My Enemy, My Love (Truly Yours Digital Editions)

by Darlene Mindrup

  Turning to his friend, Barak met his eyes seriously. “Let’s start at the beginning.”

  “You mean go to Bethlehem?”

  “No. To Nazareth.”

  Dismayed, Adonijah could only stare at him. “Are we going on a long pilgrimage, my friend? Are we going to trace the steps of this Jesus?”

  “We are.”

  Adonijah knew that tone of voice and the set of those broad shoulders. Sighing, he shook his head. “We will need supplies. This could be dangerous, you know. Two men alone are obvious prey.”

  “Then we’ll travel with a caravan,” Barak told him, remembering another time. “One should be leaving tomorrow, at the end of Shavuot.”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Barak stopped, turning to his friend. “You don’t have to go.”

  Adonijah shifted away from those assessing eyes. “Yes. I do,” he disagreed. “Like you, I have to know.” He had an odd premonition that his life was about to change forever. When he turned back to Barak, he could see the same thought reflected in his eyes.

  “Let’s make arrangements.”

  ❧

  Anna was tempted to sneak back to the Temple in hopes of a chance to hear Paul speak, but then thought better of it. Probably by now he had left, if he hadn’t been arrested.

  She sat in the peristyle watching a butterfly moving from one flower to another. Summer was almost upon them in full bloom, and the flowers more than matched the season. The little garden was full of the beauty and wonder of the warming weather.

  She snapped a hibiscus from the bush closest to her, lifting it to her nose and inhaling deeply. Her thoughts, as usual, were on Barak. She was beginning to grow aggravated with herself for not being able to banish him from her mind.

  A thought suddenly occurred to her. Barak had been among the crowd listening to the apostle Paul. He had to have heard the apostle’s message. A sudden smile lit her features. What had Barak thought of the message? Would he believe it?

  She closed her eyes, and instantly Barak’s face was there. Her heart still throbbed at the passionate intensity of his voice the last time they had been together. He cared. She knew he cared, though she could not understand how it could be so.

  And what of the beautiful Miriam? Had their marriage been arranged by now? Her stomach clutched tightly at the thought.

  Moaning, she threw herself to her feet and strode into the coolness of the villa. She had to forget him. Easier said than done, she knew, because she had been trying to exorcise him from her mind for weeks.

  Pisgah met her at the door and they went into the triclinium together. Servants were arranging the table for the coming supper. Tomorrow would be the Lord’s Day, and there would be others to share it with, but tonight there would be only the three of them.

  Anna was greatly looking forward to tomorrow’s fellowship. Each Lord’s Day brought her joy, and if not full happiness, then at least peace. God was in charge of her life. She had given it to Him willingly, and she would not take it back now.

  “We have been invited to Lucius’s villa for a party tomorrow night,” Pisgah told Anna, and Anna wondered at the sudden color that bloomed in her cousin’s cheeks.

  Anna felt a sudden niggle of worry. Lucius Castus was one of the most wealthy Romans in Jerusalem. It was said that he had the ear of the emperor himself.

  “What did your mother say?”

  Anna couldn’t believe that her aunt would agree to such a thing. All of Jerusalem knew about Lucius’s parties, and they were not for young innocents.

  “I haven’t told her yet,” Pisgah admitted, avoiding Anna’s searching eyes.

  Anna sighed. “You know she will never agree to let you go. Besides, you shouldn’t even want to go. Lucius is. . .is. . .”

  “Handsome. Charming. Witty,” Pisgah finished for her.

  Anna frowned. “That’s not what I was going to say.”

  Pisgah raised serious eyes to her cousin. “Why don’t you like him?”

  Studying Pisgah’s sober expression, Anna wondered just how much she knew of the man.

  “He’s not a Christian, for one thing,” she finally answered.

  Pisgah’s eyes took fire. “Well, neither is Barak.”

  Anna felt a pain wrench her heart. “Exactly,” she answered softly. “That’s why he is where he is, and I am where I am.”

  For a moment Anna could see the desire to argue reflected in her cousin’s eyes, but then their amber brown turned dark with puzzlement.

  “You love him, don’t you?”

  Anna pulled Pisgah down to the couch beside her. “Yes, I love him, but I love God more.”

  Pisgah flopped back among the cushions. “Well, I don’t see why you can’t have both.”

  “Someone like Lucius would never understand a love such as I have for Jesus. He is full of the pleasures of this world.”

  “You and Mother have always been this way, but I’m different. I don’t believe in the same things you do.”

  Anna glanced at her in surprise. “You don’t believe in God?”

  Flushing with color, Pisgah motioned disparagingly with one hand. “I. . .I believe in God, yes. I suppose. But, if He created the world, then He must mean for us to enjoy it.”

  “A union between a man and woman is a beautiful thing. God instituted marriage Himself. He even said it wasn’t good for man to be alone, but there is a time and a place for everything.” She smiled gently. “You want things now, but your time will come. There is a special man waiting for you, but you must, in turn, wait for him.”

  “Lucius makes my heart sing,” she told Anna with a deep sigh.

  “And how many times have you told me this in the past?”

  Pisgah colored hotly, dipping her head.

  “Your mother would not countenance this relationship, especially since Lucius is old enough to be your father.”

  “A slight exaggeration,” Pisgah commented sarcastically.

  “He’s forty-five years old.”

  Pisgah turned to her in surprise. “That’s not true. He told me he was thirty.”

  “My father has done business with him for years. Trust me, he is forty-five.”

  “He lied to me!” She got up and began pacing. Anna watched her warily.

  “Pisgah, if he were a Christian, you would never have that worry.”

  She flopped once more to the seat beside Anna. “Christians are so boring! They never want to have any fun.”

  Anna thought of a friend who would be just right for her young cousin. She would introduce them tomorrow, and then maybe Jamin could help Anna reach Pisgah for the Lord.

  Was Pisgah’s comment justified? Were Christians boring? Although Barak was a Jew, he was a devout one. What would he be like as a Christian? Dull? Remembering his kiss and the warmth of his arms, she thought not.

  Wherever he was right now, she wished him Godspeed.

  ❧

  As they traveled throughout Galilee, Barak and Adonijah spent long hours in the synagogues of each town they visited. It was the same everywhere. As tensions with Rome mounted, more and more the Jewish leaders argued over the Messianic Scriptures, hoping that the Messiah would return soon to free them of the Gentile rule.

  They had questioned people in Nazareth and Bethlehem. Some acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, while others denied Him. Either way, they conceded the man’s existence.

  The two were resting in the synagogue of Cana, having heard an incredible story of the man Jesus turning water into wine. Dubiously, they had questioned several people. Of those who remembered, they were adamant in their endorsement. Jesus had turned water into fine wine.

  “Well,” Adonijah questioned. “Do you believe this story?”

  Barak shook his head slightly. “It’s hard to accept, but these people have nothing to gain by such a wild tale.”

  “There is also the story about the royal official’s son. This Jesus supposedly healed him without even seeing the boy.”r />
  Barak nodded. “Not many people seem to believe that story.”

  Adonijah turned to Barak, one dark brow lifting upward. “So what now?”

  “We find this royal official.”

  ❧

  Anna introduced her cousin to Jamin, who was immediately smitten. Anna hoped that the young man could see past the exterior beauty to the beauty that she knew lived inside. Pisgah was still so young and craving adventure.

  At the same time, she hoped Jamin would be able to influence Pisgah and not the other way around. She bit her lip as she watched the two.

  “Now there is a young man I would welcome for my daughter,” Bithnia told her niece as she followed the two with her gaze.

  Anna agreed, but she was still concerned. Had she done right in introducing the two?

  “I forgot to tell you. Tirinus is coming to Jerusalem in two weeks.”

  Anna’s face brightened and she turned to her aunt with a big smile. “I am so glad. I have missed him terribly. Not that I haven’t enjoyed being here,” she hastily assured her aunt.

  Bithnia smiled. “I understand. Now, let us go into the triclinium and enjoy our meal and some Christian fellowship. Adama managed to persuade the apostle Paul to come and speak with us while he was visiting the city.”

  Heart leaping with joy, Anna quickly followed her aunt into the room. Praise God! She would hear the great apostle after all.

  §

  After trudging through the Judean and Galilean countryside for several months, Barak came to one conclusion. This man Jesus had a definite wanderlust.

  From Nazareth to Bethlehem, Cana to Capernaum, Bethesda to Nain, Jesus’ footsteps were everywhere among the towns and villages.

  And everywhere they went, they were met with stories of miraculous healings. What Barak was having a hard time understanding was the man’s gentle message of love.

  For years he had believed the Messiah would come and help the Jews conquer the world. Now, he was beginning to wonder if that were so.

  Adonijah stood staring at the Jordan River. He had been quiet the last several miles of their journey, ever since they had spoken with several people in the town of Bethany, where Jesus supposedly raised a man named Lazarus from the dead. Listening to the people talk of the story had raised his flesh. They had not been able to speak to the man or his family, but there were those who swore they had seen the event occur.

  Adonijah’s soft voice interrupted Barak’s wandering thoughts.

  “I want to be baptized.”

  For a long time Barak stood there, oblivious of the sound of the water lapping gently against the shore. The birds calling in the trees went unheeded as he stared at his friend.

  “Do you know what you’re saying?” Barak’s voice was hoarse with emotion.

  “I know.” He turned to Barak. “And if you are honest with yourself, you know, too.”

  Feelings of doubt warred with Jewish tradition. To give in to this urging meant to give up all he had ever known. And what would happen to his mother? What would she do if he claimed that he believed the Christ had come and been crucified on a cross? Disown him? The thought made his blood go cold.

  “I am going to find a believer to baptize me. I wish to be baptized in the same river as the Messiah.”

  Barak struggled with feelings of misgiving. He knew that if he once committed his life, there would be no turning back. He would be as zealous as was Saul of Tarsus, or should he call him Paul?

  He followed Adonijah as he went in search of someone to perform the baptismal ceremony that would cleanse him from sin. Peter had commanded it, and for the first time, Barak understood the significance of the sacrificial lamb.

  Jesus died once and for all, and there would never be need of such animal sacrifices again. I desire mercy, not sacrifice. The words echoed around in his head until he thought he would go mad.

  Three days Jesus had lain in the tomb, and on the third day He rose forever. Many even in this part of the world had witnessed the event and spread out to tell others of the Good News.

  As Adonijah said, he knew the truth. It was time to take a stand, to bury himself with the Lord through baptism. Let tomorrow take care of itself, for today was the Lord’s. He hurried to catch up with his friend.

  ❧

  Anna missed hearing the apostle speak to their group, but he was off on another missionary journey. For two weeks he had spent time with them, but the need to spread the Good News had given his feet wanderlust. She felt guilty that she was not filled with the same zeal to spread the message. It was what the Lord wanted her to do, but she was reluctant to stray far from the familiar surroundings of her home.

  Still, it was possible to win converts in even this city. She smiled as she considered her cousin Pisgah’s case. Anna’s fears had been unfounded. Jamin had stood firm in his faith to his Lord, and Pisgah had slowly come to accept the truth through him. It wouldn’t surprise Anna if there were a wedding on the horizon.

  She sighed as she helped the servants lay the tables for the coming meeting. Communion with fellow believers had become the focal point of her week.

  The thought of a marriage between her cousin and young Jamin left Anna feeling melancholy. She was not getting any younger, and though she knew her father could arrange a marriage for her in an instant, the thought of being married for her father’s wealth left a sour taste in her mouth—not to mention the odious thought of belonging to someone other than Barak.

  Her father had sent her several suitors over the past few months, and she was growing weary of fending them off. She knew her father was only trying to help her forget Barak, but she wished he would realize that her feelings went much deeper than that.

  Anna filled bowls with flowers and set them around the room. She then made sure all the braziers were filled for the night and added incense to the stands. Glancing around her with satisfaction, she determined that everything was ready.

  When Jamin arrived, Anna noticed he quickly searched the room until he found Pisgah sitting beside an elderly gentleman, laughing with him over some story they had just shared. His frown was obvious even from that distance.

  Instead of going to Pisgah, as Anna expected, he made his way across the room to Anna’s side. His eyes were alive with some inner glow.

  “Anna. I have just returned from the synagogue. I met some new converts there and I invited them to share our Lord’s Supper. Do you think Bithnia will mind?”

  Anna shook her head. “Aunt Bithnia will be delighted. Who are these new converts?”

  He opened his mouth to explain, then looking past her shoulder, he smiled widely.

  “Here they are now.”

  Anna turned slowly, a ready smile upon her lips for the visitors. Barak stood just inside the doorway, his eyes fixed firmly upon Anna. There was nothing in his eyes to even give a hint to his feelings.

  The color drained from Anna’s face. Her look rested briefly on Adonijah, but returned quickly to Barak.

  “Anna. This is Barak and Adonijah. They have only recently found the Lord.”

  His voice seemed to come from a great distance. Anna felt it must be time to light the lamps because the room was growing dim around her.

  Barak caught her as she fainted.

  ❧

  Anna opened her eyes slowly, the lids feeling as though they had bronze weights attached to them. She frowned as she tried to focus on the figure across from her.

  “Aunt Bithnia?”

  She heard her aunt’s sigh of relief. “Child, you had us worried.”

  Anna came fully awake. “What happened?”

  “You fainted.”

  Everything came rushing back to her and her eyes grew large. “Barak?”

  Her aunt got up from her chair and came to where Anna lay on the couch. “Waiting just outside. He’s very concerned.” She crossed the room to open the door.

  “You may come in,” she told the young man waiting on the outside.

  Barak came qu
ickly into the room, his worried brown eyes fixing on Anna. He gave her a hard, searching look that she returned with friendly, but veiled eyes.

  Bithnia looked from one to the other. “I will leave you alone. I must return to my other guests.”

  Anna gave a brief thought to the others in the outer room, but her attention was for the man standing near her.

  “You are a believer?” she asked him softly.

  Barak nodded, the lump in his throat making it hard to speak. He was uncertain of his welcome, and Anna had learned in the past months to keep her thoughts hidden. He found this extremely disquieting.

  She rose to her feet, and he wrapped an arm around her when she swayed slightly. She pushed out of his hold and went to stare out the window into the courtyard beyond.

  Darkness had come, and with it a cooling breeze. The crickets chirped just beyond the window, a soothing cadence that relaxed Barak slightly.

  “I had to come and let you know,” he told her, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “I’m glad.”

  Anna’s thoughts were in total disorder. What did Barak’s presence here mean? She could read any number of things into it, but she didn’t wish to be hurt again. He would have to make the first move.

  Which he did.

  She could feel his presence behind her and felt her breath quicken in response. He curled his fingers around her shoulders, turning her to face him.

  “I have missed you,” he told her huskily.

  She looked up into eyes dark with emotion and swallowed hard. “And I have missed you.” So much so, that for the last several weeks she had felt only half alive.

  He pulled her close, burying his face against her shoulder. They stood thus a long time before Barak could bring himself to speak.

  “Is it possible that you care for me?”

  She pulled back from him and smiled into his eyes. “It is not only possible, but very, very probable.”

  He didn’t return her smile. “I have nothing to offer you. When Adonijah and I return home, my uncle will disinherit us. I can’t ask you to marry me.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, but he closed his lips over hers. She clung to him, wishing he would never let her go again.