Sacred Scrolls; Chapter 23

 

Sacred Scrolls; Chapter 23

© 2021 by Amber Wright

JOHN'S SEARCH

Junia thanked the girl in return. At that crumbly doorstep, she realized the real poor were those without hope, without a smile, without love. For here was a poor girl rich in faith, love and happiness. Elder John followed her into the house with a kind word for everyone.

Later that afternoon, Junia made her way to Judith’s house with happy news and a happy countenance. She felt everyone staring at her curiously but she did not care. Elder John had returned. Good things were on its way.

“Elder John is here!” Junia stopped breathlessly before Judith.

Judith sat in her garden, sewing under the shade of a mulberry tree. She looked up with a happy smile. “You say Elder John is here?”

“Yes.” Junia clapped her hands and took a seat on the bench beside her friend. “Elder John has come at last!”

“I’m so glad.” Judith stitched, wearing her happy smile. “I had wanted so badly for him to come. I want him to marry me and Rufus. I hope he stays until then.”

“He probably will marry you two then.” Junia quickly calculated in her head. “Your wedding is less than ten days now.”

“I know.” Judith stopped sewing, nervously smoothing the fabric in her lap. “I can’t believe it! The months have passed so quickly.”

“And so will the years.” Junia teased with a giggling grin. “Before you know it, you and Rufus will be stooped over and you’ll be fixing goodies for your grandchildren.”

“Don’t put in the grandchildren just yet.” Judith laughed out. “Let me enjoy my children first. By then, you’ll probably be married yourself.”

“I doubt it.” Junia shook her head, eyebrows raised for emphasis. “By the time I get married you’ll be having your grandchildren, I believe. Anyways,” here she sighed slowly, “I don’t want to get married just yet. There’s too many things to do beforehand. I probably won’t get married at all—so don’t count me in on this marriage issue.”

“I’ll remember that,” smirked Judith, stitching again, “when a young man steals your heart completely and you are almost as senseless as I was when I first met Rufus.”

“I feel heartless right now,” Junia gave Judith a lop-sided smile, “so I suppose that’s what happened. Only my young man must have carried my stolen heart to somewhere even I can’t reach—and discarded it.”

“Don’t speak like that, Junia. You’re two years younger than I am and I’m just now getting married. Don’t lose hope. God has the perfect one for you—just like He had the perfect one for me.”

“I doubt he’ll be perfect because I’m the perfect opposite of perfect.” Junia stood suddenly, pacing under the mulberry tree like a prowling tiger. “Oh, how I hate to wait!”

“Why, what’s the matter?” Judith sounded concerned.

Junia paused long enough to relate the conversations she had with Elder John. She wrung her hands impatiently. “And now Elder John is at the meeting with the elders. I just would like to know what the outcome will be but now I have to wait, wait, wait.”

“I know it’s hard to wait,” Judith gave her a knowing smile, “but waiting is part of living. We all have to wait at some point in our lives.”

“I wish we didn’t.” Junia muttered as she stood still, deep in thought, wondering to exasperation what would be the outcome of the upbraiding.

~

“Meh'tehr!” Junia walked into the kitchen with the basket of vegetables from Judith over her arm. She pushed back her veil. “Have they still not returned yet?”

“No, dear.” Eunice looked up from grinding wheat on a reed chair, anxious lines creasing her forehead. “I trust all is well, but from what has happened out of our own brethren there’s no telling…”

Junia watched her mother stop grinding and rub her eyes.

“I believe dust is getting in my eyes.” Her mother's voice choked.

“I’ll grind if you want me to.” Junia offered, setting her basket down and reaching for the small hand-mill.

“Thank you. I’ll cut these vegetables up. They’ll be hungry when they return.” Eunice stood, handing her the hand-mill and taking the basket.

“I’ll make the bread,” Junia took a seat on the reed chair, began to grind and a smile took shape on her worrisome face. “Making bread is sure one hard job, isn’t it, Meh’tehr?”

“Yes, it is. But bread is the heart of any meal.” Eunice chopped another potato. “Bread has kept man alive since the start of the world.”

Silence followed. Only the sound of the hand-mill grinding was heard, a powdery-like noise.

Her mother cleared her throat. “It’s the hard things in life that makes us what we are.” Eunice gave her a small smile. “Out of hardness with endurance—like a soldier—comes strength. Never fret, dear. The reward is soon to come after all the hard labor. You’ll realize this when you are grown.”

“I feel grown already…almost.” Junia found the seconds slipping into the minutes as the basket in her lap filled with fresh, finely ground wheat.

After the vegetables had been chopped and the bread was baking in the oven, Eunice and Junia sat in reed chairs on the patio. A tranquility seemed to fill the air as the food cooked and the autumn sun began to lower, fiery and golden. A peaceful chirping came from the birds in the surrounding trees. If only I could be so peaceful within as those birds, Junia reflected, leaning back in her chair as a stray butterfly wandered inside the latticed patio. But waiting for news of the outcome is deafening my ears through this silence!

The talk was little. Junia felt the anxiety between them even though neither one admitted to it. A little fear haunted her—of that dangerous man who called himself a man of God, of that man who in works was made manifest a child of Satan. Seriously, how could a man of God lie such a lie, steal money from the church treasury, oust a complete stranger from the sanctuary and let somebody else take his blame? It is as though Satan has transformed himself into an angel of light. Who can know? She blinked, hearing her mother speak.

“Junia, how many people do you think have suffered in this world because of one evil man? It was one man, Achan, who caused Israel’s battles to be lost until he was exposed. It was one man, a Pharaoh of Egypt, who caused all Israel to be put in chains and misery until Moses led them out.” Eunice took a deep breath. “It was one man, Nero the Emperor of Rome, who killed thousands of Christians. Junia, we all suffer from the evil of one man.”

A pause.

Junia probed her mind until a bright remembrance came to her. “I know, Meh’tehr, we suffer from one evil man’s evils. Saint Paul told us in his writings that by one man came the fall of creation and sin entered the world. But I remember what Saint Paul also said.”

“Which is?” Eunice sounded tired, weary, filled with heaviness.

“He said that by one man there came righteousness.” Junia spoke with feeling, her eyes opening wide with alertness. “When Jesus came into the world in the shell of a man, He brought to us life which had been forfeited by Eve’s sin. Paul also told us that by one good man good things can happen—like Moses did, like Joshua did, like Gideon did.”

“Yes, by one good man good things can happen.” Eunice agreed, a little more cheered up by the fact.

“And when there is no good man,” Junia stated with boldness, “a good woman can help—like Deborah did.”

“We can’t forget Queen Esther who saved her people even when she could have been killed.” Eunice went on even more cheerful. “Nor can we forget Abigail who fed David’s army even when her evil husband wouldn’t and saved her household. The names would run on and on if we would recall them all.”

“I suppose there’s still a lot of good people to remember,” Junia observed with a smile, “although it seems sometimes we can just remember the evil ones.”

“I suppose it’s because the evil ones have done so much evil,” her mother shook her head, “it’s hard to forget.”

A scuffling was heard in the garden and Junia craned her neck in time to see Andronika running towards them with her brown braid flying behind her. Both Junia and her mother flew to their feet. Instantly, Junia knew something horribly was wrong by the look on Andronika’s stricken face. “What’s wrong, Andronika?”

Andronika stopped, breathing heavily. “Alexander, my husband!”

Junia stared. She had not known Andronika had married. Then she caught herself. In the city there was known as such a thing as common-law-marriage, a thing the Christians never did so it had taken a full moment for the fact to sink into Junia. She blinked back to the present.

Her mother stood beside hysterical Andronika with an arm around her. “What is wrong with him, my dear?”

“H-he w-was st—stabbed.” Andronika stared up at Eunice with haunted, scared eyes. “He’s stabbed—and I don’t—know what to do! Please help me? Please!”

Eunice led Andronika to a chair and made her sit; then, she rushed indoors to get the needed supplies. Junia slid back onto the reed chair, almost to the fainting point. She took deep breaths, slowly, steadily.

“Stabbed, Andronika?” Junia's words came out haltingly. “How ugly…it is. How was he stabbed—and where?”

“His chest, on a mission.” Andronika’s face was buried in her hands and her words were muffled. “A man stabbed him, some man by the name of—oh!”

Andronika’s head jerked up, red eyes streaming with tears. She gulped. “I know who. It was Deacon Demas. Just a few minutes ago!”

The metal pail of steaming water clattered in Eunice’s hands. “What is this world coming to? A deacon—a Christian deacon?”

“Was Alexander robbing, is that why he was stabbed?” Junia asked suddenly, knowing the term “mission” in the band meant a robbery.

“Yes.” Andronika sniffed. “Demetrius wanted to get the money Deacon Demas had stolen from the church treasury so that Deacon Demas wouldn’t get caught with it and mar the Christian church’s name. That’s when Alexander met Demas as he was climbing out of the deacon’s window. And…was stabbed. He lost the money.”

“Oh Andronika!” Junia swiftly pondered the action of Demetrius over in her whirling mind. Demetrius still wanted the church to have a good name. Bless him! He’s still good. I knew he was. “But why did he order the stealing now?”

“He heard that Elder John has come.” Andronika sounded calmer. “He knew Elder John would know the truth and get to the bottom of this. Demetrius was trying to save Deacon Demas from a name that would surely be lower than a street pig’s.”

“We must go.” Eunice motioned for Andronika to rise.

Junia started to rise as well but her mother stopped her with, “You need to stay and watch the food. I’ll tend this wound.”

Eunice and Andronika left, and Junia was alone to finish supper which was done shortly afterwards. After she had nibbled on a bun, a little bit of meat and vegetables, she sat in a reed chair on the patio wondering when everyone would get back. Before long, she heard a quiet footstep.

“He’s doing badly and Andronika is quite hysterical.” Her mother paused and looked down at her empty plate. “Would you mind going over there to be with Andronika? Andronika’s in such a state that her baby might get neglected.”

“I will.” Junia stood and her mother took her plate. “I ate because the food was done,” she said by way of apology.

“That’s fine.” Eunice sounded tired. “She lives above the tannery. Go on the steps to the right and the second door to your left.”

“They still haven’t returned.” Junia thought to add, picking up her folded veil laying on the back of her chair. “I trust God they’re all right. But look what happened to Alexander! We can’t be sure he wouldn’t—”

“We trust God, Junia.” Eunice interrupted, hastily wiping at her eyes, and gave her a weak smile. “We trust God.”

Junia gave her mother a hug before pulling on her veil and left their villa. Please God, she stepped through the front gate and looked up at the evening sky ablaze with red and orange, looking so peaceful and everyday. Please help this Alexander. Please be with my Pah’tehr and Elder John. Please?

~

“The sun is lowering, Elder John.” Junius Gaius spoke while keeping up with the older man’s jogging horse with his own steed. “Shall we wait until morning?”

“No, there may never be tomorrow.” Elder John decided firmly. “I will not give up the search today until I have scoured every inch of this mountain. I must find him—I must! Let us ride on further.”

They started towards the area where the woods grew dense along the roadway. Mossy vines hung limply from the boughs of the old trees that had edged the road for a century or more. Along with the mossy vines came lurking shadows of close nightfall. The day was nearly over.

“If I must get off this path, I will.” Elder John insisted. “I will find him.”

The words were said determinedly and Junius admired the aged man’s stamina to continue the hard, rough, jostling ride to find the young man who had strayed.

“We may find him sooner than we expect.” Junius held his horse’s reins firmly as they trotted along. “His men now haunt the roadsides even before dark nowadays.”

“Ah, we will—” Elder John’s sentence was cut short when they were abruptly surrounded by hooded, masked horsemen.

Both of their horses reared slightly as the band’s horses made an uneven circle around them. The hooded, masked men made no motion except for two of them to dismount and take Elder John’s and Junius' reins. The others sat on their mounts, holding large daggers threateningly.

~

“I came here for this purpose.” John felt calm despite the situation. He looked down at the hooded, masked man holding his reins. “Lead me to your captain.”

The man seemed to tremble under his guise, but then lead them all into the depths of the forest. They came to a nestled-looking mound which turned into a cavern that opened upon them without warning. As the stomping, slow tread of horse hooves echoed into the cavern, a young man came out of the entrance armed with a dagger bigger than the rest.

Demetrius asked in a hard tone, “What have we here, my men?”

Demetrius’ eyes fell onto him. His face whitened and his lips trembled. When John stepped to the ground, Demetrius—the fierce captain who feared nothing, as they said—began running into the nearby woods away from him. Forgetting his age, John ran after the captain, calling out to him in a voice filled with urgency and brotherly love.

“My Fil’os, why do you run from me? You are armed, I am not. You are young, I am old. Fear not for there is yet hope of salvation. I will make answer for you unto Christ. Believe me, Christ has sent me!”

Demetrius stopped and slowly turned, and John’s search was over.

A Few Greek Words:

Fil'os: friend

Meh'tehr: mother

Pah'tehr: father

Adher'fi: sister

Adher'fos: brother