Tuesday, November 29, 2016

From the Outside In, (Installment 4)

Rafael watched them disappear into the house to see Cephas coming in behind them. He stood in the courtyard around a fire with a few others. He was shaking and it wasn't from the cold.  A young woman approached,recognizing him, she called him out.   "This man was with him."   In her voice there was accusation, the reaction from the disciples had been violent, if sloppy and short lived.   She was a friend of the man whose ear had been sliced off.    She was upset and confused, a little angry, but more frightened because of the healing that had taken place.   The man they arrested had healed her friend's ear.   What had her master done in having him arrested?  Peter swore and said he was not with them.   A violent chill had seized him, terror at meeting the same fate he feared for Jesus.   She looked down at the fire and back at Cephas, then she went into the house.   She wanted to be alone.   She had work to do in the kitchen.  Maybe it would take her mind off the strange things happening here. 

A little while later one of the other men, recognizing Peter, brought it up again, and again he denied he knew Jesus at all.  He could see him through the courtyard.   There was more talk as the night wore on, another one of the men, recognizing Peter as a Galilean, brought it up again.  His accent had given him away.   He swore and denied it a third time.  The rooster crowed in the garden.  It was morning.  Jesus, standing near the door surrounded by armed guards, turned and looked at Peter.   

Peter collapsed inwardly, remembering the words Jesus had spoken to him earlier the night before.  "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times".  He ran out of the house and wept as he walked away.  Rafael followed him, saw him hit his knees once he was out of sight, shaking violently and sobbing hysterically.   Cephas could hardly breathe.  The angel stood in front of him, knelt down and kissed his forehead.   Peter stopped crying.  He knew something had just happened but he didn't know what.  The man got up and walked quickly to the home of one of his cousins.   None of them would dare ask him what was going on and that was how he wanted it just then.  

2 comments:

  1. Thank you again, great descriptive of that fateful night, this time I took it personal...

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    1. Thank you, Father, I've spent the last two weeks throwing a hissy fit and not doing anything resembling work outside of my office job. (I need to finish this thing soon. It's been brewing in my brain for a long time.)

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