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A Series of Lessons in Mystic Christianity1030
He stood there for a few moments wrapt in meditation and showing
evidences of strong mental concentration. His eyes took on a strange look,
and in every muscle He showed that He was summoning to the task every
particle of the power at His command. He was throwing off the matters that
had been occupying His mind during the past weeks, that He might hold
his mind “one-pointed,” as the Oriental occultists term it—that He might
concentrate clearly and forcibly upon the task before Him.
Then, arousing His reserve force, in a mighty effort, He cried loudly, in a
voice of authority and power, “Lazarus! Lazarus! Come forth!”
The people gasped with horror at this calling forth a corpse which was in
the process of disintegration and decay, and a cry of remonstrance went up,
but Jesus heeded it not. “Lazarus! Lazarus! Come forth, I command thee!”
he cried again.
And then at the mouth of the cavern could be seen something startling.
It was a ghastly figure, bound and clad in the grave-clothes of that country,
which was struggling to free itself and to move toward the light. It was indeed
Lazarus! And, after tearing off the stained grave-clothes which still retained
the horrid stench of decaying matter, his body was found to be sweet and
clean and pure as that of the infant. Jesus had performed a wonder-work far
beyond any manifestation He had heretofore shown to the world.
The excitement occasioned by this crowning wonder, coming to
Jerusalem after a lull in which it had thought that the Master had retired into
insignificant seclusion, aroused again into activity the authorities, who now
determined to make an end to the matter and to suppress this pestilent
charlatan once and for all. Raising a decaying corpse from the tomb, indeed!
What new fraudulent marvels would He not work next in order to delude
the credulous people and to bring them once more around his rebellious
standard? The man was dangerous without doubt, and must be put where
He could do no harm—and that at once.
Within a few hours after the receipt of news that Lazarus had walked
from the tomb, the Sanhedrin, the great Jewish ecclesiastical council, was in