Final Confrontation

by D. Brian Shafer

  “Rabbi?”

  Jesus turned to see a group of Pharisees standing near a well off to the side of the road they were taking through the region of Ephraim. The disciples, weary from the trip and ready to get to Jerusalem for the Passover, were not ready to be patient with these men. Peter turned to say something, but Jesus held His hand up to keep him quiet.

  “Yes,” answered Jesus. “What is it?”

  “Rabbi, You honor us by moving through our land,” one of them said. “We would ask You to further honor us by joining us in some refreshment.”

  “My Lord we must push on if we are ever to get to Jerusalem,” said Judas, who had pushed through the other disciples to see what was happening.

  “Be patient, Judas,” said Jesus. “I shall arrive in Jerusalem in plenty of time for the feast.”

  Judas shook his head and resignedly sat at the side of the road. Jesus walked to the Pharisees and sat with them. After a few moments of bread and freshly drawn water, they began discussing points of His teaching. One of them, Shallah, an acquaintance of Zichri, finally stood, his black robe billowing in the wind.

  “Rabbi, You speak of a Kingdom and yet we see no Kingdom,” he began. “We too believe the Lord will one day restore our nation. But we know only God Himself knows when this shall be. May we ask when Your Kingdom shall come?”

  Judas perked up at this question. His interest was not lost on Shallah, who had been told by Zichri to observe the peculiarities of the different disciples, especially the one called Judas. Jesus considered Shallah’s question and then proceeded to answer him.

  “Do you really believe that the Kingdom of God is something that you can observe with your eyes?” He asked them. “You cannot simply say, ‘There it is!’ or ‘Over there!’ No! The Kingdom of God is within you.”

  Jesus watched as Lucifer suddenly appeared with several demons, who began mixing in with the Pharisees, attempting to stir them up. Lucifer ignored the customary warrior angels who accompanied Jesus and the disciples, and instead wandered over near Judas. It was quite evident now to Jesus who His betrayer would be.

  “I wonder the value of a Kingdom born from within?” Lucifer purred in Judas’ increasingly frustrated heart.

  Judas shifted uncomfortably. Jesus turned back to His disciples and continued teaching, loudly enough for the Pharisees and others milling around to hear.

  “I tell you all, the time will come when people will search for the Son of Man but He will not be found! And just like these who are seeking a Kingdom of this world, people will run all about saying, ‘Look! There He is!’”

  Jesus shook His head.

  “But don’t you go after them. I promise you that the day of the Son of Man shall be like lightning that flashes in the sky lighting it up from one end to the other!” Turning to the Pharisees, He added, “But first He must be rejected by His own people and suffer much at their hands.”

  Shallah scoffed at these words.

  “Look here,” he said. “Either You are here to establish a Kingdom or You are not. Why do You deceive these poor men who follow You? Go home! All of you! You are wasting your time here!”

  Judas looked up and saw only the fixed gazes of resolve on the faces of the disciples. His own face belied his true feelings.

  “Enough of this Kingdom from within,” Lucifer spoke, sitting next to Judas. “The priests are correct. You are wasting your time with these unlettered men!”

  “When the Son of Man does come, it will be very much like it was in Noah’s day,” Jesus continued. “They were going about their business as usual—eating, drinking, buying, selling, marrying…”

  “Doesn’t sound so bad to me!” someone called from the crowd of onlookers.

  The people laughed.

  “Ah, but think about it,” said Jesus, looking at the young man who had made the comment. “It was all well and good until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and swept all the people away. Same with Sodom. It was well with Sodom until the day Lot departed—and then the city was overthrown!”

  He turned back toward His disciples.

  “This is how it shall be when the Son of Man is revealed. Two people shall be in one bed, but one shall be taken and one shall not! Or two women shall be working together, but only one of them shall be taken. The other shall be left!”

  “And where will this take place?” asked Shallah.

  “Wherever the dead remain, that is where the vultures gather.”

  “He speaks in riddles as always,” said Lucifer. “He is leading you to destruction…”

  Judas stood to join the group as they continued on their way. Nathaniel waited for him and the two walked together behind the others.

  “Where to?” asked Judas. “Jerusalem?”

  “Not yet,” said Nathaniel wearily. “Jericho.”

  “Ah, Jericho,” said Judas sarcastically. “I wonder if the walls are still down?”

  Nathaniel smiled at him and said, “Come on!”

  CHAPTER 16

  “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

  Chronicles of the Host

  Death Foretold

  Jesus did indeed lead the disciples through Jericho, where they encountered a blind man by the name of Bartimeus. Moved by the man’s plight, Jesus instructed him that his faith had healed him—and he was able to see again!

  The Host always enjoyed Jesus working with the people who needed Him so desperately. One man, a rather nasty character named Zachaeus, actually climbed a tree in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus as He passed by. The Lord rewarded him by coming to his house for fellowship! Jericho was a wonderful time of watching the Lord at work. We could not have known, however, that in leaving Jericho, He would indeed begin His final journey north…to Jerusalem…

  “How is your little task coming along?” asked Kara, as Lucifer followed the twelve disciples who moved up the road from Jericho. Judas, as usual, lagged behind the others. He preferred his own company these days and was seriously considering leaving the band of disciples altogether.

  “Judas?” asked Lucifer. “See for yourself. He is increasingly vexed and withdrawn. But I have very little to do with this change of heart.”

  Kara and Lucifer continued walking along. From time to time a holy angel moved in close as if to ascertain their movements, and then pulled out again. Kara would scowl at or curse them.

  “So Judas is a natural traitor?” asked Kara. “Interesting.”

  “As natural as anyone with freedom to choose his destiny,” said Lucifer. “He grows weaker by the day in his love for Jesus. And I can feel his envy of the others for their closeness to Him. But mostly it is Jesus’ own teachings that are driving him away.”

  “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done,” scoffed Kara. “Sounds as if Judas will not bend to that will!”

  “Why should he?” asked Lucifer. “Judas has ambition to live. He follows a Man whose ambition is to die. Judas seeks position and prominence. His Master teaches humility and prudence. Judas seeks a Kingdom from without. Jesus promises a Kingdom from within.”

  “Quite a dilemma,” agreed Kara. “But delightful.”

  “It is the talk of death that will push him over,” said Lucifer matter-of-factly. “Just listen to the Man! How could anyone with even a spot of ambition follow such a depressing scoundrel?”

  They listened in as Jesus continued speaking.

  “Thus it must be,” He said. “We shall go to Jerusalem and I shall be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes and I shall be condemned to death.”

  The disciples looked at each other, but said nothing. They had learned long ago they didn’t always understand what Jesus was saying. They comforted each other with the possibility that Jesus was speaking in parables once more.

  “I will then be turned over to the Gentile rulers who shall mock and scourge Me and then crucify Me.”

  He stopped and turned to His disciples.

  “But on the third day, the Son of Man shall rise
again!”

  “Rise again?” asked Kara nervously. “Is that possible?”

  “Of course not,” said Lucifer. “I believe the Lord has positioned Himself in a very compromising situation. No, Kara. Jesus will die. And when He does the dream shall die with Him.” He laughed. “He saved others. But how could He possibly save Himself?”

  “By God the Father, of course,” said Kara.

  “Exactly,” said Lucifer. “And that is precisely the position wherein He has compromised Himself.”

  “How so, my prince?” asked Kara hopefully.

  “I never really understood until Jesus said that He and the Father were One. And as you pointed out, the Father would most likely save the Son. There is, however, one major flaw with that possibility.”

  “And that is?” asked Kara.

  “In this case, the Father is the Son!”

  Kara nodded in understanding.

  “So if Jesus dies…”

  “Then the possibility of the Father saving Him dies with Him!”

  “Judas!”

  “Yes, my Lord?” Judas answered.

  “Do not rebuke Mary,” Jesus said.

  “But Master, this perfume is very expensive. It might have been sold and the money given to the poor! Instead she has wasted it by drenching Your feet with it!”

  Jesus gave Mary a reassuring look. He turned back to Judas. They were in the room of Lazarus’ house where they had met for a celebration. Bethany was situated close enough to Jerusalem that Jesus had decided to stay there during the week. He knew the Jews in Jerusalem were watching for Him, and preferred to stay away from the Holy City during the evening.

  “Judas, Mary is anointing Me as one would anoint a person for burial. The poor shall always be here. But I will not!”

  Judas stood silently, excusing himself from the room. He walked outside, where he saw a group of men talking. He had become weary of the gawkers and beggars—somebody always wanting something. That was how he justified his own stealing of the funds from the ministry. In fact, the reason he was upset with Mary was that he had hoped to sell the precious perfume and take some of the money for himself.

  After all, why shouldn’t he? Jesus had not come through with His promise. Where was the Kingdom He spoke of? Three years he had followed this Man; sleeping on the cold ground; going hungry at times; being persecuted by his countrymen.

  And for what? So they could wander from place to place in search of a door that would open to them for the night? He was more than justified in stealing some of the money. He looked at it as earned rather than stolen.

  “Such a waste of money,” came a voice. “All of that perfume wasted on His feet when you might have taken your rightful share.”

  Judas groaned under his breath.

  “What difference does it make if Jesus only lives to die?”

  Judas walked down the path away from the city to where Lazarus’ now empty tombs was. He looked at the tomb. Jesus was certainly an extraordinary Man.

  “Jesus, You are wonderful,” Judas admitted out loud, speaking toward the tomb. “I must admit it. I have seen many miracles in my time with You. I came to You and You accepted me—something not too many people had done in my life. And You promised everything to us—though it cost everything. And we agreed!”

  He was pacing in front of the tomb now as he spoke.

  “And yet the Kingdom delays…”

  “But where is the Kingdom You promised?” he asked aloud. “I would follow You anywhere, if You were truly headed to some glorious place. But You speak of nothing but death these days. Where is the glory in death? Are we to die as well?”

  Judas looked down at his feet and saw evidence of the bandages from just a few days earlier. He picked one up and held it.

  “Is it not time to put an end to all of this?”

  Judas looked around, embarrassed at his thought, as if someone might have heard him thinking such a thing. And yet, he felt an odd agreement with the notion. Perhaps it was time he got out. Maybe he should return to his home…

  “You could become a legend yourself…You could even profit by the end of this nonsense by serving a true kingdom—a kingdom of this world…”

  Judas dropped the linen binding and tried to shake off the feeling he was having. He trembled as he thought about the possibility of being used as an instrument for the destruction of Jesus. Could it be? Was it better for the nation that Jesus perish and His false hope of an invisible Kingdom perish with Him?

  “If He were truly God, would not the priests be in agreement with Him?”

  That was it! Perhaps the chief priests would have an answer for him. Perhaps he should seek them out for counsel on how he should dispel this whole business. Was it not prudent to seek the counsel of the custodians of the faith?

  “Seek out the priests and see a true kingdom arise…”

  “Judas! Come along!” Andrew called out.

  “Coming,” said Judas.

  He looked about him as if he wanted to make sure he was quite alone even though he had spoken to no one. He then trotted up the path to join the others.

  Berenius and Kara were standing near the tomb. Lucifer stood on top of the rocky opening. Kara was nodding his head in approval at Berenius’ performance.

  “Very good, Berenius,” he said. “I think you captured his mind magnificently.”

  “True,” said Berenius. “But it will be up to Lucifer to capture his heart.”

  “All in due time,” Lucifer said. “For now, we must develop a way for Judas to meet with some of Zichri’s scouts.”

  He glided down to the entrance of the empty tomb.

  “I assure you both this tomb shall host Lazarus’ rotting flesh again. Only this time there shall be no Messiah to interfere.” He smiled at them. “I would say this should prove to be a most interesting Passover!”

  Jesus had decided on Bethany as the place from where He would journey to Jerusalem each day during the Passover Week. Situated on the far slope of the Mount of Olives, He was comfortable with the place where Mary and Martha lived and where He raised their brother and His friend, Lazarus, from the dead.

  It was also in keeping with tradition, as well as by order of the security-conscious Romans, that pilgrims attending the annual feast should only remain in the city during the day. In the evening they were to spend the night in outlying cities or in the hills. That first morning of the week, Jesus set out toward the Holy City. His journey brought Him, along with His disciples, over the top of the Mount of Olives and then down its western slope leading to the great city below. The view of the ancient city, that had played so long in the hearts and minds of the people of Israel, was spectacular!

  Directly below was the Necropolis—the “city of the dead”—a graveyard that had been in place long before Jesus was on the earth. The disciples could not help but feel uncomfortable surveying the vast cemetery in light of Jesus’ insistence He would soon die at the hands of the chief priests and the Gentiles.

  From here they continued on through the groves of olive trees and down into the Kidron Valley leading to a great wall—the platform built by Herod the Great called the Royal Porch, which encircled the Temple. It was here, on the eastern side of the city, through the gate called Beautiful, that Jesus would make His entry into the city.

  A.D.33

  Monday, the Last Week

  The Temple

  “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

  “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

  The crowds lined the streets to see the entrance of the Man from Galilee of whom they had heard so much. Filled with the faithful who had journeyed to Jerusalem for the Passover Week, the city welcomed Jesus as their hero. Many of them gathered near the road leading through the Beautiful Gate and lay palm branches down—symbols of joy and celebration. But not all of Jerusalem celebrated.

  Zichri stood on the Royal Porch with several other high ranking priests watching Jesus enter the city. From time to
time he looked at people rushing toward the throng with palm leaves and shouting, “Hosanna!” He gave a look to the others and walked off. They followed him along the porch and entered the Temple. Walking through the outer courts, he brought them to the Court of Priests, where they could talk in private.

  Unseen by them, Berenius, under strict orders from Kara to keep the pressure on these men to destroy Jesus, followed along.

  The whole court was abuzz with priests excitedly talking about the stirring in the city. Zichri was disgusted by what he saw in his fellow priests. He was also alarmed as he heard activity in the Antonia, which suggested that soldiers were being dispatched to keep order.

  “This Fellow is going to see all of us destroyed,” he said, as a priest hurried by to catch a glimpse of the Miracle Worker. “And these fools want to see who He is!”

  “Caiaphas is aware, of course?” Zechar, one of the priests, asked.

  “How could he not be?” Zichri snorted. “The time for action is rapidly approaching. Caiaphas is convening a meeting with some of the Herodians to determine if there is something we can do jointly.”

  “The High Priest and the Herodians?” asked Zeruiah, another priest. “Quite an unlikely alliance, isn’t it?”

  “These are unlikely times,” said Zichri. “But a bit of good news in all of this is about to be reported, I believe.”

  He indiciated Shallah, who had just returned from gathering information on the disciples. He joined the group in the inner court. Zichri smiled as Shallah approached.

  “Tell us the news, Shallah.” demanded Zichri.

  “As you can hear, the city has opened its arms for Him,” said Shallah. “The Man is immensely popular with the ignorant and unlettered. And his disciples are completely supportive of Him. That is, eleven of them are…”

  “Is it the one we have heard of?” asked Zichri.

  “Yes,” said Shallah. “You can report to the High Priest that if there is any disciple who is ripe for betrayal, it is the man Judas. He is different from the others. And seems to be nearing the end of his patience.”