Satu hari, Plato bertanya pada gurunya, "Apa itu cinta? Bagaimana saya bisa menemukannya? "
Gurunya menjawab, "Ada ladang gandum yang luas didepan sana. Berjalanlah kamu dan tanpa boleh mundur kembali, kemudian ambillah satu saja ranting. Jika kamu menemukan ranting yang kamu anggap palingmenakjubkan, artinya kamu telah menemukan cinta"
Plato pun berjalan, dan tidak seberapa lama, dia kembali dengan tangan kosong, tanpa membawa apapun.
Gurunya bertanya, "Mengapa kamu tidak membawa satupun ranting?"
Plato menjawab, "Aku hanya boleh membawa satu saja, dan saat berjalan tidak boleh mundur kembali (berbalik). Sebenarnya aku telah menemukan yang paling menakjubkan, tapi aku tak tahu apakah ada yang lebih menakjubkan lagi di depan sana, jadi tak kuambil ranting tersebut Saatku melanjutkan berjalan lebih jauh lagi, baru kusadari bahwasanya ranting - ranting yang kutemukan kemudian tak sebagus ranting yangtadi, jadi tak kuambil sebatangpun pada akhirnya"
Gurunya kemudian menjawab " Jadi ya itulah cinta"
Di hari yang lain, Plato bertanya lagi pada gurunya, "Apa ituperkawinan? Bagaimana saya bisa menemukannya? "
Gurunya pun menjawab "Ada hutan yang subur didepan sana. Berjalanlah tanpa boleh mundur kembali (menoleh) dan kamu hanya boleh menebang satu pohon saja. Dan tebanglah jika kamu menemukan pohon yang paling tinggi, karena artinya kamu telah menemukan apa itu perkawinan"
Plato pun menjawab, "Sebab berdasarkan pengalamanku sebelumnya, setelah menjelajah hampir setengah hutan, ternyata aku kembali dengan tangan kosong. Jadi dikesempatan ini, aku lihat pohon ini, dan kurasa tidaklah buruk-buruk amat, jadi kuputuskan untuk menebangnya dan membawanya kesini. Aku tidak mau menghilangkan kesempatan untukmendapatkannya"
Gurunyapun kemudian menjawab, "Dan ya itulah perkawinan"
Cinta itu semakin dicari, maka semakin tidak ditemukan. Cinta adanya di dalam lubuk hati, ketika dapat menahan keinginan dan harapan yang lebih. Ketika pengharapan dan keinginan yang berlebih akan cinta, maka yangdidapat adalah kehampaan... tiada sesuatupun yang didapat, dan tidakdapat dimundurkan kembali. Waktu dan masa tidak dapat diputar mundur. Terimalah cinta apa adanya. Perkawinan adalah kelanjutan dari Cinta. Adalah proses mendapatkan kesempatan, ketika kamu mencari yang terbaikdiantara pilihan yang ada, maka akan mengurangi kesempatan untukmendapatkannya. Ketika kesempurnaan ingin kau dapatkan, maka sia - sialah waktumudalam mendapatkanperkawinan itu, karena sebenarnya kesempurnaan itu hampa adanya
Friday, July 25, 2008
Pepatah Lucu
DONT JUDGE THE BOOK BY THE COVER (Jangan menghukum buku karena dia meninggalkan koper) Jangan salahkan diri anda kalau anda jelek, tetapi salahkanlah orang tua anda, karena jelek itu keturunan dari mereka~!!
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON (Suka bapaknya, suka juga sama anaknya) Perbaiki inner beauty anda itu. Kalau anda merasa sisi luar anda sudah hancur ga ketolong lagi... ya apa mau dikata? ^^
THE BEAUTY IS UNDER THE SKIN (Jadi cakep kalo uda ganti kulit) Jangan sakit hati kalo dikatain jelek, cuek aja. Pokoknya Khafilah mengonggong, anjing tetap berlalu..
NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN (Ga dapet duit kalo ngga kesakitan dulu... kaya kuda lumping)Jadilah diri anda anda sendiri, kalau anda jelek syukurilah kejelekan anda. Amin...
JUST BEE YOURSELF (Kesengat tawon, itulah kamu (muka kamu)) Kalau orang lain menilai anda jelek, jangan skeptis. Penilaian manusia tidak selalu benar... tanyalah para tante-tante girang!
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE (Yang bener boleh keluar) Cakep-Jelek itu tergantung lingkungan. Misalnya anda disini jelek tapi diAfrika bisa paling ganteng lho... ^^
THE RIGHT MAN IN THE WRONG PLACE (Orang disebelah kanan,salah tempat..hrsnya disebelah kiri ) Cinta tidak memandang cakep atau jelek.. Gak percaya? Tanyakan hal ini sama orang jelek~!!
LOVE IS BLIND (Pacarilah orang buta) Kalo anda membaca tips ini sampe selesai, berarti anda memang merasa jelek.. Kalo anda sendiri merasa jelek, apalagi orang lain yang melihat anda. Kasian kan mereka??Jangan menganggap kalo anda merasa jelek itu membuat anda jadi Low Profile. Percayalah.. orang lain pun akan setuju dgn pendapat anda, percayalah pada kata hati anda (kalau anda jelek)..."
Kata orang cakep itu RELATIF, tapi kalo jelek itu MUTLAK~!!"
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON (Suka bapaknya, suka juga sama anaknya) Perbaiki inner beauty anda itu. Kalau anda merasa sisi luar anda sudah hancur ga ketolong lagi... ya apa mau dikata? ^^
THE BEAUTY IS UNDER THE SKIN (Jadi cakep kalo uda ganti kulit) Jangan sakit hati kalo dikatain jelek, cuek aja. Pokoknya Khafilah mengonggong, anjing tetap berlalu..
NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN (Ga dapet duit kalo ngga kesakitan dulu... kaya kuda lumping)Jadilah diri anda anda sendiri, kalau anda jelek syukurilah kejelekan anda. Amin...
JUST BEE YOURSELF (Kesengat tawon, itulah kamu (muka kamu)) Kalau orang lain menilai anda jelek, jangan skeptis. Penilaian manusia tidak selalu benar... tanyalah para tante-tante girang!
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE (Yang bener boleh keluar) Cakep-Jelek itu tergantung lingkungan. Misalnya anda disini jelek tapi diAfrika bisa paling ganteng lho... ^^
THE RIGHT MAN IN THE WRONG PLACE (Orang disebelah kanan,salah tempat..hrsnya disebelah kiri ) Cinta tidak memandang cakep atau jelek.. Gak percaya? Tanyakan hal ini sama orang jelek~!!
LOVE IS BLIND (Pacarilah orang buta) Kalo anda membaca tips ini sampe selesai, berarti anda memang merasa jelek.. Kalo anda sendiri merasa jelek, apalagi orang lain yang melihat anda. Kasian kan mereka??Jangan menganggap kalo anda merasa jelek itu membuat anda jadi Low Profile. Percayalah.. orang lain pun akan setuju dgn pendapat anda, percayalah pada kata hati anda (kalau anda jelek)..."
Kata orang cakep itu RELATIF, tapi kalo jelek itu MUTLAK~!!"
Jejak Kaki (Footprints)
Tahukah anda cerita di balik terciptanya sajak ‘FOOTPRINTS’ (Telah diterjemahkan dalam bahasa Indonesia dengan judul : Jejak - Jejak kaki).
Sajak tersebut telah menyentuh hati jutaan orang di seluruh dunia. Namun tidak banyak orang mengetahui siapa pengarang sajak itu. Juga tidak banyak orang tahu apa latar belakang lahirnya sajak itu. Lebih-lebih lagi tidak banyak orang tahu bahwa sajak yang berjudul ‘Jejak’ (aslinya: ‘Footprints’) sebenarnya adalah buah pena masa berpacaran di suatu senja di tepi danau.
Pengarang sajak itu adalah Margaret Fishback, seorang guru sekolah dasar Kristen untuk anak-anak Indian di Kanada. Margaret sangat pendek dan kecil untuk ukuran orang Kanada. Tinggi badannya hanya 147 cm. Tubuhnya ramping dan wajahnya halus seperti anak kecil. Karena itu walaupun ia sudah dewasa dan sudah menjadi ibu guru ia sering diberi karcis untuk anak-anak kalau berdiri di depan loket atau kalau naik bis.
Margaret dibesarkan dalam keluarga yang bersuasana hangat dan penuh kasih. Namun ada beberapa peristiwa yang terasa pahit dalam kenangan masa kecilnya. Yang pertama adalah pengalamannya ketika ia menjadi murid kelas satu sekolah dasar. Ia mempunyai kenangan buruk tentang gurunya. Margaret berlogat Jerman karena ayahnya berasal dari Jerman. Lalu tiap kali Margaret melafalkan sebuah kata Bahasa Inggris dengan logat Jerman jari-jari tangannya langsung dipukul oleh gurunya dengan sebuah tongkat kayu. Tiap hari jari-jari tangan Margaret memar kemerah-merahan. ‘Jangan bicara dengan logat Jerman. Pakai logat yang betul, kalau tidak … !’ Itulah ancaman dan amarah yang didengar Margaret setiap hari. Dan ia sungguh takut. ‘Tiap hari aku berangkat ke sekolah dihantui oleh rasa takut. Aku heran mengapa aku dimarahi. Apa salahku ? Apa salahnya orang berbicara dengan logat Jerman ? Baru kemudian hari aku tahu bahwa pada waktu itu sedang berlangsung Perang Dunia II, sehingga orang Jerman dibenci di Amerika dan Kanada,’ ucap Margaret mengenang masa kecilnya.
Kenangan pahit lain yang diingat Margaret adalah tentang dua teman perempuannya di kelasnya. ‘Aku akrab dengan semua teman dan mereka senang bermain dengan aku, kecuali dua orang teman perempuan yang kebetulan berbadan besar. Kedua teman itu sering menjahati aku. Untung ada seorang teman laki-laki yang selalu melindungi aku. Namun pada suatu hari teman laki-laki itu tidak masuk ke sekolah. Lalu kedua teman perempuan yang berbadan besar itu menjatuhkan aku dan duduk di atas perutku sambil menggelitiki aku. Aku kehabisan nafas. Untung tiba-tiba ada orang yang lewat sehingga aku dilepas. Langsung aku lari ketakutan sampai aku jatuh dan pingsan. Selama beberapa hari aku terbaring sakit.Tetapi yang lebih parah lagi, selama beberapa bulan aku ketakutan,’ kenang Margaret.
Juga tentang masa dewasanya Margaret mempunyai pengalaman yang menakutkan. Pada suatu siang yang bercuaca buruk, ketika ia sedang mengajar di kelas, tiba-tiba jendela terbuka dan petir menyambar sekujur tubuh Margaret. Ia jatuh terpental di lantai. Setelah dirawat di rumah sakit, ia tetap mengidap penyakit yang tidak tersembuhkan. Urat syarafnya terganggu sehingga ia sering bergetar. Bukan mustahil semua pengalaman buruk itu turut mewarnai lahirnya sajak ‘Jejak’ ini, yang dikarang oleh Margaret ketika ia sudah mempunyai tunangan yang bernama Paul.
Hari itu Margaret dan Paul berangkat menuju suatu tempat perkemahan di utara Toronto untuk memimpin retret. Di tengah perjalanan, mereka melewati danau Echo yang indah. ‘Mari kita jalan di pantai,’ usul Margaret. Dengan semangat mereka melepaskan sepatu lalu berjalan bergandengan tangan di pantai pasir.
Ketika mereka kembali dan berjalan ke arah mobil mereka, dengan jelas mereka mengenali dua pasang jejak kaki mereka di pasir pantai. Namun di tempat-tempat tertentu gelombang air telah menghapus satu pasang jejak itu. ‘Hai Paul, lihat, jejak kakiku hilang,’ seru Margaret. ‘Itukah mungkin yang akan terjadi dalam impian pernikahan kita? Semua cita-cita kita mungkin akan lenyap disapu gelombang air,’ lirih Margaret.‘Jangan berpikir begitu,’ protes Paul. ‘Aku malah melihat lambang yang indah.Setelah kita menikah, yang semula dua akan menjadi satu. Lihat itu, di situ jejak kaki kita masih ada lengkap dua pasang.’ Mereka berjalan terus. ‘Paul, lihat, di sini jejakku hilang lagi.’ Paul menatap Margaret dengan tajam,‘Margie jalan hidup kita dipelihara Tuhan. Pada saat yang susah, ketika kita sendiri tidak bisa berjalan, nanti Tuhan akan mengangkat kita. Seperti begini…’Lalu Paul mengangkat tubuh Margaret yang kecil dan ringan itu dan memutar-mutarnya.
Malam itu setibanya mereka di tempat retret, Margaret yang adalah pengarang kawakan menggoreskan pena dan menuangkan ilham pengalamannya tadi di pantai. Kalimat demi kalimat mengalir. Dicoretnya sebuah kalimat, diubahnya kalimat yang lain. Ia berpikir, menulis, termenung, mencoret, menulis lagi, termenung lagi, mencoret lagi…….Seolah- olah bermimpi, dalam imajinasinya ia merasa berjalan bersama dengan Tuhan Yesus di tepi pantai. Ketika berjalan kembali ia melihat dua pasang jejak kaki, satu pasang jejaknya sendiri dan satu pasang jejak Tuhan. Tetapi… dan seterusnya. Margaret melihat lonceng. Pukul 3 pagi ! Cepat-cepat diselesaikannya tulisannya, lalu ia tidur. Keesokan harinya, begitu bangun, ia langsung membaca ulang tulisannya. Ah, belum ada judulnya. Margaret berpikir sejenak lalu membubuhkan judul ‘Aku Bermimpi’. Ia mengubah beberapa kata dan kalimat. Dan lahirlah sajak yang sekarang kita kenal dengan judul ‘Jejak’.
Pada hari itu juga dalam kebaktian, sajak itu dibacakan Paul. Paul berkata, ‘… ada saat di mana kita merasa seolah-olah Tuhan meninggalkan kita. Musibah menimpa kita dan jalan hidup kita begitu sulit. Kita bertanya mengapa Tuhan tidak menolong kita. Sebenarnya Tuhan sedang menolong kita. Tuhan sedang mengangkat kita.’ Lalu Paul membacakan sajak karya Margaret :
FOOTPRINTS
One night I dreamed a dream.
I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene,
I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belong to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
There was only one set of footprints.
I realized that this was the lowest and the saddest times of my life.
This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
‘Lord, You told me when I decided to follow,
You would walk and talk with me all the way.
But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life,
There is only one set of footprints.
I just don’t understand why,
when I need You most, You leave me.’
He whispered, ‘My precious child,
I love you and will never leave younever, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.’
Seluruh peserta retret duduk terpaku mendengarnya. Mereka termenung menyimak kedalaman arti yang terkandung sajak itu. Sekarangpun tiap orang termenung setiap kali membaca sajak itu. Sajak itu mengajak kita menelusuri perjalanan hidup kita. Dalam perjalanan itu telapak kaki kita dan telapak kaki Tuhan Yesus membekas bersebelahan. Tetapi pada saat-saat dimana musibah menimpa dan perjalanan menjadi sulit serta berbahaya, ternyata yang tampak hanya telapak kaki Tuhan. Telapak kali kita tidak tampak, padahal telapak kaki Tuhan membekas dengan jelas. Mana telapak kaki kita ? Telapak kaki kita tidak ada, sebab pada saat-saat seperti itu kita sedang diangkat dan digendong Tuhan.
JEJAK-JEJAK KAKI
Suatu malam aku bermimpi
Aku berjalan di tepi pantai dengan Tuhan
Di bentangan langit gelap tampak kilasan-kilasan adegan hidupku
Di tiap adegan, aku melihat dua pasang jejak kaki di pasir
Satu pasang jejak kakiku, yang lain jejak kaki Tuhan.
Ketika adegan terakhir terlintas di depanku
Aku menengok kembali pada jejak kaki di pasir.
Di situ hanya ada satu pasang jejak.
Aku mengingat kembali bahwa itu adalah bagian yang tersulit
Dan palingmenyedihkan dalam hidupku.
Hal ini menganggu perasaanku maka aku bertanya kepada Tuhan tentang keherananku itu.
“Tuhan, Engkau berkata ketika aku berketetapan mengikut Engkau, Engkau akan berjalan dan berbicara dengan aku sepanjang jalan,
Namun ternyata pada masa yang paling sulit
Dalam hidupku hanya ada satu pasang jejak.
Aku tidak mengerti mengapa justru pada saat aku sangat membutuhkanEngkau,Engkau meninggalkan aku?”
Tuhan berbisik, “Anakku yang Kukasihi
Aku mencintai kamu dan takkan meninggalkan kamu
Pada saat sulit dan penuh bahaya sekalipun.
Ketika kamu melihat hanya ada satu pasang jejak ,
ltu adalah ketika Aku menggendong kamu.”
Sajak tersebut telah menyentuh hati jutaan orang di seluruh dunia. Namun tidak banyak orang mengetahui siapa pengarang sajak itu. Juga tidak banyak orang tahu apa latar belakang lahirnya sajak itu. Lebih-lebih lagi tidak banyak orang tahu bahwa sajak yang berjudul ‘Jejak’ (aslinya: ‘Footprints’) sebenarnya adalah buah pena masa berpacaran di suatu senja di tepi danau.
Pengarang sajak itu adalah Margaret Fishback, seorang guru sekolah dasar Kristen untuk anak-anak Indian di Kanada. Margaret sangat pendek dan kecil untuk ukuran orang Kanada. Tinggi badannya hanya 147 cm. Tubuhnya ramping dan wajahnya halus seperti anak kecil. Karena itu walaupun ia sudah dewasa dan sudah menjadi ibu guru ia sering diberi karcis untuk anak-anak kalau berdiri di depan loket atau kalau naik bis.
Margaret dibesarkan dalam keluarga yang bersuasana hangat dan penuh kasih. Namun ada beberapa peristiwa yang terasa pahit dalam kenangan masa kecilnya. Yang pertama adalah pengalamannya ketika ia menjadi murid kelas satu sekolah dasar. Ia mempunyai kenangan buruk tentang gurunya. Margaret berlogat Jerman karena ayahnya berasal dari Jerman. Lalu tiap kali Margaret melafalkan sebuah kata Bahasa Inggris dengan logat Jerman jari-jari tangannya langsung dipukul oleh gurunya dengan sebuah tongkat kayu. Tiap hari jari-jari tangan Margaret memar kemerah-merahan. ‘Jangan bicara dengan logat Jerman. Pakai logat yang betul, kalau tidak … !’ Itulah ancaman dan amarah yang didengar Margaret setiap hari. Dan ia sungguh takut. ‘Tiap hari aku berangkat ke sekolah dihantui oleh rasa takut. Aku heran mengapa aku dimarahi. Apa salahku ? Apa salahnya orang berbicara dengan logat Jerman ? Baru kemudian hari aku tahu bahwa pada waktu itu sedang berlangsung Perang Dunia II, sehingga orang Jerman dibenci di Amerika dan Kanada,’ ucap Margaret mengenang masa kecilnya.
Kenangan pahit lain yang diingat Margaret adalah tentang dua teman perempuannya di kelasnya. ‘Aku akrab dengan semua teman dan mereka senang bermain dengan aku, kecuali dua orang teman perempuan yang kebetulan berbadan besar. Kedua teman itu sering menjahati aku. Untung ada seorang teman laki-laki yang selalu melindungi aku. Namun pada suatu hari teman laki-laki itu tidak masuk ke sekolah. Lalu kedua teman perempuan yang berbadan besar itu menjatuhkan aku dan duduk di atas perutku sambil menggelitiki aku. Aku kehabisan nafas. Untung tiba-tiba ada orang yang lewat sehingga aku dilepas. Langsung aku lari ketakutan sampai aku jatuh dan pingsan. Selama beberapa hari aku terbaring sakit.Tetapi yang lebih parah lagi, selama beberapa bulan aku ketakutan,’ kenang Margaret.
Juga tentang masa dewasanya Margaret mempunyai pengalaman yang menakutkan. Pada suatu siang yang bercuaca buruk, ketika ia sedang mengajar di kelas, tiba-tiba jendela terbuka dan petir menyambar sekujur tubuh Margaret. Ia jatuh terpental di lantai. Setelah dirawat di rumah sakit, ia tetap mengidap penyakit yang tidak tersembuhkan. Urat syarafnya terganggu sehingga ia sering bergetar. Bukan mustahil semua pengalaman buruk itu turut mewarnai lahirnya sajak ‘Jejak’ ini, yang dikarang oleh Margaret ketika ia sudah mempunyai tunangan yang bernama Paul.
Hari itu Margaret dan Paul berangkat menuju suatu tempat perkemahan di utara Toronto untuk memimpin retret. Di tengah perjalanan, mereka melewati danau Echo yang indah. ‘Mari kita jalan di pantai,’ usul Margaret. Dengan semangat mereka melepaskan sepatu lalu berjalan bergandengan tangan di pantai pasir.
Ketika mereka kembali dan berjalan ke arah mobil mereka, dengan jelas mereka mengenali dua pasang jejak kaki mereka di pasir pantai. Namun di tempat-tempat tertentu gelombang air telah menghapus satu pasang jejak itu. ‘Hai Paul, lihat, jejak kakiku hilang,’ seru Margaret. ‘Itukah mungkin yang akan terjadi dalam impian pernikahan kita? Semua cita-cita kita mungkin akan lenyap disapu gelombang air,’ lirih Margaret.‘Jangan berpikir begitu,’ protes Paul. ‘Aku malah melihat lambang yang indah.Setelah kita menikah, yang semula dua akan menjadi satu. Lihat itu, di situ jejak kaki kita masih ada lengkap dua pasang.’ Mereka berjalan terus. ‘Paul, lihat, di sini jejakku hilang lagi.’ Paul menatap Margaret dengan tajam,‘Margie jalan hidup kita dipelihara Tuhan. Pada saat yang susah, ketika kita sendiri tidak bisa berjalan, nanti Tuhan akan mengangkat kita. Seperti begini…’Lalu Paul mengangkat tubuh Margaret yang kecil dan ringan itu dan memutar-mutarnya.
Malam itu setibanya mereka di tempat retret, Margaret yang adalah pengarang kawakan menggoreskan pena dan menuangkan ilham pengalamannya tadi di pantai. Kalimat demi kalimat mengalir. Dicoretnya sebuah kalimat, diubahnya kalimat yang lain. Ia berpikir, menulis, termenung, mencoret, menulis lagi, termenung lagi, mencoret lagi…….Seolah- olah bermimpi, dalam imajinasinya ia merasa berjalan bersama dengan Tuhan Yesus di tepi pantai. Ketika berjalan kembali ia melihat dua pasang jejak kaki, satu pasang jejaknya sendiri dan satu pasang jejak Tuhan. Tetapi… dan seterusnya. Margaret melihat lonceng. Pukul 3 pagi ! Cepat-cepat diselesaikannya tulisannya, lalu ia tidur. Keesokan harinya, begitu bangun, ia langsung membaca ulang tulisannya. Ah, belum ada judulnya. Margaret berpikir sejenak lalu membubuhkan judul ‘Aku Bermimpi’. Ia mengubah beberapa kata dan kalimat. Dan lahirlah sajak yang sekarang kita kenal dengan judul ‘Jejak’.
Pada hari itu juga dalam kebaktian, sajak itu dibacakan Paul. Paul berkata, ‘… ada saat di mana kita merasa seolah-olah Tuhan meninggalkan kita. Musibah menimpa kita dan jalan hidup kita begitu sulit. Kita bertanya mengapa Tuhan tidak menolong kita. Sebenarnya Tuhan sedang menolong kita. Tuhan sedang mengangkat kita.’ Lalu Paul membacakan sajak karya Margaret :
FOOTPRINTS
One night I dreamed a dream.
I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene,
I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belong to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
There was only one set of footprints.
I realized that this was the lowest and the saddest times of my life.
This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
‘Lord, You told me when I decided to follow,
You would walk and talk with me all the way.
But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life,
There is only one set of footprints.
I just don’t understand why,
when I need You most, You leave me.’
He whispered, ‘My precious child,
I love you and will never leave younever, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.’
Seluruh peserta retret duduk terpaku mendengarnya. Mereka termenung menyimak kedalaman arti yang terkandung sajak itu. Sekarangpun tiap orang termenung setiap kali membaca sajak itu. Sajak itu mengajak kita menelusuri perjalanan hidup kita. Dalam perjalanan itu telapak kaki kita dan telapak kaki Tuhan Yesus membekas bersebelahan. Tetapi pada saat-saat dimana musibah menimpa dan perjalanan menjadi sulit serta berbahaya, ternyata yang tampak hanya telapak kaki Tuhan. Telapak kali kita tidak tampak, padahal telapak kaki Tuhan membekas dengan jelas. Mana telapak kaki kita ? Telapak kaki kita tidak ada, sebab pada saat-saat seperti itu kita sedang diangkat dan digendong Tuhan.
JEJAK-JEJAK KAKI
Suatu malam aku bermimpi
Aku berjalan di tepi pantai dengan Tuhan
Di bentangan langit gelap tampak kilasan-kilasan adegan hidupku
Di tiap adegan, aku melihat dua pasang jejak kaki di pasir
Satu pasang jejak kakiku, yang lain jejak kaki Tuhan.
Ketika adegan terakhir terlintas di depanku
Aku menengok kembali pada jejak kaki di pasir.
Di situ hanya ada satu pasang jejak.
Aku mengingat kembali bahwa itu adalah bagian yang tersulit
Dan palingmenyedihkan dalam hidupku.
Hal ini menganggu perasaanku maka aku bertanya kepada Tuhan tentang keherananku itu.
“Tuhan, Engkau berkata ketika aku berketetapan mengikut Engkau, Engkau akan berjalan dan berbicara dengan aku sepanjang jalan,
Namun ternyata pada masa yang paling sulit
Dalam hidupku hanya ada satu pasang jejak.
Aku tidak mengerti mengapa justru pada saat aku sangat membutuhkanEngkau,Engkau meninggalkan aku?”
Tuhan berbisik, “Anakku yang Kukasihi
Aku mencintai kamu dan takkan meninggalkan kamu
Pada saat sulit dan penuh bahaya sekalipun.
Ketika kamu melihat hanya ada satu pasang jejak ,
ltu adalah ketika Aku menggendong kamu.”
LOVE IS BLIND
Kata-kata Bijak
-- Jangan putus asa , tidak semua orang menilai manusia dari fisiknya..
DONT JUDGE THE BOOK BY THE COVER .. (Jangan menghukum buku karenadia meninggalkan koper).
-- Jangan salahkan diri anda kalau anda jelek, salahkanlah orangtuaanda, karena jelek itu keturunan .. LIKE FATHER LIKE SON (Sukabapaknya, suka juga sama anaknya).
-- Perbaiki inner beauty anda, itu kalau anda merasa sisi luar andaudah ancur ga ketolong lagi .. THE BEAUTY IS UNDER THE SKIN (Jadi cakepkalo udah ganti kulit)
-- Jgn sakit ati kalo dikatain jelek,cuek aja, pokoknya kafilahm'gonggong [censored] tetap berlalu .. NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN (Ga dapetduit kalo ngga kesakitan dulu...kaya kuda lumping).
-- Jadilah diri anda anda sendiri, kalau anda jelek syukurilahkejelekan anda .. JUST BEE YOURSELF (Kesengat tawon, itulah kamu (mukakamu)).
-- Kalau orang lain menilai anda jelek, jangan skeptis, penilaianmanusia tidak selalu benar ... THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE (Yang bener bolehkeluar).
-- Cakep-jelek itu tergantung lingkungan, misalnya anda disini jelektapi di Afrika bisa paling ganteng .. THE RIGHT MAN IN THE WRONG PLACE(Orang disebelah kanan, salah tempat, harusnya disebelah kiri).
-- Cinta tidak memandang cakep atau jelek, gak percaya? Tanyakan halini sama orang jelek .. LOVE IS BLIND (Pacarilah orang buta).
-- Jangan putus asa , tidak semua orang menilai manusia dari fisiknya..
DONT JUDGE THE BOOK BY THE COVER .. (Jangan menghukum buku karenadia meninggalkan koper).
-- Jangan salahkan diri anda kalau anda jelek, salahkanlah orangtuaanda, karena jelek itu keturunan .. LIKE FATHER LIKE SON (Sukabapaknya, suka juga sama anaknya).
-- Perbaiki inner beauty anda, itu kalau anda merasa sisi luar andaudah ancur ga ketolong lagi .. THE BEAUTY IS UNDER THE SKIN (Jadi cakepkalo udah ganti kulit)
-- Jgn sakit ati kalo dikatain jelek,cuek aja, pokoknya kafilahm'gonggong [censored] tetap berlalu .. NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN (Ga dapetduit kalo ngga kesakitan dulu...kaya kuda lumping).
-- Jadilah diri anda anda sendiri, kalau anda jelek syukurilahkejelekan anda .. JUST BEE YOURSELF (Kesengat tawon, itulah kamu (mukakamu)).
-- Kalau orang lain menilai anda jelek, jangan skeptis, penilaianmanusia tidak selalu benar ... THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE (Yang bener bolehkeluar).
-- Cakep-jelek itu tergantung lingkungan, misalnya anda disini jelektapi di Afrika bisa paling ganteng .. THE RIGHT MAN IN THE WRONG PLACE(Orang disebelah kanan, salah tempat, harusnya disebelah kiri).
-- Cinta tidak memandang cakep atau jelek, gak percaya? Tanyakan halini sama orang jelek .. LOVE IS BLIND (Pacarilah orang buta).
Horas Bah!
BBM naik, hidup tambah SIMANUNGKALIT
Banyak SIHOTANG
Hidup bagaikan mendaki TOBING
Kepala pusing sampai SIBUTAR BUTAR
Rambut rontok dan nyaris POLTAK
Jumlah rakyat miskin sudah PANGARIBUAN
Anak-anak menangis MARPAUNG-PAUNG
Otak sudah SITOMPUL
Tapi kita masih diminta sabar SITORUS
Jangan putus HARAHAP katanya
Mintalah PARLINDUNGAN,
Supaya BONAR-BONAR selamat......
BUTET dah...!!
Banyak SIHOTANG
Hidup bagaikan mendaki TOBING
Kepala pusing sampai SIBUTAR BUTAR
Rambut rontok dan nyaris POLTAK
Jumlah rakyat miskin sudah PANGARIBUAN
Anak-anak menangis MARPAUNG-PAUNG
Otak sudah SITOMPUL
Tapi kita masih diminta sabar SITORUS
Jangan putus HARAHAP katanya
Mintalah PARLINDUNGAN,
Supaya BONAR-BONAR selamat......
BUTET dah...!!
THIS IS FUNNY!!
You have two choices in life:
You can stay single and be miserable, or get married and wish you were dead.
At a cocktail party, one woman said to another, "Aren't you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?" Yes, i am I married the wrong man
A lady inserted an ad in the classified: "Husband Wanted". Next day she received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."
When a woman steals your husband, there is no better revenge than to let her keep him. A woman is incomplete until she is married. Then she is finished.
A little boy asked his father, "Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?" Father replied, "I don't know son, I'm still paying."
A young son asked, "Is it true Dad, that in some parts of Africa a man doesn't know his wife until he marries her?"
Dad replied, "That happens in every country, son."
Then there was a woman who said, "I never knew what real ha ppiness was until i got married and by then, it was too late."
Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. I
f you want your spouse to listen and pay strict attention to every word you say -- talk in your sleep.
Just think, if it weren't for marriage, men would go through life thinking they had no faults at all.
First guy says, "My wife's an angel!"
Second guy remarks, "You're lucky, mine's still alive."
"A Woman's Prayer: Dear Lord, I pray for: Wisdom, To understand a man , to Love and to forgive him , and for patience, For his moods.! Because Lord, if I pray for
Strength I'll just beat him to death "
AND NOW FOR THE FAVORITE!!!
Husband and wife are waiting at the bus stop with their nine children. A blind man joins them after a few minutes. When the bus arrives, they find it overloaded and only the wife and the nine kids are able to fit onto the bus.
So the husband and the blind man decide to walk. After a while, the husband gets irritated by the ticking of the stick of the blind man as he taps it on the sidewalk, and says to him, "Why don't you put a piece of rubber at the end of your stick? That ticking sound is driving me crazy."
The blind man replies, "If you would've put a rubber at the end of YOUR stick, we'd be riding the bus . so shut the hell
You can stay single and be miserable, or get married and wish you were dead.
At a cocktail party, one woman said to another, "Aren't you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?" Yes, i am I married the wrong man
A lady inserted an ad in the classified: "Husband Wanted". Next day she received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."
When a woman steals your husband, there is no better revenge than to let her keep him. A woman is incomplete until she is married. Then she is finished.
A little boy asked his father, "Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?" Father replied, "I don't know son, I'm still paying."
A young son asked, "Is it true Dad, that in some parts of Africa a man doesn't know his wife until he marries her?"
Dad replied, "That happens in every country, son."
Then there was a woman who said, "I never knew what real ha ppiness was until i got married and by then, it was too late."
Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. I
f you want your spouse to listen and pay strict attention to every word you say -- talk in your sleep.
Just think, if it weren't for marriage, men would go through life thinking they had no faults at all.
First guy says, "My wife's an angel!"
Second guy remarks, "You're lucky, mine's still alive."
"A Woman's Prayer: Dear Lord, I pray for: Wisdom, To understand a man , to Love and to forgive him , and for patience, For his moods.! Because Lord, if I pray for
Strength I'll just beat him to death "
AND NOW FOR THE FAVORITE!!!
Husband and wife are waiting at the bus stop with their nine children. A blind man joins them after a few minutes. When the bus arrives, they find it overloaded and only the wife and the nine kids are able to fit onto the bus.
So the husband and the blind man decide to walk. After a while, the husband gets irritated by the ticking of the stick of the blind man as he taps it on the sidewalk, and says to him, "Why don't you put a piece of rubber at the end of your stick? That ticking sound is driving me crazy."
The blind man replies, "If you would've put a rubber at the end of YOUR stick, we'd be riding the bus . so shut the hell
Tiga Orang Kontraktor
Tiga orang kontraktor, dari Inggris, Jerman, dan Indonesia sedangmengikuti tender untuk memperbaiki kerusakan kecil di Gedung Putih, istana kepresidenan AS. Seorang deputi senior Gedung Putih yang memimpin tender itu.
Kontraktor dari Inggris mendapat kesempatan pertama untuk memberikan penawaran. Dia mengambil meteran, mulai mengukur, menggambar sketsa-sketsa di selembar kertas, menghitung-hitung, dan akhirnya berkata, "Saya sudah menghitungnya, biaya perbaikan Gedung Putih ini adalah sebesar $900... $400 untuk material, $400 untuk upah pekerja, dan $100 keuntungan saya."
Kemudian giliran kontraktor Jerman melakukan penawaran. Dia juga memulai
> dengan mengukur, menggambar sketsa, dan menghitung, kemudian berkata, "Saya bisa melakukan pekerjaan ini hanya dengan $700 saja. ..$300 untuk material, $300 untuk upah anak buah saya, dan $100 akan menjadi keuntungan saya.
Kini, giliran kontraktor dari Indonesia. Tanpa mengukur, menggambar, apalagi menghitung, kontraktor Indonesia mendekati deputi senior Gedung Putih dan berbisik pelan: "$2.700". Pejabat Gedung Putih keheranan dan balas berbisik, "Anda tidak mengukur sama sekali seperti kedua orang tadi! Dari mana anda bisa memberikan penawaran dengan harga seperti itu?" "Mudah saja, "kontraktor Indonesia itu menjelaskan, "$1000 untuk anda, $1000 untuk saya, dan kita menyewa orang Jerman itu untuk mengerjakannya! "
Kontraktor dari Inggris mendapat kesempatan pertama untuk memberikan penawaran. Dia mengambil meteran, mulai mengukur, menggambar sketsa-sketsa di selembar kertas, menghitung-hitung, dan akhirnya berkata, "Saya sudah menghitungnya, biaya perbaikan Gedung Putih ini adalah sebesar $900... $400 untuk material, $400 untuk upah pekerja, dan $100 keuntungan saya."
Kemudian giliran kontraktor Jerman melakukan penawaran. Dia juga memulai
> dengan mengukur, menggambar sketsa, dan menghitung, kemudian berkata, "Saya bisa melakukan pekerjaan ini hanya dengan $700 saja. ..$300 untuk material, $300 untuk upah anak buah saya, dan $100 akan menjadi keuntungan saya.
Kini, giliran kontraktor dari Indonesia. Tanpa mengukur, menggambar, apalagi menghitung, kontraktor Indonesia mendekati deputi senior Gedung Putih dan berbisik pelan: "$2.700". Pejabat Gedung Putih keheranan dan balas berbisik, "Anda tidak mengukur sama sekali seperti kedua orang tadi! Dari mana anda bisa memberikan penawaran dengan harga seperti itu?" "Mudah saja, "kontraktor Indonesia itu menjelaskan, "$1000 untuk anda, $1000 untuk saya, dan kita menyewa orang Jerman itu untuk mengerjakannya! "
Live My Life For YOU
You don`t rembember
All the things
I did and the times i ran
You`ve forgotten
Who i used to be
You just see who i am
There`s not a single day
That passes by that i`mNot in Your hand
And i don`t understandBut it still amazes me
That i`m part of Your plan
I can`t think of anything i`d rather
Do than live my life for You
I can`t think of anywhere i`d
Rather be than on the rad that
Leads me to truth
Cause i really wanna do
Is live my life for You
This world can`t offer me
Anything i really need
The only thing that i want
Is right in front of me
It`s found You
It`s all that i believe
And all my heart is beating forYou and You alone
Nothing More
There`s so many voices
In my head everyday
A thousand different
Roads that lead
A million different ways
But one things is for sure You
Always nothing else compares
To the love You`ve given me
All the things
I did and the times i ran
You`ve forgotten
Who i used to be
You just see who i am
There`s not a single day
That passes by that i`mNot in Your hand
And i don`t understandBut it still amazes me
That i`m part of Your plan
I can`t think of anything i`d rather
Do than live my life for You
I can`t think of anywhere i`d
Rather be than on the rad that
Leads me to truth
Cause i really wanna do
Is live my life for You
This world can`t offer me
Anything i really need
The only thing that i want
Is right in front of me
It`s found You
It`s all that i believe
And all my heart is beating forYou and You alone
Nothing More
There`s so many voices
In my head everyday
A thousand different
Roads that lead
A million different ways
But one things is for sure You
Always nothing else compares
To the love You`ve given me
WWJD
“Barangsiapa memegang perintah-Ku dan melakukannya, dialah yang mengasihi Aku. Dan barangsiapa mengasihi Aku, ia akan dikasihi oleh Bapa-Ku dan Akupun akan mengasihi dia dan akan menyatakan diri-Ku kepadanya.” (Yohanes 14:21)
Akhir-akhir ini seni cetak dan semboyan-semboyan yang ditampilkan di atas baju-baju T-shirt modern zaman sekarang sudah menjadi bertambah berani saja, dihiasi dengan yang gambar-gambar yang berwarna-warni. Dari merek-merek terkenal di dunia, nama-nama atau foto-foto orang/artis termasyhur disertai oleh kalimat-kalimat sangat ‘catchy’, sampai kalimat-kalimat yang mengutarakan tema-tema yang sudah menjurus pada hal-hal yang tidak sopan, bahkan kadang-kadang ... berbau porno.
Tetapi di lain pihak, pernahkah Anda melihat, atau paling sedikit mendengar tentang ‘slogan’ pendek termasyhur yang sekarang sudah menjadi ‘trademark’ orang-orang Kristen semenjak pertengahan dasawarsa ke-90, yang berbunyi: WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?)?
Sampai saat ini baju-baju T-shirt seperti itu masih bisa terlihat dikenakan oleh kaum muda-mudi, bahkan kadang-kadang oleh orang-orang yang sudah lebih ‘mature’ umurnya, baik di Australia, Eropah, maupun di Indonesia. Saya sendiri memiliki dan sering kali mengenakannya.
Semboyan berbentuk pertanyaan pendek yang berhasil dipromosikan secara global oleh perusahaan-perusahaan ‘kristiani’ ini mempunyai sejarah yang cukup mengesankan. Tahukah Anda, siapa yang memulai slogan yang sudah diterima secara internasional oleh para pengikut Kristus dari berbagai denominasi, besar ataupun kecil, sebagai salah satu semboyan kristiani yang paling dikenal di dunia saat ini?
Alkisah, … pada tahun 1896 sebuah buku yang ditulis oleh Charles Sheldon, berjudul ‘In His Steps’, mengakibatkan ungkapan yang sudah berabad-abad sebelumnya menjadi pedoman hidup orang-orang Kristen ditanggapi oleh tubuh Kristus dengan lebih serius lagi. ‘Imitatio Dei’ yang berarti: Meniru Tuhan, menjadi tema utama buku yang sebenarnya adalah hasil kumpulan khotbah-khotbah yang ia berikan setiap hari Minggu kepada jemaat gerejanya di Topeka, Kansas, di Amerika.
Di dalam buku tersebut ungkapan Charles Sheldon tampil berkali-kali untuk menantang jemaat setempat (dan juga para pembacanya), agar mereka mau memberikan ‘commitment’ pada kehidupan ‘Christian Socialism’. Di sana phrase ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ disinggung berulang-ulang kali, di mana Tuhan Yesus Kristus lebih dipromosikan sebagai seorang Pemberi Contoh Moral yang harus diteladani, dari pada sebagai Juruselamat manusia.
Semboyan tersebut menjadi termasyhur sekali di antara para pengikut Kristus di abad itu, sehingga mengakibatkan timbulnya sebuah gerakan kristiani populer di Amerika Serikat yang dinamakan: ‘Social Gospel’, di mana Injil diberitakan oleh mereka melalui pelayanan kasih terhadap sesama manusia yang sedang membutuhkannya.
Salah seorang pelopornya yang bernama Walter Rauschenbusch mengakui, bahwa semboyan yang dibahas berkali-kali di dalam buku In His Steps sudah mempengaruhinya untuk melibatkan diri di dalam gerakan tersebut. Buku yang pada tahun 1935 sudah diterjemahkan ke dalam 21 bahasa ternyata berhasil menjadi salah satu ‘bestseller’ bertaraf antarbangsa selama dua abad berturut-turut.
Salah satu kisah nyata mengharukan yang disajikan di sana adalah kisah pertemuan salah seorang dari beberapa tokoh-tokoh terpenting di dalam buku tersebut, seorang pendeta bernama Rev Henry Maxwell dengan seorang lelaki tunawisma, yang mengakibatkan hati nuraninya merasa tertegur sekali. Pertemuan tak terduga itu menggugah dirinya untuk mempertimbangkan kembali ungkapan: Meniru Tuhan dengan menanggapinya secara lebih serius lagi.
Laki-laki yang tidak memiliki tempat tinggal tetap tersebut menceriterakan kesulitannya untuk memahami tingkah-tingkah laku orang-orang Kristen yang pernah ditemui olehnya.
“Saya mendengarkan mereka menyanyi di dalam gereja pada suatu malam pertemuan doa,” ujarnya: “All for Jesus, all for Jesus (Semua untuk Yesus, semua untuk Yesus), All my being’s ransomed powers (Seluruh keberadaanku di bawah kuasa-kuasa penebus), All my thoughts, and all my doings (Segala pikiran-pikiranku, dan segala perbuatan-perbuatanku), All my days, and all my hours (Semua hari-hariku, dan semua jam-jamku).”
“Saya merasa heran ketika duduk di atas tangga di luar gereja mendengarkan lagu itu dikumandangkan dari dalam,” terusnya: “Menurut pendapat saya, banyak sekali masalah yang terjadi di dunia ini yang bisa diatasi dengan segera, jika semua orang yang ada di dalam gereja tersebut tidak hanya menyanyi saja, tetapi pergi dan melakukannya.”
Ia menghela nafas sebentar sebelum meneruskan keluhannya: “Mungkin saya belum bisa memahaminya. Tapi … apakah yang akan Yesus lakukan? (What Would Jesus Do?) Apakah itu yang kalian maksudkan dengan mengikuti langkah-langkah-Nya? Kelihatannya, … orang-orang yang beribadah di dalam gereja-gereja yang besar dan megah selalu mengenakan pakaian-pakaian yang indah, tinggal di dalam rumah-rumah yang bagus, memiliki uang yang berlebih-lebihan untuk bisa membeli barang-barang yang mewah, pergi bertamasya di musim panas, dan lain sebagainya. Sedangkan orang-orang yang berada di luar gereja, … beribu-ribu banyaknya, mati kelaparan terhimpit di dalam rumah-rumah kecil bersesak-sesakan, harus berjalan kaki kian-kemari untuk mencari nafkah. Mereka tidak pernah memiliki piano atau pigura-pigura foto di dalam rumah, bahkan harus hidup penuh penderitaan akibat kekerasan, kemabukan dan perbuatan-perbuatan dosa yang terjadi di sekeliling mereka.”
Inilah awal dari banyak sekali tokoh-tokoh yang tampil di dalam buku itu yang menggunakan ungkapan berbentuk pertanyaan: “What Would Jesus Do?” pada saat mereka harus menghadapi berbagai macam persoalan-persoalan penting yang memerlukan keputusan-keputusan mereka seketika itu juga. Mereka selalu bertanya: “Tindakan apakah yang akan dilakukan oleh Yesus, jika Ia harus menghadapi masalah yang sedang kuhadapi ini?”
Sebagai akibat tantangan-tantangan tersebut, semua tokoh-tokoh yang tampil di dalam buku ituharus lebih bersungguh-sungguh di dalam menanggapi makna iman kristiani mereka. Mereka harus lebih bersandar pada pusat kepercayaan mereka, yaitu: Kristus dan Kehidupan-Nya!
Di dalam Kitab Matius pasal yang ke-25, Tuhan Yesus mengajar para pengikut-Nyamengenai hal-hal yang akan terjadi di akhir zaman. Ia berkata, bahwa Ia akan datang kembali diiringi oleh semua malaikat sorgawi, duduk di atas takhta kerajaan-Nya dengan penuh kemuliaan, serta mengumpulkan segala bangsa di dunia datang menghadap untuk diadili.
Di sana mereka akan dipisahkan seorang dari pada yang lain, seperti memisahkan domba dari kambing. Domba-domba akan ditempatkan di sebelah kanan-Nya, sedangkan kambing-kambing di sebelah kiri-Nya. Kaum domba diibaratkan oleh Yesus sebagai hamba-hamba setia yang melakukan kehendak-kehendak-Nya. Sedangkan kambing-kambing diibaratkan sebagai para pengikut-Nya yang mengabaikan perintah-perintah-Nya.
Yesus melukiskan kesetiaan domba-domba-Nya seperti ini: “Dan Raja itu akan berkata kepada mereka yang di sebelah kanan-Nya: Mari, hai kamu yang diberkati oleh Bapa-Ku, terimalah Kerajaan yang telah disediakan bagimu sejak dunia dijadikan. Sebab ketika Aku lapar, kamu memberi Aku makan; ketika Aku haus, kamu memberi Aku minum; ketika Aku seorang asing, kamu memberi Aku tumpangan; ketika Aku telanjang, kamu memberi Aku pakaian; ketika Aku sakit, kamu melawat Aku; ketika Aku di dalam penjara, kamu mengunjungi Aku.” (Matius 25:34-36)
Hal-hal yang dilakukan oleh domba-domba tersebut adalah kebiasaan-kebiasaan yang selalu dikerjakan oleh Tuhan Yesus sendiri selama masa pelayanan-Nya di dunia yang amat singkat. Di dalam keempat Injil Perjanjian Baru dikatakan, bahwa Ia selalu melayani setiap orang yang memerlukan pertolongan-Nya. Semua itu Ia lakukan dengan penuh kasih dan ketulusan hati. Domba-domba itu berkenan di hadapan-Nya, karena mereka sudah meniru langkah-langkah-Nya.
Yesus mengakhiri tema bahasan mengenai domba-domba yang setiaitu dengan berkata: “Dan Raja itu akan menjawab mereka: Aku berkata kepadamu, sesungguhnya segala sesuatu yang kamu lakukan untuk salah seorang dari saudara-Ku yang paling hina ini, kamu telah melakukannya untuk Aku.” (Matius 25:40)
Ayat tersebut merangkum seluruh pengertian, bahwa segala sesuatu yang kita kerjakan untuk orang-orang lain yang sedang membutuhkan pertolongan kita, adalah tindakan dari Kristus (yang melayani), untuk Kristus (yang dilayani)!
“Jadi jika seorang tahu bagaimana ia harus berbuat baik, tetapi ia tidak melakukannya, ia berdosa.” (Yakobus 4:17)
John Adisubrata
Akhir-akhir ini seni cetak dan semboyan-semboyan yang ditampilkan di atas baju-baju T-shirt modern zaman sekarang sudah menjadi bertambah berani saja, dihiasi dengan yang gambar-gambar yang berwarna-warni. Dari merek-merek terkenal di dunia, nama-nama atau foto-foto orang/artis termasyhur disertai oleh kalimat-kalimat sangat ‘catchy’, sampai kalimat-kalimat yang mengutarakan tema-tema yang sudah menjurus pada hal-hal yang tidak sopan, bahkan kadang-kadang ... berbau porno.
Tetapi di lain pihak, pernahkah Anda melihat, atau paling sedikit mendengar tentang ‘slogan’ pendek termasyhur yang sekarang sudah menjadi ‘trademark’ orang-orang Kristen semenjak pertengahan dasawarsa ke-90, yang berbunyi: WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?)?
Sampai saat ini baju-baju T-shirt seperti itu masih bisa terlihat dikenakan oleh kaum muda-mudi, bahkan kadang-kadang oleh orang-orang yang sudah lebih ‘mature’ umurnya, baik di Australia, Eropah, maupun di Indonesia. Saya sendiri memiliki dan sering kali mengenakannya.
Semboyan berbentuk pertanyaan pendek yang berhasil dipromosikan secara global oleh perusahaan-perusahaan ‘kristiani’ ini mempunyai sejarah yang cukup mengesankan. Tahukah Anda, siapa yang memulai slogan yang sudah diterima secara internasional oleh para pengikut Kristus dari berbagai denominasi, besar ataupun kecil, sebagai salah satu semboyan kristiani yang paling dikenal di dunia saat ini?
Alkisah, … pada tahun 1896 sebuah buku yang ditulis oleh Charles Sheldon, berjudul ‘In His Steps’, mengakibatkan ungkapan yang sudah berabad-abad sebelumnya menjadi pedoman hidup orang-orang Kristen ditanggapi oleh tubuh Kristus dengan lebih serius lagi. ‘Imitatio Dei’ yang berarti: Meniru Tuhan, menjadi tema utama buku yang sebenarnya adalah hasil kumpulan khotbah-khotbah yang ia berikan setiap hari Minggu kepada jemaat gerejanya di Topeka, Kansas, di Amerika.
Di dalam buku tersebut ungkapan Charles Sheldon tampil berkali-kali untuk menantang jemaat setempat (dan juga para pembacanya), agar mereka mau memberikan ‘commitment’ pada kehidupan ‘Christian Socialism’. Di sana phrase ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ disinggung berulang-ulang kali, di mana Tuhan Yesus Kristus lebih dipromosikan sebagai seorang Pemberi Contoh Moral yang harus diteladani, dari pada sebagai Juruselamat manusia.
Semboyan tersebut menjadi termasyhur sekali di antara para pengikut Kristus di abad itu, sehingga mengakibatkan timbulnya sebuah gerakan kristiani populer di Amerika Serikat yang dinamakan: ‘Social Gospel’, di mana Injil diberitakan oleh mereka melalui pelayanan kasih terhadap sesama manusia yang sedang membutuhkannya.
Salah seorang pelopornya yang bernama Walter Rauschenbusch mengakui, bahwa semboyan yang dibahas berkali-kali di dalam buku In His Steps sudah mempengaruhinya untuk melibatkan diri di dalam gerakan tersebut. Buku yang pada tahun 1935 sudah diterjemahkan ke dalam 21 bahasa ternyata berhasil menjadi salah satu ‘bestseller’ bertaraf antarbangsa selama dua abad berturut-turut.
Salah satu kisah nyata mengharukan yang disajikan di sana adalah kisah pertemuan salah seorang dari beberapa tokoh-tokoh terpenting di dalam buku tersebut, seorang pendeta bernama Rev Henry Maxwell dengan seorang lelaki tunawisma, yang mengakibatkan hati nuraninya merasa tertegur sekali. Pertemuan tak terduga itu menggugah dirinya untuk mempertimbangkan kembali ungkapan: Meniru Tuhan dengan menanggapinya secara lebih serius lagi.
Laki-laki yang tidak memiliki tempat tinggal tetap tersebut menceriterakan kesulitannya untuk memahami tingkah-tingkah laku orang-orang Kristen yang pernah ditemui olehnya.
“Saya mendengarkan mereka menyanyi di dalam gereja pada suatu malam pertemuan doa,” ujarnya: “All for Jesus, all for Jesus (Semua untuk Yesus, semua untuk Yesus), All my being’s ransomed powers (Seluruh keberadaanku di bawah kuasa-kuasa penebus), All my thoughts, and all my doings (Segala pikiran-pikiranku, dan segala perbuatan-perbuatanku), All my days, and all my hours (Semua hari-hariku, dan semua jam-jamku).”
“Saya merasa heran ketika duduk di atas tangga di luar gereja mendengarkan lagu itu dikumandangkan dari dalam,” terusnya: “Menurut pendapat saya, banyak sekali masalah yang terjadi di dunia ini yang bisa diatasi dengan segera, jika semua orang yang ada di dalam gereja tersebut tidak hanya menyanyi saja, tetapi pergi dan melakukannya.”
Ia menghela nafas sebentar sebelum meneruskan keluhannya: “Mungkin saya belum bisa memahaminya. Tapi … apakah yang akan Yesus lakukan? (What Would Jesus Do?) Apakah itu yang kalian maksudkan dengan mengikuti langkah-langkah-Nya? Kelihatannya, … orang-orang yang beribadah di dalam gereja-gereja yang besar dan megah selalu mengenakan pakaian-pakaian yang indah, tinggal di dalam rumah-rumah yang bagus, memiliki uang yang berlebih-lebihan untuk bisa membeli barang-barang yang mewah, pergi bertamasya di musim panas, dan lain sebagainya. Sedangkan orang-orang yang berada di luar gereja, … beribu-ribu banyaknya, mati kelaparan terhimpit di dalam rumah-rumah kecil bersesak-sesakan, harus berjalan kaki kian-kemari untuk mencari nafkah. Mereka tidak pernah memiliki piano atau pigura-pigura foto di dalam rumah, bahkan harus hidup penuh penderitaan akibat kekerasan, kemabukan dan perbuatan-perbuatan dosa yang terjadi di sekeliling mereka.”
Inilah awal dari banyak sekali tokoh-tokoh yang tampil di dalam buku itu yang menggunakan ungkapan berbentuk pertanyaan: “What Would Jesus Do?” pada saat mereka harus menghadapi berbagai macam persoalan-persoalan penting yang memerlukan keputusan-keputusan mereka seketika itu juga. Mereka selalu bertanya: “Tindakan apakah yang akan dilakukan oleh Yesus, jika Ia harus menghadapi masalah yang sedang kuhadapi ini?”
Sebagai akibat tantangan-tantangan tersebut, semua tokoh-tokoh yang tampil di dalam buku ituharus lebih bersungguh-sungguh di dalam menanggapi makna iman kristiani mereka. Mereka harus lebih bersandar pada pusat kepercayaan mereka, yaitu: Kristus dan Kehidupan-Nya!
Di dalam Kitab Matius pasal yang ke-25, Tuhan Yesus mengajar para pengikut-Nyamengenai hal-hal yang akan terjadi di akhir zaman. Ia berkata, bahwa Ia akan datang kembali diiringi oleh semua malaikat sorgawi, duduk di atas takhta kerajaan-Nya dengan penuh kemuliaan, serta mengumpulkan segala bangsa di dunia datang menghadap untuk diadili.
Di sana mereka akan dipisahkan seorang dari pada yang lain, seperti memisahkan domba dari kambing. Domba-domba akan ditempatkan di sebelah kanan-Nya, sedangkan kambing-kambing di sebelah kiri-Nya. Kaum domba diibaratkan oleh Yesus sebagai hamba-hamba setia yang melakukan kehendak-kehendak-Nya. Sedangkan kambing-kambing diibaratkan sebagai para pengikut-Nya yang mengabaikan perintah-perintah-Nya.
Yesus melukiskan kesetiaan domba-domba-Nya seperti ini: “Dan Raja itu akan berkata kepada mereka yang di sebelah kanan-Nya: Mari, hai kamu yang diberkati oleh Bapa-Ku, terimalah Kerajaan yang telah disediakan bagimu sejak dunia dijadikan. Sebab ketika Aku lapar, kamu memberi Aku makan; ketika Aku haus, kamu memberi Aku minum; ketika Aku seorang asing, kamu memberi Aku tumpangan; ketika Aku telanjang, kamu memberi Aku pakaian; ketika Aku sakit, kamu melawat Aku; ketika Aku di dalam penjara, kamu mengunjungi Aku.” (Matius 25:34-36)
Hal-hal yang dilakukan oleh domba-domba tersebut adalah kebiasaan-kebiasaan yang selalu dikerjakan oleh Tuhan Yesus sendiri selama masa pelayanan-Nya di dunia yang amat singkat. Di dalam keempat Injil Perjanjian Baru dikatakan, bahwa Ia selalu melayani setiap orang yang memerlukan pertolongan-Nya. Semua itu Ia lakukan dengan penuh kasih dan ketulusan hati. Domba-domba itu berkenan di hadapan-Nya, karena mereka sudah meniru langkah-langkah-Nya.
Yesus mengakhiri tema bahasan mengenai domba-domba yang setiaitu dengan berkata: “Dan Raja itu akan menjawab mereka: Aku berkata kepadamu, sesungguhnya segala sesuatu yang kamu lakukan untuk salah seorang dari saudara-Ku yang paling hina ini, kamu telah melakukannya untuk Aku.” (Matius 25:40)
Ayat tersebut merangkum seluruh pengertian, bahwa segala sesuatu yang kita kerjakan untuk orang-orang lain yang sedang membutuhkan pertolongan kita, adalah tindakan dari Kristus (yang melayani), untuk Kristus (yang dilayani)!
“Jadi jika seorang tahu bagaimana ia harus berbuat baik, tetapi ia tidak melakukannya, ia berdosa.” (Yakobus 4:17)
John Adisubrata
SUDAH JAM BERAPA?
Kadang-kadang kita lupa bahwa betapa sangat singkatnya kita hidup di dunia yang fana ini. Bahkan beberapa orang merasa hidupnya akan sangat panjang. Seorang penyair berkata: “Aku ingin hidup 1000 tahun lagi.” Padahal kenyataannya manusia hidup rata-rata hanya 50 tahun untuk orang asia dan 60 tahun untuk orang eropah. Bayangkan saja betapa sangat singkatnya seorang menghuni planet ini jika dibandingkan dengan usia seekor kura-kura yang dapat mencapai umur 100 tahun.Pemazmur berkata: “Manusia sama seperti angin, hari-harinya seperti bayang-bayang yang lewat.” (Mazmur 114:4)
Bayangkan saja seperti angin dan bayang-bayang. Barusan saja kita melihatnya namun segera saja dia berlalu. Betapa sangat singkatnya sampai-sampai dikatakan seperti mengebutkan seekor belalang: “Aku menghilang seperti bayang-bayang pada waktu memanjang, aku dikebutkan seperti belalang. (Mazmur 109:23)Nabi Musa telah mendapatkan wahyu bahwa umur manusia hanya sampai 70 tahun dan jika diberi bonus menjadi 80 tahun: “Masa hidup kami tujuh puluh tahun dan jika kami kuat, delapan puluh tahun, dan kebanggaannya adalah kesukaran dan penderitaan; sebab berlalunya buru-buru, dan kami melayang lenyap.” (Mazmur 90:10) Kita akhirnya kembali terhenyak dan mengingat betapa fananya hidup kita di bumi ini. Lantas demikian, apakah yang harus kita lakukan dalam mengisi hidup kita yang singkat di dunia fana ini?
Marilah kita mempelajari perumpamaan yang disampaikan oleh Tuhan Yesus yaitu tentang pekerja upahan kebun anggur. Dalam ayat pertama kita membaca: “Adapun hal Kerajaan Sorga sama seperti seorang tuan rumah yang pagi-pagi benar keluar mencari pekerja-pekerja untuk kebun anggurnya.” Kita dapatkan ayat kuncinya yaitu Kerajaan Sorga. Jadi sebuah sistem ternyata berlaku dalam management Kerajaan Sorga. Ini menjadi pijakan bagi kita bahwa Kerajaan Sorga itu bukanlah kerajaan gampangan yang dapat dimasuki dengan begitu saja. Ada sistem yang berlaku dan kita harus memahami ini agar pintu sorga terbuka kelak.
Kata kuncinya adalah BEKERJA.Yesus membagi kelopok pekerja di kebun angggur itu dalam 5 kelompok. Kelompok pertama mulai bekerja pagi-pagi benar kira-kira pukul 6 pagi = 12 jam kerja, kelompok kedua pukul 9 pagi = 9 jam kerja, kelompok ketiga pukul 12 = 6 jam kerja , kelompok keempat pukul 3 sore = 3 jam kerja, kelompok kelima pukul 5 petang = 1 jam kerja. Satu-satunya kelompok yang bekerja berdasarkan penjanjian adalah kelompok pertama yaitu upah 1 dinar sehari/ (1 hari = 12 jam).
Dalam bahasa Yunani kata waktu diterjemahkan dari kata KRONOS. Dari kata kronos kita mengenal istilah kronologis atau urut-urutan waktu. Nah tepat bukan, Yesus mengurutkan kelompok pekerja tadi berdasarkan waktu mereka mulai bekerja. Musa telah mendapatkan wahyu bahwa usia manusia adalah 70 tahun (Mazmur 90:10). Nah kalau kita umpamakan 12 jam itulah umur kita maka persamaannya adalah 70:12=5,8. Kita bulatkan saja jadi 6 artinya setiap jam mewakili 6 tahun usia manusia. Jadi kelompok pertama tadi telah mulai bekerja sejak usia lahir, kelompok kedua usia 24 tahun, ketiga 42 tahun, keempat 60 tahun, dan kelompok kelima 70 tahun. Pada malam hari (pukul 7) semua pekerja dipanggil dan diberi upah 1 dinar. Mulai dari kelompok pertama hingga kelompok 5 semuanya mendapat 1 dinar. Ini berarti bahwa upah setiap pekerja diladang anggurNya adalah 1 dinar sehari dan semuanya akan dibayar nanti setelah malam. Malam disini bermakna setelah dipanggil pulang (mati). Dengan kata lain nanti di tahta penghakiman Kristus, setiap kita akan menerima upah sedinar jikalau kita sudah bekerja penuh selama satu hari.
Apa yang kita pelajari dari perumpamaan ini?
1. Ternyata Allah dapat memakai pekerja diladangNya tanpa melihat usia. Asal saja pekerja itu meresponi panggilanNya.
2. Upah pekerja selama kita hidup hanya satu dinar, jadi sangat naif jika kita meminta lebih kepadaNya.
3. Andaipun engkau telah berusia senja, (70 tahun) itu bukan alasan untuk mengatakan telah terlambat untuk melayani sebagai pekerja diladangNya. Singsingkanlah lenganmu dan mulailah bekerja hari ini.
4. Apabila engkau dipanggil hari ini untuk melayaniNya, janganlah melihat usia karena usia tidak dapat menghalangi Tuhan memakai anda bekerja di ladangNya.
5. Alkitab mengatakan hanya orang yang setia sampai akhir yang akan mendapatkan upah. Jadi walau anda telah bekerja sejak usia dini dilandangNya, namun anda berhenti ditengah jalan, anda tidak akan mendapat sepeserpun. (Matius 10:22)
6. Apabila anda berkata nantilah setelah aku tua baru bekerja diladangnya karena toh upahnya sama 1 dinar waspadalah karena anda tidak tahu kapan malam tiba yaitu kapan anda pulang kepada Bapa dan mempertanggungjawab kan perbuatan anda selama hidup di dunia. Jadi janganlah engkau menunda, mulailah bekeja hari ini.
7. Bagi anda yang bermalas-malasan, ingatlah Yesus telah menegur: “Mengapa kamu menganggur saja?” (ayat 6) karena seorang pemalas tidak layak untuk menerima upah.
Yang pasti kita semua adalah pekerja di ladang anggurnya. Memang tidak semua kita harus menempati 5 jawatan gereja. Tetapi dengan menjadi jemaat yang bertumbuh dalam gereja, kita sejatinya sudah menjadi pekerja yang baik dipemandangan mata Sang Pemilik Kebun yaitu Bapa Kita di Sorga. Jadi, marilah kita berkerja selagi masih siang (Yohanes 9:4)
Bayangkan saja seperti angin dan bayang-bayang. Barusan saja kita melihatnya namun segera saja dia berlalu. Betapa sangat singkatnya sampai-sampai dikatakan seperti mengebutkan seekor belalang: “Aku menghilang seperti bayang-bayang pada waktu memanjang, aku dikebutkan seperti belalang. (Mazmur 109:23)Nabi Musa telah mendapatkan wahyu bahwa umur manusia hanya sampai 70 tahun dan jika diberi bonus menjadi 80 tahun: “Masa hidup kami tujuh puluh tahun dan jika kami kuat, delapan puluh tahun, dan kebanggaannya adalah kesukaran dan penderitaan; sebab berlalunya buru-buru, dan kami melayang lenyap.” (Mazmur 90:10) Kita akhirnya kembali terhenyak dan mengingat betapa fananya hidup kita di bumi ini. Lantas demikian, apakah yang harus kita lakukan dalam mengisi hidup kita yang singkat di dunia fana ini?
Marilah kita mempelajari perumpamaan yang disampaikan oleh Tuhan Yesus yaitu tentang pekerja upahan kebun anggur. Dalam ayat pertama kita membaca: “Adapun hal Kerajaan Sorga sama seperti seorang tuan rumah yang pagi-pagi benar keluar mencari pekerja-pekerja untuk kebun anggurnya.” Kita dapatkan ayat kuncinya yaitu Kerajaan Sorga. Jadi sebuah sistem ternyata berlaku dalam management Kerajaan Sorga. Ini menjadi pijakan bagi kita bahwa Kerajaan Sorga itu bukanlah kerajaan gampangan yang dapat dimasuki dengan begitu saja. Ada sistem yang berlaku dan kita harus memahami ini agar pintu sorga terbuka kelak.
Kata kuncinya adalah BEKERJA.Yesus membagi kelopok pekerja di kebun angggur itu dalam 5 kelompok. Kelompok pertama mulai bekerja pagi-pagi benar kira-kira pukul 6 pagi = 12 jam kerja, kelompok kedua pukul 9 pagi = 9 jam kerja, kelompok ketiga pukul 12 = 6 jam kerja , kelompok keempat pukul 3 sore = 3 jam kerja, kelompok kelima pukul 5 petang = 1 jam kerja. Satu-satunya kelompok yang bekerja berdasarkan penjanjian adalah kelompok pertama yaitu upah 1 dinar sehari/ (1 hari = 12 jam).
Dalam bahasa Yunani kata waktu diterjemahkan dari kata KRONOS. Dari kata kronos kita mengenal istilah kronologis atau urut-urutan waktu. Nah tepat bukan, Yesus mengurutkan kelompok pekerja tadi berdasarkan waktu mereka mulai bekerja. Musa telah mendapatkan wahyu bahwa usia manusia adalah 70 tahun (Mazmur 90:10). Nah kalau kita umpamakan 12 jam itulah umur kita maka persamaannya adalah 70:12=5,8. Kita bulatkan saja jadi 6 artinya setiap jam mewakili 6 tahun usia manusia. Jadi kelompok pertama tadi telah mulai bekerja sejak usia lahir, kelompok kedua usia 24 tahun, ketiga 42 tahun, keempat 60 tahun, dan kelompok kelima 70 tahun. Pada malam hari (pukul 7) semua pekerja dipanggil dan diberi upah 1 dinar. Mulai dari kelompok pertama hingga kelompok 5 semuanya mendapat 1 dinar. Ini berarti bahwa upah setiap pekerja diladang anggurNya adalah 1 dinar sehari dan semuanya akan dibayar nanti setelah malam. Malam disini bermakna setelah dipanggil pulang (mati). Dengan kata lain nanti di tahta penghakiman Kristus, setiap kita akan menerima upah sedinar jikalau kita sudah bekerja penuh selama satu hari.
Apa yang kita pelajari dari perumpamaan ini?
1. Ternyata Allah dapat memakai pekerja diladangNya tanpa melihat usia. Asal saja pekerja itu meresponi panggilanNya.
2. Upah pekerja selama kita hidup hanya satu dinar, jadi sangat naif jika kita meminta lebih kepadaNya.
3. Andaipun engkau telah berusia senja, (70 tahun) itu bukan alasan untuk mengatakan telah terlambat untuk melayani sebagai pekerja diladangNya. Singsingkanlah lenganmu dan mulailah bekerja hari ini.
4. Apabila engkau dipanggil hari ini untuk melayaniNya, janganlah melihat usia karena usia tidak dapat menghalangi Tuhan memakai anda bekerja di ladangNya.
5. Alkitab mengatakan hanya orang yang setia sampai akhir yang akan mendapatkan upah. Jadi walau anda telah bekerja sejak usia dini dilandangNya, namun anda berhenti ditengah jalan, anda tidak akan mendapat sepeserpun. (Matius 10:22)
6. Apabila anda berkata nantilah setelah aku tua baru bekerja diladangnya karena toh upahnya sama 1 dinar waspadalah karena anda tidak tahu kapan malam tiba yaitu kapan anda pulang kepada Bapa dan mempertanggungjawab kan perbuatan anda selama hidup di dunia. Jadi janganlah engkau menunda, mulailah bekeja hari ini.
7. Bagi anda yang bermalas-malasan, ingatlah Yesus telah menegur: “Mengapa kamu menganggur saja?” (ayat 6) karena seorang pemalas tidak layak untuk menerima upah.
Yang pasti kita semua adalah pekerja di ladang anggurnya. Memang tidak semua kita harus menempati 5 jawatan gereja. Tetapi dengan menjadi jemaat yang bertumbuh dalam gereja, kita sejatinya sudah menjadi pekerja yang baik dipemandangan mata Sang Pemilik Kebun yaitu Bapa Kita di Sorga. Jadi, marilah kita berkerja selagi masih siang (Yohanes 9:4)
Tujuh Belas Kali Tuhan Yesus Menampakkan Diri
Ada tujuh belas kali Tuhan Yesus menampakkan diri sesudah kebangkitannya sampai setelah IA naik ke surga.
Ditujukan kepada Maria Magdalena, mereka pikir dia Tukang Kebun (Lihat Yohanes 20:11-17 dan Markus 16:9-11).
Ditujukan kepada para wanita lain yang kembali ke kubur ( Matius 28:9-10)Yesus memperlihatkan Diri-Nya kepada Petrus pada suatu sore (Lihat Lukas 24:23 dan 1 Korintus 15:5)
Ditujukan kepada mereka yang berjalan menuju ke Emaus (Markus 16:12-13, Lukas 24:13-35)
Ditujukan kepada ke sepuluh murid Tuhan Yesus, waktu itu Tomas tidak ada di tempat, sehingga sebelum Tomas melihat sendiri ia tidak percaya. (Lukas 24:36-43 dan Yohanes 20: 19-23)
Kembali ditujukan kepada murid-murid- Nya, dan saat itu Tomas sudah hadir (Yohanes 20:26-29)Penampakan ini ditujukan kepada tujuh orang murid di Laut Galilea, waktu itu terjadilah penangkapan ikan yang penuh mukjizat (Lihat Yohanes 21:1-23).
Yesus menampakan diri secara umum, kepada lima ratus orang dan diikuti oleh Paulus (1 korintus 15:6)Ditujukan kepada Yakobus saudara Yesus sendiri (1 korintus 15:7). Ada orang mengatakan bahwa Yakobus itu tidak percaya sebelum Kebangkitan Tuhan Yesus (Yohanes 7:3-5), tetapi setelah Yesus Bangkit, ia terhitung sebagai orang percaya.
Kembali Yesus memperlihatkan Diri-Nya kepada ke sebelas murid-murid- Nya di bukit Galilea, ada perintah yang Agung yang sering disebut Amanat Agung untuk memberitakan Injil disampaikan kepada murid-murid pada saat ini (Matius 28:16-28)
Tatkala Yesus naik ke surga. Dari Bukit Zaitun IA Menampakkan Diri-Nya (Lukas 24:44-53 dan Kisah Para Rasul 1:3-9). Penampakan ini adalah penampakan yang terakhir sebelum Yesus naik ke Surga.
Yesus menampakkan Diri-Nya kepada Stefanus yang mati Martir (lihat Kisah Para Rasul 7:55-56).
Selanjutnya penampakan yang berbeda sifatnya untuk menguatkan fakta Kebangkitan Yesus.Penampakan ini ditujukan kepada rasul Paulus, waktu itu masih bernama Saulus. Di perjalanan ke Damsyik, sesungguhnya Saulus mempunyai rencana jahat terhadap orang-orang percaya, namun Yesus memperlihatkan Diri-Nya kepada Saulus, ia tersungkur dan bertobat (Kisah 9:3-6;22:6-11; 26:13-18) .Sekali lagi penampakan itu ditujukan kembali kepada rasul Paulus ketika di Arabia (Kisah Para Rasul 20:24; 26:17).
Ditujukan lagi kepada Paulus tatkala di Bait Allah, Paulus diingatkan oleh Yesus bahwa penganiayaan terhadap orang-orang percaya sudah segera tiba (Kisah Para Rasul 22:17-21).
Kepada Rasul Paulus, waktu itu ia berada di dalam penjara di Kaisaria, dikatakan bahwa Tuhan datang berdiri disisinya dan memberitahu Paulus bahwa ia harus menyaksikan Injil di kota Roma (Kisah Para Rasul 23:11)
Kepada rasul Yohanes, waktu itu ia berada di pulau Patmos (Wahyu 1:12-20).Inilah fakta, bahwa "Yesus Bangkit!".
Berdasarkan Kebenaran inilah, maka kita juga berani mempertaruhkan seluruh hidup kita kepada Tuhan. Sebagai orang percaya kita menyembah kepada Allah yang hidup, bukan yang mati tetap di Kubur.
Ditujukan kepada Maria Magdalena, mereka pikir dia Tukang Kebun (Lihat Yohanes 20:11-17 dan Markus 16:9-11).
Ditujukan kepada para wanita lain yang kembali ke kubur ( Matius 28:9-10)Yesus memperlihatkan Diri-Nya kepada Petrus pada suatu sore (Lihat Lukas 24:23 dan 1 Korintus 15:5)
Ditujukan kepada mereka yang berjalan menuju ke Emaus (Markus 16:12-13, Lukas 24:13-35)
Ditujukan kepada ke sepuluh murid Tuhan Yesus, waktu itu Tomas tidak ada di tempat, sehingga sebelum Tomas melihat sendiri ia tidak percaya. (Lukas 24:36-43 dan Yohanes 20: 19-23)
Kembali ditujukan kepada murid-murid- Nya, dan saat itu Tomas sudah hadir (Yohanes 20:26-29)Penampakan ini ditujukan kepada tujuh orang murid di Laut Galilea, waktu itu terjadilah penangkapan ikan yang penuh mukjizat (Lihat Yohanes 21:1-23).
Yesus menampakan diri secara umum, kepada lima ratus orang dan diikuti oleh Paulus (1 korintus 15:6)Ditujukan kepada Yakobus saudara Yesus sendiri (1 korintus 15:7). Ada orang mengatakan bahwa Yakobus itu tidak percaya sebelum Kebangkitan Tuhan Yesus (Yohanes 7:3-5), tetapi setelah Yesus Bangkit, ia terhitung sebagai orang percaya.
Kembali Yesus memperlihatkan Diri-Nya kepada ke sebelas murid-murid- Nya di bukit Galilea, ada perintah yang Agung yang sering disebut Amanat Agung untuk memberitakan Injil disampaikan kepada murid-murid pada saat ini (Matius 28:16-28)
Tatkala Yesus naik ke surga. Dari Bukit Zaitun IA Menampakkan Diri-Nya (Lukas 24:44-53 dan Kisah Para Rasul 1:3-9). Penampakan ini adalah penampakan yang terakhir sebelum Yesus naik ke Surga.
Yesus menampakkan Diri-Nya kepada Stefanus yang mati Martir (lihat Kisah Para Rasul 7:55-56).
Selanjutnya penampakan yang berbeda sifatnya untuk menguatkan fakta Kebangkitan Yesus.Penampakan ini ditujukan kepada rasul Paulus, waktu itu masih bernama Saulus. Di perjalanan ke Damsyik, sesungguhnya Saulus mempunyai rencana jahat terhadap orang-orang percaya, namun Yesus memperlihatkan Diri-Nya kepada Saulus, ia tersungkur dan bertobat (Kisah 9:3-6;22:6-11; 26:13-18) .Sekali lagi penampakan itu ditujukan kembali kepada rasul Paulus ketika di Arabia (Kisah Para Rasul 20:24; 26:17).
Ditujukan lagi kepada Paulus tatkala di Bait Allah, Paulus diingatkan oleh Yesus bahwa penganiayaan terhadap orang-orang percaya sudah segera tiba (Kisah Para Rasul 22:17-21).
Kepada Rasul Paulus, waktu itu ia berada di dalam penjara di Kaisaria, dikatakan bahwa Tuhan datang berdiri disisinya dan memberitahu Paulus bahwa ia harus menyaksikan Injil di kota Roma (Kisah Para Rasul 23:11)
Kepada rasul Yohanes, waktu itu ia berada di pulau Patmos (Wahyu 1:12-20).Inilah fakta, bahwa "Yesus Bangkit!".
Berdasarkan Kebenaran inilah, maka kita juga berani mempertaruhkan seluruh hidup kita kepada Tuhan. Sebagai orang percaya kita menyembah kepada Allah yang hidup, bukan yang mati tetap di Kubur.
Monday, July 14, 2008
My Brother’s Hands
Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer's elder children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy.Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines. They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg.Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition.His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you."All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over,"No...no...no...no."Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly,"No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look, look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother...for me it is too late."More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one, no one, ever makes it alone!
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The Archer of Paran: Parts Two, Three and the Conclusion
byJosprel
Part Two
“Please stay with us a while longer, my brother,” Ishmael coaxed as Isaac made preparations to depart, “We have just come to know each other and we may never again see each other.”
“The God of our father, Abraham, may decree otherwise, Ishmael. Perhaps he may move you to visit with us. Would you then visit?”
“This God of Abraham is your God, Isaac; he is not my God. Long ago, at your birth, He made this clear when He told Abraham to drive my mother, Hagar, and me into the desert. There I almost perished from thirst. This is the God you serve, Isaac. He is the God who cheated me from my rightful inheritance and bestowed it to you, at the whim of a jealous woman. I understand that my subjects also worship the God of our father, Abraham under a different name. I permit them to do so because they need a god to worship. I do not, especially one such as yours who hated me and Hagar, my mother, but loved, Sara, your jealous, hate-filled, vengeful mother. There are no gods for me, especially the God of Abraham.”Isaac gazed intently at his brother.
Then he said, “Tell me again how you and your mother, Hagar, were saved from death in the desert.”
Ishmael gestured with impatience. He appeared mildly agitated. “Do we not have better things to discuss at your departure than a thing that happened so long ago? I have told you that I no loner bear have hatred in me what was done to my mother and me. Why would you would you have me repeat them now? These things are best left in forgetfulness, now that we have seen each other.”
“For my sake, please indulge me in this that I ask, Ishmael, my brother. I have a purpose in asking it of you,” Isaac said.Still somewhat angry, Ishmael complied.
“After your mother forced us into exile in this desert, we no longer had water. My mother, Hagar, had saved most of the little water Abraham gave to us for me to drink, but it was not very much and was soon gone. I was dying of thirst and could no longer walk and even stand. After I fell to the sand, Hagar could not bear to see my death, so she laid me under a bush, moved away a little distance from me. She began weeping. She afterward told me that an angel of God spoke to her . . . ”
When Isaac lifted a hand to indicate that he wanted to speak, Ishmael ceased speaking and gestured for him to do so.
“Whose God sent the angel to your mother and you, my brother?” he inquired, “Was it the God of our father Abraham, or one of the gods whom even you say do not exist?”
Ishmael stared, dumfounded. He understood now why his brother asked for him to tell the story of his and Hagar’s deliverance from death.
“I await your answer, Ishmael. Whose God sent the angel who deliver you from death?” Ishmael’s composure returned, and he began to laugh uproariously and the others joined in.
“So, Isaac,” he acknowledged, “You have ensnared me with my own words. We all know it was the God of Abraham who sent the angel. It was he who saved me and my mother from death.”
“And did this angel sent by the God of our father, Abraham, say anything else?” Isaac asked.Ishmael again went silent, before answering.
This time his silence was a long one, but no one dared breech it, not even Isaac. When he finally did speak, his features were thoughtful, and his tone held a seriousness quality hitherto not manifested during his account.
“Yes, my brother, the angel told my mother he would make me into a great nation.”
“And has that not already begun? The God of our father Abraham has blessed you with twelve brave sons. Each is a mighty warrior; so mighty that the armies of Egypt fear them. Each rules from a castle that belongs to him alone. Together, they rule the desert tribes. Even my people have heard of The Ishmaelite Confederacy. Some speak of it with fear, knowing how you were exiled by our father.”
“They need not fear me or my sons. I would never attack you and your people. Neither I nor my sons would ever commit fratricide and do as Cain did to his brother, Able, ” Ishmael categorically responded.
“I know this, for I now know you and your sons, my brother. But, my people have yet to meet you. For this reason I entreat you to visit with us, that my people may see that we love each other as a family should love. Again, I entreat you to visit my people with your sons and their families,” Isaac pleaded.Ishmael surveyed the faces surrounding him. One by one, as his eyes took inventory of his sons, each son nodded assent.
“Yes, I have now decided; we shall go with you, to visit your family, Isaac,” he stated, “But before we leave, I must make preparations for the protection of my people. My sons and I must give orders to our warriors who remain behind. Then we shall depart with you.”
Part Three
Isaac’s sons, Jacob and Esau, were twins, but a person wouldn’t suspect it by looking at them. From his puberty, Esau was hairy and rugged. The tribal history chroniclers alleged that Esau’s name was derived from the word “Seir,” claiming that the word meant “hairy.” Tribal seers and prognosticators predicted that Seir was a territory Esau would one day claim as his own. An outdoorsman, camp life bored Esau. Instead he delighted in the chase of the hunt, often returning to the encampment with an antelope, a wild goat, or a bighorn mountain sheep he had slain slung over his broad, hairy shoulders. On his return with game from a successful hunt, Esau always simmered a stew from the meat of his kill, sharing it with his father. Isaac relished these stews; he looked forward to them. It was well known among Isaac’s tribes that Esau was his favorite son. Jacob, who was born a second or so after Esau, entered life clutching onto his brother’s heel. Tribal chroniclers were at odds regarding the meaning of his name. Some claimed it meant, “heel-catcher,” while others asserted that the name meant, “supplanter.” Unlike Esau, Jacob was a man-about-camp, a homebody who enjoyed the activities associated with domestic life, especially that of cooking. Perhaps it was for this reason that he became the son favored by his mother, Rebecca. The favoritism displayed by both parents engendered a scorn for each other within the twins. Jacob considered Esau an ignorant lout, often implying that his twin’s shagginess indicated that he should live among the wild animals. He also vilified Esau as an oaf who brought disgrace to the family. Esau, on the other hand, heaped insults on Jacob. Now into his adolescence, Esau was enormously popular among the tribesmen. He once laughingly stated to his numerous camp cronies, “My brother, Jacob, is still our mother’s infant. He continues to suckle at her breasts. I believe he shall do so even when he attains his manhood – if one can call that which he attains a manhood.” Another time, after they had a scuffle in which Rebecca, as always, intervened on the side of Jacob, Esau referred to his twin as a “cowardly camp puppy that fears to defend itself when other puppies steal a bone it is chewing on. Like a cowardly puppy, he whimpers and whines until his mother comes to defend him.”Rebecca slapped Esau hard across his cheek for making the statement. He only chuckled and said, “Jacob, my brother, our mother has courageously defended you. Now follow after her like an obedient camp dog.”***** *****Esau had just returned from a hunt with an antelope and a large mountain sheep slung across the back of a packhorse he lead behind his own stallion. Dismounting, he thoughtfully unloaded his kills some distance from the cooking fires. He did not want to disturb those who attended the fires, where Jacob assisted Rebecca in supervised the camp cooks; they were readying bread dough for baking on the flat hot stones placed over the cooking fires. Having been notified by an advance rider of the soon arrival of Isaac and his brother Ishmael, the entire camp was in a state of anxious anticipation.
“Jacob, come, help me skin these animals,” Esau called out, “If we cut them up quickly, there shall be meat for our father and those who come with him. Come help me.”
“Can you not see that my son, Jacob, is too busy that which you ask of him,” Rebecca sharply remonstrated, “Unlike you who, in your laziness, do nothing but ride horses and chase after animals, Jacob works hard here at the fire.”
Before Esau could respond, the blast of a ram’s horn sounded, and a camp sentry shouted, “The caravan approaches; the caravan approaches! The caravan of our Supreme Chief is still distant, but it is drawing closer! The caravan of our supreme chief approaches!”
Hearing the urgent summons, each of Isaac’s chieftains mounted their camels to ride out and meet the caravan. Esau dropped what he was doing, jumped on his horse and raced after them. As his speedily passed the camels, it left a cloud of dusty sand that forced the chieftains to cover their faces. Speeding on, his mount taking tortured breaths in the blistering heat, Esau soon arrived at the his destination, reigning up next to his father.
“I am happy to see you, my father. I greet you in the name of the God of Abraham,” he said.
“And I greet you in the name of my father’s God, my son.” Isaac stared intently at his son.
“But why are you thus attired? Your garments are stained with blood. Have you suffered injury?”
“I have no injury, my father. I have just returned from a hunt. I was beginning to skin the animals I slew, when the report of your coming sounded. I left all to ride out to greet you. Please forgive my soiled garments. I thought only of meeting you.”
“I understand, my son,” Isaac assured him, motioning to Ishmael.
“This is my brother, your Uncle Ishmael.”Esau bowed his head in a gesture of humility.
“I greet you in the name of the God of Abraham, my uncle,” Esau said in a tone of meekness, “Please forgive the rudeness for having greeted you in garments such as these. I mean no disrespect.”
“I thank you for your welcome, Esau, my nephew. I take no offence at your appearance, for I understand the hunt. I also am a hunter.”Isaac summoned one of his outriders.
“Halt the caravan,” he ordered, “I would have my son meet his cousins before my chieftains arrive.”
The Conclusion
For the first few days of Ishmael’s stay, all appeared to go well. He and Esau went hunting together and the nephew marveled at his uncle’s prowess with the bow. Nonetheless, it wasn’t long until the visit was shattered by a complaint made by Ishmael to Isaac.With a stony expression and spasms of anger flexing his brow, his dark eyes flashing with deep indignation, and his voice ominous with threat, Ishmael stated, “Isaac, my brother, your son, Jacob, has grievously slandered me and my sons; so much so that, though he has not yet reached his full maturity, if he were not your son, I would have slain him where he stood! ”Isaac gawked in disbelief. When he recovered, he asked, “Ishmael, how has Jacob done such injury to you and your sons? What did my son say, that so grievously slandered you?”“Jacob said to many of your chieftains, in the presence of me and my sons, that I and all those who came with me are as wild, savage boars. He said that, even as such boars, we are not fit dwell among civilized tribes.” During the exchange, Isaac had been sitting just outside the door of his tent. Now he stood to his feet, his expression one of anguish. With a gesture, he waved to the chief steward of his household to him. “Yusaf, send three of your strongest menservants to find my son, Jacob. Order them to bring him to me. If he ignores their summons, have bring him here in bonds,” he commanded. “At once, master,” the flabbergasted Yusaf replied and hurried to obey.***** *****In Isaac’s tent, Jacob stood apprehensively before his father. His uncle sat across the tent from them. Jacob had never seen his normally placid father appear so angry. Just as Isaac was about to speak, Rebecca rushed into the tent and stood next to her son.“Why have you come, Rebecca?” her husband asked. “It was reported to me that Jacob is here and the lies you have been told about him. I come to defend him,” she replied. “You will leave here now, Rebecca! This is a matter for which Jacob must answer for himself,” Isaac ordered. “I shall not leave without my son!” she stated.Isaac stood and walked to the entrance and called, “Yusaf, please enter!” After his chief steward entered, Isaac instructed him, “Yusaf, have the same servants who brought Jacob to me escort your mistress from this tent. If she resists, have them gently carry her out. No one is to enter here until I say otherwise.“Yes, my Supreme Chief, Isaac,” Yusaf replied with a respectful bow of his head. Furious, but unresisting and herself apprehensive, Rebecca permitted herself to be led away. This was a side of her husband she had never seen. Before this episode, she always felt able to get her way with him. And, like Jacob, she also had never seen Isaac so angry.“Now, Jacob,” Isaac began when the three were alone, “Your Uncle Ishmael has told me of your slander against him.”“My father, I did not slander Uncle Ishmael,” Jacob whined.“You did not tell our chieftains that your uncle and those who came with him are as wild boars?” Ishmael asked.“No, father.”“And you did not say that my brother Ishmael and his sons are not fit to dwell among civilized tribes?”“No, I did not say these things, my father,” Jacob affirmed.Isaac continued his interrogation of Jacob. “Then, are you saying to me that your uncle has lied in reporting that you did say these things?”Jacob went silent, understanding that if he affirmed that his uncle had lied, and that he himself was telling the truth, there were witness among the chieftains who would back up Ishmael’s report.“I await your answer, Jacob,” Isaac prompted, his tone harsh.“I have no answer, my father. My uncle did not lie. I know there are chieftains who can witness that I did say these things. I beg my uncle’s forgiveness.”“Hear me, Jacob. Understand what I say now, for you are no longer a child. Had a stranger said the thing you said about your uncle, the stranger would have slain been executed by him. You live now only because you are my son.“Hear my sentence upon!” Isaac decreed, “Each day until they depart, you shall wash the feet of your uncle and your cousins each time they ask it of you. I shall ask them if you have done so. You shall feed and water their camels and horses, as well as our own. You shall trim the hooves of their animals and our own. You shall milk the sheep and goats, bake the bread, make the cheese and churn the butter. “No servants shall assist you in these tasks; neither shall your mother do so. You shall remain apart from her, until I say otherwise. If either you or she refuses to remain apart, I shall extend your punishment. If you refuse to fulfill this sentence, I shall disown you as a son, and you shall be driven from the camp. Hitherto you have been an indolent, lazy and have refused to do the work of the encampment. Now you shall know what it is to work. Should you abandon this camp and go elsewhere to escape my sentence, do not attempt to return. Your sentence begins immediately! Do you have more word to speak to me?”His eyes lowered, Jacob replied, “No my father.”“Then leave us and ask Yusaf to return. He must be made aware of your sentence.”***** *****The next three months passed quickly. Ishmael, his sons and their caravan were about to depart for home. Isaac, Esau and the chieftains had gathered to bid the travelers farewell. Rebecca also was present, but reluctantly, and at Isaac’s explicit command. Isaac, however, had excluded Jacob, whose sentence had not been lifted.Each of Ishmael’s sons gave Isaac a kiss of departure. Isaac kissed his brother on both cheeks, saying, “Farewell, my dear brother Ishmael. May the God of our father, Abraham, guide you safely to your home.”Ishmael returned the kisses. “And may your God bless and keep you, Isaac,” he replied. He took both of Rebecca’s hands in his and kissed them. “I and my sons leave you now, my lady. We thank you for your hospitality to us. Would you’re your God had permitted my spouse Aseneth, the mother of my sons, to live. She would have loved you as a sister, he stated. Rebecca nodded, but remain silent.Ishmael drew his brother aside. “Isaac, for my sake, please pardon the young man, Jacob. Lift your sentence from upon him. Please, do this as a farewell gift to me. And send for him now, that I also may bid him farewell. Remember how you forgave Massa, my son, when he spoke disrespectfully of you?”“I remember,” Isaac responded. “Bring my son, Jacob, to me, immediately.” he said to a servant. “Yes master,” the man replied.It wasn’t long before Jacob arrived, appearing tired, disheveled and disheartened. “I am here, my father. What do you wish of me?”“I have sent for you at the request of your uncle. As you know, he and his sons are now departing for home. Your uncle Ishmael desires to bid you farewell.”Embracing his nephew, Ishmael kissed him on both cheeks, and then said, “Come my nephew, kiss me farewell, also. I have asked your father to release you from your sentence. I desire that we part from each other with love.”Jacob began to weep. Though his sobs, he said. “Forgive me for my foolish words, Uncle Ishmael. It was right for my father to punish me, for my speech against you was worthy of my execution. Forgive me my uncle.”“I gladly forgive you, Jacob. Stop weeping now and kiss your cousins farewell.” As Jacob did so, Ishmael walked over to Esau. Facing him, he grasped his favorite nephew by both shoulders. “Esau, my hunting companion,” he loudly exclaimed, “you must come to visit me and we shall again hunt together. There are vast herds of wild oxen near our castles in the land of the Egyptians. When you visit us, we shall hunt them together. It shall be great sport. And should the Egyptians attempt to prevent us, we shall do battle against them. That too shall be great sport! What say you?”Esau was about to respond, but Isaac intervened, saying, “It is my prayer that I also shall again be able to visit with you in your land, Esau. At that time, I shall have all of my family with me.”“And at that time, shall you and Jacob battle the Egyptians along with Esau and me, if the need arises?” Ishmael teased, “I venture to you will not, for you and Jacob are a lovers of peace. I again bid you farewell, Isaac.” As the caravan moved out, Esau asked, “My father, please permit me to ride with them for a until they arrive at the Oasis of Medi; it is only a short ride. I shall then return.”Receiving a nod from his father, Esau mounted his horse and followed the caravan. When it reached the oasis, he again waved goodbye to his uncles and cousins, waited until the caravan blended into the horizon, then spurred his horse homeward toward the encampment. -30-
© Josprel (Joseph Perrello)Josprel@verizon.net
Article Source: http://www.articles.narrowisthepath.com
Part Two
“Please stay with us a while longer, my brother,” Ishmael coaxed as Isaac made preparations to depart, “We have just come to know each other and we may never again see each other.”
“The God of our father, Abraham, may decree otherwise, Ishmael. Perhaps he may move you to visit with us. Would you then visit?”
“This God of Abraham is your God, Isaac; he is not my God. Long ago, at your birth, He made this clear when He told Abraham to drive my mother, Hagar, and me into the desert. There I almost perished from thirst. This is the God you serve, Isaac. He is the God who cheated me from my rightful inheritance and bestowed it to you, at the whim of a jealous woman. I understand that my subjects also worship the God of our father, Abraham under a different name. I permit them to do so because they need a god to worship. I do not, especially one such as yours who hated me and Hagar, my mother, but loved, Sara, your jealous, hate-filled, vengeful mother. There are no gods for me, especially the God of Abraham.”Isaac gazed intently at his brother.
Then he said, “Tell me again how you and your mother, Hagar, were saved from death in the desert.”
Ishmael gestured with impatience. He appeared mildly agitated. “Do we not have better things to discuss at your departure than a thing that happened so long ago? I have told you that I no loner bear have hatred in me what was done to my mother and me. Why would you would you have me repeat them now? These things are best left in forgetfulness, now that we have seen each other.”
“For my sake, please indulge me in this that I ask, Ishmael, my brother. I have a purpose in asking it of you,” Isaac said.Still somewhat angry, Ishmael complied.
“After your mother forced us into exile in this desert, we no longer had water. My mother, Hagar, had saved most of the little water Abraham gave to us for me to drink, but it was not very much and was soon gone. I was dying of thirst and could no longer walk and even stand. After I fell to the sand, Hagar could not bear to see my death, so she laid me under a bush, moved away a little distance from me. She began weeping. She afterward told me that an angel of God spoke to her . . . ”
When Isaac lifted a hand to indicate that he wanted to speak, Ishmael ceased speaking and gestured for him to do so.
“Whose God sent the angel to your mother and you, my brother?” he inquired, “Was it the God of our father Abraham, or one of the gods whom even you say do not exist?”
Ishmael stared, dumfounded. He understood now why his brother asked for him to tell the story of his and Hagar’s deliverance from death.
“I await your answer, Ishmael. Whose God sent the angel who deliver you from death?” Ishmael’s composure returned, and he began to laugh uproariously and the others joined in.
“So, Isaac,” he acknowledged, “You have ensnared me with my own words. We all know it was the God of Abraham who sent the angel. It was he who saved me and my mother from death.”
“And did this angel sent by the God of our father, Abraham, say anything else?” Isaac asked.Ishmael again went silent, before answering.
This time his silence was a long one, but no one dared breech it, not even Isaac. When he finally did speak, his features were thoughtful, and his tone held a seriousness quality hitherto not manifested during his account.
“Yes, my brother, the angel told my mother he would make me into a great nation.”
“And has that not already begun? The God of our father Abraham has blessed you with twelve brave sons. Each is a mighty warrior; so mighty that the armies of Egypt fear them. Each rules from a castle that belongs to him alone. Together, they rule the desert tribes. Even my people have heard of The Ishmaelite Confederacy. Some speak of it with fear, knowing how you were exiled by our father.”
“They need not fear me or my sons. I would never attack you and your people. Neither I nor my sons would ever commit fratricide and do as Cain did to his brother, Able, ” Ishmael categorically responded.
“I know this, for I now know you and your sons, my brother. But, my people have yet to meet you. For this reason I entreat you to visit with us, that my people may see that we love each other as a family should love. Again, I entreat you to visit my people with your sons and their families,” Isaac pleaded.Ishmael surveyed the faces surrounding him. One by one, as his eyes took inventory of his sons, each son nodded assent.
“Yes, I have now decided; we shall go with you, to visit your family, Isaac,” he stated, “But before we leave, I must make preparations for the protection of my people. My sons and I must give orders to our warriors who remain behind. Then we shall depart with you.”
Part Three
Isaac’s sons, Jacob and Esau, were twins, but a person wouldn’t suspect it by looking at them. From his puberty, Esau was hairy and rugged. The tribal history chroniclers alleged that Esau’s name was derived from the word “Seir,” claiming that the word meant “hairy.” Tribal seers and prognosticators predicted that Seir was a territory Esau would one day claim as his own. An outdoorsman, camp life bored Esau. Instead he delighted in the chase of the hunt, often returning to the encampment with an antelope, a wild goat, or a bighorn mountain sheep he had slain slung over his broad, hairy shoulders. On his return with game from a successful hunt, Esau always simmered a stew from the meat of his kill, sharing it with his father. Isaac relished these stews; he looked forward to them. It was well known among Isaac’s tribes that Esau was his favorite son. Jacob, who was born a second or so after Esau, entered life clutching onto his brother’s heel. Tribal chroniclers were at odds regarding the meaning of his name. Some claimed it meant, “heel-catcher,” while others asserted that the name meant, “supplanter.” Unlike Esau, Jacob was a man-about-camp, a homebody who enjoyed the activities associated with domestic life, especially that of cooking. Perhaps it was for this reason that he became the son favored by his mother, Rebecca. The favoritism displayed by both parents engendered a scorn for each other within the twins. Jacob considered Esau an ignorant lout, often implying that his twin’s shagginess indicated that he should live among the wild animals. He also vilified Esau as an oaf who brought disgrace to the family. Esau, on the other hand, heaped insults on Jacob. Now into his adolescence, Esau was enormously popular among the tribesmen. He once laughingly stated to his numerous camp cronies, “My brother, Jacob, is still our mother’s infant. He continues to suckle at her breasts. I believe he shall do so even when he attains his manhood – if one can call that which he attains a manhood.” Another time, after they had a scuffle in which Rebecca, as always, intervened on the side of Jacob, Esau referred to his twin as a “cowardly camp puppy that fears to defend itself when other puppies steal a bone it is chewing on. Like a cowardly puppy, he whimpers and whines until his mother comes to defend him.”Rebecca slapped Esau hard across his cheek for making the statement. He only chuckled and said, “Jacob, my brother, our mother has courageously defended you. Now follow after her like an obedient camp dog.”***** *****Esau had just returned from a hunt with an antelope and a large mountain sheep slung across the back of a packhorse he lead behind his own stallion. Dismounting, he thoughtfully unloaded his kills some distance from the cooking fires. He did not want to disturb those who attended the fires, where Jacob assisted Rebecca in supervised the camp cooks; they were readying bread dough for baking on the flat hot stones placed over the cooking fires. Having been notified by an advance rider of the soon arrival of Isaac and his brother Ishmael, the entire camp was in a state of anxious anticipation.
“Jacob, come, help me skin these animals,” Esau called out, “If we cut them up quickly, there shall be meat for our father and those who come with him. Come help me.”
“Can you not see that my son, Jacob, is too busy that which you ask of him,” Rebecca sharply remonstrated, “Unlike you who, in your laziness, do nothing but ride horses and chase after animals, Jacob works hard here at the fire.”
Before Esau could respond, the blast of a ram’s horn sounded, and a camp sentry shouted, “The caravan approaches; the caravan approaches! The caravan of our Supreme Chief is still distant, but it is drawing closer! The caravan of our supreme chief approaches!”
Hearing the urgent summons, each of Isaac’s chieftains mounted their camels to ride out and meet the caravan. Esau dropped what he was doing, jumped on his horse and raced after them. As his speedily passed the camels, it left a cloud of dusty sand that forced the chieftains to cover their faces. Speeding on, his mount taking tortured breaths in the blistering heat, Esau soon arrived at the his destination, reigning up next to his father.
“I am happy to see you, my father. I greet you in the name of the God of Abraham,” he said.
“And I greet you in the name of my father’s God, my son.” Isaac stared intently at his son.
“But why are you thus attired? Your garments are stained with blood. Have you suffered injury?”
“I have no injury, my father. I have just returned from a hunt. I was beginning to skin the animals I slew, when the report of your coming sounded. I left all to ride out to greet you. Please forgive my soiled garments. I thought only of meeting you.”
“I understand, my son,” Isaac assured him, motioning to Ishmael.
“This is my brother, your Uncle Ishmael.”Esau bowed his head in a gesture of humility.
“I greet you in the name of the God of Abraham, my uncle,” Esau said in a tone of meekness, “Please forgive the rudeness for having greeted you in garments such as these. I mean no disrespect.”
“I thank you for your welcome, Esau, my nephew. I take no offence at your appearance, for I understand the hunt. I also am a hunter.”Isaac summoned one of his outriders.
“Halt the caravan,” he ordered, “I would have my son meet his cousins before my chieftains arrive.”
The Conclusion
For the first few days of Ishmael’s stay, all appeared to go well. He and Esau went hunting together and the nephew marveled at his uncle’s prowess with the bow. Nonetheless, it wasn’t long until the visit was shattered by a complaint made by Ishmael to Isaac.With a stony expression and spasms of anger flexing his brow, his dark eyes flashing with deep indignation, and his voice ominous with threat, Ishmael stated, “Isaac, my brother, your son, Jacob, has grievously slandered me and my sons; so much so that, though he has not yet reached his full maturity, if he were not your son, I would have slain him where he stood! ”Isaac gawked in disbelief. When he recovered, he asked, “Ishmael, how has Jacob done such injury to you and your sons? What did my son say, that so grievously slandered you?”“Jacob said to many of your chieftains, in the presence of me and my sons, that I and all those who came with me are as wild, savage boars. He said that, even as such boars, we are not fit dwell among civilized tribes.” During the exchange, Isaac had been sitting just outside the door of his tent. Now he stood to his feet, his expression one of anguish. With a gesture, he waved to the chief steward of his household to him. “Yusaf, send three of your strongest menservants to find my son, Jacob. Order them to bring him to me. If he ignores their summons, have bring him here in bonds,” he commanded. “At once, master,” the flabbergasted Yusaf replied and hurried to obey.***** *****In Isaac’s tent, Jacob stood apprehensively before his father. His uncle sat across the tent from them. Jacob had never seen his normally placid father appear so angry. Just as Isaac was about to speak, Rebecca rushed into the tent and stood next to her son.“Why have you come, Rebecca?” her husband asked. “It was reported to me that Jacob is here and the lies you have been told about him. I come to defend him,” she replied. “You will leave here now, Rebecca! This is a matter for which Jacob must answer for himself,” Isaac ordered. “I shall not leave without my son!” she stated.Isaac stood and walked to the entrance and called, “Yusaf, please enter!” After his chief steward entered, Isaac instructed him, “Yusaf, have the same servants who brought Jacob to me escort your mistress from this tent. If she resists, have them gently carry her out. No one is to enter here until I say otherwise.“Yes, my Supreme Chief, Isaac,” Yusaf replied with a respectful bow of his head. Furious, but unresisting and herself apprehensive, Rebecca permitted herself to be led away. This was a side of her husband she had never seen. Before this episode, she always felt able to get her way with him. And, like Jacob, she also had never seen Isaac so angry.“Now, Jacob,” Isaac began when the three were alone, “Your Uncle Ishmael has told me of your slander against him.”“My father, I did not slander Uncle Ishmael,” Jacob whined.“You did not tell our chieftains that your uncle and those who came with him are as wild boars?” Ishmael asked.“No, father.”“And you did not say that my brother Ishmael and his sons are not fit to dwell among civilized tribes?”“No, I did not say these things, my father,” Jacob affirmed.Isaac continued his interrogation of Jacob. “Then, are you saying to me that your uncle has lied in reporting that you did say these things?”Jacob went silent, understanding that if he affirmed that his uncle had lied, and that he himself was telling the truth, there were witness among the chieftains who would back up Ishmael’s report.“I await your answer, Jacob,” Isaac prompted, his tone harsh.“I have no answer, my father. My uncle did not lie. I know there are chieftains who can witness that I did say these things. I beg my uncle’s forgiveness.”“Hear me, Jacob. Understand what I say now, for you are no longer a child. Had a stranger said the thing you said about your uncle, the stranger would have slain been executed by him. You live now only because you are my son.“Hear my sentence upon!” Isaac decreed, “Each day until they depart, you shall wash the feet of your uncle and your cousins each time they ask it of you. I shall ask them if you have done so. You shall feed and water their camels and horses, as well as our own. You shall trim the hooves of their animals and our own. You shall milk the sheep and goats, bake the bread, make the cheese and churn the butter. “No servants shall assist you in these tasks; neither shall your mother do so. You shall remain apart from her, until I say otherwise. If either you or she refuses to remain apart, I shall extend your punishment. If you refuse to fulfill this sentence, I shall disown you as a son, and you shall be driven from the camp. Hitherto you have been an indolent, lazy and have refused to do the work of the encampment. Now you shall know what it is to work. Should you abandon this camp and go elsewhere to escape my sentence, do not attempt to return. Your sentence begins immediately! Do you have more word to speak to me?”His eyes lowered, Jacob replied, “No my father.”“Then leave us and ask Yusaf to return. He must be made aware of your sentence.”***** *****The next three months passed quickly. Ishmael, his sons and their caravan were about to depart for home. Isaac, Esau and the chieftains had gathered to bid the travelers farewell. Rebecca also was present, but reluctantly, and at Isaac’s explicit command. Isaac, however, had excluded Jacob, whose sentence had not been lifted.Each of Ishmael’s sons gave Isaac a kiss of departure. Isaac kissed his brother on both cheeks, saying, “Farewell, my dear brother Ishmael. May the God of our father, Abraham, guide you safely to your home.”Ishmael returned the kisses. “And may your God bless and keep you, Isaac,” he replied. He took both of Rebecca’s hands in his and kissed them. “I and my sons leave you now, my lady. We thank you for your hospitality to us. Would you’re your God had permitted my spouse Aseneth, the mother of my sons, to live. She would have loved you as a sister, he stated. Rebecca nodded, but remain silent.Ishmael drew his brother aside. “Isaac, for my sake, please pardon the young man, Jacob. Lift your sentence from upon him. Please, do this as a farewell gift to me. And send for him now, that I also may bid him farewell. Remember how you forgave Massa, my son, when he spoke disrespectfully of you?”“I remember,” Isaac responded. “Bring my son, Jacob, to me, immediately.” he said to a servant. “Yes master,” the man replied.It wasn’t long before Jacob arrived, appearing tired, disheveled and disheartened. “I am here, my father. What do you wish of me?”“I have sent for you at the request of your uncle. As you know, he and his sons are now departing for home. Your uncle Ishmael desires to bid you farewell.”Embracing his nephew, Ishmael kissed him on both cheeks, and then said, “Come my nephew, kiss me farewell, also. I have asked your father to release you from your sentence. I desire that we part from each other with love.”Jacob began to weep. Though his sobs, he said. “Forgive me for my foolish words, Uncle Ishmael. It was right for my father to punish me, for my speech against you was worthy of my execution. Forgive me my uncle.”“I gladly forgive you, Jacob. Stop weeping now and kiss your cousins farewell.” As Jacob did so, Ishmael walked over to Esau. Facing him, he grasped his favorite nephew by both shoulders. “Esau, my hunting companion,” he loudly exclaimed, “you must come to visit me and we shall again hunt together. There are vast herds of wild oxen near our castles in the land of the Egyptians. When you visit us, we shall hunt them together. It shall be great sport. And should the Egyptians attempt to prevent us, we shall do battle against them. That too shall be great sport! What say you?”Esau was about to respond, but Isaac intervened, saying, “It is my prayer that I also shall again be able to visit with you in your land, Esau. At that time, I shall have all of my family with me.”“And at that time, shall you and Jacob battle the Egyptians along with Esau and me, if the need arises?” Ishmael teased, “I venture to you will not, for you and Jacob are a lovers of peace. I again bid you farewell, Isaac.” As the caravan moved out, Esau asked, “My father, please permit me to ride with them for a until they arrive at the Oasis of Medi; it is only a short ride. I shall then return.”Receiving a nod from his father, Esau mounted his horse and followed the caravan. When it reached the oasis, he again waved goodbye to his uncles and cousins, waited until the caravan blended into the horizon, then spurred his horse homeward toward the encampment. -30-
© Josprel (Joseph Perrello)Josprel@verizon.net
Article Source: http://www.articles.narrowisthepath.com
The Archer of Paran: Part One
byJosprel
The Wilderness of Paran was a wild place. Bounded on three sides by mountains some 4000 feet high, its lime-stone table-land reached upward some 2000 to 2,500 feet. Consisting of rolling, gravelly plains it was graced with only a few springs of mostly impure water. The Wady el Arish – River of Egypt – also flowed through it, but it was dry most of the year. It was no wonder that, molded by this environment, Ishmael, Abram’s first-born son, whom Hagar had birthed at the whim of her long barren mistress, Sara, Abram’s wife, developed into the “wild man” predicted by the angel. When finally, through an apparent miracle, Sara did bear Abram a son, in a fit of jealous rage against Ishmael, she demanded that Abram drive Hagar and her son into the desert. “Ishmael shall not share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. Drive out Hagar and her son!” she announced. Abram reluctantly did so, banishing them, with some water and food, into the Wilderness of Paran. When the water ran out, Ishmael almost died of thirst. His rescue came when an angelic being directed Hagar a source of water.On that harsh wilderness playground, Ishmael honed his archery skills, developing into an archer who could launch an arrow unerringly into his prey from a great distance. He was one who lived for the hunt. As a result, he and his mother never lacked for meat. What they did not consume, they traded to the frequent caravans that traversed the desert routes. Life for them was lonely, but endurable. However, Hagar eventually noticed that Ishmael no longer hunted as frequently as he once did. As she mulled the problem, she arrived at a solution.“My son, you are a man now and a man needs a wife. You must marry. I shall arrange for you to take a wife from among the Egyptians, because they are my people.”“But there are many tribes not far from here like those of my father, Abram. Their women know how to exist in the desert. The Egyptians do not. They would parish.”“Have we perished? Am I not also a woman of Egypt? Who was it that brought you into manhood?”Ishmael's eyes lowered and he offered no response.“I ask one more thing, Ishmael, my son. I have never told this before. After I conceived you, my mistress, Sarah, beat me so badly that I ran away into the desert. I was resting at a water spring and an angel found me. He asked me what I was doing there and I told him. He said for me to return to Sarah and obey her.“This angel promised that the number of my descendants would be so great that no one will be able to count them. He also told me that I would bare a son. He said your name would be “Ishmael.” Then he said something I never understood until now.”“What is that, Mother?”Hagar took on a pensive look. “He said that you would be a wild man and your hand will be against every man and every man’s hand will be against you. And you will dwell in the presence of your brothers.”Astonishment played on Ishmael’s features. There was a long silence before he spoke.“Already, I am a wild man. And according to what you have told me, I also shall be a man without friends – a man who has only enemies!” ***** *****“What is her name, Mother?”“Have you no tongue, girl? Speak! Tell your husband how you are called!”“I am called Aseneth, daughter of Potipherah.” The girl spoke without fear.“Her father, Potipherah, was a soldier in the armies of Egypt. He was killed in battle and her mother sold her in the slave market. I bought her as your wife.”Ishmael seemed dubious. “She is beautiful and unafraid, but can she endure the wilderness? She appears so delicate.”“Your mother has said that I am your wife, but I know that in truth, I am your slave. Though I did not choose to be here, I shall survive this place,” Aseneth haughtily replied.“Have a care how you speak to your husband, girl.” Hagar made as if to slap Aseneth, but Ishmael prevented it.“You shall not attempt to escape from us?”“Where can I go? There is no place for me in Egypt. My father is dead. My mother sold me as a slave. There is no place for me, but here.”Ishmael took Aseneth’s hands in his. “Then know that I, Ishmael, promise to treat you with only tenderness and love. I shall be your protector and provider.”Aseneth’s features softened into a smile and Ishmael continued, “You shall call me your husband and I shall call you my wife. Hagar you shall call, “mother,” and she shall call you “daughter.” You shall treat her with love and she shall treat you the same.”“Yes, I shall treat her so if she is a good wife to you, but if she is not, I shall beat her with a stick!”“Then you shall not beat me at all, for I shall be a good wife to your son and a true daughter to you.”Now it was Hagar’s features that softened. Moving to Aseneth, she embraced and kissed her.“Come, my daughter, it is time for us to cook a meal.”***** *****Hagar and Aseneth bonded into a true mother-daughter relationship. As the decades passed, Hagar had the joy of serving as the midwife for the birth of her first four grandsons. Yet, with the weight of her nomadic existence and the passing years pressing heavily on her, she finally responded to the summons of death. According to her wish, with great pomp and ceremony, she was buried by Ishmael in an Egyptian tomb. Having now given Ishmael twelve sons, Aseneth also was feeling the pressures of their wandering existence. “My husband, when I first came to you, you promised to be a good husband to me. You have indeed loved me, as I have loved you. I have borne you twelve warrior sons.”“Yes, you have given me many sons. They are superb horsemen and camel riders, who are now the lords of the desert. Because of them and their riders, we are paid tribute by all the caravans that pass through our lands. When those who travel see our black tents, they know who we are. Even the armies of pharaoh fear us.”“Yes, my husband, you and our sons have made us rich beyond our dreams. Yet, we are growing old. I have grown tired of wandering. Can we not now remain settled in one place until we die?”Before responding, Ishmael gazed at his wife with compassion. Then he said, “I shall speak to our sons about this which you ask.”***** *****It was Nebajoth, Ishmael’s firstborn, who responded to his father’s question.“Yes, Father, we have discussed it among ourselves. We have planned to each build a castle here in the desert. We shall construct them at a distance apart from each other. Thus, the entire desert shall be under our control. No one can pass through without paying tribute to us. You and mother may choose in whose castle you wish to live.”“We first shall have our men dig until we have twelve wells of water,” added Kedar, the next oldest, “Then we each shall build our castle near one well. Once I have the water, I shall have my men gather many desert sheep into folds.”“But what will they eat and drink?" his father asked, "Even in the desert, the sheep must wander far and wide to sustain themselves. Many of then die of starvation and thirst".“Once I have water, my castle will be like an oasis. Then I shall dig many wells and my menshall grow food for the sheep to eat.”“When the angel spoke to my mother in the desert, she found a well of water there, but that was long ago," Ishmael recalled, "I have not found many other wells since then, but I have heard that your Uncle Isaac dug wells for his flocks to drink. Each time he did so, others came and drove him away from his well and used them for themselves.”“Uncle Isaac should have fought for what was his,” Kedemah, the youngest son, responded.“That is true, but my brother is a peaceable man. He will not fight. He finally dug a well that remained his own.”“I shall kill anyone who seeks to steal the wells I dig.” The threat was voiced by Massa, who most resembled his father in appearance and temperament. The others grunted their like resolve.“Well, I suppose if one digs deep enough there will be water, but who can dig that deep?” Ishmael wondered aloud.“My men will do so, or they will die!” Massa vowed.“And, if the task is impossible, you still will kill your men for not what it is not possible to do?” asked Tema, his brother.“My men will do so, or they will die!” Massa repeated.“For not doing what no one else can do, even yourself?”“I am their chief: they must do as I command!" Messa stated, "If I command them to dig until they find water, they must do so!”Noticing Massa’s anger mounting, Nebajoth changed the topic.“Our father and mother desire to remain in one place. They are tired of wandering in the desert!” he said to the others. “Since I am the oldest, they shall dwell with me in my camp. Do we all agree?” He received eleven affirmative answers.***** *****Zephan, Supreme Commander of the Egyptian military forces, was kneeling face to the pavement stones, before his furious King Pharaoh-rams.“Lift your eyes, worthless one! On your knees! Look upon me!”After the officer complied, leaning forward on his dais, Pharaoh-rams fixed Zephan with a probing glare. “Why do you not protect the caravans that pass through the desert? All who travel to and from Egypt suffer attacks by desert bandits! Our land grows poor because them!” The commander’s features twitched in anguish; his voice quivered. “My great pharaoh, these are not mere bandits who attack our caravans. The wild man, Ishmael, and his twelve sons have gathered many desert tribes into a mighty desert confederation.”“And what does this mean for Egypt?” the pharoah asked.Zephan’s voice now regained its natural deepness. “Ishmael is molding the tribes into an army, oh mighty pharaoh. The desert chiefs of the Wilderness of Paran acknowledge him as their supreme chief. They now call themselves, “The Ishmaelite Confederacy.” They consider all who pass through the desert as their enemies. It is reported that they look upon the desert as their oun home-land nation. Only their own people may pass safely through the Wilderness of Paran. No other is safe from attack. They kill the men in the caravans and take all they have. If there are women with the caravans, they sell them as slaves or take them as their own.”“Is it not your duty to protect the caravans? Why do you not send troops into the desert to kill these marauders and eliminate their black tents?” the pharoah inquired, with a threat coloring his tone “I have sent many troops, sire, but Ishmael and his bands vanquish them all and then vanish into the desert. Even the Rephaim giants in the highlands of Bashan fear them, as do also the Amorites and other nations. I have received reports that the twelve sons of Ishmael no longer dwell in black tents, as do their followers, sire. Each is building a castle in a strategic location to make permanent their rule over the entire desert of Paran.”Pharaoh-rams brow shot up in surprise. “Even the Rephaim, with their great height and strength, fear the confederacy of Ishmael?”“Yes, my pharaoh, the Paphaim now refuse to leave their homes in the mountains for fear that Ishmael and his hoards will attack their families while they are gone. Though they will defend their mountains, it is reported that they do not think they can gain victory over Ishmael’s confederacy.”Pharaoh-rams fists pounded the arms of his throne, his eyes narrow with distain. “Then I swear upon the heads of my ancestors that I shall eliminate this scourge of the desert!” With a terrible resolve, he added, “I, myself, shall lead the army into battle against Ishmael and his sons and their confederacy. When I capture these desert rats, I myself shall flay the skin from their bodies while they still live!”***** *****Though construction of the castles was not yet completed, enough of the work had been done to make them livable. For more than three long years, the exhausted laborers that dragged in from wide distances of the desert, every boulder, every stone that could be found. Huge amounts of pebbles sifted from the desert sands and then loaded on drag-carts that were pulled by camals, horses and mules, also were to be utilized by the builders.A deep, dry mote surrounded each edifice, and dotting the vast areas between the motes and the castles were sheepfolds, stalls for the working animals and the ones used as mounts. The black tents of The Ishmaelite Confederacy also occupied those areas. Recently dug wells also occupied the space. In addition to the motes, security for the castles also was provided by patrols armed with scimitars, spears and the weapons of archers.***** ***** Today had dawned no differently than previous days. After the cold of the night, the blistering heat of the sun dominated the desert, yet those within the castles still enjoyed the residual coolness of the walls.It was one of Nebajoth’s outlooks who first blew the ram’s horn battle alarm and then shouted, “Battle alarm! Battle alarm! An army of riders approaches! Battle alarm!”While Nebajoth and his riders armed themselves and mounted their steeds, the battle alarm was relayed to the other castles, whose warriors also prepared for combat. It did not take long before twelve companies of wariors converged into a unified army under the command of their respective princes, with Ishmael serving as their general. At his signal, the army began its march toward the approaching invaders. ***** *****Resplendent in his combat attire, mounted on his white battle stallion, King Pharaoh-rams waited next to Supreme Commander Zephan, also geared for battle. Already the desert sun was taking its toll upon their warriors; after succumbing to the heat, many had to be kicked to their feet again by their superiors. The king’s tasted for battle now waning, he was having second thoughts. Across the sands, they could see the banners of The Ishmaelite Confederacy moving toward them.“Our men and horses are not trained to fight in the desert, Zephan. Without our chariots and much water, we are at a disadvantage. The Ishmaelite Confederacy is trained for desert battles. They seem able to find water where no one else can.”“True, sire, we did not take our chariots because they would serve no purpose here in the desert. Their wheels would sink into the sands and the horses would not be able to pull them over the dunes. We do have some water, for I commanded the army to carry water on camels.”“But, is it enough for all of our troops and animals in such heat as this?”Zephan appeared dubious. “It will depend on how long the battle lasts, sire.”There was a long pause, after which Pharaoh-rams summoned a high-ranking officer, who approached and saluted.“Carry a flag of truce and ride with me and the Supreme Commander toward the lines of the Ishmaelites.”Both officers gawked at their king with alarm.“You dogs! Do as I have commanded. Make a flag of truce!” the Pararoh-rams again commanded.White flag lifted high, the three slowly rode toward the confederacy lines. At the center of no man’s land, they reigned in and waited. The wait was a short one, for soon they saw an equivalent number of riders, two mounted on camels, the center rider on horseback. Approaching quickly, upon reaching the Egyptians, they also reigned in.For a moment, both parties gazed silently at each other. The Ishmaelites each their features covered by white cloths reaching from just below the eyes to the necklines of their attire. The aura of mystery this lent them, made the king uneasy.“I am Pharaoh-rams, king of Egypt. This is Supreme Commander Zephan of the Egyptian forces.”“We know who you are,” responded the Ishmaelite horseman, “Why have you entered our land with your army? Do you not know that the desert belongs to us; that it is our homeland? We do not enter your land, yet you invade ours!” The speaker’s eyes were filled with dark portents.“Are you he who is called Ishmael?” Zephan inquired.“I am Ishmael, ruler of the desert tribes. He at my right hand is Nebajoth, my oldest son, who also commands a large company of my warriors. He at my left hand is, Adbeel, another of my sons. He, too, commands a large company of warriors, as do all my sons, who are known among the desert dweller as the twelve princes of Ishmael. Each rules over part of this desert land. From their childhood, they have been trained as warriors as are all the men of The Ishmaelite Confederacy.“I asked you why you invade our land, but you do not respond. Why is this?”“You say that I invade your land, but the desert belongs to no man. All may travel through it. This is why we have come,” responded Pharaoh-rams, “You capture our caravans. You kill all the men and take all the good. If there are women, you you do with them as you please, even selling them as slaves. Egypt grows poor because of you.”Ishmael scrutinized the king with a scornful glare. “Do not speak to me of those we sell as slaves, Pharaoh-rams. Though Hagar, my mother, was an Egyptian, the Egyptians sold her as a slave to Abram, my father. In my youth, he than sent us into this desert to die of thirst, for no wrong that we did. But I remain alive. The desert is now our homeland. We rule here! “Like you, the caravans and traders that pass through here think the desert belongs to no one, but it is ours. Our castles are here, as are our families, and our herds and flocks. We have much water, for we have for dug many wells, and we will fight to the death for what is ours. Even the Rephaim fear us and remain in their mountains. Learn from them, Pharaoh-rams; return to Egypt while you still have life in you.Ishmael’s tone grew ominous. “You have often sent assassins to kill me, but they have never returned to you, yet I have not sought to kill you. Know that had I done so, they would not have failed, as we shall not fail to win this battle, should you choose to fight us. You came to me under a flag of truce and you may depart from here without harm. Again, I say to you, return to Egypt while you still have life; if you do battle with us, you shall surely die by my hand!”Despite the heat, Pharaoh-rams felt chills playing along his spine and a cold fist closing over his heart. He realized now that it had been a mistake to make an attempt to move against this desert warrior. How could he back off and still save face?“Our talk has ended, Pharaoh-rams. Return to your troops. I shall wait with my warriors until you attack us or turn toward Egypt. Heed my warning: Return to Egypt and enter our land no more!”The Egyptians backed their steeds several feet, and then swung around and returned to their troops. They conferred among themselves, after which, Zephan again approached the Ishmaelites under the flag of truce.This time, he placed a clenched right fist over his heart in salute to Ishmael, who did not respond.In a voice edged with tension, he stated, “My king has sent me to report that we have not come to do battle against you, sire. Our purpose is to request that you do not prevent the caravans from entering Egypt, for our people grow weak from hunger. As one sovereign to another, he asks that you do him this kindness. We shall not again enter the desert without your permission.”With a patronizing smile, Ishmael responded, “Only the gods know the future. You are free to return to your land in peace.”***** *****The ram’s horn battle trumpet. This time it was one Mibsam outlooks who blew the trumpet and , “Battle alarm! Battle alarm! Strange riders approach the castles. Battle alarm! Battle alarm!”The alarm was taken up by the other castles. With a feverish scurry of activity, the Confederacy armed themselves and mounted their steeds. The mote bridges were lowered and they road out to meet the strangers. Before the Ishmaelites could launce an attack, the intruders stopped their advancement and unfurled a white banner and three riders moved forward, stopped, and then waited. “Hold!” Ishmael commanded, “They fly a flag of truce. Nebajoth and Tema, meet with them. Learn why they intrude into our land.”Advancing slowly, the two princes complied. To Ishmael’s amazement, they and the foremost stranger dismounted and embraced each other. Nebajoth waved to for his father to advance and the two parties converged. Like him, the stranger wore a full, black beard. The diadem of a chief secured his head cloth. Though his garments were stained with the dust of his travels, it was evident they were designed from expensive cloth. And, judging from the burdens carried by the camels, the stranger possessed great wealth. Turning to Nebajoth in puzzlement, Ishmael noticed that his eyes shone with pleasure.“Who is this stranger, my son?” he asked.Nebajoth was about to respond, but the visitor spoke first. An inner pain seemed to haunt him.“You last saw me as a babe in my mother’s arms, Ishmael. I am Isaac, your brother,” the visitor stated. Ishmael stiffened, his eyes blinking with incredulity. Brow lowered in suspicion, he responded, “You say you are my brother, Isaac, but to me you are a stranger. Why have you come into my land?”“I have come to say that Abraham, our father i has been gathered to his people. I now ask you to go with me to Mamre, that together we may bury him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron.”Ishmael lowered his eyes. His sons and Isaac knew he was grieving. Moving forward, Isaac embraced him and Ishmael did not resist.When he stopped sobbing, his brother released him and Ishmael said, “I thought my heart was filled with hated for our father, because he drove me into the desert. Now I learn it is filled with love for him.”Isaac nodded. “When I came to understand what was done to you and Hagar, I knew it was unjust. As Abram’s eldest son, the birthright should have gone to you. Please do not blame our father for your exile; it was my mother, Sarah, who in her jealously against you, demanded it."When our father departed from Ur, he hoped to find Melchizedek, the king of Salem. He desired to learn from him where to find the god most high, who does not demand the sacrifice of children. Though he did not find Salem, he found his God, Yahweh.“Our father said to me many times that Yahweh commanded him to heed the demands of my mother, Sarah. Yahweh promised him that He would make you the father of many nations. It is right that you love him, Ishmael, for he dearly loved you. It grieved him to send you and Hagar away.”Ishmael again nodded. “Come, my brother, you and your men shall be taken to Nebajoth’s castle. You shall be fed at our table and then rest. Tomorrow morning we shall depart to bury our father.”***** *****The burial procession that wended its way through the desert was a lengthy one. In addition to Isaac’s and Ishmael’s tribes, all the desert chiefs who had submitted to the Ishmaelite, as well as those who knew Abraham and Isaac were in attendance with their women mourners, whose duty it was to dolefully bewail the death of Abraham. At Mamre, the procession converged with the more tribes ruled by Isaac. At his command, the camels on which his mourners traveled joined with those of their Ishmaelite counterparts. Upon arriving at the burial cave, the women dismounted to assume their positions, Ishmael’s women in a single rank on one side, Isaac’s taking a similar stance on the other.As the wrapped body was carried toward them, the women moaned softly. The moans became progressively louder, until they reached a crescendo of piercing, heartbreaking sobs that moved the other procession members to join in.“Abrahamm is gone form us,” the women loudly wailed.“Yes, Abraham is gone from us,” responded the others, including Ishmael and Isaac, “Why have you gone from us, our father?”“Why have you left us, Father Abraham; when shall we again behold your face?” the women wailed.“Abraham our father is now among the gods. When shall we see him again?” Ishmael mourned, in a hopeless tone.“Our father rests on the bosom of Yahweh, the unseen God,” Isaac responded, “We shall see our father again when the promised one comes.”His face a study in desolation, Ishmael turned to Isaac, “Though I cannot believe that a promised one shall come, my brother, I would that it were true; I would that it were true."“Why do you think it not true?” Isaac asked.Ishmael grimaced. “Did not our father seek all through his wanderings for the city of his God?”“That is so. I also was with him in those wandering. He sought for the city because he believed it was built by our God, Yahweh,” his brother offered.“Did he ever find such a city?” Ishmael challanged.“No, our father never found the city he sought,”Isaac admitted.“Why did he not find it?” Ishmael inquired. This time, Isaac did not respond.“And, you Isaac; do you believe such a city exists?” When his brother continued his silence, Ishmael continued, “Our father did not find such a city because it does not exist. Why should the gods build cities on earth, my brother? They cannot live in them. It is men who build cities with walls to protect themselves against those who would kill and steal. Who can kill the gods, Isaac? Who can steal from them? So why do they need cities? All talk of a city whose builder and maker is Yahweh is a fantasy.”“Ishmael, all else that our father taught to me is true, so this also must be true," Isaac ventured, "Our father believed such a city exists; therefore, I also believe it.”Ishmael laughed, “Believe what you will, Isaac. When you find this city, send a messenger to me and I shall visit it with you. Let us depart from here. I must return to my land. Our castles are lightly guarded."
To be continued
The Wilderness of Paran was a wild place. Bounded on three sides by mountains some 4000 feet high, its lime-stone table-land reached upward some 2000 to 2,500 feet. Consisting of rolling, gravelly plains it was graced with only a few springs of mostly impure water. The Wady el Arish – River of Egypt – also flowed through it, but it was dry most of the year. It was no wonder that, molded by this environment, Ishmael, Abram’s first-born son, whom Hagar had birthed at the whim of her long barren mistress, Sara, Abram’s wife, developed into the “wild man” predicted by the angel. When finally, through an apparent miracle, Sara did bear Abram a son, in a fit of jealous rage against Ishmael, she demanded that Abram drive Hagar and her son into the desert. “Ishmael shall not share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. Drive out Hagar and her son!” she announced. Abram reluctantly did so, banishing them, with some water and food, into the Wilderness of Paran. When the water ran out, Ishmael almost died of thirst. His rescue came when an angelic being directed Hagar a source of water.On that harsh wilderness playground, Ishmael honed his archery skills, developing into an archer who could launch an arrow unerringly into his prey from a great distance. He was one who lived for the hunt. As a result, he and his mother never lacked for meat. What they did not consume, they traded to the frequent caravans that traversed the desert routes. Life for them was lonely, but endurable. However, Hagar eventually noticed that Ishmael no longer hunted as frequently as he once did. As she mulled the problem, she arrived at a solution.“My son, you are a man now and a man needs a wife. You must marry. I shall arrange for you to take a wife from among the Egyptians, because they are my people.”“But there are many tribes not far from here like those of my father, Abram. Their women know how to exist in the desert. The Egyptians do not. They would parish.”“Have we perished? Am I not also a woman of Egypt? Who was it that brought you into manhood?”Ishmael's eyes lowered and he offered no response.“I ask one more thing, Ishmael, my son. I have never told this before. After I conceived you, my mistress, Sarah, beat me so badly that I ran away into the desert. I was resting at a water spring and an angel found me. He asked me what I was doing there and I told him. He said for me to return to Sarah and obey her.“This angel promised that the number of my descendants would be so great that no one will be able to count them. He also told me that I would bare a son. He said your name would be “Ishmael.” Then he said something I never understood until now.”“What is that, Mother?”Hagar took on a pensive look. “He said that you would be a wild man and your hand will be against every man and every man’s hand will be against you. And you will dwell in the presence of your brothers.”Astonishment played on Ishmael’s features. There was a long silence before he spoke.“Already, I am a wild man. And according to what you have told me, I also shall be a man without friends – a man who has only enemies!” ***** *****“What is her name, Mother?”“Have you no tongue, girl? Speak! Tell your husband how you are called!”“I am called Aseneth, daughter of Potipherah.” The girl spoke without fear.“Her father, Potipherah, was a soldier in the armies of Egypt. He was killed in battle and her mother sold her in the slave market. I bought her as your wife.”Ishmael seemed dubious. “She is beautiful and unafraid, but can she endure the wilderness? She appears so delicate.”“Your mother has said that I am your wife, but I know that in truth, I am your slave. Though I did not choose to be here, I shall survive this place,” Aseneth haughtily replied.“Have a care how you speak to your husband, girl.” Hagar made as if to slap Aseneth, but Ishmael prevented it.“You shall not attempt to escape from us?”“Where can I go? There is no place for me in Egypt. My father is dead. My mother sold me as a slave. There is no place for me, but here.”Ishmael took Aseneth’s hands in his. “Then know that I, Ishmael, promise to treat you with only tenderness and love. I shall be your protector and provider.”Aseneth’s features softened into a smile and Ishmael continued, “You shall call me your husband and I shall call you my wife. Hagar you shall call, “mother,” and she shall call you “daughter.” You shall treat her with love and she shall treat you the same.”“Yes, I shall treat her so if she is a good wife to you, but if she is not, I shall beat her with a stick!”“Then you shall not beat me at all, for I shall be a good wife to your son and a true daughter to you.”Now it was Hagar’s features that softened. Moving to Aseneth, she embraced and kissed her.“Come, my daughter, it is time for us to cook a meal.”***** *****Hagar and Aseneth bonded into a true mother-daughter relationship. As the decades passed, Hagar had the joy of serving as the midwife for the birth of her first four grandsons. Yet, with the weight of her nomadic existence and the passing years pressing heavily on her, she finally responded to the summons of death. According to her wish, with great pomp and ceremony, she was buried by Ishmael in an Egyptian tomb. Having now given Ishmael twelve sons, Aseneth also was feeling the pressures of their wandering existence. “My husband, when I first came to you, you promised to be a good husband to me. You have indeed loved me, as I have loved you. I have borne you twelve warrior sons.”“Yes, you have given me many sons. They are superb horsemen and camel riders, who are now the lords of the desert. Because of them and their riders, we are paid tribute by all the caravans that pass through our lands. When those who travel see our black tents, they know who we are. Even the armies of pharaoh fear us.”“Yes, my husband, you and our sons have made us rich beyond our dreams. Yet, we are growing old. I have grown tired of wandering. Can we not now remain settled in one place until we die?”Before responding, Ishmael gazed at his wife with compassion. Then he said, “I shall speak to our sons about this which you ask.”***** *****It was Nebajoth, Ishmael’s firstborn, who responded to his father’s question.“Yes, Father, we have discussed it among ourselves. We have planned to each build a castle here in the desert. We shall construct them at a distance apart from each other. Thus, the entire desert shall be under our control. No one can pass through without paying tribute to us. You and mother may choose in whose castle you wish to live.”“We first shall have our men dig until we have twelve wells of water,” added Kedar, the next oldest, “Then we each shall build our castle near one well. Once I have the water, I shall have my men gather many desert sheep into folds.”“But what will they eat and drink?" his father asked, "Even in the desert, the sheep must wander far and wide to sustain themselves. Many of then die of starvation and thirst".“Once I have water, my castle will be like an oasis. Then I shall dig many wells and my menshall grow food for the sheep to eat.”“When the angel spoke to my mother in the desert, she found a well of water there, but that was long ago," Ishmael recalled, "I have not found many other wells since then, but I have heard that your Uncle Isaac dug wells for his flocks to drink. Each time he did so, others came and drove him away from his well and used them for themselves.”“Uncle Isaac should have fought for what was his,” Kedemah, the youngest son, responded.“That is true, but my brother is a peaceable man. He will not fight. He finally dug a well that remained his own.”“I shall kill anyone who seeks to steal the wells I dig.” The threat was voiced by Massa, who most resembled his father in appearance and temperament. The others grunted their like resolve.“Well, I suppose if one digs deep enough there will be water, but who can dig that deep?” Ishmael wondered aloud.“My men will do so, or they will die!” Massa vowed.“And, if the task is impossible, you still will kill your men for not what it is not possible to do?” asked Tema, his brother.“My men will do so, or they will die!” Massa repeated.“For not doing what no one else can do, even yourself?”“I am their chief: they must do as I command!" Messa stated, "If I command them to dig until they find water, they must do so!”Noticing Massa’s anger mounting, Nebajoth changed the topic.“Our father and mother desire to remain in one place. They are tired of wandering in the desert!” he said to the others. “Since I am the oldest, they shall dwell with me in my camp. Do we all agree?” He received eleven affirmative answers.***** *****Zephan, Supreme Commander of the Egyptian military forces, was kneeling face to the pavement stones, before his furious King Pharaoh-rams.“Lift your eyes, worthless one! On your knees! Look upon me!”After the officer complied, leaning forward on his dais, Pharaoh-rams fixed Zephan with a probing glare. “Why do you not protect the caravans that pass through the desert? All who travel to and from Egypt suffer attacks by desert bandits! Our land grows poor because them!” The commander’s features twitched in anguish; his voice quivered. “My great pharaoh, these are not mere bandits who attack our caravans. The wild man, Ishmael, and his twelve sons have gathered many desert tribes into a mighty desert confederation.”“And what does this mean for Egypt?” the pharoah asked.Zephan’s voice now regained its natural deepness. “Ishmael is molding the tribes into an army, oh mighty pharaoh. The desert chiefs of the Wilderness of Paran acknowledge him as their supreme chief. They now call themselves, “The Ishmaelite Confederacy.” They consider all who pass through the desert as their enemies. It is reported that they look upon the desert as their oun home-land nation. Only their own people may pass safely through the Wilderness of Paran. No other is safe from attack. They kill the men in the caravans and take all they have. If there are women with the caravans, they sell them as slaves or take them as their own.”“Is it not your duty to protect the caravans? Why do you not send troops into the desert to kill these marauders and eliminate their black tents?” the pharoah inquired, with a threat coloring his tone “I have sent many troops, sire, but Ishmael and his bands vanquish them all and then vanish into the desert. Even the Rephaim giants in the highlands of Bashan fear them, as do also the Amorites and other nations. I have received reports that the twelve sons of Ishmael no longer dwell in black tents, as do their followers, sire. Each is building a castle in a strategic location to make permanent their rule over the entire desert of Paran.”Pharaoh-rams brow shot up in surprise. “Even the Rephaim, with their great height and strength, fear the confederacy of Ishmael?”“Yes, my pharaoh, the Paphaim now refuse to leave their homes in the mountains for fear that Ishmael and his hoards will attack their families while they are gone. Though they will defend their mountains, it is reported that they do not think they can gain victory over Ishmael’s confederacy.”Pharaoh-rams fists pounded the arms of his throne, his eyes narrow with distain. “Then I swear upon the heads of my ancestors that I shall eliminate this scourge of the desert!” With a terrible resolve, he added, “I, myself, shall lead the army into battle against Ishmael and his sons and their confederacy. When I capture these desert rats, I myself shall flay the skin from their bodies while they still live!”***** *****Though construction of the castles was not yet completed, enough of the work had been done to make them livable. For more than three long years, the exhausted laborers that dragged in from wide distances of the desert, every boulder, every stone that could be found. Huge amounts of pebbles sifted from the desert sands and then loaded on drag-carts that were pulled by camals, horses and mules, also were to be utilized by the builders.A deep, dry mote surrounded each edifice, and dotting the vast areas between the motes and the castles were sheepfolds, stalls for the working animals and the ones used as mounts. The black tents of The Ishmaelite Confederacy also occupied those areas. Recently dug wells also occupied the space. In addition to the motes, security for the castles also was provided by patrols armed with scimitars, spears and the weapons of archers.***** ***** Today had dawned no differently than previous days. After the cold of the night, the blistering heat of the sun dominated the desert, yet those within the castles still enjoyed the residual coolness of the walls.It was one of Nebajoth’s outlooks who first blew the ram’s horn battle alarm and then shouted, “Battle alarm! Battle alarm! An army of riders approaches! Battle alarm!”While Nebajoth and his riders armed themselves and mounted their steeds, the battle alarm was relayed to the other castles, whose warriors also prepared for combat. It did not take long before twelve companies of wariors converged into a unified army under the command of their respective princes, with Ishmael serving as their general. At his signal, the army began its march toward the approaching invaders. ***** *****Resplendent in his combat attire, mounted on his white battle stallion, King Pharaoh-rams waited next to Supreme Commander Zephan, also geared for battle. Already the desert sun was taking its toll upon their warriors; after succumbing to the heat, many had to be kicked to their feet again by their superiors. The king’s tasted for battle now waning, he was having second thoughts. Across the sands, they could see the banners of The Ishmaelite Confederacy moving toward them.“Our men and horses are not trained to fight in the desert, Zephan. Without our chariots and much water, we are at a disadvantage. The Ishmaelite Confederacy is trained for desert battles. They seem able to find water where no one else can.”“True, sire, we did not take our chariots because they would serve no purpose here in the desert. Their wheels would sink into the sands and the horses would not be able to pull them over the dunes. We do have some water, for I commanded the army to carry water on camels.”“But, is it enough for all of our troops and animals in such heat as this?”Zephan appeared dubious. “It will depend on how long the battle lasts, sire.”There was a long pause, after which Pharaoh-rams summoned a high-ranking officer, who approached and saluted.“Carry a flag of truce and ride with me and the Supreme Commander toward the lines of the Ishmaelites.”Both officers gawked at their king with alarm.“You dogs! Do as I have commanded. Make a flag of truce!” the Pararoh-rams again commanded.White flag lifted high, the three slowly rode toward the confederacy lines. At the center of no man’s land, they reigned in and waited. The wait was a short one, for soon they saw an equivalent number of riders, two mounted on camels, the center rider on horseback. Approaching quickly, upon reaching the Egyptians, they also reigned in.For a moment, both parties gazed silently at each other. The Ishmaelites each their features covered by white cloths reaching from just below the eyes to the necklines of their attire. The aura of mystery this lent them, made the king uneasy.“I am Pharaoh-rams, king of Egypt. This is Supreme Commander Zephan of the Egyptian forces.”“We know who you are,” responded the Ishmaelite horseman, “Why have you entered our land with your army? Do you not know that the desert belongs to us; that it is our homeland? We do not enter your land, yet you invade ours!” The speaker’s eyes were filled with dark portents.“Are you he who is called Ishmael?” Zephan inquired.“I am Ishmael, ruler of the desert tribes. He at my right hand is Nebajoth, my oldest son, who also commands a large company of my warriors. He at my left hand is, Adbeel, another of my sons. He, too, commands a large company of warriors, as do all my sons, who are known among the desert dweller as the twelve princes of Ishmael. Each rules over part of this desert land. From their childhood, they have been trained as warriors as are all the men of The Ishmaelite Confederacy.“I asked you why you invade our land, but you do not respond. Why is this?”“You say that I invade your land, but the desert belongs to no man. All may travel through it. This is why we have come,” responded Pharaoh-rams, “You capture our caravans. You kill all the men and take all the good. If there are women, you you do with them as you please, even selling them as slaves. Egypt grows poor because of you.”Ishmael scrutinized the king with a scornful glare. “Do not speak to me of those we sell as slaves, Pharaoh-rams. Though Hagar, my mother, was an Egyptian, the Egyptians sold her as a slave to Abram, my father. In my youth, he than sent us into this desert to die of thirst, for no wrong that we did. But I remain alive. The desert is now our homeland. We rule here! “Like you, the caravans and traders that pass through here think the desert belongs to no one, but it is ours. Our castles are here, as are our families, and our herds and flocks. We have much water, for we have for dug many wells, and we will fight to the death for what is ours. Even the Rephaim fear us and remain in their mountains. Learn from them, Pharaoh-rams; return to Egypt while you still have life in you.Ishmael’s tone grew ominous. “You have often sent assassins to kill me, but they have never returned to you, yet I have not sought to kill you. Know that had I done so, they would not have failed, as we shall not fail to win this battle, should you choose to fight us. You came to me under a flag of truce and you may depart from here without harm. Again, I say to you, return to Egypt while you still have life; if you do battle with us, you shall surely die by my hand!”Despite the heat, Pharaoh-rams felt chills playing along his spine and a cold fist closing over his heart. He realized now that it had been a mistake to make an attempt to move against this desert warrior. How could he back off and still save face?“Our talk has ended, Pharaoh-rams. Return to your troops. I shall wait with my warriors until you attack us or turn toward Egypt. Heed my warning: Return to Egypt and enter our land no more!”The Egyptians backed their steeds several feet, and then swung around and returned to their troops. They conferred among themselves, after which, Zephan again approached the Ishmaelites under the flag of truce.This time, he placed a clenched right fist over his heart in salute to Ishmael, who did not respond.In a voice edged with tension, he stated, “My king has sent me to report that we have not come to do battle against you, sire. Our purpose is to request that you do not prevent the caravans from entering Egypt, for our people grow weak from hunger. As one sovereign to another, he asks that you do him this kindness. We shall not again enter the desert without your permission.”With a patronizing smile, Ishmael responded, “Only the gods know the future. You are free to return to your land in peace.”***** *****The ram’s horn battle trumpet. This time it was one Mibsam outlooks who blew the trumpet and , “Battle alarm! Battle alarm! Strange riders approach the castles. Battle alarm! Battle alarm!”The alarm was taken up by the other castles. With a feverish scurry of activity, the Confederacy armed themselves and mounted their steeds. The mote bridges were lowered and they road out to meet the strangers. Before the Ishmaelites could launce an attack, the intruders stopped their advancement and unfurled a white banner and three riders moved forward, stopped, and then waited. “Hold!” Ishmael commanded, “They fly a flag of truce. Nebajoth and Tema, meet with them. Learn why they intrude into our land.”Advancing slowly, the two princes complied. To Ishmael’s amazement, they and the foremost stranger dismounted and embraced each other. Nebajoth waved to for his father to advance and the two parties converged. Like him, the stranger wore a full, black beard. The diadem of a chief secured his head cloth. Though his garments were stained with the dust of his travels, it was evident they were designed from expensive cloth. And, judging from the burdens carried by the camels, the stranger possessed great wealth. Turning to Nebajoth in puzzlement, Ishmael noticed that his eyes shone with pleasure.“Who is this stranger, my son?” he asked.Nebajoth was about to respond, but the visitor spoke first. An inner pain seemed to haunt him.“You last saw me as a babe in my mother’s arms, Ishmael. I am Isaac, your brother,” the visitor stated. Ishmael stiffened, his eyes blinking with incredulity. Brow lowered in suspicion, he responded, “You say you are my brother, Isaac, but to me you are a stranger. Why have you come into my land?”“I have come to say that Abraham, our father i has been gathered to his people. I now ask you to go with me to Mamre, that together we may bury him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron.”Ishmael lowered his eyes. His sons and Isaac knew he was grieving. Moving forward, Isaac embraced him and Ishmael did not resist.When he stopped sobbing, his brother released him and Ishmael said, “I thought my heart was filled with hated for our father, because he drove me into the desert. Now I learn it is filled with love for him.”Isaac nodded. “When I came to understand what was done to you and Hagar, I knew it was unjust. As Abram’s eldest son, the birthright should have gone to you. Please do not blame our father for your exile; it was my mother, Sarah, who in her jealously against you, demanded it."When our father departed from Ur, he hoped to find Melchizedek, the king of Salem. He desired to learn from him where to find the god most high, who does not demand the sacrifice of children. Though he did not find Salem, he found his God, Yahweh.“Our father said to me many times that Yahweh commanded him to heed the demands of my mother, Sarah. Yahweh promised him that He would make you the father of many nations. It is right that you love him, Ishmael, for he dearly loved you. It grieved him to send you and Hagar away.”Ishmael again nodded. “Come, my brother, you and your men shall be taken to Nebajoth’s castle. You shall be fed at our table and then rest. Tomorrow morning we shall depart to bury our father.”***** *****The burial procession that wended its way through the desert was a lengthy one. In addition to Isaac’s and Ishmael’s tribes, all the desert chiefs who had submitted to the Ishmaelite, as well as those who knew Abraham and Isaac were in attendance with their women mourners, whose duty it was to dolefully bewail the death of Abraham. At Mamre, the procession converged with the more tribes ruled by Isaac. At his command, the camels on which his mourners traveled joined with those of their Ishmaelite counterparts. Upon arriving at the burial cave, the women dismounted to assume their positions, Ishmael’s women in a single rank on one side, Isaac’s taking a similar stance on the other.As the wrapped body was carried toward them, the women moaned softly. The moans became progressively louder, until they reached a crescendo of piercing, heartbreaking sobs that moved the other procession members to join in.“Abrahamm is gone form us,” the women loudly wailed.“Yes, Abraham is gone from us,” responded the others, including Ishmael and Isaac, “Why have you gone from us, our father?”“Why have you left us, Father Abraham; when shall we again behold your face?” the women wailed.“Abraham our father is now among the gods. When shall we see him again?” Ishmael mourned, in a hopeless tone.“Our father rests on the bosom of Yahweh, the unseen God,” Isaac responded, “We shall see our father again when the promised one comes.”His face a study in desolation, Ishmael turned to Isaac, “Though I cannot believe that a promised one shall come, my brother, I would that it were true; I would that it were true."“Why do you think it not true?” Isaac asked.Ishmael grimaced. “Did not our father seek all through his wanderings for the city of his God?”“That is so. I also was with him in those wandering. He sought for the city because he believed it was built by our God, Yahweh,” his brother offered.“Did he ever find such a city?” Ishmael challanged.“No, our father never found the city he sought,”Isaac admitted.“Why did he not find it?” Ishmael inquired. This time, Isaac did not respond.“And, you Isaac; do you believe such a city exists?” When his brother continued his silence, Ishmael continued, “Our father did not find such a city because it does not exist. Why should the gods build cities on earth, my brother? They cannot live in them. It is men who build cities with walls to protect themselves against those who would kill and steal. Who can kill the gods, Isaac? Who can steal from them? So why do they need cities? All talk of a city whose builder and maker is Yahweh is a fantasy.”“Ishmael, all else that our father taught to me is true, so this also must be true," Isaac ventured, "Our father believed such a city exists; therefore, I also believe it.”Ishmael laughed, “Believe what you will, Isaac. When you find this city, send a messenger to me and I shall visit it with you. Let us depart from here. I must return to my land. Our castles are lightly guarded."
To be continued
The Great Stone Face Part II
While his friends were doing their best to make him President, Old Stony Phiz, as he was called, set out on a visit to the valley where he was born. Of course, he had no other object than to shake hands with his fellow-citizens, and neither thought nor cared about any effect which his progress through the country might have upon the election. Magnificent preparations were made to receive the illustrious statesman; a cavalcade of horsemen set forth to meet him at the boundary line of the State, and all the people left their business and gathered along the wayside to see him pass. Among these was Ernest. Though more than once disappointed, as we have seen, he had such a hopeful and confiding nature, that he was always ready to believe in whatever seemed beautiful and good. He kept his heart continually open, and thus was sure to catch the blessing from on high when it should come. So now again, as buoyantly as ever, he went forth to behold the likeness of the Great Stone Face. The cavalcade came prancing along the road, with a great clattering of hoofs and a mighty cloud of dust, which rose up so dense and high that the visage of the mountainside was completely hidden from Ernest's eyes. All the great men of the neighborhood were there on horseback; militia officers, in uniform; the member of Congress; the sheriff of the county; the editors of newspapers; and many a farmer, too, had mounted his patient steed, with his Sunday coat upon his back. It really was a very brilliant spectacle, especially as there were numerous banners flaunting over the cavalcade, on some of which were gorgeous portraits of the illustrious statesman and the Great Stone Face, smiling familiarly at one another, like two brothers. If the pictures were to be trusted, the mutual resemblance, it must be confessed, was marvellous. We must not forget to mention that there was a band of music, which made the echoes of the mountains ring and reverberate with the loud triumph of its strains; so that airy and soul-thrilling melodies broke out among all the heights and hollows, as if every nook of his native valley had found a voice, to welcome the distinguished guest. But the grandest effect was when the far-off mountain precipice flung back the music; for then the Great Stone Face itself seemed to be swelling the triumphant chorus, in acknowledgment, that, at length, the man of prophecy was come. All this while the people were throwing up their hats and shouting, with enthusiasm so contagious that the heart of Ernest kindled up, and he likewise threw up his hat, and shouted, as loudly as the loudest, 'Huzza for the great man! Huzza for Old Stony Phiz!' But as yet he had not seen him. 'Here he is, now!' cried those who stood near Ernest. 'There! There! Look at Old Stony Phiz and then at the Old Man of the Mountain, and see if they are not as like as two twin brothers!' In the midst of all this gallant array came an open barouche, drawn by four white horses; and in the barouche, with his massive head uncovered, sat the illustrious statesman, Old Stony Phiz himself. 'Confess it,' said one of Ernest's neighbors to him, 'the Great Stone Face has met its match at last!' Now, it must be owned that, at his first glimpse of the countenance which was bowing and smiling from the barouche, Ernest did fancy that there was a resemblance between it and the old familiar face upon the mountainside. The brow, with its massive depth and loftiness, and all the other features, indeed, were boldly and strongly hewn, as if in emulation of a more than heroic, of a Titanic model. But the sublimity and stateliness, the grand expression of a divine sympathy, that illuminated the mountain visage and etherealized its ponderous granite substance into spirit, might here be sought in vain. Something had been originally left out, or had departed. And therefore the marvellously gifted statesman had always a weary gloom in the deep caverns of his eyes, as of a child that has outgrown its playthings or a man of mighty faculties and little aims, whose life, with all its high performances, was vague and empty, because no high purpose had endowed it with reality. Still, Ernest's neighbor was thrusting his elbow into his side, and pressing him for an answer. 'Confess! confess! Is not he the very picture of your Old Man of the Mountain?' 'No!' said Ernest, bluntly, 'I see little or no likeness.' 'Then so much the worse for the Great Stone Face!' answered his neighbor; and again he set up a shout for Old Stony Phiz. But Ernest turned away, melancholy, and almost despondent: for this was the saddest of his disappointments, to behold a man who might have fulfilled the prophecy, and had not willed to do so. Meantime, the cavalcade, the banners, the music, and the barouches swept past him, with the vociferous crowd in the rear, leaving the dust to settle down, and the Great Stone Face to be revealed again, with the grandeur that it had worn for untold centuries. 'Lo, here I am, Ernest!' the benign lips seemed to say. 'I have waited longer than thou, and am not yet weary. Fear not; the man will come.' The years hurried onward, treading in their haste on one another's heels. And now they began to bring white hairs, and scatter them over the head of Ernest; they made reverend wrinkles across his forehead, and furrows in his cheeks. He was an aged man. But not in vain had he grown old: more than the white hairs on his head were the sage thoughts in his mind; his wrinkles and furrows were inscriptions that Time had graved, and in which he had written legends of wisdom that had been tested by the tenor of a life. And Ernest had ceased to be obscure. Unsought for, undesired, had come the fame which so many seek, and made him known in the great world, beyond the limits of the valley in which he had dwelt so quietly. College professors, and even the active men of cities, came from far to see and converse with Ernest; for the report had gone abroad that this simple husbandman had ideas unlike those of other men, not gained from books, but of a higher tone- a tranquil and familiar majesty, as if he had been talking with the angels as his daily friends. Whether it were sage, statesman, or philanthropist, Ernest received these visitors with the gentle sincerity that had characterized him from boyhood, and spoke freely with them of whatever came uppermost, or lay deepest in his heart or their own. While they talked together, his face would kindle, unawares, and shine upon them, as with a mild evening light. Pensive with the fulness of such discourse, his guests took leave and went their way; and passing up the valley, paused to look at the Great Stone Face, imagining that they had seen its likeness in a human countenance, but could not remember where. While Ernest had been growing up and growing old, a bountiful Providence had granted a new poet to this earth. He, likewise, was a native of the valley, but had spent the greater part of his life at a distance from that romantic region, pouring out his sweet music amid the bustle and din of cities. Often, however, did the mountains which had been familiar to him in his childhood lift their snowy peaks into the clear atmosphere of his poetry. Neither was the Great Stone Face forgotten, for the poet had celebrated it in an ode, which was grand enough to have been uttered by its own majestic lips. This man of genius, we may say, had come down from heaven with wonderful endowments. If he sang of a mountain, the eyes of all mankind beheld a mightier grandeur reposing on its breast, or soaring to its summit, than had before been seen there. If his theme were a lovely lake, a celestial smile had now been thrown over it, to gleam forever on its surface. If it were the vast old sea, even the deep immensity of its dread bosom seemed to swell the higher, as if moved by the emotions of the song. Thus the world assumed another and a better aspect from the hour that the poet blessed it with his happy eyes. The Creator had bestowed him, as the last best touch to his own handiwork. Creation was not finished till the poet came to interpret, and so complete it. The effect was no less high and beautiful, when his human brethren were the subject of his verse. The man or woman, sordid with the common dust of life, who crossed his daily path, and the little child who played in it, were glorified if they beheld him in his mood of poetic faith. He showed the golden links of the great chain that intertwined them with an angelic kindred; he brought out the hidden traits of a celestial birth that made them worthy of such kin. Some, indeed, there were, who thought to show the soundness of their judgment by affirming that all the beauty and dignity of the natural world existed only in the poet's fancy. Let such men speak for themselves, who undoubtedly appear to have been spawned forth by Nature with a contemptuous bitterness; she plastered them up out of her refuse stuff, after all the swine were made. As respects all things else, the peet's ideal was the truest truth. The songs of this poet found their way to Ernest. He read them after his customary toil, seated on the bench before his cottage-door, where for such a length of time he had filled his repose with thought, by gazing at the Great Stone Face. And now as he read stanzas that caused the soul to thrill within him, he lifted his eyes to the vast countenance beaming on him so benignantly. 'O majestic friend,' he murmured, addressing the Great Stone Face, 'is not this man worthy to resemble thee?' The face seemed to smile, but answered not a word. Now it happened that the poet, though he dwelt so far away, had not only heard of Ernest, but had meditated much upon his character, until he deemed nothing so desirable as to meet this man, whose untaught wisdom walked hand in hand with the noble simplicity of his life. One summer morning, therefore, he took passage by the railroad, and, in the decline of the afternoon, alighted from the cars at no great distance from Ernest's cottage. The great hotel, which had formerly been the palace of Mr. Gathergold, was close at hand, but the poet, with his carpetbag on his arm, inquired at once where Ernest dwelt, and was resolved to be accepted as his guest. Approaching the door, he there found the good old man, holding a volume in his hand, which alternately he read, and then, with a finger between the leaves, looked lovingly at the Great Stone Face. 'Good evening,' said the poet. 'Can you give a traveller a night's lodging?' 'Willingly,' answered Ernest; and then he added, smiling, 'Methinks I never saw the Great Stone Face look so hospitably at a stranger.' The poet sat down on"the bench beside him, and he and Ernest talked together. Often had the poet held intercourse with the wittiest and the wisest, but never before with a man like Ernest, whose thoughts and feelings gushed up with such a natural feeling, and who made great truths so familiar by his simple utterance of them. Angels, as had been so often said, seemed to have wrought with him at his labor in the fields; angels seemed to have sat with him by the fireside; and, dwelling with angels as friend with friends, he had imbibed the sublimity of their ideas, and imbued it with the sweet and lowly charm of household words. So thought the poet. And Ernest, on the other hand, was moved and agitated by the living images which the poet flung out of his mind, and which peopled all the air about the cottage-door with shapes of beauty, both gay and pensive. The sympathies of these two men instructed them with a profounder sense than either could have attained alone. Their minds accorded into one strain, and made delightful music which neither of them could have claimed as all his own, nor distinguished his own share from the other's. They led one another, as it were, into a high pavilion of their thoughts, so remote, and hitherto so dim, that they had never entered it before, and so beautiful that they desired to be there always. As Ernest listened to the poet, he imagined that the Great Stone Face was bending forward to listen too. He gazed earnestly into the poet's glowing eyes. 'Who are you, my strangely gifted guest?' he said. The poet laid his finger on the volume that Ernest had been reading. 'You have read these poems,' said he. 'You know me, then - for I wrote them.' Again, and still more earnestly than before, Ernest examined the poet's features; then turned towards the Great Stone Face; then back, with an uncertain aspect, to his guest. But his countenance fell; he shook his head, and sighed. 'Wherefore are you sad?' inquired the poet. 'Because,' replied Ernest, 'all through life I have awaited the fulfilment of a prophecy; and, when I read these poems, I hoped that it might be fulfilled in you.' 'You hoped,' answered the poet, faintly smiling, 'to find in me the likeness of the Great Stone Face. And you are disappointed, as formerly with Mr. Gathergold, and old Blood-and-Thunder, and Old Stony Phiz. Yes, Ernest, it is my doom. You must add my name to the illustrious three, and record another failure of your hopes. For- in shame and sadness do I speak it, Ernest--I am not worthy to be typified by yonder benign and majestic image.' 'And why?' asked Ernest. He pointed to the volume. 'Are not those thoughts divine?' 'They have a strain of the Divinity,' replied the poet. 'You can hear in them the far-off echo of a heavenly song. But my life, dear Ernest, has not corresponded with my thought. I have had grand dreams, but they have been only dreams, because I have lived -- and that, too, by my own choice among poor and mean realities. Sometimes, even --shall I dare to say it?-- I lack faith in the grandeur, the beauty, and the goodness, which my own works are said to have made more evident in nature and in human life. Why, then, pure seeker of the good and true, shouldst thou hope to find me, in yonder image of the divine?' The poet spoke sadly, and his eyes were dim with tears. So, likewise, were those of Ernest. At the hour of sunset, as had long been his frequent custom, Ernest was to discourse to an assemblage of the neighboring inhabitants in the open air. He and the poet, arm in arm, still talking together as they went along, proceeded to the spot. It was a small nook among the hills, with a gray precipice behind, the stern front of which was relieved by the pleasant foliage of many creeping plants that made a tapestry for the naked rock, by hanging their festoons from all its rugged angles. At a small elevation above the ground, set in a rich framework of verdure, there appeared a niche, spacious enough to admit a human figure, with freedom for such gestures as spontaneously accompany earnest thought and genuine emotion. Into this natural pulpit Ernest ascended, and threw a look of familiar kindness around upon his audience. They stood, or sat, or reclined upon the grass, as seemed good to each, with the departing sunshine falling obliquely over them, and mingling its subdued cheerfulness with the solemnity of a grove of ancient trees, beneath and amid the boughs of which the golden rays were constrained to pass. In another direction was seen the Great Stone Face, with the same cheer, combined with the same solemnity, in its benignant aspect. "Ernest began to speak, giving to the people of what was in his heart and mind. His words had power, because they accorded with his thoughts; and his thoughts had reality and depth, because they harmonized with the life which he had always lived. It was not mere breath that this preacher uttered; they were the words of life, because a life of good deeds and holy love was melted into them. Pearls, pure and rich, had been dissolved into this precious draught. The poet, as he listened, felt that the being and character of Ernest were a nobler strain of poetry than he had ever written. His eyes glistening with tears, he gazed reverentially at the venerable man, and said within himself that never was there an aspect so worthy of a prophet and a sage as that mild, sweet, thoughtful countenance, with the glory of white hair diffused about it. At a distance, but distinctly to be seen, high up in the golden light of the setting sun, appeared the Great Stone Face, with hoary mists around it, like the white hairs around .the brow' of Ernest. Its look of grand beneficence seemed to embrace the world. At that moment, in sympathy with a thought which he was about to utter, the face of Ernest assumed a grandeur of expression, so imbued with benevolence, that the poet, by an irresistible impulse, threw his arms aloft and shouted- 'Behold! Behold! Ernest is himself the likeness of the Great Stone Face!' Then all the people looked and saw that what the deep-sighted poet said was true. The prophecy was fulfilled. But Ernest, having finished what he had to say, took the poet's arm, and walked slowly homeward, still hoping that some wiser and better man than himself would by and by appear, bearing a resemblance to the GREAT STONE FACE.
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