'Yes, we’re fine,' Rae-dona assured them. 'Does this happen often?'
'Yes,' Mary answered, 'more often than we like. There are some fanatical Jewish leaders who are trying to stir up trouble for us. They want the Romans to arrest us and put a stop to us telling everyone that Jesus is the Messiah. These leaders have misled the Romans into thinking that we’re trouble makers -- zealots plotting against Roman rule. But despite the danger, the believers still come to hear John teach about the Lord.'
Salome said, 'We’ve prepared two rooms for you. Please go and take a rest. The gathering will take place around the twelfth hour. Until then, wash and rest awhile. There’s a pitcher of water and a bowl in your rooms. If you don’t come down before the meeting starts, we’ll have someone come up to wake you. So don’t worry, just enjoy your time of rest. And, Marcus, this will give you some time to ask the Lord what He would like you to share with us this evening.'
Salome sounded excited about the meeting. 'Besides you, Marcus, we have another guest with us tonight. He took Jesus’ body down from the cross and laid Him in a new tomb that had never been used before. Yes, Marcus, you’ll hear about another prophecy that’s taken place. This man, who was a secret follower of the Christ, has come to share with us two more fulfilled prophecies that happened on the cross. His name is Joseph and he comes from Arimathea. We’re going to have a wonderful time this evening with you and Joseph sharing with us.
'The word has gone out so our fellowship will be much larger, as we’ve invited other believers and many non-believers to join us. We know the Lord will be with us, unseen, as we come together to worship, to rejoice and listen to what both of you will have for us.'
Chapter 26
Marcus washed in water that was still warm, using no more than half of the water from the pitcher. He wanted to save the remainder for when he woke from his nap, so he could be ready for the evening gathering.
As he lay on the mat on the stone floor, instead of thinking of what he would be sharing, his thoughts turned to Rae-dona. He remembered the way she had protected him by putting her arms around him and shielding his face with hers from the raging soldiers roaring into the village square. He could still feel her arms around him, and her cheek touching his. It felt good.
The beats of his heart started to accelerate, and he didn’t want it to slow down. With every beat and with every pulse in his body pounding, he lay with his thoughts of the woman with whom he was falling deeply in love. Those thoughts were still going through his mind when he finally fell asleep.
The next thing he heard was the voice of Rae-dona. 'Marcus, get up. The people are gathering and many want to meet the man they’ve been praying for.'
Marcus jumped up, at first forgetting where he was.
Then he heard the sweet voice again. 'Marcus, are you all right?'
'Yes, I’m fine. I’ll meet you downstairs. I won’t be long.'
In a short while he was washed and walking down to the meeting room. Rae-dona was there, looking more beautiful, if that were possible. She had pulled her hair back and tied it with a purple ribbon beneath her head covering. Her dress was also different, the same color as the ribbon in her hair. Marcus wondered where the dress came from, as neither of them had brought a change of clothing.
Rae-dona smiled at him as she saw the look of confusion, and also the look of approval on his face. 'I borrowed the dress from one of the ladies. It’s beautiful isn’t it?'
Marcus smiled at her and nodded his head in agreement. But to himself he said, 'It’s you who’s beautiful.'
John the disciple came over and welcomed Marcus. John had already talked to Rae-dona and she had told him a little about Marcus. John took his arm and asked them both to follow him to their places at the front. The man whom Marcus was soon to know as Joseph of Arimathea was already seated in a chair that had been specially brought for him. Everyone else had to either sit on the floor or stand. They greeted each other and said that they would get more acquainted during the fellowship time.
John quieted the many guests who had arrived. He opened the meeting with prayer, and then without any introduction the fellowship started to sing and worship the Lord. Rae-dona whispered to Marcus that the words and music had been used by Jews for many centuries.
Marcus had never heard anything like it before. The whole room was filled with one accord. He didn’t want it to stop. Voices blended together as if it was one big choir that had been singing together for many years. Tears filled his eyes, and as he looked around he could see tears in the eyes of the people around him.
All he could think of was this mighty choir who were worshiping the Father of Light. He felt like the Lord had wrapped His arm around him as he joined in the chorus in praising his new-found God.
Chapter 27
Marcus knew that all good things have to come to an end, as did the beautiful worship and singing to the Lord. Silence fell over the fellowship. Not an uncomfortable silence, but one of awe.
John eventually stood up among the believers. 'Tonight we are blessed, because not only do we have one guest speaker, but two.'
The people applauded, with many shouts of hallelujah, amen and praises to the Lord.
Then silence again as John raised his hand. 'Some of you have heard of our first speaker, how he received permission from Pilate to remove the body of our Lord Jesus from the cross. How he prepared it with linen wrappings and spices, as is our custom, and laid him in a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. This was done just as Isaiah, the prophet of our Lord, had prophesied many centuries ago. Our speaker was at one time like many of you, a secret follower of the Christ. But he says no longer will he remain in secret. He has come to verify to us two prophecies that were fulfilled at the cross. Let us welcome Joseph of Arimathea as he shares with us the things that are on his heart.'
When Joseph stood up, the people clapped their hands in a warm welcome. Not many knew of him, so he began by telling them that along with his friend Nicodemus he had been a secret follower of Christ because he feared the Jewish leaders. He knew by requesting the body of Jesus he risked his reputation in society. He also knew that if he touched the body, he rendered himself unclean and would not be able to participate in the Passover, the most beloved Jewish holiday.
Joseph lifted his head and looked out to the people. He brushed a tear from his eye and then continued. 'I’m sorry to say that I told very few people that I believed that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah. But I know now that everything will change. As I watched the crucifixion of the Man we know as the Messiah, and heard His words just before He died, I knew I was ready to be a witness for Him.'
The applauding became louder, with scattered halleluiahs throughout the meeting.
'I went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus so I could give Him a proper burial. When they said yes, my friend Nicodemus and I took the body from the cross. Nicodemus had with him a mixture of myrrh and aloes. Unfortunately he cannot be here tonight.
'We took the body down and bound it in linen as is our custom. Then we used the spices that Nicodemus had brought, and laid Jesus’ body in a new tomb I owned, near where He was crucified. Maybe some of you have heard this before from your friends, but I personally wanted to share it with you.'
Someone shouted out, 'Did you realize that you were fulfilling a prophecy? For Isaiah said, ‘His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death.’'
Joseph of Arimathea shook his head. 'At the time, no, I didn’t. Later, the thought did come to my mind, and I’m honored that the Lord used me in that way. I’m excited now and I’m ready to learn all I can about the Lord -- what He wants to teach me and how He will use me in the future.'
After a brief pause, Joseph continued his story. 'When we started to prepare the body we noticed two things. First, not one of Jesus’ bones was broken. Nicodemus, being a Scripture scholar, reminded me that David had written about this in the Scriptures. Nicodemus knows so much more about t
he precious writings than I do.
'The fact of the unbroken bones is in itself a miracle performed by our Heavenly Father. After all of the beatings Jesus took, no bones were broken. As you may have heard, or even seen, the two thieves who were crucified that day with Jesus had their legs broken to hasten their death.'
Someone shouted from the crowd, 'Yes, I was there and saw them break their legs. I was watching and saw them pass Jesus up. Instead of breaking His legs, a soldier took a spear and thrust it into Jesus’ side to prove that He was already dead.'
Joseph smiled. 'Yes, that’s correct, so that makes it the third miracle we saw that day. We saw a spear pierce His side. Nicodemus said that the prophet Zechariah had written in the Holy Book, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced.’'
As the shouts of praises and clapping of hands grew louder and louder, chills went through Marcus’ body.
Rae-dona leaned toward him and whispered in his ear, 'Three more prophecies fulfilled that are on your list.'
Marcus took out his list that he had now copied onto on a piece of vellum and checked off numbers seven, eight and nine. All he could do was smile and join the loud applause, and like the others, shout out Amen at what Joseph of Arimathea was sharing.
As Joseph walked back to his seat in a humble way, John took his place up front. As they passed each other, John reached out and gave Joseph a much needed embrace, and said for all to hear, 'Thank you, my friend. We’ll all be looking forward to ministering with you in the future as you become a witness for our Savior.'
At that moment John looked over at Marcus. Marcus felt like there were a thousand butterflies in his stomach trying to break through his skin. He swallowed hard, tried to smile, and waited to be introduced.
Chapter 28
'Now it is with great joy that I introduce you to our next guest. Many of us have been praying for this man. In spite of his position as a centurion in the Roman army, he had the nerve and strength to shout out for many of us to hear, ‘I believe this man was innocent and that He is the Son of God.’ Please give a warm welcome to our new brother in Christ, Marcus the Centurion.'
Many of the followers stood up clapping and shouting encouraging words. Marcus was sure that they must be the people who had been praying for him.
He glanced back as he reached his position to speak, realizing that not only was he the only Gentile here, but he was a Roman soldier -- yet everyone was making him welcome. He saw Rae-dona standing and clapping with a big smile on her face. He wanted to speak his thoughts out loud for all to hear, but he didn’t. He kept them to himself: I am in love with you, Rae-dona.
As the fellowship finally sat down, silence fell over the meeting room. Marcus’ first thoughts while looking over the room were, Should I tell them about the crown of thorns in my sack?
He looked at the faces of many, thinking that they would surely keep the secret. But another thought came in to his mind as his eyes scanned the faces. What if there is someone here who is not a believer, but a spy for the authorities to see if we are likely to cause trouble? With so many people, John and his household could not possibly know everybody. Besides, Mary mentioned they had invited more people, even non-believers. How would the Roman authorities react to something as powerful as the crown of thorns getting into the hands of a follower of the crucified Jesus?
He paused, asking God to give him wisdom of what to say. When he was through, a great and mighty peace came over him. He would tell them about the crown of thorns, and give the glory to God.
'All right, Lord, let the words that flow out of my mouth be the words of Your Spirit.'
Then Marcus began to share the things that happened to him from the moment the crown rolled from Jesus’ head and stopped at his feet. He left nothing out: his role in the crucifixion, his ordering the soldier to pierce Jesus’ side with a spear to check that He was dead, his wife’s death by lightning, his son Antony feeling the power of the crown of thorns go through him, his best friend’s wife well and alive even though the physician said there was nothing anyone could do for her. When he came to the events of the day and the boy with the head wound coming alive, he heard people quietly saying, 'So you’re the one.' … 'I was there.' … 'It was definitely a miracle.'
Then the mother of the boy came forward, holding her son Judah by his hand. 'Thank you, thank you. You saved my son’s life.'
'No,' Marcus said, 'I didn’t save your son’s life. God did. Thank Him and praise Him for bringing your son back from the dead.'
Before Marcus could return to where he had been sitting on the floor beside Rae-dona, John whispered something in his ear. Marcus smiled and nodded. Then John whispered in his ear a second time. This time Marcus not only nodded his head, but said out loud for all to hear, 'Yes, of course, that’s a wonderful idea, John.'
John turned to the people. 'Before we break up, I have an announcement to make. Marcus has the crown of thorns with him and per my request, he’s agreed to use the crown tonight to heal anyone who would like to come forward and be touched by its power.'
Complete silence filled the whole room. No one even stirred, all waiting to see who would go forward to be healed.
Suddenly a man and a woman came forward. The man carried his young daughter who was lame. Many in the fellowship knew the family and had smiles of encouragement as they made their way to where John and Marcus stood.
Marcus had already removed the crown from the sack when the family arrived in front of him. Marcus took the young girl’s hands and placed them on the crown. No words needed to be spoken. Gasps passed among the fellowship as brightness filled the crowded room. Everyone waited to see if God would use the crown’s power to heal the girl.
They watched with amazement as the girl struggled to be released from the arms of her father who didn’t want to let her go.
Finally she spoke. 'It’s all right, Father, I’m sure I can walk. Please put me down. I can feel movement in my legs. I believe the Lord Jesus has healed me.'
The father set his daughter down. At first her little legs wobbled as she held tightly onto her father’s hand. She looked up at him and then at her mother who was in tears. The girl took both of their hands as the three of them walked back to where they had been sitting.
The applause and shouts of praise to God sounded like thunder as it broke the silence in the room. The healing encouraged others to come forward. All who came forward were touched by the Lord that night.
There were shouts of amen, and clapping of hands as people were healed of their diseases and infections when they touched the crown. Many said they could feel the presence of God in the room.
When no one else came forward, and when Marcus started to put the crown of thorns away, he heard a whisper saying, 'There is one more.'
Marcus stopped and looked up. 'The Lord has told me there is one more person here who needs to be healed. Who is it?'
Again, silence in the room. The only movement came from those near the front who began to turn around. Still no one came forward.
'Don’t be afraid,' Marcus pleaded. 'Whatever your ailment is, God can heal it. Please show us who you are and come forward to be touched by our Lord.'
Again, complete silence.
Then from the back, in the shadows of darkness a figure appeared.
'Please come forward,' John urged.
The person moved a little, and then cried out, 'I am a leper.' It was the voice of a woman.
No one spoke
'Come forward, my child,' John pleaded.
The woman hesitated, then started to approach. With each step she shouted out for all to hear, 'Leper, leper, I am a leper.'
All eyes turned to gaze upon her. Her body was completely covered with old clothing and rags, except for her eyes that continued to dart back and forth at the people watching her. Even though some in the room might have been frightened by the presence of a leper, silence filled the area. But no one seemed more frightened than the woman herself.
Mary and Salome went to help her, because she clearly was in much pain which made it almost impossible for her to walk. When all three reached where John and Marcus stood, they embraced the woman, much to the amazement of the people. Mary and Salome returned to their places and immediately began to pray for a healing to fall upon the woman.
Marcus reached for her hands, but she pulled them away. Frightened, she said, 'I am a leper. You must not touch me!'
Marcus again reached out. 'It’s all right. Our Lord wants to heal you tonight. Please, give me your hands.'
The woman again hesitated, then looking into Marcus’ eyes and seeing love and compassion in them, she slowly removed her arms from under her wrappings and let Marcus put her hands on the crown of thorns.
This time the brightness from the crown was so powerful that many had to shield their eyes with their hands. No one moved, as a mighty chorus from Heaven filled the room. When the glow subsided and people removed their hands from their eyes, the woman turned and faced the fellowship. She looked at her hands, and the people followed her gaze. A gasp of awe went throughout the room as they watched the healing begin.
First the hands and then the arms. Then the woman unwrapped her face. Although she could not see her own face, she could tell by the reaction of the people that she was completely healed. She fell forward prostrated on the ground, shouting out praises of thanks to the Lord.
The two men reached down to help her stand back up. As she stood, she thanked them many times. She looked down at her hands, turning them over and over with disbelief. She then lifted them to the Lord as she returned to join the fellowship, not to the back of the room in the darkness, but to a place in the very front, still shouting out praises to God.
Mary and Salome led the woman upstairs to remove her rags and give her some new clothing. Many tears were shed that night, and they were definitely tears of joy.