But I could not sleep that night for the calling of Jesus’s face. When the last bugle of the temple sounded I was like one who dreams awake. And this is the dream I dreamed:
I saw a great hillside, and it was crowded with all the children Jesus had healed. Pilo and Smedia were there and many, many others. And beside them were their fathers and mothers and all of every kind and degree who were joined into a great kindred by the love of Jesus. And there were those also who had been healed in the heart and mind as well as body, and more who had needed no healing, but only the right to love life itself.
And none were idle, but all worked with the hands or the mind, and both the hands and faces sang and shone. And all were refreshed in their work, for each had found the outlet of his peculiar genius. So this was a new race. And young and old, this one thing lay upon their faces, for in the love of Jesus all were as children and without fear or greed, but greatly glorified, so their unfolding of themselves was like a canticle of uneasing beauty.
And apart, wrapped in a swollen cloud, drifted without aim many others. These were not as children but very aged, with a toil which brought them always to work in circle back to themselves. And they cursed this and that and pursed lust and power and cried in agony of fear, so their cries were horrible, and their sufferings very great.
And Pontius, the philosopher, was among them. And his arms were worn away from entreating Pilo from afar off to turn to him. And so Pontius cried out to me. And in my sweat of pity, for Pontius was a just man and very learned, I woke. I ran to his bedchamber, crying, “Pontius, Pontius, believe. Cease thy philosophies; believe as a little child on Jesus.” But my maids laughed at me to scorn for my night cry and said: “The Governor is in the judgement seat. There is someone there.”
And now a murmur swelled loudly from the city, with sudden yells. My heart throbbed as tho it would burst from me. I heard the tread of many feet other than the iron shod soldiers upon the marble court below leading to Pretorium.
I flew to Pontius. He was seated in the tribunal. I drew aside the purple curtain. I saw, O Fulvia, I saw Jesus, Pilo’s Jesus. His hands were tied. The cords cut into His bones, and His face was streaming blood. But in all the agony of his body, which was very beaten about, His eyes were full of love. So He looked gently upon Pontius, who was frenzied with doubt now.
The crowd pressed Jesus uncomonly, the soldiers, and Scribes, and Pharisees, the drunken, the lowest of the night rabble. Nor did I see any friend near Jesus. They had brought Him from the priests in the garden, and kicking, striking Him, had maimed each other as Himself.And He healed many. The very demons peered out of their terrible faces. And Pilate was unable to decide His sentence, for he was afraid for his ambition. Now he would ask questions of them, and now of Jesus. And Pontius was white with fear.
I heard him say again, “What is it you ask of me to do to this just man? What evil has he done?” And then he swayed a little and said, “Has He not healed some of you?” Nor then would he look at the eyes of Jesus.
Their high priest, Caiaphas, made answer, “We ask the death of this man for He would make Himself king here instead of Caesar.”
Pontius like one who would increase time, asked directly of Jesus, “Art thou the King of the Jews?” And Jesus looked into Pontius deep as to open into his subtleties. O Fulvia, that look of the blood stained Christ! He asked not for help from Pontius even at this hour when he had no friend, but rather sought to find the healing way to His own judge.
He said, “Dost thou ask this of thine own self, or dost another speak for thee?” And Pontius, turned in agony for he could not decide, and the roar of the crowd was great.
Then Jesus said to Pontius, as if alone in all the shrieking madness, “My kingdom is not of this world. My kingdom is the truth that lives within you as within all born into this world. To reveal thyself in truth am I come.”
The next and final post is on 4/16/17
Lisa Y Life Coach
www.facebook.com/lisaylifecoach