The Coming of the King

ver guests, for the few days preceding the Feast were used for visiting, and Lazarus and his sisters had many friends. The first guest to arr

said after greetings.

en thousand feet press

ng of the hammer sounded over the hills where the roadways are made safe, and tombs are fresh whitened that

And Debora hath been saying a prophet hath arisen the like of wh

laimed Huldah, greatly inte

the maidens are co

er breast and falling away leaving her arms bare. Her hair had blown softly about her face. Her cheeks were like almond blossoms and

a prophet come

have s

lee ariseth

cometh Jesus

Huldah exclaimed, t

of him?" Mar

s' sons? And now cometh the worse of them all. Yea, I have heard of him. A wolf in sheep's clothing-a false prophet is he. Ne

ay by an evil on

chosen of God, and hath it not been written there is no salvation outside Israel? Had there been no Jew the Law from Sinai had not been given and we too would be uncl

on the Sabbath?" Mar

not all. He is a f

rom the pockets of Israel to pay for the pa

ed Samaritan, friendly as a brother is he with these heathe

med the maidens u

of prophet thinke

the evil things of whi

asked o

such are t

both seen the face of h

obs

lk as doth vex the Rabbis. See thou my cloth of gold? With my needle I shall make it gay with crimson pomegranates." Huldah took her embroidery fr

guest. She cometh with a neighbor and leaneth heavily on

she had gone Huldah a

zab

er whose head Herod did give as a bauble to the vile He

to hear the man. Possessed of a devil was he. Aye, and the hair of his mother be white like the cap of snow that sits on Hermon's head. Verily a foolish son bringeth dow

tside the door. "My feet have no

earing a widow's headdress, the aged woman entered. "Peace be to this house and to thy hearts, my daughters," she said wi

im feet pressing towa

ah s

on have they gone." Elizabeth rested her head wearily against the back of the chair and tears rolled down her withered cheeks. Mary knelt beside her and taking her hands sai

the fulness of time to us a son was born. A Nazarene did he grow, neither cutting his beard, nor drinking wine nor looking on women. And as Elijah came from the wilds of Gilead to confound Ahab, so came the son of my bosom from the wilds of Judea crying in the ear of an adulterous generation, 'Prepare ye! Prepare! There cometh one after me whose shoe latchet I am not worthy t

thou speakest

ak of Jesus of Naz

" the aged wo

quaintance?" Debora

other of her who bare Jesus e

upon his face and heard the wondrou

n and his mother and father, for twice d

Is she skilled in savorin

e rich sop, yet in her veins runneth the blood

in hiding, this royal-blo

Galilean peasant, for p

trough of a cattle shed

e price of keep at th

he when I f

epeated. "What manner

d wedding with those who piped, piped he, and with those who danced, danced he until his small garments, like wings, flew apace. Mild was he and obedient, yet when his hand was lifted in wrath it did strike hard. Once he did fight. Aye, and a good fight it was and over the wall did he send with the speed of a wild ass and fierce blows, a lad twice his size. His mother did bind his black eye in a fig leaf pou

" laughed Debora,

out to such a

ked. "For making bloo

nose is the only way to s

n's estate. Merry were the guests with feasting and shouting when the wine did fall short. In an outer ro

I with a cup of grape sirup well thickened, made a kid skin of wine. Wha

th answered slowly. "After other things did Jesus say,

n. The poor? Who taketh account of the poor? Poverty is a visitation of Jehovah. Ever ha

was his food but dried locusts. Oft bore his thin garments many patches. Oft was a h

patches for the back;

of this sort it would

or in the field and men

ip curled

chariot and Caesar feed men to tigers. When cometh the King of the Jews, such will be

not a herder of sheep o

emphati

was put upon his head? Not whence he cometh, but the kind he is