The Jobless Woman Gets a Reprieve

Mary is desperate. No one will welcome her in their home or business, even to do the most menial tasks. How will she keep from starving or being molested if she keeps roaming the streets? 

  I was so happy when Yeshua took me aside
, and asked if I would take a talitha into my home.

 I gladly agreed. Her name is Mary’am the same
 as mine, but to differentiate between the two of us,
 I will call her by her Greek name, Mary.
She is a sweet youthful maid, but has 

suffered much. If all the talithas He finds
 are as sweet as her, I would gladly open

 my home to them. 

       The thin, wispy clouds were being tinted
 a peachy-pink by the setting sun.
As Mary trudged slowly down the lonely

city street, she was hardly aware of how
their glory reflected against the white of the
 buildings. She passed through the

shadow of a large sycamore tree.
 Farther on, a playful breeze

ruffled the leaves in a group of fig trees, and tossed their coolness back to her.
She did not notice. Unfortunately, that was long ago. Her Abba and Imma had
sunk to a watery grave when the ship they were taking

to Phoenicia had capsized in a terrific gale while the moon

shamefacedly hid its face behind a cloud. A thousand times 

Mary had wished she had gone along on that journey. Because

she hadn’t, she was forced to survive on her own resources

which ended up being by the most ancient trade known to

womankind.

            She had often bitterly pondered why no one showed

tzedakah, mercy, compassion, justice, to her? If they didn’t

practice it, their Jewish lineage was supposed to be considered

suspect, but it was as if her own Jewishness was being held in

question instead! Since no one seemed to remember the rule,

many wenches ended up as zonahs just like she had. What else

could a helpless, ignorant woman do?

nightclothes before the crowd parted to let them through.

How humiliating it had been, but it had taken scarcely an

instant to realize that the Pharisee had worse things in mind
for her than just public humiliation! He wanted her stoned!

She would have collapsed into a heap if he had not been so

roughly holding her up by the arm.

            Mary wanted to search the young rabbi’s eyes to see if they

were kind, but did not have a chance. He seemed to be intent

on making markings in the sand with a stick. If I could only

see his eyes! Then I would know if He would be condemning or not.

The Haberim and some others kept hurling accusations about

her, but He did not respond. Curiosity began to nudge away

the fear as she began to question why He was being so calm.

Then He looked up, and although his voice was quiet, it held

so much authority that a thrill ran down her spine.

            “Let him that is without sin cast the first stone!”

       Mary tensed as she waited for the sickening thud of that first stone

 hurtling through the air, and prayed that it would knock

her out instantly. It did not come. It never came. She peeked

at what He was writing on the ground, then looked up at his

face. It was kindly! It was full of tender forgiveness! Out of 

the corner of her eye she saw the men slink away one by one,

until even the haughty Hibernim were gone.

            Now Yeshua’s voice was soft and gentle. “Neither do I

condemn you. Go, and sin no more.”

This is an excerpt from my book about Jesus' life from His mother's (!) viewpoint.point. www.marilynshistoricalnovels.com