarus, boldly; “were a dove to seek shelter in my bosom from a hawk, I would protect it; how much more then a distressed maiden of the daughters of Abraham” and he placed himself before her.

“Darest thou protect her from me? She is my child, a wicked and disobedient daughter. Give her up to me, young scrivener, or I will have thee sent to the lowest dungeon of the Castle of David.”

“Oh, save me! save me!’ cried the young girl, as Annas advanced to seize her. “I am not his child! I am the orphan daughter of Rabbi Levi, who left me and my estate to this false priest as a sacred charge; he hath done, I know not what, with my inheritance, and now he would sell me in unholy marriage to a Greek captain in the Roman Legion, who offers him much gold for me.”

“Rather than be given into the hands of this fierce and terrible Grecian, whom I have seen only to dread, I will cast myself down from the pinnacle of the Temple!”

And to the amazement and terror of Lazarus, she bounded from the lattice, and stood upon the edge of the rock, which looks sheer three hundred feet down into the valley beneath.

“Thou seest, O Annas, whereunto thy lust for gold will drive this maiden. Has Israel sunk so low, that her chief priest will sell the daughters of the land for gold to the Gentiles?"

"Is it thus thou givest protection to orphans? Leave her; and until I find a protector for her, she shall be a sacred guest with my sisters in their humble abode!”

“If thou continue to persecute her, I will appeal to the Procurator, Pontius Pilate, against thee. Thou knowest already, that Roman justice knows how to punish Jewish guilt with terrible severity."

“The result was,’’ continued Martha, ‘‘that the wicked priest, alarmed by the threat of appeal to Pilate, gave up his present purpose of violence, and went his way, breathing threatenings against my brother."

The same day Lazarus, conducted to our house the maiden, whom you already guess to be Rachel.  She has since then been our guest, and has won our hearts, as well as our dear brother’s.

Pilate, to whom Lazarus appealed, has placed the shield of his protection between them and Annas.

It was to obtain money, that he might soon to wed Rachel, that our brother has at length sunk beneath the burden of his toil, and now lies at the brink of the grave.”

“Is there no hope for him?’ I asked. “None! The physicians say that he will never rise again.”

“There is one hope left,’’ I said eagerly. What is that?’ demanded Martha.

“Jesus!” I answered; ‘‘Send to Him, oh Martha, and He will yet save thy brother, and raise him up to strength and health.”

I had no sooner spoken, than Mary, who overheard me, uttered a cry of joy.

“Yes Jesus has the power to heal him, and Jesus loves him! He will come and save him the moment He hears of his danger.”

Immediately, Mary wrote on a slip of parchment these brief and touching words - “Lord, behold he whom thou lovest is sick! Hasten to come to us, that he may live; for nothing is impossible with Thee.”

This message was forthwith sent by the hands of a young friend to Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where we heard Jesus at present abides.

We have, therefore, no hope for our dear relative, but in the power of the Prophet.

I will write as soon as we hear concerning Him, dear father,

Your devoted daughter, Adina

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The new Lady Donna Immersion in Spirituality, Academics and Citizenship @ the "I AM" School will study abridged excerpts of the Letters from Adina taken from Reverend Ingraham's original edited version of 'The Prince of the House of David', published by Cassell & Co. Ltd (1903), that reveal remarkable insights into the Living Etheric Record left by Beloved Jesus's Ministry in the Holy Land.