Did Jesus Redeem Mankind? — Page 223
? 216 and when he saw this, his faith gained fresh vigour and he marvelled how great was the might of the Lord and how wondrously He managed to protect His servants. In like manner was the Messiah taken off the Cross alive, stayed in the tomb alive and came out of it alive, with the result that his faith was reinvigorated and he knew that God had marvellous powers. But as he came out of the tomb, under the impact of circumstances, he was forced to hit out for the country where God the Almighty wanted him to go. For, one who was condemned to death by the court but was saved, could not stay in the land as he would be liable to be hanged again, if apprehended. In short, the Almighty God created such conditions as compelled him to quit for Kashmir and Afghanistan, in the manner of the Prophet Jonah. There is no doubt about it that a Prophet is never afraid of death in the cause of God, but, all the same, a Prophet cannot reconcile himself to an idle life. He is born for work and loves work. He is a machine which operates constantly. The Messiah could not therefore agree to spend the rest of his days in hiding hither and thither. While, therefore, this incident further strengthened his faith, at the same time, it helped to speed up his departure from Palestine for the east like the Prophet Jonah, to preach the word of God.