Killing Jesus: A History (18 page)

Prior to Caiaphas, high priests were puppets of Rome, easily replaced for acts of insubordination. But Caiaphas, a member of the Sadducee sect, has developed a simple and brilliant technique to remain in power: stay out of Rome’s business.

Rome, in turn, usually stays out of the Temple’s business.

The former helps Pilate keep his job. The latter increases Caiaphas’s power.

Both men know this and are comfortable with the arrangement. So while Caiaphas’s four predecessors served just one year as high priest before being deposed, Caiaphas has now been in office for a dozen years—and shows no sign of going anywhere soon. And every year he is in power, the connection between Rome and the Temple grows stronger, even as the chasm between the high priest and the working-class Jews grows wider.

It helps that Pilate and Caiaphas are more alike than they are different. Pilate was born into the wealthy equestrian class of Romans,
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and Caiaphas was born into a centuries-long lineage of wealthy Temple priests. Both men are middle-aged and married. Each likely enjoys a glass of imported wine at the end of the day. When Pilate is in Jerusalem, the two men live just a few hundred yards apart, in the posh Upper City, in palaces staffed by male and female slaves. And they consider themselves devout men, though they worship far different deities.

The last thing Pilate or Caiaphas needs is a messianic figure to upset this careful balance of power—which is precisely why Caiaphas and the religious authorities plan to arrest Jesus the minute he sets foot inside the Holy City.

The Pharisees have done their due diligence and have reported back a litany of transgressions against religious law by the Nazarene. The plot to kill Jesus is about to unfold.

*   *   *

But Jesus has other plans.

He has returned from his brief time in Caesarea Philippi and now remains in Galilee, even as the disciples travel to Jerusalem for the festival. The disciples are so eager for Jesus to come with them and publicly announce that he is the Christ that they try to give him a piece of advice, something they’ve never done before.

“Go to Jerusalem,” they beg before setting out. “No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”
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“The right time for me has not yet come,” Jesus answers. “For you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the feast. I am not going, because for me the right time has not yet come.”

The religious leaders in Jerusalem remember the disciples’ faces from their mission to Galilee in the spring. So when they see the disciples enter the city without Jesus, they are immediately frustrated. Once again, Jesus appears to be getting the best of them.

“Where is that man?” the Pharisees ask one another, studying faces in the crowds filling the Temple courts. “Where is that man?”

Rumors about Jesus swirl as the feast begins. The people in the villages and towns surrounding Jerusalem know little about him, other than from rumor. Many believe the innuendo is being spread by the religious authorities in an attempt to portray Jesus as a demon and a charlatan. Pilgrims from Galilee, however, rave about Jesus’s goodness. Others, meanwhile, gossip that Jesus is now being hunted.

For days, speculation spreads through the city. No one has an answer about where Jesus is, not even his own disciples.

The Feast of the Tabernacles is eight days long, and it is halfway through the celebration that Jesus slips quietly into the Temple courts. He has traveled in secret to Jerusalem. Jesus fearlessly begins to teach. There has been an aura of sadness about him in recent months, a greater need to be alone. He speaks more and more in parables when he teaches, knowing that such stories are far more memorable and provide more context than merely quoting Scripture. Above all, he seems to be coming to terms with the imminent death of which he told his disciples.

But that time has not yet come, so now, within earshot of the sanctuary, easily heard and seen by any passing Pharisee or Sadducee, Jesus boldly preaches about truth and justice. Within moments, a circle of pilgrims stands before him, listening in amazement as Jesus shares his insights about God.

“Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?” ask some in the crowd.

“Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ?” ask others.

This idea is met with skepticism. For it is hard to imagine that the Christ would come from a backwater province such as Galilee. Instead, he would be from Bethlehem, the city of David, as told by the prophets. “We know where this one is from.”

“Yes, you know me,” Jesus answers, hearing their words. “And you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him, because I am from him and he sent me.”

Jesus is on the verge of admitting that he is the Christ. The Pharisees and high priests send the Temple guards to arrest him for blasphemy. But the guards return empty-handed and then stand before Caiaphas and the Pharisees, unable to explain their failure to do so. Standing among these chief priests is Nicodemus, the Pharisee from Galilee who questioned Jesus about being born again. “Why didn’t you bring him in?” the high priests demand to know.

“No one ever spoke the way this man does,” a guard explains.

“You mean he has deceived you also?” demand the Pharisees. Their rage is so profound that they forget their place, for only the high priests are allowed to ask questions within the Temple.

Nicodemus steps forward. “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”

The other religious leaders quickly turn on Nicodemus, insulting him even though he is one of their own.

“You are from Galilee?” they say with scorn. “A prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

*   *   *

Jesus continues to teach in the Temple courts for the rest of the festival. “I am the light of the world,” he tells the crowds. “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

“I am going away,” he adds. “Where I go you cannot come.” And soon after, he disappears. As pilgrims travel back to their homes—whether they be in Egypt, Syria, Galilee, Greece, Gaul, or Rome—they talk about Jesus. Many now believe that Jesus is indeed the Christ. Others are not sure, but they heard his pronouncements that he was sent by God and desperately want to put their faith in the Nazarene.

Whether or not they believe Jesus is the Christ, Jews everywhere long for the coming of a messiah. When that moment arrives, Rome will be defeated and their lives will be free of taxation and want. No longer will soldiers loyal to Rome be allowed to corral Jews like cattle, then stab and beat them until the gutters of their Holy City are choked with Jewish blood, as Pilate so infamously arranged. For these people, this hope is like a lifeline, giving them courage in the face of Rome’s unrelenting cruelty.

Only the Christ can lead them. The prophets have promised that such a man will come. And to be sure, Jesus has made several allusions to being the Jewish Messiah. He talks about his father and that he came from above. But he hasn’t come out and publicly said the words “I am the Christ.”

Jesus has appeared in the Temple courts many times, defying the priests and Pharisees whenever given the chance. He is powerful and confident, as a leader should be. If Jesus is the Messiah who will come to save the Jewish people, then let him reveal himself. Some are growing impatient.

The less literate among the pilgrims are waiting for a verbal pronouncement from Jesus. The more enlightened don’t need to hear the words; they are simply waiting for the moment when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. Then and only then will they be sure that he is the one true Christ.

“See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation,” the prophet Zechariah predicted five hundred years ago, “gentle and riding on a donkey.”

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Each and every member of the Sanhedrin knows the words of Zechariah. Months have passed since the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, and they gather now, seventy-one religious authorities strong, in a special meeting chamber known as the Hall of Hewn Stones. Opulent and regal, the place of legal judgment rests near the north wall of the Temple Mount. Half of it is inside the sanctuary and half outside. Doors lead into the room from either direction. As its name suggests, iron implements were used in its construction, making the hall unsuitable for ritual worship.
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The Sanhedrin is the ultimate Jewish religious court, a body of men even more powerful than the tetrarch Antipas. And within this chamber, Caiaphas holds the ultimate authority.

Pontius Pilate is now safely back at his seaside palace in Caesarea,
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destined not to return to Jerusalem until April and the Passover celebration. Jesus is reported to have left Galilee, destined for parts unknown. Witnesses say he is performing miracles once again. In one startling account out of the town of Bethany, a man named Lazarus came back from the dead. And Lazarus was not recently deceased. He was four days dead and already laid in the tomb when Jesus is said to have healed him before a great crowd.

Lazarus’s body already reeked of decomposition when Jesus ordered that the stone covering the tomb entrance be rolled away. This was not just an act of healing but a display of powers far beyond those of a normal human being.

“Here is this man performing many miraculous signs,” a Pharisee says. “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

Caiaphas agrees. “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

Nothing more needs to be said.

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Whether knowingly or unknowingly, Jesus has led a life that is a continual fulfillment of Jewish prophecy. He was born a Jew. His lineage is that of David. A great star rose in the morning sky as he was being born in Bethlehem. It could be argued that as he grew and learned Scripture, he intentionally began contriving his actions and words to mimic the prophets’ predictions. And now comes the ultimate symbol: if Jesus chooses to ride into Jerusalem at Passover astride a donkey, he will be sending a powerful message. As the prophet Zechariah wrote, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

Fulfilling Zechariah’s prediction would be easy. Donkeys are everywhere in Judea. Jesus would simply have to tell a disciple to bring one to him.

At the age of thirty-six, Jesus is clever enough to act out any prophecy. His understanding of faith is profound and his knowledge of Scripture encyclopedic.

But Jesus would be a fool to ride a donkey into Jerusalem. That would be a death sentence. For while the prophets have been very specific about the way the king of the Jews would be born and live his life, they are just as clear about how he will die.

He will be falsely accused of crimes he did not commit.

He will be beaten.

He will be spat upon.

He will be stripped, and soldiers will throw dice to bid for his clothing.

He will be crucified, with nails driven through his hands and feet—yet not a single one of his bones will be broken.

And those who love him will look on in mourning, unable to do anything to stop the agony.
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It is Sunday, April 2,
A.D.
30. Pontius Pilate has just returned to Jerusalem and taken up residence in Herod the Great’s palace. Herod Antipas, the tetrarch, arrives in the city and stays just a block away, at the Hasmonean Palace. At the same time, Caiaphas prepares for the biggest festival of the year at his palace home in the Upper City.

Passover week is now about to begin.

The disciples begin the search for a donkey.

Jesus of Nazareth has six days to live.

BOOK

III

If You Are the Son of God, Take Yourself off This Cross

CHAPTER TWELVE

OUTSIDE JERUSALEM
SUNDAY, APRIL 2, A.D. 30
AFTERNOON

The dusty dirt road from Galilee is once again clogged with Passover pilgrims eager to enter the walls of Jerusalem and put their journey behind them. The day is sunny, as it is so often this time of year. The travelers push past date palm plantations and the former winter palaces of Herod the Great in the lush oasis of Jericho. Small farming villages soon follow, where fruit orchards, vineyards, and olive trees grow alongside irrigated fields of vegetables. Many of the travelers stop here for their ritual
mikvah
, purifying themselves for the final three miles of the journey.

The purification process is vital to properly celebrating Passover. It creates a physical and emotional state of mind that prepares a worshipper to embrace God’s holiness—thus the need to arrive in Jerusalem almost a week before the holy day. Men will immerse in the
mikvah
, then cease having sex with their wives until after Passover, believing the act of ejaculation makes the body impure. Similarly, menstruating women will be unable to immerse in the
mikvah
and will also be forbidden from entering the Temple grounds. Touching a reptile also makes a body impure,
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and anyone coming in contact with a dead body or even having their shadow touch a dead body is immediately rendered impure and unable to celebrate Passover. This, of course, also applies to anyone who kills a person.