Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-29


how Jonas did not find it odd that ne still had not
spoken word
II tried to reach the teacher and beg his forgiveness
Jonas went on but was kept back when Elan was
stabbed If Jesus had forgiven me, would not be sad
now"
Inst talking to the stranger who walked beside him
without speaking seemed to bring peace to Jonas Tou-
bled mind And when the other man reached out to put
his arm across the great hump his back in gesture
of friendly assurance, the little woodseler felt an mex
ulicabe warmth flood his soul. Most startling was not
the strangers gesture its effect upon JONAS but the
fact that he distinctly remembered having mad TINS
same sensation once before.
1t had been long time ago when, cold and afraid, ne
had looked up the sky above the courtyard OF an Inn
in Bethlehem and had seen the brilliant star hanging
there and felt its warmth drive all fear and pain from his
BODY The feeling was distinct and as comforting now
as it had been on that night more than thirty years ago.
The strangers arm like protecting mantle about
Jonas there on the hillside When the little woodseler
turned his head he could the others ha. where
rested upon his shoulder and plainly he had seen
them himself on the hill of Golgotha Jonas detected the
print of the nails which had fixed the outsetched hands
to the cross.
Won must be the" Jonas stopped for he
was alone In fact there was not the print Of
sandal in the dusty track beside him to mark where the
stranger had walked.
Standing in the roadway, Jonas shook his head
slowly. 81 have been dreaming, lie told himself many.
But the feeling of peace that flooded his soul and the
touch Of the strangers arm which it seemed ne could
still feel about his bent and gnared shoulders were not
dream.
The Nazarene claimed he would rise from the dead,
he said unconsciously speaking aloud He did not nm
sh the sentence for it incredible that the man to
whose shameful death he had contributed should have
risen and here today to comfort him in his grIef
Such thing could not happen to Jonas the woodseler
He was not even follower of Jesus nor had ne ever
spoken word to the NaZarene unless it had been
Just now.
Noticing that Eleazar had gone on ahead and
was out of sight around Of the PATH Jonas hur-
RED 10 catch up with the old animal AS he rounded the
hill and saw stretching before him the broad patch OF
burnet where he had gathered the green thorns, ne
stopped with feeling Of and joy. Now, at last ne
knew who had comforted him few moments before on
the road What he seeing could only be sign that
Jesus of Nazareth had indeed risen from the dead and
had forgiven him his own part in the shameful death on
the cross.
In the center Of the patch of thornS, exactly where
Jonas had gathered those for the crown mass OF the
green bunet had bIoomed overnight with thousands OF
blossoms shaped like drops of blood, making scarlet
slash of color across the green hillside that was ike
burning beacon in the dawn.
Long, long ago. Jonas had been allowed to give the
first gift to child who, the shepherds had said, was
announced to them by the angels as the Son OF God
Now, many years afterwards, he knew he had alsc
given the last gift for the king who would ruie
forever in the hearts Of men,
c~T--- uk1A 1