Entry Thirty-Six:
There is an uproar at our gate. People throwing dust in the air, others casting stones at our compound wall…all are shouting. Are they calling for my stoning? Do they wish to kill me because I refuse to give up on my Benjamin? “No, no,” Elizabeth says. “It is because of Herod. He has given the land as a gift to Mark Antony, the Roman General. Herod, they did not like,” she says, “but at least he pretended to be Jewish in his ways. This Gentile would defile the land and bring shame on our community…or so they say.” “But is not all land God’s land,” I reply. “Our land as well as the lands occupied by others? Is the earth not the Lord’s with all its fullness…the world and all who live in it? Is it only a Jewish foot that consecrates the land? No, surely it is the presence of God that hallows the ground. Besides, can God not bring good out of this as He has before…through the likes of Nebuchadnezzar, and Cyrus, and Darius? God can turn any heart the way He wishes…is Mark Antony beyond the reach of His mercy?” She makes no reply.
Now the rabbi comes…trying to settle the mob. He reasons with them pointing out that the sins of the son cannot be visited upon the father. Aaron looks up and sees me staring from my balcony. He scowls and makes a motion with his arms that seems to say, ‘You see? You see what your son has done?’ One man follows his eyes, but his gestures are violent. He shakes his fist at me. The rabbi berates him for it. Ah, so the man has a heart after all.
Finally, the crowd disburses. The servants urge me to remain inside the compound for the day. Will my own community harm me? For what sin will they stone me? Will they bring blood guilt on their own heads because of my love for my erring son? Perhaps. When one loves rules more than mercy, anything is possible. No doubt, there will be more said about this once the Roman arrives to take possession of the land. But for now, I stay inside.
No comments:
Post a Comment