Final Confrontation

by D. Brian Shafer

  “Yes,” said Lucifer. “I told you once that the more knowledge of the Most High these humans gained, the more authority they would exert over us. As I see it there are two areas of attack that concern us. The first is John in prison.” He looked at Kara and added only, “See to it!”

  Kara nodded.

  “I thought perhaps a living memorial of their one-time prophet might serve our cause,” continued Lucifer. “Instead John’s followers persist. With John dead his followers will all but vanish. The same will happen to the followers of Jesus.”

  “You are proposing that Jesus be thrown into prison?” asked Kara timidly.

  “I am proposing we handle Jesus as we do His cousin.”

  “You mean…”

  “Murder,” said Lucifer coldly. “The trick of course is how to get to Jesus.”

  Kara began laughing.

  “You are suggesting we kill the Son of God?” asked Kara, exasperated now. He looked at Rugio. “Our chief warrior has just said that even a legion of his best cannot hold Him. How can we expect to kill Him?”

  “I am not suggesting we kill Jesus the Living God,” said Lucifer slyly. “I am suggesting we kill Jesus the living Man.”

  At that moment an aide to Rugio appeared in the room, begging to be received. Lucifer motioned for the angel to approach. Rugio was uncomfortable at the prospect of another bad report.

  “What is it, Olor,” said Rugio.

  “Jesus…He has…”

  “Well?”

  The angel stood up straight.

  “Jesus has just raised a dead boy at Nain. A widow’s son!”

  The three looked sullenly at Lucifer.

  “So now He not only heals the sick He is raising the dead as well,” he said finally.

  Lucifer stood from the table. “Now you see why it is expedient that Jesus die. Let Him heal the sick and raise the dead. But what shall His followers do when He is Himself a corpse? Raise Him up?”

  They laughed.

  “No, Jesus must die. Don’t forget that while He is the Lord incarnate, He is also a human. He will bleed just like any other human. And He will die.”

  “And the twelve?” asked Pellecus.

  “We need not be concerned with all twelve,” said Lucifer.

  Rugio looked at the others, then spoke up.

  “How so, my prince? If He has granted them all a measure of His authority…”

  “True, Rugio,” said Lucifer. “He has given a dozen men authority to act in His name. Let them. Let Him keep them all… except perhaps for one.”

  The others looked at him with puzzled expressions.

  “One?” repeated Pellecus. “What do you mean, my lord?”

  “All it takes is one,” said Lucifer, smiling at them.

  The demons shrieked and threw the woman down, making her froth around the lips. Matthew and Thomas tried to hold her fast, but Jesus told them to step aside. With one more command from Jesus, the devils screamed an oath and left. The woman was still trembling, but her countenance had already begun to change—especially around the eyes. She looked up curiously at Jesus.

  “Tend to her,” said Jesus. He gazed at the crowd as they called upon Him to heal this person or deliver that one from an evil spirit. The Galilean countryside was swarming with people with all sorts of afflictions, hoping the Man of miracles might work a miracle for them. The disciples tried to maintain some order, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

  “Thank you, my Lord,” said the woman, drinking the water offered to her by one of the disciples. “You have freed me and I will ever serve You.”

  Jesus looked down at her with compassion. As she stood, she dusted herself off. Suddenly she was ashamed. Her clothing gave her away as a local prostitute. She looked away from Him.

  “What is your name?” Jesus asked her.

  “I am Mary,” she answered softly. “Called Magdalene. But do not look upon me Lord, for I am unworthy.”

  “You are now a free woman,” said Jesus. “Now go and use your freedom to glorify your Father in Heaven.”

  “I will, my Lord,” she said, as he walked off. “I will ever serve You.”

  “All seven of them!” exclaimed Serus excitedly. He started laughing. “Some warriors they have on their side! Rugio will certainly be out.”

  “Yes, Serus. Seven devils were ordered out of the girl as a commander orders a soldier,” said Michael, who had come down to look after Jesus’ second excursion into Galilee. “But don’t be proud. It isn’t the work of the Host but of the Most High.”

  “His popularity in Galilee is unquestioned,” Serus said, looking at the smiling throng. “They love Him here.”

  They were following along the crowds, still amazed at how Jesus dealt with each person. Some He healed right away; others He sent along to be healed later. To still others He gave words of affirmation and wonderful teaching. All was going well.

  As they passed by a group of Pharisees, Jesus looked at them. They nodded politely as He passed. He suddenly stopped and turned His head, having perceived their thoughts. Standing in their midst was Achsan, a devil sent by Kara to stir up the Jewish leaders in Galilee. Michael and Serus spotted Achsan as well, who looked back at them with a harsh countenance. His pig-like face seemed out of place among men whose religion forbade the use of pork. Out of place…and yet strangely appropriate.

  “I know what you are thinking,” said Jesus.

  The crowds stood back from the Pharisees, hoping that they would exchange great wisdom with this Holy Man. Andrew and the other disciples stood cautiously aware of all that was happening, concerned that the crowds not press in too close to Jesus. There had already been numerous rumors of an impending attempt upon His life.

  The Pharisees looked up. Achsan ducked down among them, hurrying into the mind of the leader of the group who sneered at Jesus.

  “You were saying that I am casting out devils through the power of the chief devil,” continued Jesus. “Through the name of Beelzebub. It is with good reason he is called the Lord of the Flies. But hear me! A house divided against itself cannot stand. Satan knows this. If therefore by Satan I am casting out his own devils, then by Satan I am dividing his own kingdom.”

  Achsan was becoming increasingly agitated. Kara would not be pleased if Jesus got the better of these Jews. He tried to encourage the priests to answer back. But before they could even manage a thought, Jesus spoke again. Michael, ever alert to any possible move by the enemy, signaled other holy angels to move in around Jesus.

  “I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God!” continued Jesus. He pointed at the men. “And if you say I am casting out demons by Satan, or if you accuse Me of being in league with Satan, then you are committing blasphemy against the Holy Ghost—a sin that cannot be pardoned. You are a generation of vipers! All you speak is evil because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and corrupts you!”

  One of the young priests stepped out of the group and approached Jesus.

  “Then show us a sign!” he demanded. “That’s all we seek. Give us a reason to believe You.”

  The others grunted in agreement, and even a few of the bystanders muttered among themselves that this was a reasonable request. The disciples remained alert to the crowd. Michael and Serus were alert to enemies of other sorts.

  “Only an evil generation seeks a sign,” said Jesus. “And yet the only sign given will be the same one that was given to Jonah when he spent three days and nights in the belly of the great fish. The generation to whom he preached will rise up in condemnation of this One because they repented at his teaching and there is One in this present generation who is greater than Jonah!”

  The priests looked at each other, astonished at Jesus’ remarks. Jesus looked directly at Achsan, who was trying to remain aloof.

  “This is how it is,” continued Jesus. “When an unclean spirit leaves a man he departs for a while and then decides that he will perhaps attempt to reoccupy the same man. And when
he is allowed back in he finds the place clean and restored. But because he was allowed back in the man finds himself in a state seven times worse than when the spirit first left. This is how it is with all of you.”

  The men were astonished at Jesus’ authority. In fact, they could not even answer him. Achsan had by now abandoned the effort lest Jesus speak directly to him again. For their part, Michael and Serus enjoyed Jesus’ humbling of both men and angels.

  “He is making complete fools of the priests,” said Serus, watching the seething Pharisees. “They are dumbfounded!”

  “Yes,” said Michael, as they walked on past the priests, who were now accusing Jesus to anyone who might care to listen to them. “He is also making bitter enemies. I’m afraid our work shall become more urgent as this continues.”

  “I can assure you it will, archangel” came the voice of Achsan, who cursed the two angels and then vanished.

  Kara watched John’s slow demise in the cell in which Herod was keeping him. Too dangerous to set free and too popular to have executed, John represented a problem to the king. Nevertheless, for the sake of his wife and to placate her venom against the holy man, John was kept in custody. He would never tell her that, in comparison to some of the other prisoners in the Antonia, John lived in relative comfort.

  Looking at John, however, one would not be able to see much comfort in his circumstances. Herod allowed John’s disciples to attend to him occasionally, and they brought news to him of the outside world, particularly of the growing ministry of Jesus. In fact, John spoke of little else.

  “Look at him Berenius,” said Kara, standing near John. “Languishing in prison. A dreary end for one who came into the world so dramatically.”

  Berenius nodded in agreement, his grin casting an yellowish glow in the dark chamber seen only by Kara. He walked over to John and knelt down next to him. John’s eyes were bleary and his body was becoming increasingly emaciated. For the past several days he had refused food.

  “Is this how the Lord treats the forerunner of the Messiah?” asked Berenius mockingly. “I should be worried if I were Jesus!”

  Kara nodded.

  At that moment a heavy door could be heard opening and a small shaft of light pierced the room. Some words were exchanged from down a hallway followed by footsteps. It was one of John’s disciples, bringing him news and nourishment. The man moved past Kara and Berenius, oblivious of their presence and began cleaning John’s dirty face with a cloth he had brought with him.

  The man talked of Jerusalem and John’s family. He then began to speak of Jesus, telling John of His most recent excursion into Galilee. Ordinarily John was buoyed by the reports about Jesus. But this time he simply stared vacantly ahead. John finally turned his head toward the man.

  “Justus,” he said in a raspy voice.

  “Yes, I am here.”

  “Tell me something, Justus. Is this Jesus…is this Jesus of Nazareth the One we have been looking for?”

  Justus was surprised at the question.

  “Is He what?” he could only manage.

  “Is this the Christ?” John pleaded. “Or should we be looking for another?”

  Kara looked at Berenius and nodded approvingly.

  “He is giving way,” he said looking at the man. “He is slowly breaking. He cannot believe the One whose sandals he was unfit to tie should abandon him.”

  Berenius smiled.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” said Justus, confused at John’s question and becoming concerned about his mental state.

  “You must go to Him,” said John. “You must ask Him if He is the One or if another is coming. You must go to Him today.”

  The man nodded and agreed he would. He carefully placed fruit and bread near John, then left to do his bidding. John bowed his head low, alternately praying and weeping.

  “John is finished. That should put fear in the minds of the disciples, if nothing else,” said Bernius.

  “Finished, yes,” admitted Kara. “But much too slowly. Lucifer has ordered him destroyed. And soon.”

  Berenius grinned a knowing grin.

  “I do have a confession to make,” he said.

  “Go on,” said Kara suspiciously.

  “I have been seeding in the mind of Herodias against the day Lucifer orders John’s death,” Berenius said proudly.

  “Really?” said Kara, interested in the involvement of Herod’s wife who loathed John. “And…?”

  “Herod’s birthday celebration is coming up in a few weeks,” said Berenius. “And Herodias is planning quite a surprise for her husband.”

  Kara nodded with satisfaction.

  “I always liked surprises.”

  CHAPTER 10

  “A farmer went out to sow his seed…”

  “I have a story for you…”

  The fisherman’s boat from which Jesus spoke swayed gently in the water. The Sea of Galilee, well-fished by the disciples, was now host to the greatest Fisher of Men who ever lived. The crowd sat on the bank, enjoying the teaching of this remarkable Man whose healings and miracles were drawing people from all over. Young and old, men and woman, sick and well, rich and poor—all of them sat together as one taking in the teaching of this Galilean Holy Man.

  “A farmer went out to sow his seed,” Jesus continued.

  He acted out the motions of a man throwing seed here and there as if He were planting. The people smiled in amusement.

  “As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path where he was walking, and the birds quickly came and ate it up. Some fell on places that were rocky, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was very shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no chance to root. Other seed fell among thorns and weeds, which grew up and choked the little plants and overwhelmed them.”

  He patted a young boy on the head and smiled at him.

  “But…other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Now—he who has ears, let him hear.”

  The angels gathering in and around the crowd included Crispin, who loved to watch Jesus teach. In fact, he almost forgot himself, becoming one of the crowd rather than an angel on assignment. When he saw others of the Host scattered around the crowds, he nodded to them. Finally he saw Rufus, a fellow wisdom angel who taught at the Academy of the Host, escorting a group of angels who were observing Jesus.

  “Such brilliance!” said Crispin, as Rufus drew near. Rufus could only nod with enthusiasm at the simplicity of Jesus’ teaching which cut so deeply. The people were slow to disperse, watching for the next miracle, or talking among themselves about this recent teaching. Many of them did not quite understand the story of the farmer.”

  “He talks to them in these wonderful stories,” said Rufus, as the disciples broke off from the crowd and followed Jesus. “These parables which illustrate the point of His lesson in ways even humans can grasp.”

  “Only those who have ears to hear,” corrected Crispin. “Most of these are searching for a day’s meal rather than a life’s purpose and are thereby missing His point altogether. Even the disciples are having trouble with this one!”

  They followed along to a more remote spot on a hillside near the great lake which Andrew and Peter knew so well. As they sat down, the disciples began asking Jesus to interpret the story for them. Jesus looked up at the men into whose lives He was pouring His own.

  “You are given a great privilege,” He began, breaking off a piece of bread and eating. “To you is given the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. I speak in parables so that in hearing them they may not understand.”

  “But what good is a parable that cannot be understood?” asked Thomas. “What good is a secret that has no meaning?”

  “Thomas,” Jesus answered. “Those who truly have ears to hear shall hear; those who truly seek to understand will gain understanding. The secret of the Kingdom is that there is no secre
t!”

  The disciples looked at each other, nodding in agreement as if understanding, but most of them were still trying to figure out just what their Master meant. Crispin and Rufus, however, exchanged knowing glances.

  “Think of it this way. The seed the farmer was sowing was the Word of God. Those along the path are like the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the Word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the Word with joy when they hear it, but because they have no root—remember the soil was shallow—they believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.

  “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the Word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Don’t you understand?”

  They remained silent, so He continued.

  “Think of it this way: No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. That is what a light is for—to be seen by others. In the same way, there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Nothing! Therefore, consider carefully how you listen when I say that you must have ears to hear. For whoever has, will be given more; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”

  After the men reflected for a few moments, John looked at the others and then spoke.

  “That is why You say there are some who hear yet never hear,” he said. “Understanding the Kingdom is not as much a matter of the mind as it is the heart!”

  “Just so,” said Jesus, “although the Kingdom’s entrance is through the mind and the heart. It is through knowledge that one gains understanding. But one must first seek knowledge earnestly and with great passion.”