A/N-The Chapter and verses I'll be using is from John chapter 12: 1-11. "Jesus at Bethany" and the idea of the story is what happened to Lazarus after Jesus was killed? And I'll be using the NIV version.
Mary of Bethany sat in a room upstairs and she was alone. She was letting the sun's evening rays wash over her and filled the room in the beautiful colors but tears was pouring down over her cheeks, she touched her face with the back of her hand as she tried to erase the tears but it was no good as they kept flowing but she still kept sitting still and praying.
Her sister Martha slowly opened the door to the room, saw her sister and she slowly crept in. She quietly walked over to Mary and she said in a low voice:
"Sister?"
Mary opened her eyes, she saw Martha and she put her own delicate hand over Martha's then Martha asked:
"Why are you crying? Our brother is alive."
Mary sniffled then she closed her eyes then she let out a heavy sigh then she said:
"I know...but he will die ...soon ."
Confused, Martha looked around then she finally asked:
"Who? Lazarus? Yes, he will die...sometime."
Mary shook her head 'no' then she softly said one word,
"Jesus "
Martha gasped then Mary went on,
"They will not let him live...the ...pharasiees...he is too dangerous to them."
Tears come to Martha's eyes then she asked,
"How do you know?"
Mary nodded her head then she said, "I don't know...but it's what my heart tells me."
Martha grows quiet and she looked down then after a few minutes she said,
"I fear you may be right."
Mary goes back to praying and Martha just sat there for a bit longer then she said,
"I'm going to go prepare the food."
She got up and eased out of the room. Mary still sat and she opened her eyes as the last of the days rays vanished. She then got up and went over to where a small curtain was, she pulled it back and a small hole was in the stone was and he had 2 bottles, you could see an empty space where there was another one. The bottles contained nard, the perfume for the dead. She took it in her hand and held it close to her breast then she picked up a bowl then she took a deep breath and she goes down the stairs to the room where Jesus was and the disciples. She looked around the corner and saw Mary Magdalene, she didn't see her sister anywhere so she must still be in the kitchen. She gripped the bottle of nard tighter then she went out...some of the men looked at her and just assumed she was bringing food to the Master. But instead, she sat down at the feet of Jesus. She put the bowl down and she gently lifted his feet...he looked at her astonished at what she was doing but he didn't say anything. She took the top off the nard and poured it in the bowl and at that time, Martha came from the kitchen and saw her sister and she was also shocked but tears came to her eyes, she dabbed her eyes then went out with the food.
Mary's heart was beating but she was determined to do this...she felt she HAD to do this ! The air in the room was filled with the rich aroma of the nard then she took off her head covering and her hair came tumbling out, her hair was long enough to reach her waist so...she picked up the bottom and started drying his feet like she would with a towel. She didn't know why she was doing it that way but she was...it felt natural. Then suddenly she heard a voice and she knew the voice to be of the harsh disciple, Judas. He said,
"Why wasn't this perfume sole and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages."
She stopped what she was doing, it was like time froze...would the Master ridicule her for this? What? Then Jesus said,
"Leave her alone ", Jesus replied, "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."
She smiled and continued to do what her heart said to do. After, she finished, she saw that more and more people were coming. Finally, they just left the door open so the people were coming to see Jesus and Lazarus. All of their eyes became so large and round when they saw their brother . Just before midnight, a man sat down by Jesus, she couldn't hear his words but from what her brother told her later, this is what he said,
"My Lord, I have just come from my friend Jameison and have heard some troubling news."
Jesus looked at him straight in the eyes and asked,
"What is it?"
The man looked around to make sure no one was around to overhear then he took a deep breath then said,
"Those in evil, the Pharisees look to kill Lazarus and also imprison his sisters."
Jesus quickly glanced around the room, he saw Mary sitting on the floor looking at him with a mixture of pain and confusion on her face. Martha stood by the door looking outside and his friend Lazarus talking with Mark, the disciple. Then the man who told him of the plot said, "What should I do my Lord?"
Jesus looked at him and said, "Nothing. I will but get Mary and Martha, bring them here."
The man turned around and walked over to Mary on the floor and was bending down to her and then Mary saw Jesus he walked over to her brother and Mark, Jesus said something then Mark got up and went to another part of the room. Jesus sat down at the table then he said in a low voice:
"Lazarus, there are those who seek to destroy you. God's power is in you, it must not be put out or your sisters, there is much all of you can do. They are to be mothers to those who don't think they have mothers."
Lazarus opens his mouth to either throw a question or to argue but then he stops himself then asks,
"What should I do Lord?"
Jesus signals for him to come closer then he whispers something to him then Lazarus looked him and nodded his head then he turned around and saw Mary and Martha with the man who bought Jesus the news then Jesus said, "This is Abel, he will help you. Go."
Mary and Martha look at each other but they know they can't ask anything but Mary's heart is torn and broken. Lazarus just says,
"Praise you"
Jesus nodded his head and said,"Be safe my friends"
They leave and there is no trace of Lazarus's family left in the room except for the smell of the sweet perfume Mary put on her Lord and Savior.
Outside, Abel looked around then sneaked the family into the back of a room at a dark barn, the smell of the death of animals is strong but then they open a large door and run into tunnels into the mountains and it seems they run forever in twists and turns. Mary sees rats running past her. Martha wants to scream but Mary covers her sister's mouth then when she thinks she will finally die from running, they come to the cool breeze of the outside, they see the stars as the only light around them but Adel leads them to a boat; they all quietly get in and Mary, Martha and Lazarus see the last of their homeland.
A/N-The first part of this story was taken from the Bible but the last was my creative imagination.
Sand n' Sable