Still longing for action, Daniel thinks about forming a new insurgent resistance. However, he begins to reflect on what his hatred has actually done for him. Tangibly, it has gotten Samson and Nathan killed, and it has taken Leah away from him. Daniel feels “imprisoned in a pit, raging and helpless.”

Convinced that Leah is near death, Daniel thinks that Thacia would want to know. He scratches out a message and hopes Thacia will come, but three days pass with no sign of her. He sees Marcus, the soldier whom Leah has fallen in love with. He wants to kill him but decides he could not do so while Leah lies dying.

Marcus is aware of Daniel’s spite but still wants news of Leah. His fear is evident as he stammers and asks how she is faring. Daniel snaps at him: “What is it to you if another Jew is dying?” Three days later, the soldier returns. Again he approaches Daniel. Marcus says that he is not Roman but German, a conquered people just as Daniel’s people have been conquered. Daniel does not care. The fact that Marcus serves the oppressors is enough reason for Daniel to sustain his hatred. Unabashed, Marcus goes ahead with his message. He tells Daniel that he is to be transferred. He wants to see Leah one last time before he must leave. Daniel is unmoved.

Meanwhile, Leah tentatively clings to life. Just when Daniel has all but given up hope, Jesus appears. Thacia is with him. Jesus instantly knows what has happened. He smiles at Daniel. Daniel feels his heart leap and asks himself, “Was it possible that only love could bend the bow of bronze?” He now knows the answer beyond any doubt.

Leah is revived. Jesus leaves, but his light remains. Daniel takes the last leap of faith, proving to himself and to Jesus that he has embraced the kingdom. In a final act, he stops Marcus in the street and invites the soldier into his home.

Analysis

This concluding chapter begins with Daniel at the peak of his spiritual crisis and concludes with his redemption. As he watches Leah slip away, he focuses his energy on saving his sister. When his own efforts fail, he desperately seeks out Jesus.

Jesus, unlike Rosh, answers his call with understanding, love, and caring. He heals Leah. Daniel does not change his mind about Jesus from gratitude alone, however. He now understands that hate has done nothing for him, but love has had the strength to change everyone he has ever known, including himself.

The symbolism of the number three is revisited. Three times a day, Daniel hopes for intervention in the form of Thacia, who will become the messenger to God. On the third day of Joktan’s errand to find Thacia, Daniel meets Marcus in the road. These waiting periods are all symbolically significant, as the number three represents not only the Trinity but also God’s intervention.

The final lines of the novel offer hope for peace and reconciliation, but they give no guarantees. Daniel makes an enormous leap of faith by putting his hate aside and asking the Roman solider Marcus into his home. Daniel chooses love and a brighter future for his family and for his people. Love has bent the bow of bronze.