But He went on, speaking gently and softly; “I have preached to the people in vain about faith in Me.  I need not preach to you, for a mother believes in her child.  They will all testify against Me.  Mother, do not believe them.  Believe your child.  And when the hour comes for Me to appear with outstretched arms, not on earth and not in heaven, believe then in your child.  Be sure then that your carpenter has built the Kingdom of God.  No, mother, do not weep; look up with bright eyes.  Your day will be everlasting.  The poor, those forsaken by every heaven, will pour out their woes to you, the blessed, the rich in grace!  All the races of the earth will praise you!” He kissed her hair, He kissed her eyes, and sobbed Himself.  “And now go, mother.  My friends are waking.  They must not see Me cast down.”

He arose from this sweet rest.  The disciples raised their heads one after another.

“Did you get some rest, Master?” asked Simon.

He answered:  “Better rest than you had.”

A messenger who had been sent out returned with a basket, and they paid him with a little gold ring, the last to be found on the fingers of the wanderers.  They ate, and rejoiced over God’s beautiful world and its gifts, and then prepared for further wanderings, Whither?  Towards the metropolis.

Mary stood behind the rocks and gazed after Him as long as He was visible in the haze of the Galilean sun.

CHAPTER XXV

And so they made their way towards Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover.  Long ago Moses had delivered the Jews from bondage in Egypt, and led them back to their native land.  In grateful remembrance many thousands assembled every year at Jerusalem at the time of the first full moon of spring, made a pilgrimage to the Temple, and, according to the ancient custom, ate of the Paschal lamb, with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast, as once they ate manna in the wilderness.  At such an assembly there was of course much commerce and show.  The execution of criminals took place at that time, so that people were sure of one terrible spectacle in accordance with the words of the Rabbis in the Temple who said; He who breaks the Law shall be punished according to the Law.

“I should like to see such a thing once,” said the disciple Thaddeus to his comrades as they went along.  “I mean such a punishment.”

“You’ll easily find an opportunity in Jerusalem,” replied Andrew; and added with light mockery, “to see criminals impaled is the correct merry-making for poor men.  It costs nothing.  And yet I do not know a costlier pleasure.”

“How is the impaling done?” Thaddeus wanted to know.

“That’s easily described,” Matthew informed them.  “Think of an upright post planted in the earth and a cross-beam near the top.  The poor sinner is bound naked to it, his arms stretched out.  When he has hung there in the people’s eyes for a while, they break his legs with a club.  For very serious crimes they sometimes fasten the limbs to the post with iron nails.”