Pillars of Barabbas Excerpt

I’m a fan of finding new, different types of novels to read. M.D. House has a new release called Pillars of Barabbas out this month, and while I haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet, it sounds like an interesting read. I’ve got an excerpt for you to read today as well to see if it interests you!

About the Book

Pillars of Barabbas
Genres: Christian, Historical, Biblical

In I Was Called Barabbas, author M.D. House offered his vision of Barabbas’ life by imagining what came after his momentous encounter with Jesus of Nazareth.

Pillars of Barabbas continues the story, finding the man they called Barabbas a long way from the wretched prisoner once released by Pontius Pilate in lieu of Jesus. He and his wife Chanah are growing in regard among the leadership of Christ’s fledgling church, which is expanding and thriving.

But increasing Christian influence breeds jealousy among several Roman governors and senators. How will Emperor Nero react? Can the apostle Paul soothe the moody young ruler?

The Parthian Empire is also a problem, including in Africa, where the former centurion Cornelius has become a prominent Christian leader. Will the Christians be able to flee, or will they have to fight both the Romans and the Parthians?

Just in time for Easter, Pillars of Barabbas brings the early years of the church into vivid detail, following the saints who sacrificed everything to bring Christ’s message to the world.

Amazon

Excerpt

I stopped again, looking at Chanah. Her expression was more thoughtful than surprised—the opposite of mine. Marian and Sophia gazed at their mother, their faces coming close to mirroring hers. Matthew was working with his merchant master, so he wasn’t close by.

“Eastern Africa,” Chanah mused. “I wonder what he’ll think about that.”

I was still reeling from the surprise request. “Do you think he should go?”

“I don’t know, but this decision will be between him and the Lord. He’s a grown man now, and the Lord knows so much more about the best path for his future than we do.”

That was true, of course, but it was sometimes hard to see that as his mortal father, still weak in the flesh. I couldn’t imagine how much I would miss him, and I suddenly felt a longing I hadn’t felt since Chanah’s father had returned from his merchant journey those many years ago—without her brother Alon.

Chanah smiled gently. Stepping around the table, she placed a hand on my cheek, her eyes glistening with faith. “Cornelius would not ask this lightly, and he is a dedicated man of God. I believe the Lord inspired him. But”—her other hand came up to caress my other cheek, her essence seeming to meld with mine—“I think we should offer counsel on this only as Matthew asks for it. Do you agree?”

I recognized the wisdom in that, and while it should have been easy for me to accept, since I didn’t want to meddle too much in other people’s lives anyway—even those of my children—this still felt different. The lands where Cornelius dwelt were so far away that it seemed like a permanent separation. And Matthew was such an incredible blessing to our family.

I nodded, grasping her wrists as I absorbed more of the comfort of our connection. “Do you want to tell him, or should I?”

Chanah’s lips pursed for only a moment. “It should be you.” There was another pause as she looked deeply into my eyes, smiling at me as my entire body tingled, and then she broke the connection and reached for the letter, backing away a step as she held it up, finding the place where I had left off.

“The Lord’s hand is active everywhere, here as I’m sure it is there. I find new causes to be amazed nearly every day, and I’m learning more and more how each soul is so very precious to God. Each person who confesses Christ and follows him, enduring to the end, is a priceless treasure to the Lord and our Father. Priceless, my dear brother and sister. And he has absolutely no respect of persons. We are all alike unto him. We are all his children. I was born into prosperous and notable circumstances in this world, and he loves me as much as anyone else, but he doesn’t love me more, and I don’t get to skip any of the steps on the path to true discipleship.

“I know you know this, especially having had such a marvelous opportunity to learn at the feet of Paul. Andrew speaks of you, by the way, remembering fondly the times he met you. He is not as fiery as his brother Peter, but he is no less powerful. It is a magnificent blessing to have him here, though I wonder how much longer the Lord will allow him to stay. The apostles are all extraordinarily busy, and they are needed in so many places. We will get as much advantage from him as we can while he is here, though, and we will praise the Lord for it.

“Our prayers are with you and our fellow saints on Melita. May the Lord bless, protect, and sustain you, and may you be ever faithful to your holy covenants with him, that you may receive the fullness of the glory of the promises of eternal salvation and exaltation in the mansions of our Father’s house. Peace and grace be with you, in the Savior’s holy name. Amen.”

Tears streamed down Chanah’s cheeks as she finished. She didn’t even look up before she lunged at me and hugged me tight, then broke the embrace and moved around the table to hug Marian and Sophia in turn. Sophia giggled in youthful joy. 

I enjoyed the moment, but then I remembered the first letter, the one from the governor. A Roman scheme of some sort, for sure. Perhaps it would be better if Matthew were safely ensconced with Cornelius’s household in Africa. Simon, Chanah, and the girls as well.

We dismissed the girls so we could discuss the two vastly different invitations we had just received. Who would have thought that I, Jesus—now Jesse—son of Abbas, would have ever been discussing things like meeting with a Roman governor or sending my son to Africa at the invitation of a former Roman centurion who was now a Seventy called by an apostle of the Messiah? I was a good tentmaker—couldn’t that have been enough? But no, the Lord had blessed me far too much for me to ride the easy currents toward an unremarkable grave. The greatest of those blessings was Chanah—and she wouldn’t let me do that anyway.

When Matthew returned home that evening, Chanah and I had a private conversation with him in our room. As agreed, I told him about Cornelius’s letter and invitation, and we let him read it for himself. We were both anxious to see his reaction, but Matthew maintained an even composure the whole time. Perhaps he was tired.

When he finished the letter, he looked up at us. “That is a lot to think about. I’ll let you know in a couple of weeks.”

Chanah and I looked at each other. That was it? Chanah recovered first. “Well,” she offered, laying a hand on his arm, “let us know if there’s anything we can do. We’ll be praying for the Lord to help you, of course.”

He nodded his thanks, and then asked to be excused, leaving us teetering on a sharp edge of anticipation. It was only later that we could laugh about it.

About the Author

M.D. HOUSE is the author of Pillars of Barabbas, as well as the first book in the Barabbas series, I Was Called Barabbas,and the science-fiction novel, Patriot Star. Before beginning his second career as a writer, he worked for twenty-five years in the world of corporate finance, strategic planning, and business development. Now, Michael lives in Utah with his wife, where he spends his time writing and enjoying his children and grandchildren. Learn more about Michael and his work at www.mdhouselive.com.

Website: www.mdhouselive.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LiteraryThunder 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/real_housemd

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