Sins Forgiven

CHAPTER 57

Yeshua, Miriam, Salome, and his Apostles along with their wives, are invited to the home of a Pharisee named Abracomas for dinner. But when they arrive he does not have room inside the house for the women so he intends to put them outside on the patio but Miriam alters the architecture of his home so everyone can hear the words of Yeshua together. A woman, known to be a sinner also comes to the home, but before she can be turned away by the servants of Abracomas Yeshua asks her to come in. Through the pain of her tears she withdraws an alabaster box and anoints Yeshua’s feet with oil of Spikenard. He forgives her sins but the Pharisees are aghast that he would be so bold because only Elohim can forgive sins.

 1 As evening came nigh, five Pharisees came up to Yeshua as he was walking with Miriam and some of his Apostles and invited him to eat with them at the house of Abracomas, who was chief among them.

 2 Yeshua thanked them and said he would come if there was a place at the table for all of his Apostles. And they assured him there would be a place for them.

 3 Then Miriam whispered in his ear, and Yeshua said unto them, “My wife, being also one of my Apostles, does not desire to dine as a woman alone in a room full of men and asks that our wife Salome and the wives of some of my Apostles who are also with us might also come to your table.”

 4 The Pharisees were aghast at this request and knew not how to answer, for Abracomas had explicitly commanded them to bring Yeshua for the evening meal so that he might observe and question him. But he would think they had been bewitched were they to invite women into the councils of men.

 5 Nevertheless, despite their uncertainty and trepidation, they invited Yeshua to bring whomsoever he would.

 6 And it came to pass that Yeshua went unto the house of Abracomas, and Miriam and Salome and all of his Apostles and their wives came with him.

 7 Now Abracomas was a shrewd man, and having been told by the Pharisees who had invited Yeshua that he would be coming with an entourage of both men and women, Abracomas commanded his fellow Pharisees to also bring their wives that it would seem that a social gathering of mixed persuasion had been his intent from the start.

 8 Nevertheless, he had no intention of allowing men and women to mingle, and besides, his house was too small for so many. Therefore, he had an area set up outside on the rear courtyard for the women so they could share gossip and things of children and food while the men dined and conversed on the law inside.

 9 But when Yeshua came to his house and after they had met and saw what he had arranged, he said unto him, “You have invited me to sup with you and I have come, but you have made to segregate the men from the women and this I cannot countenance, for among the Children of Light, women are not considered less than men.”

 10 Abracomas flashed an angry look at Yeshua, but quickly it was replaced with a feigned smile and a soothingly reply: “Oh, I have heard that your wife is one of your scribes. A strange thing for a woman, but I understand if you desire her presence to record your words.”

 11 Yeshua replied to him, saying, “She is much more than a scribe, Abracomas. If you desire to know of me, you would do well to first learn of her and of my other Apostles and of all the Children of Light, for in them, you see me. The least of them can show you more of the Celestine Light of Elohim in one day of their life than you will learn in a lifetime of studying the law.

 12 I did not come to sup just for idle chatter, and if things of importance are to be spoken of, it should arranged that everyone can hear and question.”

 13 Still trying to project a veneer of the cordial host, Abracomas answered, “Alas, Rabbi, as you can see, my house is too small for everyone who has come. Surely, it is but an inconvenience for the women to sit and sup outside after they have served the men, and their husbands can tell them later of things that were spoken of that might be understandable and of interest to them.”

 14 Abracomas turned his palms up, saying, “It is unfortunate, but as I said, if the women are included, my house becomes too small for us to eat with pleasure and comfort.”

 15 Yeshua looked at him with an air of noble mischievousness, saying, “Perhaps, if we could include the outside in the inside, there would be room for everyone.”

 16 Abracomas shrugged once again, smiling in smugness, and said, “That would be a good solution if my house had no walls.”

 17 “Surely it would be,” Yeshua answered. Then calling to Miriam, he said unto her, “My beloved, would you be so kind to go and look at the wall of the house that stands between the patio garden and the main room? Perchance it was made weakly and is in danger of falling. If so, the outside might become the inside.”

 18 Abracomas bellowed a hearty laugh, saying, “Come now, you go too far in your jest. Do you expect me to believe that your wife has the skills of an architect or builder and can assess the strength of my home? I assure you it was built stoutly, and were the Earth to shake beneath it, my walls would stand.

 19 “My wife has many skills,” Yeshua replied. “Let her assess the wall.”

 20 As Yeshua and Abracomas were speaking, Miriam moved over to the wall that Yeshua had indicated, and turning to him, she asked, “Yeshua, is this the wall you were speaking of?”

 21 “The very one,” he replied.

 22 Despite his protestations, Abracomas kept his eye on Miriam as she stood next to the wall examining it, as did the other Pharisees. The Apostles watched also, suspecting more was occurring silently between Yeshua and Miriam than Abracomas and the Pharisees were aware.

 23 Then Miriam reached out a single finger toward the wall of brick and said, “As you have spoken, so it is, Yeshua. This very wall is exceptionally fragile. Why a strong gust of wind would surely topple it . . .”

 24 “This is absolutely ludicrous!” Abracomas yelled. “Are you people possessed of devils that you have no sense for even the most obvious things! I tell you a thousand winds have blown against that wall and not even a grain of sand has moved.”

 25 Then Miriam looked directly into the eyes of Abracomas and said, “. . . or a finger,” and ever so lightly touched her finger against the wall.

 26 At the very moment the tip of her finger touched the wall of brick, there was a loud and frightening rumble as if the thunder of the sky was in the room, and in a sudden movement, the wall was torn asunder and fell in a heap of broken bricks and dust outside upon the ground.

 27 A large circular hole leading to the outside courtyard remained, about the height of a tall man, and in its center stood Miriam, as calm as if she had just awakened on a pleasant summer morning.

 28 When the wall collapsed, there were shrieks of fright and surprise from both men and women, and in amazement, everyone looked at Miriam as she calmly wiped dust from the collapsed wall off her clothes. And Salome quickly came to her and helped her sweep off the dust that was upon her.

 29 Regaining his senses, Abracomas bellowed, “What just happened here!”

 30 And Yeshua answered him, saying, “Let your eyes that have seen and your ears that have heard testify to you of what your mind did not know and your prejudice could not conceive.

 31 The emptiness of your wall will be there for you tomorrow to repair in greater strength than it had been, but tonight, the inside is now the outside that all who are gathered might be one.

 32 Even as you will build your new wall stronger than the old, let all who witness this night forge new bonds of faith and greater understandings about the true Celestine nature of man to woman and woman to man.

 33 For there is nothing given by Elohim unto men that is not also given unto women. But there is within the lives of most women more evidence of what has been given by God than there is in the lives of most men. Therefore, it is the women who can more often manifest the greater powers of the Celestine Light of Elohim.”

 34 And it came to pass that everyone did sit down to sup, and though most of the wives were still out in the courtyard, they could now clearly hear and see everything going on within the house through the large hole in the wall.

 35 Not many minutes had passed from the moment they had eaten the first food, when they were interrupted by a commotion at the entry to the house. And rising from his couch, Abracomas bellowed to his servant at the door, “What is it now that disturbs me and my guests?”

 36 The servant came into the great room and said unto him, “Sir, there is a woman at the door who demands to see your guest. She is familiar with many men and is not the sort of woman that should be in your presence, certainly not within your home. I have forbidden her to enter, but she will not leave the gate.”

 37 Abracomas opened his eyes wide and exclaimed, “Can I have no peace from women this night? We are here to discuss important matters of the law not entertain harlots. Be gone with her one way or the other.”

 38 But before the servant could move, Yeshua spoke, saying, “Let her enter, for she has come for me.”

 39 Now Abracomas was most dumbfounded by Yeshua’s words. And while his servant looked to Abracomas for instructions, Yeshua spoke to him saying, “You desired to speak of the law. Let this woman enter, and the law of Elohim shall speak to you.”

 40 Mystified by Yeshua’s words, but nevertheless intrigued, Abracomas bade his servant to admit the woman at the gate.

 41 In a moment, she came into the room, covered in clothing that only her eyes and her hands could be seen. She carried an expensive alabaster box in her hands and came immediately up to Yeshua and knelt at his feet.

 42 Uncovering her head, she revealed herself not comely, but with graying hair and a lined face that had seen much torment in life.

 43 Looking up upon Yeshua’s face, she burst into a torrent of tears that flowed freely, falling upon his feet. And thus she cried for a few minutes without anyone saying a word.

 44 Then her tears began to ebb, and she pulled her long hair forth from within her clothing and began to wipe her wet tears from Yeshua’s feet with her hair. And she bent low and kissed his feet as she wiped them.

 45 And still not a word was spoken by anyone watching.

 46 She opened the alabaster box and from it withdrew an ointment of Spikenard, which was a very expensive perfume and, removing his sandals, anointed his feet with it, even every part.

 47 Abracomas, seeing this, exclaimed to Yeshua, “This woman is a sinner, which if you are a prophet as many proclaim should know. How can you allow yourself to be touched so intimately by her hands and hair?”

 48 Yeshua answered him, saying, “Abracomas, the law of Elohim is being fulfilled before your eyes. Do you not recognize it?”

 49 Abracomas shook his head in silence and bewilderment, indicating he did not understand the meaning of Yeshua’s words.

 50 “Would you like to understand that which is now a cloud?” Yeshua inquired of Abracomas. And he nodded his head in silence that he would.

 51 There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. The one owed him five hundred silver coins and the other fifty.

 52 When both were unable to pay him even a single copper, they begged his forgiveness and he forgave them both, with their promise that they would not err again. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him the most?”

 53 Abracomas answered, “I suppose that the one who he forgave the most.” And Yeshua said unto him, “You have rightly judged.”

 54 Then he looked at the woman, and putting his hand upon her head, he turned again to Abracomas and said, “See this woman? I entered into your house and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.

 55 You gave me no kiss of greeting, but since the time she has come, this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet.

 56 You did not anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with nard.

 57 Wherefore, she has shown by her heart and her actions the purity of the light that now guides her life. Wherefore, I tell you that her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she has much love for the Celestine Light of Elohim.

 58 And for those to whom little is forgiven, it is because they have little love for the Celestine Light of Elohim and know not the Son of Light in their heart.”

 59 Reaching down, he lightly touched the old woman’s chin that she would look up at him. And looking into her eyes alone, he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace for your past is forgotten. Sin no more and become the daughter of light who dwells yet inside of you.”

 60 Then crying once again, but now with tears of joy, she kissed his feet once more and got up quickly and left the house. Miriam and Salome excused themselves and followed after her.

 61 Seeing and hearing all that transpired, the Pharisees spoke among themselves in amazement and consternation, saying, “Who is this Rabbi or even a prophet as some have said who would dare tell someone that their sins were forgiven? For only Elohim can forgive sins.”

 62 But among the Apostles of Yeshua, there grew an even greater love and devotion for he whom they knew to be the Lord of Light.