Redemption at the Eleventh Hour

by Andrew Crown

  Leah mused, “And now He is dead.”

  “And now He is dead,” Peter said solemnly. “But His messages live on. That is His legacy.”

  The afternoon passed to early evening before they finally broke for the day.

  “I want to hear more,” Leah said earnestly.

  “Then why don’t you return tomorrow?” Peter suggested. “I would like to tell you more about His teachings, and there is so much left to tell.”

  Leah returned to Asher at the inn and breathlessly told him about her day and what she had learned. Asher sat thoughtfully as she explained it and he agreed she should return the next day.

  “Jesus was an incredible man and He changed your life, Dismas’ life, and my own,” he said. “You should learn as much as you can from Peter before he leaves town.”

  “Come with me Father. You can learn so much too.”

  “I am too weak from the journey, Leah. I didn’t expect that I would need to rest so much but I do.” He smiled feebly at her as she gave him a nod of understanding.

  *

  The following morning, Leah knocked on the door and was admitted into the house. The group of people there were just as welcoming as they had been the day before. She recognized many of the faces, but she also saw a few new ones.

  Peter began by recounting a story that was hard for Leah to immediately fathom, about a time Jesus walked on water during a storm. He did not get far into his teaching, however, when he was interrupted by an urgent pounding at the door that made everyone in the room jump.

  “Shhhh! Everyone keep quiet!” Peter hissed. Leah was fearful for a moment. It was well known that both the Pharisees and the Romans had an interest in silencing any remaining followers of Jesus.

  Striding boldly over to the door, Peter called out, “Who goes there?”

  “Peter, it’s Mary! Please open the door! Quickly!”

  Peter immediately threw open the door and a frantic and breathless young woman flew into the house. She started talking before Peter could ask.

  “He’s gone! I was there this morning and He is gone. The stone has been rolled away.”

  “The Romans took Him? Or the Pharisees? Someone else?” Peter grabbed her by the shoulders as a murmur spread among the others in the room.

  “I don’t know, Peter. There were two men there I had never seen before. They told me He is risen! I-I can’t…just please come look, Peter!”

  Peter turned back towards the room of people. “I’ll return when I can. That is all for the moment.”

  He and another disciple then followed Mary out the door, half walking and half running towards the gates of Jerusalem, on their way to the tomb where they had buried Jesus.

  The followers of Christ left in the room didn’t know what to make of what they had just heard. Many of them talked excitedly while some cried. Leah, torn somewhere in between, decided to go back to the inn where she was staying with her father.

  She took the long way, slowly meandering by different stalls selling wares from all over Judea. She wasn’t shopping but rather just trying to process her thoughts. So many incredible things had happened recently that she needed to pause and digest them all. She was learning, however, not to doubt things that seemed strange or impossible at first. She thought of Dismas on his cross.

  It’s what he would have wanted, she told herself. Listen to Peter and keep an open mind and heart.

  She entered the room at the inn to find Asher dozing on a mat. He started when she closed the door behind her, sensing something was amiss.

  “Leah, what’s wrong, my child?”

  She told him about the mysterious events of the morning. “Jesus can’t really be alive, can He? I know He had done some amazing feats but coming back from the dead…” Leah grabbed her father’s hand and squeezed hard.

  “I wouldn’t doubt it, my child. Jesus was the Son of God by accounts of those who knew Him. I wouldn’t doubt it at all. Dismas certainly would have believed.”

  Leah was bewildered. Then suddenly a realization spread across her face and her eyes brightened. “If Jesus is alive, then Dismas…”

  She didn’t complete her thought before she was bounding out the door and running back towards the house where Christ’s followers were.

  “Leah, wait!” Asher called after her, but she was already running as fast as her legs could carry her and she did not even hear his call.

  Leah reached the house exhausted, with her legs on fire and with an intense thirst. She stopped a moment to catch her breath and pushed through the door.

  Inside stood Peter, surrounded by other followers in a state of ecstasy. He turned towards Leah.

  “I saw Him! He lives! He lives!” He gave Leah a big hug. “I saw Jesus and He is alive. He has the holes where they nailed Him, but He is alive the same as you and me!”

  Leah didn’t know what to say. Peter pressed rambled on so quickly that his words seemed to run together. “I spoke to Him. He conquered death and will ascend into Heaven. All of those who believe in Him will follow suit!”

  Leah recovered herself. “All? Even those that have done acts of evil?”

  “Everyone, as long as they believe, ask for forgiveness, and live by His teachings!”

  Peter returned to recounting his experience with Jesus to the others in the room, while Leah stepped outside the house. Jesus was alive and going to live eternally in Heaven!

  She knew at that moment she would see Dismas again. He would be waiting for her when her final day passed. Her heart fluttered at the thought.

  She did not run this time on her way back to the inn but rather chose to walk purposefully once again past the merchants and their stalls. Suddenly, she saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her stop short—a shadow of someone familiar down an alley before it vanished. She doubled back and poked her head down the narrow passage between two buildings, but the alley was empty.

  “Very strange,” she said aloud. There was no one there to hear her. Those on the main street were too preoccupied with their daily activities. She continued muttering to herself. “It almost looked like…”

  She ducked down the alley as her curiosity and intuition told her that she should. It was quite small and led to a deserted, narrow street. There was clearly no one here, and so she decided to go back towards the main avenue.

  When she turned around, her heart skipped a beat. There was a figure standing right there. Any sense of alarm she had melted away as she immediately recognized the youthful, handsome man in front of her. He was no longer in pain and held out his hand to her. Wiping tears of joy from her face, Leah took the hand that had a hole through the center of the palm. She hugged him and felt the warmth of his body in an embrace that she knew so well. She knew that he only had a short time with her but at this moment, she was happy.

  It was several hours later when she returned to Asher. He could tell something extraordinary had happened. Instead of the frightened and grieving girl he had seen a short time ago, she embodied an inner peace and confidence that surprised him. Leah said nothing at first but proceeded to give him a big hug. The two embraced for several minutes before pulling apart.

  He looked his daughter in the eye, and she smiled at him. “Are you going to be alright, Leah? You seem changed,” he said.

  “Yes, Father.” She seemed joyful in a way that he hadn’t seen since she was a little girl. “Everything will be alright.”