Clean as a Fresh Lily
Well
there was such a stir in the temple. Priests rushing in and out of dusty
old closets, scrolls being opened and flapped out upon the floor. Scholarship
long forgotten suddenly becomes the topic of the day. Mordecai, that tall
priest who tugs at his beard during the service, rushed home like a late
sparrow. He called out to his wife who thought the temple was on fire
and stopped to tell her neighbor that before she answered Mordecai. No,
he said, waving his arms in all directions at once, there's no fire, but
I need to find my study notes. Something has come up and I don't remember
what to do about it!!! His wife knew right where those old notes were.
She had them stacked ready to give to the next paper drive. And Mordecai
started pouring over those notes, tugging at his beard until his chin
pimpled up raw and red. The news of the temple fire had the whole community
rushing to wells and to the temple. Little Virgie Malachi, who can't see
very well, ran smack into the post at the front of the temple and started
screaming he could smell the dust, but no smoke. Five of the priests carried
out some of the tapestries before they realized nothing was burning. Everybody
explained to everybody else what had happened and everything settled down
in time for evening prayers. What had happened? Some leper ran in healed
as clean as a fresh lily. No one had ever been healed of leprosy and the
priests couldn't remember what they were supposed to do about it. The
talk is that the Carpenter John baptized healed that leper...that's causing
more stir in the temple than the fire they never had in the first place.
Excerpt from
"Jeannette Clift George, From Center Stage"
