Short Story #008: The Laodicean

The Laodicean

“Write this to the angel of the Church in Laodicea: …I know what you do, that you are not hot or cold. I wish that you were hot or cold!”

Revelations 3:14,15

Once upon a time in the secluded village of Rela there lived a very strange young girl.

While children of her age went through a myriad of feelings or ups and down as it is called, the temperature of this young lady’s mental make-up reached the half way mark at all times. She was neither too happy nor too sad nor too disappointed nor too overjoyed. At all times she presented to the world a face of calm indifference as though too much emotion was a waste of feeling.

All her friends went through the throes of growing up while she watched with the aloofness of one who has seen all there is to life and can no longer be amused by it.

Beulah, this was the girl’s name, was the youngest of three daughters and doted upon by her family. When her older sisters had married and left the family home her parents overcome by a deep sense of loneliness vowed never to let their youngest make a match and leave to live apart from them.

This decision the young girl met with perfect indifference. To be married or not, either way she was content. This was what was so very queer about this young girl. She looked upon the world with the indifference of a Stoic, never allowing herself to be carried away by any strong passion or feeling. As a consequence she lived very half-heartedly, as though never really sure if she was happy to be alive or not.

Time passed, and one day both the parents of this strange creature passed away.

News of their death reached the surrounding villages and neighbouring folk came to comfort her for her double bereavement.

They found the young woman, for she was now very grown up, taking the news with the equanimity of one who has seen it all and is not surprised. Not a tear fell from her cold eyes.

“My dear,” said a friend of her mother’s, “Are you not the slightest bit aggrieved at your beloved mother’s passing?”

“No,” said the young woman, “I expected it to come. Though I did not expect father to go as well, it’s a small consolation that they went together.”

Her mother’s friend looked at her wide-eyed. “Upon my word, you are a strange thing to bear up with your loss so bravely!”

“There isn’t any point in getting carried away,” murmured the young woman, “What has happened has happened.”

The musicians struck up a mournful dirge and all the mourners followed behind the two caskets to make the trip to the graveyard. The young woman led the procession but she did not mourn. Her sisters were riven with grief but she stoically bore her loss.

For a month after the funeral she was the talk of the town. Everybody remarked on her poise and calm at the funeral and her general lack of interest in the demise of her parents. They spoke in wonder at her reactions and openly condemned such unnaturalness in a young person.

Youth is full of the mistakes of hot blood, but youth was wasted on Beulah.

After the passing of her parents, the young woman lived in seclusion. She was suitably wealthy and needed nothing for her family had been owners over acres of the surrounding farming land, all of which she was now mistress over.

Slowly but surely the village folk let her be and rumours of her strangeness spread around the neighbouring places. Everyone agreed that her behaviour at the funeral had been oddly discomforting.

One day there was a wedding feast held in one of the neighbouring villages and the young woman, a friend of the bride’s, had been invited.

She went to the wedding as though it were just another ordinary day. She neither dressed in special clothes nor wore expensive jewels nor decked her hair with flowers. Her vesture was her everyday clothing and her adornment was nothing. She carried on her person a small golden ring as a present for her friend the bride.

All her servants were appalled at this lack of interest in the wedding, but they knew better than to say anything.

At the wedding feast she neither sang nor danced nor did she congratulate her friend on her good fortune. She merely sat among the others guests and was the topic of village gossip.

“How can she be so disinterested? All her friends have entered into the spirit of things and are dancing and singing with gusto, yet she has merely graced us with her presence and does not so much as partake in the festivities.” Words such as these were spoken by everyone present.

The musicians at the feast picked up a merry tune and soon all the invited began to sing and dance. Wine flowed smoothly.

Very soon all the good wine was consumed and the bridegroom looked about him in panic. A friend of his mother’s was near him and he said to her, “Aunt, the master of ceremonies just signalled to me that the wine has run out. Isn’t there anything you can do to help?”

The lady at once went to the side of her young son and said something to him. The young man gave some instructions to the servants and out they went.

The bridegroom waited nervously. All of his family who knew about it also looked worriedly at each other. It would be a great insult to them if they failed to serve their guests well.

After some time a jubilant servant came out with a bowl and gave it to the master of ceremonies. Drinking from it the master of ceremonies looked at the bridegroom in amazement. “Why have you kept the good wine until now?” he asked, and gave orders for the wine to be served.

When the guests had tasted this new wine they too were filled with amazement at the bridegroom.

“Everybody serves the best wine first and when the guests are drunk brings out the new wine but you have kept the best wine till the end.”

All of the bridegroom’s friends and guests were amazed at the taste of this rich new wine. It flowed like never-ending good news.

Everybody rejoiced.

All, except the young lady, who overheard from a neighbour that Mary’s son had caused water to turn to wine, and was not amazed. She looked upon the happening as commonplace and displayed no curiosity.

A man had just turned water into wine but she would not join in with the others to call it a miracle.

*

Two years passed and Beulah continued her solitary existence. She seldom mixed with the people of her village nor did she participate in any of their festivities or daily activities. Her few childhood friends had all been married and gone, only she remained, alone, distant and reclusive in her large house.

One day news came to Beulah’s household that Mary’s son Jesus was passing that way with his disciples.

This young man who was of Beulah’s age had since His miracle at the wedding feast become a great Healer and Teacher in the country. He was full of the Spirit of God. It was reported that even the demons obeyed Him and fled. The whole region of Galilee was in an uproar because of Him for they believed Him to be the Messiah come to deliver them from the Roman rule.

The news reached the doors of Beulah’s house. All of the servants in Beulah’s house asked her permission to go and hear the good man preach, they begged her also to accompany them.

“Never before since Elijah has a prophet such as this arisen in our country, come let us all go and know what is to be done to inherit eternal life.”

Beulah herself was disinterested. She languidly gave the servants leave to go for they seemed determined to take the day off without waiting for her say-so.

She declined their persistent imploring but on persuasion agreed that she might sometime go and listen to Him speak. She retired to her room to think.

As a young child Beulah had been a great thinker. She thought because she needed to know what she was doing on the good earth. Her thinking had led her to conclude that there will always be sorrow and suffering no matter how hard one tried to escape it so the best course of action was to keep one’s chin up and endure, for both sorrow and joy are fleeting.

What new thing could that man from Galilee probably preach? He preached eternal life. He preached repentance. All these things she knew. And as for signs and wonders, she was not convinced that the power of God was behind it, having been acquainted with a great many magicians.

Beulah did not go to see Mary’s son, but her servants went and when they returned they told her stories of the number of people the young man Jesus had healed.

“The blind can see, the lame walk and the deaf can hear!” cried her maid, “You would not believe even if we told you. You had to be there to see it.”

“I see,” said Beulah woodenly.

“And everyone was rejoicing and praising God!”

This was something Beulah had never done.

“How fortunate we are to see the young Galilean perform His miracles!”

“Why Miss Beulah He will be staying here for some days. Why don’t you invite Him to the house?”

“No,” she said. She was not in the least bit curious. It didn’t matter to her but worse still she didn’t care.

*

That night Beulah could not sleep. She tossed and turned in bed and at last decided to go out walking. It was her habit to do this whenever she felt a bit restless at night.

The thoughts of the Galilean teacher bothered her. Her whole household had been in an uproar over Him and she wondered if she had not missed anything great. Languidly she told herself that He could not be as spectacular as the magician from Phoenicia she had seen only last month.  

While she walked on her lands in the moonlight with a servant by her side she was overcome with a deep longing to speak with the Galilean teacher. She could not explain why she felt this way at all but quietly matched step with the maid at her side and walked into the woods.

Then she came to a little clearing in the woods where she saw a young man kneeling on the cold dew covered ground and calling out with all His might to God.

She and the maid were struck dumb by the sight. “Madam,” cried the maid, “It is the Galilean teacher!”

Beulah was arrested by His presence, for the man prayed unlike anyone she had heard pray before. He made loud groans and sighs, tears coursed down His face as though He was in inconceivable pain.

“Why does He cry out to God like this?”

“It is because He loves passionately all those who are dear to Him. It is for their sake that He spends the night crying out to God in hope that they might not sin.”

Beulah had never heard such passionate utterances before. She was astounded and she stepped close to watch Him.

“Does He call out to God or to His Father?” she asked for she was surprised to hear the young man call out ‘Abba’ from time to time.

Who was this young man really speaking to?

“It is said,” whispered the maid for she was now ashamed to be eavesdropping on the young man’s prayers, “that He is the Son of God.”

Now Beulah was greatly surprised. “The Son of God?” she murmured.

“Leave!” she ordered the maid, “I must speak to Him alone.”

The maid was very glad to be sent back, but gladder still was she to know that the curiosity of her mistress had been aroused.

Beulah watched the young man for a while more then decided to intervene.

“Sir,” she called out and the young man turned and saw her. He left off praying.

Beulah came closer.

“Beulah!” He said.

“How do you know me?” she cried incredulously as the young man wiped the tears from His face.

“I know you,” He exclaimed. “You were at the wedding feast at Cana.”

“Oh I see,” she said and nodded in amazement that He should know her by name though they had never been formally introduced. Still, she knew that He was Mary’s son so what was there to wonder that He knew her? Someone at the feast might’ve told Him her name.

“Why are you crying?”

“I am weeping because of the pain I am in.”

“Oh,” she said, “who has caused you pain that you should weep with so much fervour?”

The young man did not answer her at once instead after gazing at her for a while He said, “I dearly wish to sleep tonight but I cannot because my heart is heavy. Will you please help me to rest?”

“How can I help?” she asked for she was surprised to find that He suffered that night from the same malady as hers.

“I am in so much pain I cannot sleep, I long to fall asleep as if I do not care about anyone or anything at all. And I know you don’t care about anyone at all. Your heart is indifferent to the world.”

The look in His eyes seemed to pierce through her soul.

“I know what you are like,” He continued, “You care for nothing and for no one. You are aloof and distant. The sorrow of people does not move you neither does their joy overwhelm you. What I wouldn’t give to be like you for one night so I could rest in peace! I have the cares of the world laden upon me. Tell me young maiden will you exchange hearts with me so that I may sleep the peaceful slumber of indifference for one night only?”

Beulah did not know what to do. She was moved, for the first time in her life, by deep compassion for the young man’s earnest request.

“Gladly,” she responded, “but how shall we exchange hearts?”

“Oh I shall do that,” He said, and reaching out into her body He pulled out her indifferent heart and exchanged it with His own weary heart. Soon He was overcome by sleep and He slept.

But for the Beulah the exchange proved painful. When His heart entered her body she felt everything He had ever felt.

Suddenly she felt the weight of the world come upon her. Love for the world as deep as a well filled her soul. And the object of her love was people.

How she was filled with love for them! They were like little children to the man, children He had made and created to live with and yet how those children treated Him! Painful memories of rejection the Galilean had suffered Beulah now vicariously felt. How badly people had rebuffed His advances! He had gone everywhere in the earnest hope that everyone might repent and come to know God as a Father, but the terrible things they had said of Him! They had said He had a demon in Him, a man whom God had anointed by His Spirit!

Beulah felt the turmoil within her heart too great for her to bear. How frustrating it was to watch the people see the miracles yet not understand what was expected of them! She felt as dejected as the young man might have felt.

Yet how He continued to love them! He loved His friends and disciples so dearly it would be harder to imagine anyone who could love them more. How He desired that none of them should perish, but that all should live!

Then suddenly she perceived some new feeling in the young man’s heart.

There was a woman this young man loved with all his heart. Beulah could see the woman in her mind’s eye. She was a very cold, aloof, and passionless young lady. She was a woman who did not care about life, a woman who lived half-heartedly, as if she could not make up her mind whether to participate fully in life or not.  

This woman did not care one jot for the young man, yet the young man hoped for her love.

He had travelled a great way to visit her country in hope of winning her heart but she had not deigned to even let Him enter her house. He was crushed.

The woman had rejected Him at every attempt He made to tell her that He loved her and Beulah began to feel sorry for the young man.

He was tired out with trying. She perceived that even His haters had not hurt Him as much as this woman who did not care had hurt Him.

She shook the young man awake.

“Who is the woman whom you love so dearly but who does not care about you?”

“It’s you Beulah,” he replied half-asleep in a whisper.

*

Puzzled and confused Beulah sat down to think. The stories she had heard of this young man had seldom interested her. She had never been to hear Him talk nor had she gone to see Him teach the people. She had killed Him with her indifference.

The next morning He woke up and looked tenderly at her.

“Thank you for your kindness, I shall never forget it. You allowed me to sleep one night indifferent to the cares of this world, while you were burdened with everything that burdened me. I cannot thank you enough.”

“I-I do not know what to say to you sir,” she stammered, “except that I perceive that you love me and that troubles me deeply.”

“Why should that trouble you Beulah?” He replied, “When you do not care?”

His words cut deep into her heart and she continued to stare into His deep brown eyes.

“Live with all your heart. Drink deep from everything life has to offer. Don’t be so half-hearted in anything you do. There is nothing more painful to me than someone who lives a half-life the way you do.”

Stung by His sharp rebuke Beulah looked at Him wide-eyed. The dawn was rising in the east and the young man returned to Beulah her indifferent heart and left with His heavy laden heart.

Beulah went home and remained in deep wonderment and thought. What could He mean by live with all your heart? It was true that she did not. Hitherto her response to life had been lukewarm. What was she to do?

A week later she heard from her servants that Mary’s son had gone up to Jerusalem and had been crucified by the people there.

Overcome by grief Beulah cried as she had never cried for anyone before.

Her servants were surprised at this show of emotion. She neither ate nor drank nor bathed. The signs of her grief were visible to everyone around.

“What has come over her?” her people asked one another.

But no one knew of the interview Beulah had had with the Galilean. His words kept haunting her.

From then on she lived as though a secret fire burned within her soul.