Final Confrontation (44 page)

“This is quite astonishing,” said Kara. “This Herod must be absolutely mad.”

“Not really,” said Lucifer. “He is simply a fool trying to be a king. Like every other human ruler. Ah, Berenius!”

Berenius appeared and walked over to Lucifer, bowing his head. Kara was annoyed at not knowing what assignment Berenius had been on.

“It is done?” purred Lucifer.

“Yes,” said Berenius. “It is finished. Judas has taken his own life.”

“Good,” smiled Lucifer. “The rest of them shall also be rounded up and killed or scattered into oblivion. Either way, this Kingdom dies with their King.”

Jesus refused to answer Herod. Herod plead with Him to perform a miracle of some sort—but Jesus remained quiet. The priests were becoming unnerved by it all. Zichri was moved to impatience.

“They say You are a king,” Herod said. “A king of the Jews. I thought I was king of the Jews. Are you King, Jesus?”

No answer.

“They have brought You here so I may judge You. I will release You if You will only answer me and perhaps perform a miracle to prove who You are.”

No answer.

“A king should always look his best for his subjects,” said Herod. “Bring me my robe—the one that is for special occasions.”

An aide ran out of the room.

“I’m afraid I cannot help You, Jesus,” said Herod. “But I can do something for You. They brought You here a King looking like a clown,” he said. “I shall send You back a clown looking like a King.”

He then ordered the robe placed upon Jesus. The officers made a great show of it, bowing low before Jesus and enrobing Him as if for a coronation. The priests watched the charade impatiently.

“Take Him back to Pilate,” Herod finally ordered. “I find nothing to charge this Man with. Farewell, King of the Jews.”

He looked Jesus in the eyes.

“I envy the people’s love for You, Jesus,” he said quietly, so that only Jesus could hear. “Just as these men are jealous of their love for You. And so I release You into the custody of God. I only hope He will have more mercy upon You than His priests.”

After they were gone, he noticed a spot of blood on a tile near the doorway. It was still moist. He ground it into the tile and retired to his chamber.

“You have brought this Man to me twice now, as One who perverts the people. And yet having examined Him before you I find no fault in Him. No, nor does Herod find anything worthy of death. I will scourge Him and release Him.”

Lucifer was becoming increasingly agitated at the priests’ inability to get a charge. He ordered his angels to begin moving in and out of the gathering crowd to stir them to demand Jesus’ life. Pilate ordered more guards into the area.

“He is a traitor to Caesar!” one of the priests screamed.

Rugio and his troops arrived and began whipping the crowd into an angry mob. Thousands of angels poured into the area, gripping people by the eyes and mind and inciting them to perverse and violent notions.

Pilate held up his hands to subdue the crowd. While he had no reservations about brutalizing this mob, he did
not
want word to get back to Tiberias of yet another disturbance in Judea. When they were quiet he told them:

“I know you have a custom in this land to release a prisoner at the feast,” he began. Zichri was already shaking his head ‘no’. “I shall release to you this Jesus of Nazareth; after He has been scourged, of course.”

The crowd exploded once more in opposition to Jesus. Where did all of this come from, Pilate wondered. Then a name was called out from the crowd.

“Barabbas! Release him instead!”

The people began voicing the name of ‘Barabbas’ over and over. Pilate wondered at a crowd who would allow a known murderer to be freed, while an innocent Man would be condemned. What should he do?

In his cell, not far from where the trial was taking place, Barabbas could hear his name being called out. He began fearing for his life believing they intended to take him by force and kill him. But he knew he was guilty and he was prepared to die. He only hoped death would come quickly.

“My love!”

Pilate turned to see his wife, Claudia, in the entryway. He walked over to her and escorted her back inside.

“What are you doing?” he demanded. “This crowd is nearly in riot!”

“I have not slept my darling,” she said. “Because of that Man.”

“Nor has any of Jerusalem, it seems,” Pilate answered, stroking her hair.

“No! You don’t understand,” she continued. “I have suffered terrible nightmares because of Him. You must have nothing to do with Him or else there will be a tragic consequence for us.”

“Nurse!” he shouted.

He ordered the nurse to take his wife back to her room. She was still crying as she left. But the crowd only grew louder…

“BARABBAS!”

“BARABBAS!”

“BARABBAS!”

Lucifer had not been so confident since the first days of the war after the fall of A’dam. He looked with approval at his angels working the crowds over, causing them to rave about Jesus and asking for His blood. He saw Pellecus standing with Pilate firming up his resolve. There was Kara with the priests, encouraging their mischief.

“Well, Most High,” he said, looking past the scene and up into the heavens, “It has come to this moment. In a few short earth hours it will all be over. And all of Your prophets and laws and covenants and messiahs will have been for nothing. I told You man’s free will would be Your downfall. I told You Your love would watch Your Son die! And so You shall!”

“Take Him in and scourge Him,” ordered Pilate.

His soldiers removed the white kingly robe Herod had given Him, and lashed His back the prescribed 39 times. They then fashioned a crown made of thorns and placed it upon His head. Not wanting to end the drama Herod had started, they threw a purple robe across His back, so that the blood would not be quite as evident. After the scourging, they led Him out once more.

“Behold the Man,” proclaimed Pilate. He then muttered to Lucius, “Perhaps seeing some blood on this Fellow will feed their appetites for execution.”

Lucifer, watching the drama, continued to foment a riotous and bloodthirsty attitude among the crowd.

“Drive them!” he ordered his angels. “Make them demand His blood!”

Rugio and Kara had, in the meantime, instigated a new chant in the minds of the priests and the people:

“CRUCIFY HIM!”

“CRUCIFY HIM!”

Pilate was astonished at the stubbornness of the crowd. He held up his hands again and told them, “You crucify Him yourselves. I find this Man innocent of the charges you have brought!”

Zichri walked over to Pilate, and bowing his head spoke.

“Sir, we are not trying to be troublesome to you,” he began. “But we have a law requiring the death sentence if someone proclaims himself to be the Son of God.”

“What?” said Pilate, shaken by this latest statement. He hurried to the entryway where Jesus had been removed, lest the crowds rush Him.

“Where are You from?” he demanded, sweat beading down his face.

Jesus said nothing.

“Don’t You see I am trying to
help
You”? he asked. “Don’t You see I have the power to release You or to have You killed?”

Jesus looked up at Pilate, the dried blood caking one eye.

“The only authority you have over Me is that which was given you by My Father,” he responded. “But those who delivered Me into your hands are guilty of a greater sin.”

Pilate returned to the throng outside. The day was already beginning to get warm, though it was only about eight. He addressed the people again.

“I will release this Man!”

Lucifer had positioned himself next to Zichri and spoke into his mind. At that moment, Zichri spoke up:

“If you release this Man, then you are no friend to Caesar. For whoever makes himself out to be a king, speaks against Caesar’s authority!”

Lucifer smiled at the incredulous look on Pilate’s face. He turned back to Lucius, who only shrugged as if to say he didn’t know what to do. Pilate looked at the angry crowd, the jealous priests and the bloody Man he was about to condemn to die.

“Very well,” he said, ordering Lucius to bring him a basin of water. “But first I am washing my hands to show you I am innocent in this Man’s blood.”