The series of events that occurred next was not only miraculous,it answered the mysteries of my life. I was released from the prison of doubt and set free to accept all that haunted me for so many years.
Part 11 Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but He has been raised.
Luke 24: 5-6
Peace filled my dreams. Scenes of happiness from my life came to me throughout the night. Times with my parents and family, Sarai, and also friends who came into my life.
On waking I thought of the tomb in the garden where they buried Yeshua. I quietly found my cloak and opened the door to leave. The air felt crisp though not cold.
While all the events of the last three days took place, signs of springtime began to reveal a rebirth in nature? The sun peaked from behind the Mount of Olives as I left the dwelling of Josephus. I found my way out of Bethesda and headed west and through the streets of Jerusalem. They were not yet filled with pilgrims, just an occasional group headed east toward the Temple.
My intended destination lay a mile or more away to an area not far from Golgotha. I noticed the figure of a young woman coming toward me. How strange she walked all alone. She came closer, and I realized I knew her. The woman was my wife. Instead of running toward her, I froze. She turned at an intersection and I lost sight of her.
“Sarai, Sarai! Come back. Don’t leave me,” I called out and ran to the street she entered. A voice spoke to me, not audibly; I heard it with my heart. You’ve seen her but you cannot go after her. All is well.
Tears filled with every emotion relieved a grief I held on to since her passing. At last I felt free from the shadow called death that hung over all mankind. We would meet again, Sarai and I.
***
Nothing could stop me from going to the tomb. The Lord guided my footsteps. I entered the garden through a narrow gate. It was appropriate He rested in a garden. That was His Father’s original intention for all His creation, to live in the garden of Eden. There were sounds of earth’s awakening all around. Birds singing, a small brook splashing over rocks, a gentle breeze rustling through the trees.
I saw the place where we hid yesterday and then the tomb. The entrance was open, the specially made stone rolled to one side. There were no guards or mourners. I hesitated but could not resist entering. The slab was empty where a dead man should have been. Only the burial cloth and the costly scent of myrrh and aloe remained. The appealing fragrance filled the tomb. It felt sacred. In one corner on a small ledge, I noticed the face cloth of Yeshua folded neatly. The light from the entrance lit up the whole area. He had risen as He said!
Trembling I knelt on the stone floor uttering a prayer of gratitude. The Messiah had come. Born like every man, He died so men might live forever. He conquered death by dying and rising. Who could understand the mind of the Lord?
I left the tomb and walked outside into the light. Everything appeared more intense and vivid. Something made me look down and I saw a patch of tiny white flowers, the kind I picked for Sarai the night we met on the roof of my uncle’s home.
I had to tell my dearest relatives: Yeshua had risen! I had to tell everyone.
DJ Pasternak, Author 