Man in White Page 21

  “My dear sister, you have always worried about me,” he said. “Now is a time of joy in my life.”

  “There is none in mine,” she said. “What must I do?” she pleaded.“He is serious about divorcement, and he is a lawyer. He will secure it.”

  “You must do nothing to fight him,” said Saul. “You have not broken up your home just by coming here, but if it happened, so be it. The Lord Jesus said that his coming would not bring peace but a sword to divide families against each other, and that whosoever receives him shall receive the blessings of the Father.”

  “Saul,” said Sarah, “there is much I do not understand. I only know that I love what I see in you, the kindness, the gentleness, the love, even your steadfastness with an attitude of joy against my husband’s ravings.”

  “You shall learn of the Lord, Sarah,” said Saul, “and you shall come into his peace.”

  Before sundown they started coming—Jews,Greeks, Cilicians, Galileans, Samaritans, men, women, and children.

  He continued working with his back to the courtyard until nearly sundown. The congregation was assembling in the open court, for the wind had died and the evening was becoming cool.

  “Shalom, Saul,” said Barnabas, who suddenly appeared beside him. “That canvas you have woven will make a good backdrop for the altar.”

  “So it will,” said Saul.

  “The congregation has assembled. Peter and James would have you join us at the altar.”

  Saul looked around the courtyard and recognized none of the people there except Sarah and Jacob, who were sitting toward the back with Leah, Jesse, and David.

  Peter, James, and Barnabas were sitting on high seats near the altar facing the congregation. As Saul was sitting down, he looked at Sarah and smiled. When he recognized the two men leaning against the wall behind her, however, his smile faded. There were the Hebronites Cononiah and Shemei.

  Apparently they didn’t recognize Saul, for they were looking around at all the people, and not once did their eyes rest on him. Shemei stood on his one good leg with the other resting at a curved angle. Cononiah’s one good eye glared wide and darted from one face to another in the congregation.

  Simon Peter stood up to address the people, and they immediately became attentive. “Welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus,” he said. “Let us kneel and join hands and pray as he taught us to do. Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name . . .”

  Sarah and Jacob knelt with the others, but they did not recite the prayer. Sarah felt a stirring behind her, quietly and slowly turned her head, and saw that the two men leaning against the wall were whispering and looking in Saul’s direction. When the prayer ended and Peter began speaking again, Sarah looked at the two men once more and saw that they were still looking at Saul.

  “Our congregation continues to grow,” said Peter. “There must be hundreds here today. I would like to welcome our visitors from out of the city. Would you please stand so we might recognize and welcome you?” Half of the crowd stood, and the visitors were welcomed. As the greetings ended, Peter sat down and Barnabas stepped forward.

  “I am Barnabas of Cyprus,” he said, taking the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.

  “The prophet spoke thusly of our Lord,” Barnabas said. He read,“Beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. They who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shined . . .”

  As he read, Cononiah and Shemei slowly and silently moved around the congregation until they were halfway to the altar. There they stopped and stared at Saul, who had not moved but ignored them as he listened attentively to Barnabas.

  “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

  Barnabas rolled the scroll up and placed it in its cubicle, then said, “This Scripture is fulfilled in our time.” Then he stopped, for he suddenly recognized the Hebronites. Their eyes were locked on Saul. Barnabas looked at Saul, who only smiled and nodded for him to continue.

  “An angel appeared to the carpenter Joseph in Nazareth and said, ‘Son of David, do not fear to take Mary for your wife, for the child she is bearing was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins,’” said Barnabas.

  “This was a fulfillment of the prophet Micah, who said,” continued Barnabas, as he unrolled another scroll and read from it, “‘You, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, out of you shall he come forth who is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.’”

  Barnabas sat down and whispered to Saul, “I see two of your old friends here.”

  “Yes,” said Saul, smiling. “He who has an ear, let him hear,” he quoted. “Perhaps they will receive the Word today.”

  James addressed the congregation and said, “I am James, brother of the Lord. From Deuteronomy I would like to read: ‘The Lord your God shall raise up unto you a prophet from your midst, of your own brothers, like unto me. Unto him you will listen.’ And the Lord said,” James continued, “‘I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like me, and will put my word in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.’”

  He laid down the scroll of the Law and, opening a long leather canister, took out a scroll upon which were copied the sayings of Jesus. He rolled and unrolled the scroll until he found the passages that were pertinent to the message he wanted to deliver. “The prophet Isaiah said much that told of our Lord’s coming. I was with the Lord in the synagogue in Nazareth upon the Sabbath when he stood up to read. This is the Scripture he read: ‘The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’”

  “And then, my beloved friends,” said James, “the Lord announced to the synagogue that he was the fulfillment of that Scriptures.” James placed the scroll back in its place, and Peter stepped forward again.

  “Let us welcome a brother who has come in peace,” said Peter. “A man to whom the Lord has revealed his glory!” He paused. All eyes were on Saul, and there was some murmuring in the congregation.

  “Saul of Tarsus!” Cononiah screamed and pointed to him.

  Sarah was immediately on her feet, but so was half the congregation, some staring in stark fear. Many mothers hurried their children out as other men took up the shout. “My wife is dead because of him,” said one man.“My son is dead at his hands,” said another. Women began screaming and running out the front door into the street.

  “Please,” said Peter, trying to shout over the voices being raised against Saul, who still sat. “Let him speak.”

  “His actions have spoken for him,” said a man as he hurried his family out. A few people, mostly men, stayed.

  Peter said to those remaining, “God forgive us this day for judging our neighbor. Now I would like for you faithful to hear of his knowledge of the Lord from the lips of Saul of Tarsus himself.”

  “I will listen,” said Sarah, standing and holding Jacob by the hand, “although I already believe. The change in his countenance is enough proof for me.”

  “I am a Jew,” Saul began, “born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel. I was taught according to the perfect manner of the Law of our fathers and was zealous toward God, as you are.

  “I persecuted you, even to death.” There was a murmur of agreement in the small crowd, but Saul continued, relating his mandate to go to other cities and arrest the followers of the Nazarene and the way he was blinded on the Damascus road. He told of his conversation with the glorified Christ and his commandment
to take the gospel to the Gentiles. It was a strong, convincing oration, and one by one the people embraced him.

  The service had ended, and Sarah knelt at the altar. All hands were gently laid on her, Peter’s, James’s, Saul’s, Barnabas’s, and Leah’s, who knelt beside her.

  “Receive unto your service, O Lord,” said Peter, “Sarah, sister of Saul of Tarsus.”

  The boys Jesse and David brought the wine and flat cakes of unleavened bread. Peter broke off a piece of the bread and, giving it to Sarah, said, “In remembrance of the Master. This is his body which he sacrificed for us.” And giving her the wine, he said, “This is his blood of the new testament, which is shed for the remission of sins.”

  She stood and they each embraced her, Saul last of all. He said, “Go in his love now and try to heal your broken home. I will see you in a day or so.”

  “I fear for your safety, Saul,” she said.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “His hand is upon me.”

  Cononiah watched the administering of the bread and wine to Sarah through the cracked front door; then the Hebronites ran all the way to the house of the high priest. They rattled the latch at the outer gate several times before anyone answered. Finally a Temple guard came down the flower-banked path from the palace. He was angry.

  “What do you want . . . on the Sabbath?”

  “We must speak to the high priest,” said Cononiah. “It is urgent.”

  “Nothing is urgent,” said the guard. “Master Theophilus is having supper with his family. Now go away.”

  “But the persecutor turncoat is back in the city,” said Shemei. “Saul of Tarsus.”

  “Go to the Temple tomorrow,” said the guard. “You have already broken the Law by coming here,” and he left them.

  “What shall we do?” asked Shemei.

  “We shall watch the house of the fisherman tonight,” said Cononiah. “Then tomorrow we go to the Temple.”

  At Peter’s house, the four men retired to the rooftop to talk.

  “Theophilus will be a hard man to deal with, Saul,” said Peter. “They will not accept your testimony. You will be imprisoned.”

  “There is still Roman law, Peter,” said Saul, “and I am a Roman citizen.”

  “There are plots and subplots,” said Peter. “They will take you when you least expect it.”

  “We must bring our congregation back together,” said Barnabas. “When they hear your testimony, you will be accepted here at least.”

  “Perhaps I should leave the city,” said Saul.“There was peace until I came.”

  “The problem with the Temple,” said James, “is that we have separated into a group on our own and allow the Gentiles to freely become a part of it, even the women. What we are doing we have been told to do by the Lord himself—all may freely come by faith in him.”

  “We must stand firm,” said Saul. “We cannot freely receive Gentiles into his kingdom if we first bind them with our laws and our traditions.”

  “Do we not, being Jews, have the advantage?” asked James.

  “Wasn’t that a question we asked the Lord himself?” asked Peter.

  “Yes,” said James. “We asked who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

  “What did he say?” asked Saul.

  “He said,” said James, “that except we humble ourselves as little children, we cannot enter.”

  “He also said, ‘The first shall be last and the last shall be first,’” said Peter. “So no one shall be greater. All are equal in him.”

  “Listen, my brothers,” said James, “God has chosen the poor of this world who are rich in faith and full of love for him as heirs to his kingdom.”

  “We have the advantage only in that the oracles of God were committed to us,” said Saul. “But under the Law, justification is impossible, while now the righteousness of God is manifested through faith in him who is the fulfillment and perfection of the Law. The righteousness of God is received in faith by all who believe.”

  Into the night they talked, and the next night the same. A larger debate was held over circumcision.

  “God shall justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised by faith,” said Saul. “By faith the Law is established.”

  “What of those already circumcised who come to the Lord?” asked James. “Do you think it means nothing?”

  “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is the most important thing. Rather, it is faith, working through love.”

  “My brothers,” said Peter, “he requires nothing but to come to him just as we are. We must not confuse the gospel of Christ. It is the gift of God. He said to the burdened, ‘Come unto me and I will give you rest.’ He bears our sorrows. He lifts our yoke of bondage.”

  “He lifted our yoke of bondage from under the Law,” said Saul.“No man can be justified by the deeds of the Law. By the deeds of the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

  “And he bore our sins,” said Barnabas. “That is how he lifted the yoke.”

  “Even David in his time spoke of the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness without works,” said Peter.

  “Faith without works is dead,” said James, his voice rising steadily.

  “Abraham had faith, and it was accounted to him for righteousness,” said Saul.

  “Yes!” said James, pointing his finger directly into Saul’s face.“But his faith was manifested through works! He offered his own son upon the altar. What greater work could a man do?” James paused and took a deep breath, then said, “By Abraham’s works his faith was made perfect.”

  “Yes,” said Saul. “But to win certain converts we must ask them to come on faith alone, then teach them the duties of following the Master. Works will follow.”

  “I do not agree with you,” said James. “If a brother or sister is cold and hungry and you say to them, ‘Go your way and be full and warm,’ yet they continue to be hungry and cold, what good have you done?”

  “On the Damascus road when he revealed himself to me,” said Saul, “from that moment on I knew that I was reconciled with God through faith.”

  “So you say you have faith,” said James. “And I say I have works.” He stared at Saul challengingly. “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

  “All right, brother,” said Saul. “Your point is made and accepted. My point is that converts must know that in coming to our Lord they are justified by faith in him, that the righteousness of the Law is attained by total faith in him.”

  Peter spoke up. “Our congregation is in the holy capital Israel. We shall have to honor certain traditions and rituals; else we shall all be put out of the city.”

  “Which ones?” Saul asked.

  “Traditional national feast days and holy days,” said Peter.

  “Yes,” said Saul.

  “And on the question of circumcision . . .” Peter began.

  “Circumcision is of the Jews who keep the Law,” said Saul.

  “The Gentiles who come to the Lord through faith,” said Barnabas, “need not be circumcised.”

  “We will have many problems,” said Peter. “The Temple authorities are watching us for the least malefaction against the Law.”

  “Is God the God of the Jews only?” asked Saul. “Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes. He is God of all, and he shall justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised by faith.”

  “Circumcision is the seal of faith for the Jew, Saul,” said James.

  “James, God’s promise to Abraham that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham and his seed through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith,” said Saul.“Therefore, being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus.”

  “We are concerned,my brothers,” said Peter, “as to how we come into his glory and become partakers of the divine nature and how to so lead others. By faith comes virtue, by virtue knowledge, by knowledge temperance, by temperance
patience, by patience godliness. And from godliness comes brotherly kindness and love. We must strive, therefore, with all diligence to bring others into his kingdom freely with no yoke and no price.”

  “The question of circumcision has not been settled,” said James. They all looked at each other for a moment.

  “We must pray for wisdom,” said Saul.

  “The answers are in the Holy Scriptures,” said James.

  “Then we must pray that we agree upon the proper interpretation,” said Saul. “Circumcision is nothing to me,” said Saul, “and uncircumcision is nothing. Let the circumcised stay so, and the uncircumcised stay so. I will place no burdens on Gentiles who turn to God through Jesus.”

  “You may lose converts for that reason alone,” said James.

  “James,” said Saul, “if my eating meat offended anyone, I would never eat meat again. In Jesus Christ all things are lawful to me when necessary to win some to him.”

  “What about the flesh of swine?” James asked testily. “Is that lawful for you?”

  “James,” Saul said, “all things are not expedient, though lawful. And some things, though lawful, do not edify him and could even be a stumbling block. No, of course not. I would not eat the flesh of swine.”

  Peter spoke up. “God showed me on the rooftop in Joppa that all men are the same. He accepts any man who will come to his righteousness.”

  “As Saul just said,” said Barnabas,“we should place no burdens upon the Gentiles who turn to God through Christ.”

  The men paused and were silent for a while, each of them knowing in his heart that the issue was far from being resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.

  “We must pray for wisdom,” said Peter. “In every circumstance we must seek the Lord’s guidance. He called the scribes and Pharisees ‘hypocrites.’ In the Temple itself he admonished them for binding men with heavy burdens that were impossible to bear.”

  They remained silent for a time, each of them meditating on the Lord’s words and their meaning.

  Then Peter said,“Men, we must bring our congregation back together.”

  “Yes, we must,” said James. “Our congregation must know also that reconciliation with God doesn’t necessarily mean that there automatically follows reconciliation with your fellow man.” James looked directly at Saul when he spoke.