Sorry for taking so long to post this next part!
In case you are wondering, this story does not end on Resurrection Sunday, and I will post the next few parts when I can, as they do take place after the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.
This part introduces my second character, Eitan, a young Jewish temple guard. He and his two fellow guards have been assigned the duty of guarding the tomb of Jesus of Nazereth.
My reasoning for portraying the guards as Jewish, as opposed to the traditionally portrayed Romans, is that Pontius Pilate, when asked to provide security for the grave, told the elders that they "have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how." (Matt. 27:65) When the guards reported back after the resurrection, they reported to the Jewish elders instead of the Roman authorities. For this reason, I decided to portray them as Jewish. This does not, of course, mean I am right, but I think it is a plausible reasoning.
~*~
Pale, silver light radiated from the
waning, full moon, painting the land with the mysterious, delicate
hand of night. Eitan's brown eyes slowly swept over the scene before
him as they had all night long; faint, dappled shadows, cast from the
shade of the olive trees, patterned the garden ground and seemed to
morph and meld with the slightest breeze.
The young man shifted his rigid stance
and glanced at his fellow guards, resting by the warmth of a small
fire not ten feet to his left. With a quiet sigh, he rolled his
stiff shoulders and adjusted his grip on the shaft of his spear.
Nahash glanced up from the fire.
“What? You're not tired yet, are
you?” he questioned dryly, breaking their two hours of silence.
Eitan cast him a wry look.
“You're not ready to take my place
yet, are you?” he retorted. He felt a chill run down his back and
glanced over his shoulder at the cold, unmoving tomb behind him.
Yawning and stretching, Nahash stood to his feet while Kalev, a
middle-aged man and the eldest in their group, settled back against a
tree, catching Eitan's wary motion.
“That great rock took seven men to
push it in place,” he spoke, his low, gruff voice startling Eitan.
“They even put a seal over it. So, no one will be getting out.”
At the last statement, he folded his arms across his chest and gave a
tired half-smile. Eitan stepped over to the fire as Nahash took his
place before the tomb, managing a weak chuckle at his elder's
comment. Nahash shuddered visibly, standing before his post and
staring at the tomb.
“Ugh.. Don't speak such things!”
he frowned. “Surely you've heard what the people have been
saying...” Eitan sat down by Kalev then turned his gaze back to
Nahash, curious. Kalev snorted derisively.
“Hah! Those tales are nothing more
than worn nerves!” he spoke sharply. Nahash crossed his arms and
shivered, ignoring Kalev's outburst. The older man sat up and stared
into the fire. “With all that happened yesterday, people are
easily frightened-- and provoked.” He narrowed his eyes. “A
Roman probably put that in their minds, anyhow.” Eitan glance from
one man to the other.
“What are you talking about?”
Nahash turned to him in disbelief.
“You haven't heard?” Warily,
Eitan shook his head. Settling back again, Kalev closed his eyes.
“Get ready for a wild, new 'wives'
tale,'” he remarked sardonically. “And, you,” he pointed at
Nahash without opening his eyes, “do not forget that you are on
watch.”
“You remember how the earth shook
yesterday.” Nahash did not have to ask; Eitan nodded. “Some
people claim that, when the earth shook, some of the tombs opened.”
He glanced at the stone nervously. “They say the dead were
raised. Different people, all through the city, say they have seen
the dead among them.”
Eitan felt a thrill of fear at the
mention of such strange, unbelievable happenings. Kalev opened his
eyes and rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully.
“A lot of things happened
yesterday,” he spoke, his fiery tone subdued. “I think we ought
to simply do our best in the service of our God, and leave such
things to Him and His priests.” At that, the three fell silent,
each lost in his own thoughts.
Shifting his position so he rested on
his elbow, Eitan stared out past the fire, returning, in his mind, to
the great temple of Jerusalem. It had been the day of Pesach, the
Passover, and Jews from all over the Roman Empire had migrated back
to the city of Jerusalem to observe this feast in the land of their
ancestors. For days, the city had been swollen by the great number
of the faithful and, then, the temple and it's courts were flooded
with the presentation of the Pesach sacrifice: the perfect,
unblemished lamb.
Eitan recalled the scene without
trouble; the great din of bleating, shouts, and cries had overwhelmed
his senses while the harsh, metallic scent of blood rose steadily as
lamb after lamb was slain. However, this was a relative peace
compared to what happened next. Everything seemed magnified as the
very foundations of the earth began to shake; screams of terror
sounded amidst the now startled bleating while people and sheep alike
ran for cover. It was then that Eitan turned. He did not remember
what prompted him to look behind him, but when he did, he saw
something that he would never forget.
While the rumbling earth, crying
people, and vocal beasts almost drowned it out, Eitan could still
hear the ripping of the great, purple veil that hung before the Holy
of Holies. In a moment of stark terror, the young temple guard had
dropped to his knees and covered his head, realizing he had seen
within the holiest place on earth, the place where the presence of
God Himself rested. The very thought filled him with a terror that
chilled him to his soul.
“Eitan?”
With a start, Eitan met Kalev's eyes.
The older Jew eyed his fellow guard uncertainly.
“Are you well?” he questioned
slowly. Eitan lowered his eyes quickly and sought to calm his pulse;
he swallowed, then raised his head with a nod.
“Yes... I'm fine.” He exhaled
quietly. “Just... I just need to rest.”
Turning away, he raised his gaze to
the night sky, praying for the day to come.
~*~
We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ with their friends and family. Don't let the true purpose of this holiday be lost amongst the chocolate bunnies and colorful eggs.
Here is a song our church is singing on Easter. May these words always be on our hearts, all year long!
"Why do you seek the living One among
among the dead? He is not here, but He
has risen."
~Luke 24: 5b-6a
