# Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle/Chapter 37

CHAPTER XXXVII.
PREPARED for his death sentence, yet now no longer fearing it, Lazarus was surprised at his reception when ushered into the presence of Pontius Pilate.
Indeed, so agitated was Pilate, that he motioned with his head to Claudia to ask the burning questions that lay so close to both their lips.
"Oh, tell us, tell us, noble Lazarus, is He dead?" she asked.
"I think that even now they are but nailing Him to the Cross, if so be they lose not time in buffeting Him," said Lazarus, his voice trembling with emotion.
"Be seated, I pray thee," said Claudia, seeing how pale and tired he looked. Then she continued: "Cannot we yet save Him?"
A gleam of hope shot from the eyes of Lazarus, but quickly died. After a pause he said: "Nay, let Him die, fair lady. 'T is but another hour of agony, and then the sweet spirit will have rejoined His Father. Needs must that He should die. He Himself hath said so, and His word is Truth. If thou shouldst release Him now, Caiaphas will by subtlety retake Him. For the salvation of the world He must needs die to bear the sins of all."
"Thinkest thou, then, that He is the Son of God?"
​"Askest thou me, whom the Lord hath raised, whether I believe He is the Son of God?" said Lazarus.
"Wast thou really dead?" asked Pilate.
"Dead? Yea," said Lazarus. "Four days in the tomb, and my spirit departed into Hades."
"Is there, then, another world?" asked Pilate breathlessly; "a world of life and death?"
"Another world in truth," said Lazarus. "A world of light and peace and righteousness and joy for evermore.
"Oh!" Pilate cast himself down before his table and, throwing his hands outstretched across it, placed his head upon them and cried out: "And I have crucified Him! I have crucified Him!"
At that moment in the distance rose a hideous yell the yell of triumph at sated hate. It fell on Lazarus's ears like sharp-edged stones. He knew it for the death-knell of the Christ. Claudia started, then wrung her hands and cried out: "He is dead! The Son of God is dead!"
Then down on his knees fell Lazarus, and bowed himself to the ground. And now occurred a wondrous thing: the house swayed backwards and forwards, as though it were like to fall, so fearful was its rocking.
Claudia stretched out her hands in awe and horror to her husband, but, the while, a darkness, a solid darkness, with no faint glimmerings of struggling light, had fallen between her and him.
Lazarus!" she cried, "Lazarus, Pilate, what meaneth this?"
And Lazarus's voice beside her said: "Fear not, ​'t is but God's earth mourning for the Son of God. Pray, lady, pray that thou and Pilate may yet believe."
Suddenly the clatter of a horse's hoofs was heard beneath the window. Breathless, a centurion entered and, saluting, briefly handed his report to Pilate.
"Didst do as I commanded?" Pilate asked.
The centurion, unable to restrain himself, threw himself on his knees.
"Of a truth," he said, "I did as thou didst command; and forthwith from his heart there flowed two streams, of water and of blood. Further, even if my words displease thee so that thou shouldst slay me, I still will say that I do believe that this was indeed the Son of God."
Why shouldst thou not believe and live?" said Pilate gently. "Methinks, as thou dost, that this Man had somewhat of the divine in Him."
"Not part, but all," said Lazarus reverently. Then approaching Pilate respectfully, he added: "Dost need me further, noble Pilate, for I would go and see my Lord's body and tend my women, who will be bowed with grief?"
"Art not afraid," asked Pilate, "that the crowd will rend thee?"
"I am afraid of naught," said Lazarus; "and, if they rend me, I count such pain but glory to my God."
"Thou talkest like a Roman," was Pilate's answer. "Yea, go, for to go or stay availeth nothing now. I would that I could help thee, for I fear that thou, too, and all who loved this Man will suffer ​yet. But, should Caiaphas seek to take thee, or to do thee hurt, and I do hear of it, it shall be the worse for him; for, while I am Governor of Judæa, I will protect thee. In my foolishness, but now I suffered this Sadducee to prevail; but it shall not be thus again. By my hand no man again shall die unjustly, for this thing was unjust."
When Lazarus was about to retire, a soldier announced Joseph of Arimathæa, who, on entering, glanced at Lazarus half in astonishment and half in fear that he was a prisoner.
Pilate greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Hail, noble counsellor, what wouldst thou of me?"
"I would crave of thee the body of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God."
"How sayest thou the Son of God," asked Pilate, thirsting for a further understanding of these mysteries, "since it is reported that He is the Son of Joseph, a carpenter of Nazareth?"
"For the glory of God and the salvation of the world was this thing done," said Joseph. "He is no man—begotten man—for His mother hath known no man; she is yet a virgin (Blessed be she amongst women!); and He is the Son of God."
Pilate paused a moment before he made answer. What if all this were a trick? What if Lazarus had not been dead? What if they required the body to perform some pretended miracle of resurrection?
Doubt, Satan's strongest instrument, that enfolding cloak he throws over the heads of those he would ensnare, so that they cannot see nor hear, nor yet cry out for help, seized him again. Then, turning ​to the centurion, he said: "Dost swear that this Jesus is dead?"
"Truly I would I thought it not. But He is dead in very deed, and many will bear witness of it," was the centurion's answer.
"Wilt thou still doubt," asked Lazarus, "and forget already the darkness and the earthquake?"
Then Pilate said: "For my own sake said I this; for, if indeed He rise again, I would be sure that there is no witchery and would have others witness of it."
Then he gave leave to Joseph to do what he would with the holy body, and the two men left together.
It was not long before the rumour of Pilate's concession reached the ears of Caiaphas, so he sent a deputation of priests and Pharisees to the Governor, to ask whether he did not fear a repetition of the miracle of Lazarus.
"Sir," they urged, "we remember that this deceiver said, while He was yet alive, 'After three days I will rise again.'
Do ye then so fear the vengeance of this Man whom ye have crucified?" asked Pilate. "I wonder not that ye fear to see His face again."
"We would but make certain that His disciples bewitch not the people further," said the cringing group of Pharisees. "We would but have thee command that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say unto the people, 'He is risen from the dead.' So the last error be worse than the first."
Then Pilate answered them with scorn: "Ye have ​a watch; go your way, make it as sure as ye can. And tell Caiaphas that, on the third day, methinks the Nazarene will rise again."
And, shaking their heads and wondering whether Pilate had in truth gone mad, they hurried back to Caiaphas and bid him seal the sepulchre, for which thing Pilate had given his permission.
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