Life of Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich
1774-1824
Vol 3

This document is: ACE_3_0013

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The Youth of Naim

13

 and I will refresh you. Take up My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, because I am meek and hum­ble of heart, and you shall find rest to your souls, for My yoke is sweet and My burden light!" When the bearers removed the cover, I saw the body wrapped like a babe in swaddling clothes and lying in the coffin. Supporting it in their arms, they loos­ened the bands, drew them off, uncovered the face, unbound the hands, and left about it only one linen covering. Then Jesus blessed the water, dipped the little branch into it, and sprinkled the crowd. There­upon I saw numbers of small, dark figures like insects, beetles, toads, snakes, and little black birds issuing from many of the bystanders. The crowd became purer and brighter. Jesus then sprinkled the dead youth with the little branch, and with His hand made the Sign of the Cross over him, upon which I beheld a murky, black, cloudlike figure issuing from the body. Jesus said to the youth, "Arise!" He arose to a sit­ting posture, and gazed around him in questioning astonishment. Then Jesus said: "Give him some clothing!" and they threw round him a mantle. The youth then rose to his feet and said: "What is all this? How carne I here?" The attendants put sandals upon his feet and he stepped forth from the coffin. Jesus took him by the hand and led him to the arms of his mother, who was hastening toward him. As He restored him to her, He said: "Here, thou hast thy son back, but I shall demand him of thee when he shall have been regenerated in Baptism." The mother was so transported with joy, amazement, and awe, that she uttered no thanks at the moment. Her feelings found vent only in tears and embraces. The procession accompanied her to her home, the people chanting a hymn of praise. Jesus followed with the disciples. He entered the widow's house, which was very large and surrounded by gardens and courts. Friends carne crowding from all quarters, all press­ing eagerly to see the youth. The attendants gave

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 him a bath, and clothed him in a white tunic and girdle. They washed the feet of Jesus and the disci­ples, after which the customary refreshments were presented them. Now began at once a joyous and most abundant distribution of gifts to the poor, who had gathered around the house to offer congratula­tions. Clothing, linen, corn, bread, lambs, birds, and money were given out plentifully. Meantime Jesus instructed the crowds assembled in the courtyards of the widow.

Martial, in his white tunic, was radiant with joy. He ran here and there, showing himself to the eager throng, and helping in the distribution of gifts. He was full of childish gaiety. It was amusing to see school children brought by their teachers into the courtyard and approaching him. Many of them hung back quite timidly as if they thought Martial a spirit. He ran after them and they retreated before him. But others played the valiant and laughed at their companions' fears. They looked with disdain upon the cowardly and gave Martial their hand, just as a large boy touches with the tips of his fingers a horse or other animal of which the little ones are afraid.

Tables were spread both in the house and courts, and at them all were feasted. Peter, as the widow's relative, for she was the daughter of his father-in-law's brother, was especially happy and at home in the house. He discharged in a certain degree the office of father of the family. Jesus frequently addressed questions and words of instruction to the resuscitated boy. He did this in the hearing of those present, who all appeared to be touched by what He said. His words implied that death, which had entered the world by sin, had bound him, had enchained him, and would have dealt him the mor­tal blow in the tomb; furthermore, that Martial with eyes closed would have been cast into the darkness and later would have opened them where neither mercy nor help could be extended to him. But at the

The Last Chance for Mercy

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 portals of the tomb the mercy of God, mindful of the piety of the boy's parents and of some of his ances­tors, had broken his bonds. Now by Baptism he was to free himself from the sickness of sin, in order not to fall into a still more frightful imprisonment. Then Jesus dilated upon the virtues of parents.

Their virtues profit their children in after years. It was in consideration of the righteousness of the Patriarchs that Almighty God, down to the present day, had protected and spared Israel; but now, enchained in sin and covered with the veil of men­tal blindness, they had become like unto this youth. They were standing on the brink of the grave, and for the last time was mercy extended to them. John had prepared the way and with a powerful voice had called upon their hearts to arise from the slumber of death. The Heavenly Father had now, for the last time, pity upon them. He would open to life the eyes of those that did not obstinately keep them closed. Jesus compared the people in their blindness to the youth shut up in his coffin who, though near the tomb, though outside the gate of the city, had been met by salvation. "If," He said, "the bearers had not heeded My voice, if they had not set down the cof­fin, had not opened it, had not freed the body from its winding sheet, if they had obstinately hurried forward with their burden, the boy would have been buried—and how terrible that would have been!" Then Jesus likened to this picture He had drawn the false teachers, the Pharisees. They kept the poor people from the life of penance, they fettered them with the bonds of their arbitrary laws, they enclosed them in the coffin of their vain observances, and cast them thus into an eternal tomb. Jesus finished by imploring and conjuring His hearers to accept the proffered mercy of His Heavenly Father, and hasten to life, to penance, to Baptism!

It was remarkable that Jesus blessed on this occa­sion with holy water, in order to drive out the evil

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spirits that held sway over several of the bystanders. Some of the latter were scandalized, others were envious, and some again were full of a certain mali­cious joy at the thought that Jesus would certainly be unable to raise the youth from the dead. When Jesus blessed with the water, I saw a little cloud, composed of the figures or shadows of noxious ver­min, arise from the youth's body and disappear in the earth. At the raising of others from the dead, Jesus called back the soul of the deceased, which was separated from the body and in the abode assigned it according to its deeds. It came at the call of Jesus, hovered over the dead body, finally sank into it, and the dead arose. But with the youth of Naim, it was as if death—like a suffocating weight—had been taken away from his body.

The meal over, Jesus went with the disciples to the beautiful garden of the widow Maroni at the south­ern end of the city. The maimed and sick lined His whole route, and He cured them all. The streets were alive with excitement. It was already growing dark when Jesus entered the garden where Maroni with her relatives and domestics, several Doctors of the Law, Martial, and some other boys were gathered. There were several summer houses in the garden. Before one more beautiful than the others, whose roof was supported on pillars, and which might be shut in by movable screens, was a flambeau placed high under the palm trees. Its flames lighted up the whole hall, and glistened beautifully on the long, green leaves. Near the trees on which fruit was still hang­ing, one could see as distinctly and clearly by the light of the flambeau as by day. At first Jesus taught and explained walking around; afterward, He entered the summer house. He often spoke to Martial in the hearing of others. It was a wonderfully beautiful evening in that garden. The night was advanced when Jesus and His followers returned to Maroni's house, in whose side buildings all found lodgings.

Question of Divorce

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At the news of Jesus' presence in Naim and the resurrection of the boy, crowds of people, among them many sick, gathered into the city from the whole country around. They completely filled the street in front of Maroni's residence, where they stood in long rows. Jesus cured part of them the next morning, and established peace in several households. Sev­eral women had come to Him, asking whether He could not give them a bill of divorce. They com­plained of their husbands with whom, they said, they could no longer live. This was an artful device of the Pharisees. They were confounded by His mir­acles and could do nothing against Him; but yet being full of wrath, they resolved to tempt Him to say on the subject of divorce something against the Law, that they might be able to accuse Him as a teacher of false doctrine. But Jesus said to the dis­contented wives: "Bring me a vessel of milk and another of water. Then I shall answer ye." They went into a neighboring house and returned with a bowl of milk and one of water. Jesus poured one into the other and said: "Separate the two again, so that the milk shall be again by itself, and in like manner the water. Then I shall give you a bill of divorce." The women replied that they could not do that. Then Jesus spoke of the indissolubility of marriage, and that it was only on account of the obduracy of the Jews that Moses had allowed divorce. But perfectly disunited husband and wife never could be, since they are one in the flesh; and although they might not live together, yet must the husband support the wife and children, and neither could remarry. After that Jesus accompanied the wives to their homes, where He had a private interview with the hus­bands. Then He saw each couple together, reproached both parties, the wives coming in for the larger share, and ended by forgiving them. The delinquents shed tears and afterward lived happily together, more faithful to each other than they had ever before

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 been. The Pharisees were furious on seeing that their design had completely failed.

That morning Jesus restored sight to many of the blind by mixing in His hand clay and saliva and smearing it to their eyes.

4. Jesus in Mageddo. John's Disciples

When Jesus was leaving Naim, Maroni, her boy and her domestics, all the cured, and many good people of the city accompanied Him, singing Psalms and bearing green branches before Him. He went with the disciples westward along the north bank of the Cison. The mountain that shut in the valley of Nazareth lay to the right. Toward evening He and the disciples arrived at the environs of Mageddo, which stood on the mountain chain whose eastern declivity leads down into the valley of Zabulon. Here He entered an inn, and soon afterward gave an instruction in front of it. When the laborers in the fields saw Jesus and His followers drawing near, they threw on the garments which at their work they had laid aside.

Mageddo stood on an eminence and was partly fallen to decay. In the very heart of the city there were ruins entirely overgrown with moss, while here and there arose a dilapidated arch. They must have belonged to a castle of the kings of Canaan.¹ I heard that Abraham also once sojourned in this region. The suburb in which Jesus put up was more mod­ern and more full of life than the city itself. It con­sisted of a long row of houses at the base of the mountain, over which ran a great commercial high­way from Ptolomais. There were numerous large inns in the neighborhood, and many publicans dwelt here. They had heard Jesus' teaching and had resolved to receive penance and Baptism. The Pharisees of the

1. Jos. 12:21; 3 Kgs. 9:15.

Jesus Instructs the Laborers

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 place were scandalized at these things. A great crowd of sick were already gathered and others were con­stantly coming. Jesus sent word to them by the dis­ciples that He would go to them toward evening, and He directed how they should be arranged, which directions the disciples fulfilled. Outside the city of Mageddo was a large meadow surrounded by walls and porches wherein the sick were brought and laid in order.

Meanwhile Jesus, with the disciples, went through the fields outside the city instructing in parables the laborers there engaged in sowing. Some of the disciples taught those at a greater distance until Jesus came up; then they turned back to those that Jesus had already instructed, explained to them whatever they had not clearly understood, and told them about the Lord's miracles. Jesus and the dis­ciples always taught the same things to the differ­ent sets of workmen, so that on comparing notes, they all found that they had heard the same. They who had understood better, could afterward explain to the others. They often discontinued their work in this hot country to rest, and it was of these inter­missions, and the opportunity afforded by the time devoted to meals, that Jesus took advantage to teach.

While Jesus was thus traversing the fields with the disciples, four of John's followers arrived. They saluted the disciples and paid attention to their instructions. They had strips of fur around their necks, and leathern thongs bound their waists. They had not been sent by John, although they had con­stant intercourse with him and his disciples. They were degenerate followers of John, sworn to the Hero­dians, who had sent them to follow Jesus and hear what He taught concerning His Kingdom. They were more austere, though at the same time more pol­ished in their manners, than Jesus' disciples. Some hours after, another troop of John's disciples made their appearance. They were twelve in number, only

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 two of whom had been sent by John; the rest had come through curiosity. As they approached, Jesus was returning to the city, and they followed Him. Some of them had been present at the last miracles wrought by Jesus, and had hastened back to tell John what they had seen. When Jesus raised the youth of Naim, some of them were present, and they hurried off to Machaerus to inform John. They said to him: "What is it? What must we think? We have seen Him perform such and such miracles! We have heard such and such words from His lips! But His disciples are much less strict than we in the obser­vance of the Law. Whom shall we follow? Who is Jesus? Why does He cure all that appeal to Him? Why does He console and help strangers, though He does not take a step toward freeing you?"

John always had trouble with his disciples, for they would not separate from him. It was for that reason that he sent them so often to Jesus, that they might learn to know Him and eventually follow Him. But they were so prejudiced in favor of John that what they saw and heard made little impression upon them. It was his desire that his disciples should follow Jesus that led John to urge Him so frequently to manifest Himself; he hoped that his followers would yield to the movement that converted the other Jews. He thought that, seeing them come again and again with their doubts, Jesus would be, as it were, necessitated to proclaim aloud that He was the Mes­siah, the Son of God; therefore it was that he sent those two with their usual questions to Him.

On entering the city with His disciples, Jesus went to the circular enclosure where the sick from the whole country around were encamped. Among them were some from Nazareth who knew Him. The lame, the blind, the dumb, the deaf, the sick of all kinds were here gathered, also several possessed. Making a turn around the circle, Jesus cured the last named, many of whom were suffering from different degrees

Life of Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich
1774-1824
Vol 3

This document is: ACE_3_0013

[click an item below to go to other documents]