Part 16 (1/2)
”Children, what ye desire will be done in its time, but my ways are ordered by my Father, and thus saith the Lord: 'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.'”
And, loyal and obedient, He followed the path of death. Judas alone lingered behind, resolving to leave the fallen greatness which promised no earthly profit and would bring danger and disgrace upon its adherents. In this mood he was met by Dathan, Andreas Gross, who was seeking a tool for the vengeance of the money changers. Finding it in Judas, he took him before the Sanhedrim.
An impressive and touching tableau now introduced a new period, the gathering of manna in the wilderness, which refreshed the starving children of Israel. A second followed: The colossal bunch of grapes from Canaan. ”The Lord miraculously fed the mult.i.tude in the desert with the manna and rejoiced their hearts with the grapes of Canaan, but Jesus offers us a richer banquet from Heaven. From the mystery of His body and blood flows mercy and salvation!” sang the chorus. The curtain rose again, Christ was at supper with His disciples. He addressed them in words of calm farewell. But they did not yet fully understand, for they asked who would be _first_ in His heavenly kingdom?
His only answer was to lay aside His upper garment, gird, with divine dignity, a cloth about His loins, and kneel to perform for the disciples the humblest service--_the was.h.i.+ng of their feet_.
The human race looked on in breathless wonder--viewless bands of angels soared downward and the demons of pride and defiance in human nature fled and hid themselves in the inmost recesses of their troubled hearts.
Aye, the strong soul of the woman, which had at first rebelled against the patience of the suffering G.o.d--now understood it and to her also light came, as He had promised and, by the omnipotent feeling which urged her to the feet of Him who knelt rendering the lowliest service to the least of His disciples, she perceived the divinity of _humility_!
It was over. He had risen and put on His upper garment; He stood with His figure drawn up to His full height and gazed around the circle: ”Now ye are clean, but not _all_!”--and His glance rested mournfully on Peter, who before the c.o.c.k crew, would deny Him thrice, and on Judas, who would betray Him for thirty pieces of silver.
Then He again took His seat and, as the presentiment of approaching death transfigures even the most commonplace mortal and illumines the struggling soul at the moment of its separation from the body, so the _G.o.d_ transfigured the earthly form of the ”Son of Man” and appeared more and more plainly on the pallid face, ere he left the frail husk which He had chosen for His transitory habitation. And as the dying man distributes his property among his heirs, _He_ bequeathed His. But He had nothing to give, save Himself. As the cloud dissolves into millions of raindrops which the thirsting earth drinks, He divided Himself into millions of atoms which, in the course of the ages, were to refresh millions of human beings with the banquet of love. His body and His blood were his legacy. He divided it into countless portions, to distribute it among countless heirs, yet it remained _one_ and the _part_ is to every one _the whole_. For as an element remains a great unity, no matter into how many atoms it may dissolve--as water is always water whether in single drops or in the ocean--fire always fire in sparks or a conflagration--so Christ is _always Christ_ in the drops of the chalice and the particles of the bread, as well as in His original person, for He, _too_, is an element, _the element of divinity_.
As kindred kneel around the bedside of a loved one who is dying, bedew his hand with tears, and utter the last entreaty: ”Forgive us, if we have ever wounded you?” the thousands of spectators longed to kneel, and there was not one who did not yearn to press his lips to the wonderful hand which was distributing the bread, and cry: ”Forgive us our sins.” But as reverence for the dying restrains loud lamentations, the spectators controlled themselves in order not to sob aloud and thus disturb the divine peace throned upon the Conqueror's brow.
Destiny now relentlessly pursued its course. Judas sold his master for thirty pieces of silver, and they were paid to him before the Sanhedrim. The pieces of silver rang on the stone table upon which they were counted out. It seemed as if the clear sound was sharply piercing the world, like the edge of a scythe destined to mow down the holiest things.
The priests exulted, there was joy in the camp of the foes! All that human arrogance and self-conceit could accomplish, raised its head triumphantly in Caiaphas. The regal priest stood so firmly upon the height of his secular power that nothing could overthrow him, and--Jesus of Nazareth must die!
So the evening came when Christ went with the twelve disciples to the Mount of Olives to await His doom.
”Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may also glorify thee! I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do--I have manifested thy name unto men! Father, sanctify them through thy truth; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee!”
He climbed the lonely mount in the garden of olive trees to pa.s.s through the last agony, the agony of death, which seized upon even the Son of G.o.d so long as He was still bound by the laws of the human body.
”Father, if thou be willing, let this cup pa.s.s from me!”
Here Freyer's acting reached its height; it was no longer semblance, but reality. The sweat fell in burning drops from his brow, and tears streamed from his eyes. ”Yet not _my_ will, but _Thine_ be done--Thy sacred will!” Clasping his trembling hands, he flung himself p.r.o.ne on the ground, hiding his tear-stained face, ”Father--Thy son--hear Him!”
The throng breathed more and more heavily, the tears flowed faster. The heart of all humanity was touched with the anguished cry: ”Oh, sins of humanity, ye crush me--oh, the terrible burden--the bitter cup!”
With this anguish the Son of G.o.d first drew near to the human race, in this suffering He first bent down to mortals that they might embrace Him lovingly like a mortal brother. And it was so at this moment, also!
They would fain have dragged Him from the threatening cross, defended Him with their own bodies, purchased his release at any cost--too late, _this_ repentance should have come several centuries earlier.
The hour of temptation was over. The disciples had slept and left him alone--but the angel of the Lord had comforted Him, the angel whom G.o.d sends to every one who is deserted by men. He was himself again--the Conqueror of the World!
Judas came with the officers and pressed upon the sweet mouth on which the world would fain hang in blissful self-forgetfulness--the traitor's kiss.
”Judas, can you touch those lips and not fall at the feet of Him you have betrayed?” cried a voice in Madeleine von Wildenau's heart. ”Can you _kiss_ the lips which so patiently endure the death-dealing caress, and not find your hate transformed to love?” Ah, only the divine can recognize the divine, only sympathetic natures attract one another!
Judas is the symbol of the G.o.dless world, which would no longer perceive G.o.d's presence, even if He came on earth once more. The soldiers, brawny fellows, fell to the ground as He stood before them with the words: ”I am Jesus of Nazareth!” and He was forced to say: ”Rise! Fear ye not!” that they might accomplish their work--but Judas remained unmoved and delivered Him up.
Christ was a prisoner and descended step by step into the deepest ignominy. But no matter through what mire of baseness and brutality they dragged Him, haling Him from trial to trial--nothing robbed Him of the majesty of the Redeemer! And if His speech had been full of power, so was His silence! Before the Sanhedrim, before Herod, and finally before Pilate, _He_ was the king, and the mighty ones of earth were insignificant in _His_ presence.
”Who knows whether this man is not the son of some G.o.d?” murmured the polytheistic Romans--and shrank from the mystery which surrounded the silent One.
The impression here was produced solely by Freyer's imposing calmness and unearthly eyes. The glance he cast at Herod when the latter ordered him to perform a miracle--darken the judgment chamber or transform a roll of papyrus into a serpent--that one glance, full of dignity and gentleness, fixed upon the poor, short-sighted child of the dust was a greater miracle than all the conjuring tricks of the Egyptian Magicians.