Cleopas sharpened his knife, his eyes on the horizon where the sun was setting in a glorious wash of colors, splashing the earth beneath it with regal hues of fire that burnished the city gold. He heard his son climbing the ladder onto the roof and soon saw him appear.
“A beautiful evening.” Jason filled his lungs with the crisp air, then let it out again as he sat beside Cleopas. “Abigail is sitting at a window watching the sunset, but she did not wish to leave the warmth of the hearth.”
Cleopas chuckled. “That is best. Soon, my son, you will be a father. Ester tells me Abigail has another month, perhaps six weeks to go until the child is ready to join us.”
“I believe Abigail is beginning to wish it were sooner.” A smile filled his voice. “I, too, am anxious, though for different reasons. It will be such a blessing to hold my child. And we have decided to name it after Mother’s parents. Benjamin if it is a boy, Hannah if it is a girl.”
Cleopas’s lips turned up in peaceful appreciation. “Your mother will be pleased. Of course, she is always pleased these days. You have made her heart glad, my son, in the ways you have grown.”
Jason chuckled. “I cannot say that was my intention, but I value her approval.”
“There was a day you did all you could to avoid it. And another not so long ago when you would be spending your evenings out in the city with your friends.”
“My friends are less than pleased with me. And I with them. Moreover, I would rather spend my few free hours with my wife. Hence, I suppose, why they are less than pleased. Which is, in turn, why I am so with them.”
Cleopas chuckled again. “You will all resolve it, I am certain. In spite of the many things in which we differ, I have a respect for those you call friends. They strike me as loyal and dedicated. Those qualities are difficult to find in men these days.”
“And they feel I have defected by marrying Abigail.” Jason shook his head. “They almost did not come to my wedding, Father. And apparently Menelaus and Titus cornered Abigail and told her in no uncertain terms that she was ruining my life.”
Cleopas raised a brow. “Two grown men to battle one small, pregnant woman? I hope they emerged unscathed.”
Jason let out a roar of laughter. “Knowing my wife, she put them in their places. The men would not say, and Abigail refused to discuss the episode, but her wit is quick and her tongue sharp. You did well to educate her.”
“She had the mind for it. She knows Latin now better than I, I think.”
“She certainly knows the Law better than I. It is rather embarrassing to have to ask one’s wife to explain the customs of one’s people.”
Cleopas smiled. His heart swelled at the thought that his son was actually asking the questions. “You have much more knowledge of it than I had when I married your mother. But it has the benefit of making sense, and of genuinely working for the good of the citizens. I believe you have come to realize that of late, have you not?”
His eyes went contemplative. “Indeed. But my concern is that it is impossible to keep all the laws, Father, no matter how hard I strive. Remembering them all is difficult enough, remembering to do them–and how am I to know that the sacrifices I offer are enough? How can I tell if Jehovah is pleased with my efforts or if he is still holding my failings against me? I have a fear of turning out like Cain, offering what I have, but not being accepted, then losing it all in a moment of anger.”
Cleopas was silent for a moment as he considered. He put his knife back in its sheath and set it aside, and only then spoke. “The Lord looks at the heart, my son. He will forgive you your sins if you truly repent of them. But if you offer a sacrifice without truly being remorseful for the actions, why should he accept it? Saying the words, doing the motions is not enough. He requires devotion. He ordered his people to write the Law upon their hearts; that means he wishes us to love them, to obey because we believe they are good and right. Perhaps Cain was not sincere; perhaps he offered the spoiled vegetables, or did it only for recognition, not to the glory of Jehovah. The only way to be sure you are forgiven is to realize you need to be, and to truly desire it, being prepared to put aside the part of you that sins. I believe the failing of many men today is that they do not recognize their own imperfections.”