Eli (36 page)

Only a small knoll kept them out of sight from the main road.

Eli continued, “In just a few hours I’m going to be leaving you. You’ll look everywhere, but you won’t be able to find me.”

“Where you going?” Jake asked.

Eli smiled, but it was that sad smile again. “Where I’m going you can’t come, Jake. At least for now. Later, but not for now.”

“No, sir.” Jake shook his head. “I’ll go with you wherever you go. I don’t care what these yahoos say or do to you. I’m not leaving your side.”

“You will leave my side, Jake. Before the bells at the courthouse chime tomorrow morning, you’ll deny you even know me.”

“No way.”

“Not once”—Eli sadly noted—“but three times you’ll deny me.”

Jake protested until Eli held out his hand. “Please, listen to me carefully. I’m going to my Father. Once I’m there I’ll fix up a place for you, for each of you.” He paused a moment, carefully surveying the group. “Come on, don’t look so sad.

I’m not going to be gone forever. I’ll come back for you, I promise.”

“But . . .” It was Trevor. “Where are you going? How are you going to get there?”

“If you think over what I’ve been saying, you’ll know the way.”

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The group remained silent. Brent gave a nervous cough.

“I’m sorry, Eli, we don’t know where you’re going, so how are we supposed to know the way?”

Eli leveled his gaze at him. “I am the Way, Brent. I am the Truth and I am the Life. No one comes to the Father, but through me.”

More silence. Then Scott spoke up. “Maybe if we saw the Father. You know, maybe if we caught a glimpse of Him or something, maybe that would help.”

“Scotty . . .” Eli shook his head. “Have I been with you this long and you still don’t recognize me? Listen carefully. If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” He looked around the stunned group and repeated, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”

Conrad, who sat on the bench beside Suzanne, looked at the others. Many were frowning. Some stared at the ground, trying to comprehend.

Eli tried again. “Everything I’ve said to you is what the Father has told me to say. Everything you’ve seen me do is what the Father has told me to do. I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Do you understand?”

Some nodded. Most did not.

Eli sighed. “If you can’t believe because of my words, then believe because of the miracles you’ve seen me do. And I guarantee you, it won’t stop there. If you believe in me, you’re going to wind up doing even greater things than you’ve seen me do.”

Eyes widened in surprise, and Eli appeared to almost laugh at their expressions. “Does that shock you? It shouldn’t.

I’m going to the Father, and you can ask anything along the lines of what I’ve been teaching and I’ll do it for you. You got that? You can ask
anything
in my name and it will be done.”

The group continued to listen in quiet shock.

“Pretty soon things are going to get real ugly. The ruler of this world is on the attack, and it’s going to be rough. But try hththt 5/14/01 11:35 AM Page 280

280 not to worry about that. It’s all part of the Father’s plan. A plan I intend to follow to the last detail.”

He gave a nearly imperceptible shiver, then took a moment before continuing. “Even when things are at their worst, I don’t want you to feel abandoned. I won’t leave you alone; you have my word on that. When I go to the Father, I’ll ask Him to send you His Holy Spirit. He’ll be your friend.

He’ll be here to comfort you. Now, I know you’ve heard a lot of things. Some of them you understand, some of them you don’t. But the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, He’ll make everything clear to you. He’ll remind you of everything I’ve said, while at the same time empowering you and giving you a supernatural peace, a calm assurance that defies understanding.” Eli forced a smile that was almost his old twinkle.

Almost. “The truth of the matter is, it’s really better that I leave so He’ll come down to help you.”

He paused, looking over the group, letting the words sink in. Conrad looked down at his hands and stared hard. There was so much being said, so much to try and absorb.

But Eli wasn’t done. Slowly, he rose from the picnic table and walked five maybe six paces to the nearest pine tree. An evening breeze had picked up, causing a faint whisper through its boughs. He turned to the group. “I am the tree.

And you, my friends . . . you are the branches. When you live your life doing what I say, you stay connected to me. And when we’re connected, the sap of the tree, my very life and power, will naturally flow into you, allowing you to bear fruit.

“But if you choose to disconnect from me . . .” He spotted a small dead branch on the ground and picked it up. “If you choose to disconnect from me”—he broke the twig with a startling crack—“then you will die. My Father will cut you off from His tree, and you will be good for nothing . . . except firewood.”

The group remained silent, clinging to every word.

Eli approached them. In the moonlight Conrad could see moisture glistening in his eyes. “Love each other, my friends.

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It’s the greatest command, and it is the surest sign that you and I are connected. Yes, rough times are going to come.

People will hate you. They hated me, so why should it be any different with you? In fact, they’ll actually throw you out of your congregations and kill you, thinking they’re doing my Father a favor. Just as I have promised you power and love and incredible fruit, I’m also promising you hard times in this world. Count on it. But that’s okay. I’ve beaten the world. So can you.

“It’s going to be hard, but don’t be discouraged. That’s why I’m telling you everything now, so you won’t be surprised by it. Pretty soon you won’t see me for a few days. But then, a few days later, I’ll be back.”

He paused and quietly looked into their faces.

“Eli . . .” Suzanne tentatively asked. “I’m not sure about the others, but I still don’t know where you’re going or why we can’t follow.”

He smiled warmly at her and walked over. “In just a few hours you’re going to start grieving like you’ve never grieved before.” He knelt and took both of her hands. “Everything will seem completely dark for you, utterly hopeless. Your heart will be broken. The rest of the world will sing and celebrate, but you’ll be filled with overwhelming sorrow. But only for a while. Because after that, your sadness will turn to joy.”

He pulled her hands closer, resting his chin upon them.

“Remember the pain you felt when giving birth to Julia?” He turned to Conrad, including him in the question. “Do you remember all of her suffering?”

Conrad nodded silently.

“That’s what it will feel like.” He turned back to Suzanne.

“But only for a while. In childbirth, despite the incredible pain, when it was over, when you finally held little Julia in your arms, wasn’t everything forgotten? Wasn’t the pain replaced by joy?”

Suzanne nodded, tears forming in her eyes.

“I think we understand,” Jake called from across the group. “And I can speak for all of us in saying that when this, hththt 5/14/01 11:35 AM Page 282

282 whatever-it-is happens, we’ll be right by your side. We’ll help you through it, you can count on us.”

Eli turned to Jake and slowly rose to his feet. “Do you think so?”

“You bet.”

Sadly Eli shook his head. “No, Jake. Each of you will abandon me. To save your own skins, you’ll run away. But that’s okay. I’ll still have my Father.”

He took another breath and tried to smile. This time with far less success. His voice thickened. “The time is almost here, my friends. I’m going down by the river to pray. Those of you who want are welcome to join me. Because without prayer we won’t get through this thing. Do you hear me? None of us will get through this thing unless we pray.”

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C H A P T E R

F I F T E E N

THE PAST FORTY-EIGHT HOURS HAD BEEN EXHAUSTING FOR EVERYONE

including Conrad. From the entry into the City of God, to Eli’s arrest, to a sleepless night of worrying and planning, to the meeting with Dr. Kerston’s people, to Conrad’s realization of who he had almost become, to the realization of who his protégé
had
become, to his struggle over accepting the bread and wine, and now this late-night prayer vigil in the park . . . it was a wonder he could concentrate on anything at all, let alone prayer.

Still, like the others in the group, he silently tried to obey.

After such an impassioned speech by Eli, did he have any choice? The first hour had not been bad. Since prayer was basically foreign to Conrad, he did his best to remember the structure Eli had taught them: opening with worship, then praying for God’s will to be accomplished, then for his own specific needs, then for forgiveness, and finally that he not get caught up in temptation but be freed from evil. It was a far cry from the “God is great, God is good” mealtime prayers little Julia used to rattle off, or her “Now I lay me down to sleep” at bedtimes. Still, he seemed to be getting the hang of it.

It was during the second hour that he ran into trouble.

How long was a person expected to pray, anyway? And it 283

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284 wasn’t just Conrad. Soon, others in the group also began stretching out and making themselves comfortable. Some even began dozing off. And who could blame them? The warm night, the soft carpet of grass and pine needles, the two days of emotional exhaustion . . .

“Guys.”

Conrad woke with a start. There was Eli standing over them—hair disheveled, face coated in a light sheen of sweat.

“Can’t you stay awake with me and pray? Please, this is important.”

Jake, Conrad, and a few others grunted apologies. They sat up and tried to focus. But as the minutes passed, Conrad’s mind again started to drift. Maybe if he just thought of God’s goodness. Maybe if he just lay down and pretended to be embraced by that goodness. It could still be considered prayer, a type of worship . . . just a little more comfortable, that’s all.

As he drifted, he thought of Julia. He’d been doing that more and more lately, ever since he’d seen her in Lebanon at her uncle’s resurrection. Actually, it had been longer than that. Much longer. Because somewhere, in the back of his mind, she was always there. At the moment it was a memory he couldn’t place. He lay in a bed, stretched out with his eyes shut. And he sensed Julia sitting in a yellow chair beside him.

She said nothing—just remained seated in complete silence.

Yet, even then, he felt a deep sadness from her—a terrible, lonely anger. He’d always known she carried it. Just as importantly, he’d always known he was the one responsible for it.

But, as he lay there, he could actually feel her anguish, deep down inside, throbbing in her gut, tightening around her chest. He tried to open his eyes, but they were sealed shut.

He tried to talk, but his mouth would not move. Then he tried moving his hand. If he could just reach out his hand and offer her some solace, some sort of— —

“Guys, please.”

He started awake and saw Eli staring down at them. He looked worse than before. His face now dripping with per-hththt 5/14/01 11:35 AM Page 285

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spiration that—was it Conrad’s imagination, or was it pinkish red in color? It was hard to tell. Probably just a trick of the moonlight.

“Listen to me,” Eli said, wiping his face with his sleeve.

“The time is just about here. You’ve got to stay up and fight this with me.”

Again apologies were made, and again the guys gathered themselves, sitting up, resolving to stay awake and pray. But for how long? Surely Eli didn’t expect them to stay out here all night. Already a thin layer of fog was settling in the lower areas and a heavy dew had appeared. Conrad glanced around.

Suzanne and Maggie had moved under the cover of the nearby picnic table. Others had left altogether, no doubt continuing their vigil in the comfort of their campers or motel rooms. And who could blame them? It was getting ridiculous.

But Eli had already turned and was heading back to the river.

So, with a heavy sigh, Conrad rolled down his shirtsleeves to fight off the dampness and scooted to the base of the nearby tree. Maybe if he just leaned against it. There, that was better.

And maybe if he closed his eyes, just for a moment, to gather his thoughts, then maybe he’d be able to—

The blinding light startled him awake. He squinted toward the top of the knoll where patrol cars crept down the grassy incline toward them, their headlights on high, their flashers strobing blue-yellow-red, blue-yellow-red. Other members of the group also awoke, looking at one another in confusion, staggering to their feet.

There was a loud click followed by the brief squeal of feedback. “This is the Salem County Sheriff’s Department,” a voice rang through a P.A. “The park closed at sunset. You are in violation of county ordinance. Do not attempt to leave.”

What had been concern in the group escalated to panic.

“Connie?” It was Suzanne, searching for him in the glaring light.

“Over here,” he called.

She spotted him and quickly moved to his side. “What’s going on, what are they doing?”

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He wrapped a protective arm around her. “I’m not sure.”

But he had a pretty good idea.

The cars eased to a stop thirty feet from them. Doors opened and slammed. The silhouetted forms of men approached in front of the light. Conrad’s grip around Suzanne tightened. He looked back toward the river, hoping that Eli had had the good sense to slip away into the night.

But, of course he hadn’t. There he was, walking toward them

. . . slowly, deliberately.

Conrad turned back to the blazing lights and the officers.

He counted four cars in all, eight officers. As they approached, he caught glimpses of pale flesh against dark uniforms. Only one was dressed differently. He wore what looked like white shorts and a green polo shirt.