Chapter 18

‘Her leathery old face softened,’ continued Peter, ‘and she put her bony hands over her eyes, and cried. And Jesus said, “What is the trouble, Rebecca?”‘

‘And then she did cry, in earnest, I’ll wager!’ put in Hannah, whose own eyes were misty.

‘Little by little, he got the story out of her,’ said Peter; ‘and when she had finished, he said, “You should not have been working on the Sabbath Day—unless it was necessary to someone’s welfare. If a man’s ox should fall into a pit on the Sabbath, he should come to its rescue…But you say you were weaving a rug—to sell. That was wrong, as you know. However, your punishment was much too severe…I shall build you a new loom, Rebecca.”‘

They listened attentively while Peter went on with his story. The Master had spent a fortnight making the loom, and when it was finished and the boys had hauled it to Rebecca’s little house, he had gone with them. Rebecca had cleaned up her room, and herself too. The neighbours had crowded in. The old woman didn’t seem so ugly now. Jesus was her friend, and her manner suggested that they had better take notice.

‘A few days ago,’ said Peter, ‘old Becky came and presented the Master with a robe she had woven for him.’

‘And that sweet soul will probably wear it,’ said Hannah, ‘no matter what it looks like!’

‘It looks very well,’ said Andrew. ‘He likes it.’

‘Yes,’ nodded Peter. ‘He wears it constantly now. I think he’s really proud of it…But—after all—he shouldn’t be burdened with hard labour; not for people like old Becky!’

‘I think that is a beautiful story,’ said Esther softly. ‘He did more for her than make her a new loom: he made her a new Becky!’

But now Peter had another tale to tell of the way people imposed on Jesus…Last week, Zebedee’s fretful and avaricious Naomi had called at the cottage to complain that John and James were spending most of their time at home doing nothing. Their little house was crowded. Poor old Zebedee hardly had a place to sit down!

‘So—what did the Master do but promise Naomi that he would make a new chair for Zebedee, which he proceeded to do; a beautiful chair, too, that will make everything else in their house look cheap and shabby. It took him all week to finish it. Yesterday, Naomi came, we thought, to thank him, but she had come to complain. The boys, she whimpered, should have more attention paid to them. They were giving the Master all of their time, and what were they ever going to get out of it, she wanted to know!’ Peter snorted his disgust.

‘Did she say what sort of honours they should have?’ queried Hannah.