Jesus Christ -- Fiction; Religious fiction; United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction
The crowd gathered and centred about the corner of the building,
where there was a platform, and beyond it a stable-yard and some open
sheds. Almost instantly Gilderman had seen the face of Him whom he
sought. It was raised a little above the heads of the crowd, for He
was sitting resting on the corner of the open platform that ran along
the length of the hotel front. He was surrounded by His immediate
disciples. The crowd stood about Him, partly in the road, partly upon
the open porch. Some women and two or three men, apparently belonging
to the house, were leaning out of the windows above looking down and
talking together. There was a ceaseless buzz of talk--a ceaseless
restlessness pervading the crowd. The central figure appeared to be
altogether unconscious of it. He must by this time have grown used to
being surrounded by such numbers of people. He seemed to be entirely
oblivious of everything, and sat perfectly motionless, gazing remotely
and abstractedly over the heads of the people. His pale eyes appeared
blank and unseeing. His dress and shoes looked dusty and travel-worn.
Suddenly a light came into his eyes, and He turned directly towards
Gilderman. It seemed to Gilderman almost as though the face smiled--it
looked recognition. He and the young man of great possessions remained
looking at each other for a little space. Then Gilderman did not know
whether the Man had or had not spoken, but he felt distinctly that
he had been summoned as though by a spoken word. He advanced, hardly
knowing what he was doing, and the crowd, seeing that he wished to
speak, made way for him. He pushed forward and almost instantly found
himself face to face with the Other. The profound and solemn eyes
were gazing calmly and steadily at him. Gilderman had no hesitation
as to what he desired to say. The gloomy feeling of the morning, his
disappointment and distresses, came very keenly back into his mind as
he stood there. The mundane circumstances of his life--his ever-present
sense of power and of place--melted for the moment like wax before the
flames. The young Roman stood before the poor carpenter as an entity
before the Supreme. "Tell me," he said, "what shall I do to earn
eternal life?"
"If you would enter into life," said the Voice, "keep the
Commandments."
"Which Commandments shall I keep?" asked the young man.
"You know the Commandments," said the Other. "Thou shalt do no murder.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not
bear false witness. Honor thy father and thy mother. Love thy neighbor
as thyself."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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