The Twelve

by D A Walmsley

  The servant agrees and repeats the line word for word. Annas knows he has something, for it was widely reported that the Galilean had said such a thing.

  “Well, what do you say in your defence?” demands Caiaphas.

  To Annas’ annoyance Jesus doesn’t answer the question.

  “Is this accusation against you true? Have you no answer?”

  Again Jesus is silent.

  “I remind you, you are under oath and must answer. Are you the Christ?”

  Some of the priests gasp.

  “I am,” says Jesus.

  Now everyone in the room gasps. Annas can’t believe what he has just heard.

  Jesus continues, “You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on clouds of heaven.”

  The priests gasp again. Annas watches on, proud as his son-in-law acts all horrified, even tearing his robes in disgust.

  “Blasphemy,” cries Caiaphas, “what further need do we have for other witnesses?”

  Annas is waiting in Caiaphas’ office when his son-in-law enters.

  “Bravo, Bravo,” Annas claps.

  “Too much?”

  “On the contrary, it was perfect.”

  “Thank you, it was made rather easy for me.”

  Caiaphas begins to take off his robes.

  “No, leave them on. I believe it will make for a very powerful image.”

  Now for the next part in Annas and Caiaphas’ plan. This is more tricky and involves Governor Pilate playing his part. Annas has already briefed the Governor earlier when he asked for troops during the arrest. Pilate was hardly in a position to turn it down, for if a riot had occurred his job could be on the line. He is aware that the Jewish Authorities want a Union death penalty; what he isn’t aware of is what crime has been committed. This has to be done right, so Annas selects five chief priests and elders to represent the Council and with an armed Temple guard, orders Jesus to be taken to the Union Headquarters for an audience with Pilate.

  Chapter 34

  “This should be far enough. Thanks.”

  “Are you sure, I can take you further?”

  “I’m good, the boss has friends here I can stay with.”

  “Keep safe, and I hope it works out for Jesus.”

  Simon gets out of the car and sets off walking, waving to the driver that may have just saved his life. What were the chances that someone sympathetic to Jesus would be driving along at the very moment he needed help. It was good to see a familiar face, even though he still can’t remember the man’s name.

  His heart is racing, his thoughts are still in the garden. They came with so much force, what could we have done? It would have been a bloodbath. And Peter, Peter? The only one to stand up to them. Running from Gethsemane, Simon desperately tried to think of somewhere safe. But he couldn’t, his brain was so scrambled. When the soldiers came he was sure it was for all of them and he still doesn’t know why they were spared.

  When the man asked where he wanted to go Simon hadn’t a clue, home to Capernaum was what his head was telling him. It was only when he saw a road sign for Emmaus that he knew where to go; hopefully he’ll be safe there.

  Emmaus is seven miles west of Jerusalem, no one will think of looking for him there. Walking to Cleopas’ home, Simon starts to feel safer, Lets hope Cleo is there.

  Not having a phone number and only ever visiting Cleo and Sarah his wife once with Jesus, Simon isn’t one hundred percent sure of the house number and he doesn’t really want to bang on several doors trying to find out. He does remember that it is a red door. Looking around he realises that in the dark he can’t tell colours apart. Good job he remembers the car. Parked in front of a house is a Golf Gti that James and John had once enviously admired.

  Simon knocks on the door, gently at first so as not disturb the neighbours. When nobody answers he’s forced to knock louder.

  “Who is it?”

  “Yo, Cleo, it’s me, Simon, let me in.”

  Simon can hear the chain being removed and the lock turned. Before the door is fully opened Simon squeezes in, leaving Cleo checking to see if Simon has been followed.

  “Don’t worry, I was careful.”

  Cleopas closes the door and locks it.

  “I’m glad you’re okay, what about the others?”

  Simon shakes his head, “I’ve not heard from anyone else, I daren’t use my phone in case…”

  “So, they finally got him.”

  Simon nods as he is shown into the living room. It’s dark but Cleo only puts on a small table lamp.

  “How? I don’t understand, I thought you were going for Passover meal together. No one even knew where you were eating or where you were going afterwards.”

  “Jude!”

  “What?”

  “The bastard set us up.”

  Cleo puts his hand to his mouth. “I don’t believe it, how could he?”

  His wife Sarah is talking on the phone and pauses to ask who was at the door.

  “It’s Simon,” he says. “who are you talking to?” Cleo whispers to her.

  “Hang on Salomé,” turning to her husband who now knows it’s James and John’s mother, nods back at her.

  “I need a drink, will you join me Simon?” asks Cleo.

  “Yeah, nice one.”

  “Don’t have any of that Hennessey I hear you like, hope good old Israeli whisky is okay?”

  “Sure,” Simon nods.

  As Cleo goes for the drinks, Simon sits down and listens in to Sarah’s conversation. It appears that Salomé, up in Capernaum, knows more about what is happening than he does.

  It seems so long ago that he was enjoying the evening. It’s almost unreal. Like he might wake up any second. Who’d have thought he’d have ended up running for his life.

  It has been a long time since Simon has felt this afraid or this helpless. As he ran, his mind had drifted back to the time he and Flatpack had escaped from the Caleb rally. Has anything really changed? He thought Jesus was the real deal. Why else would he give up his old life back in Capernaum and travel the country with collectors if he didn’t. Surely he hadn’t been wrong about Jesus. I mean the guy raised the dead. Who else could do that except the Messiah? No one that’s who! Yet here I am, questioning everything that has happened over the last two years and wondering if I was wrong all along. Why, why did Jesus allow himself to be arrested?

  Cleo comes in with two drinks, handing one to Simon. Good, the glass is full. He takes a sip, it’s not bad either. He downs half in one go.

  “I needed this, cheers.”

  When Sarah finishes on the phone she has tears running down her cheeks. “Salomé is coming straight down to Jerusalem, she is worried about John.”

  “Is he OK?” asks Cleo.

  “He’s in the palace courtyard with Peter. Well he was - Peter has disappeared.”

  “What are they doing there, are they mad?” Simon fears for them.

  “Any word on the others?”

  “Not yet.”

  As she speaks, there’s a knock at the door and Simon jumps. Cleo puts his finger to his lips before going to see who it is.

  “Hello?” he asks hesitantly.

  “It’s Andrew and Nathaniel.”

  Cleo quickly unlocks the door and lets them in.

  “We weren’t sure where to go, can we stay here awhile?”

  “Of course, I’m glad you’re both OK.”

  Andrew and Nathaniel enter the living room and smile when they see Simon.

  “Zealot, good to see you,” says Nathaniel.

  “We’ve been driving round, not knowing where to go,” says Andrew.

  “You two look terrible, let me make you a drink,” says Sarah as she switches on the TV. “Salomé told us the arrest is all over the news.”

  The ticker running along the bottom of the screen reads Breaking News. The Teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, arrested in midnight raid.

  Pictures from the helicopter have been released to t
he press. They show the moment when the forces enter the garden.

  The newsreader is giving the latest update…..“At about midnight, Temple guards, with support from Union soldiers, began the plan to arrest Jesus of Nazareth, the one people are claiming is the Messiah. The arrest took place at the Garden of Gethsemane, just outside the city. This station believes it was one of Jesus’ own team who led the Jewish Authorities right to him.”

  A picture of Jude is put on the screen.

  “Why? Why did you do it Jude?” asks Cleo.

  “We’ve been asking the same question,” says Nathaniel.

  “And we’ve no idea,” adds Andrew.

  “Why didn’t the boss do something? We know he could have, there is always a reason.”

  “Only he was always here to explain it,” Nathaniel points out.

  The news is now showing footage from Gethsemane, “during the arrest one of the accompanying priest’s assistants was seriously injured.” says the news anchor.

  “He was healed you stupid idiot,” shouts Nathaniel to the TV, “they won’t say that.”

  Now footage from the inner courtyard is being shown.

  “Hey, Andy, isn’t that Peter?” asks Cleo.

  The camera zooms in on Peter.

  “You’re crazy! I don’t know the man.”

  “Oh, brother, what have you just said?”

  “Didn’t the boss say he would deny him?” asks Simon.

  “Yeah, you’re right, but I never thought for a second he would.”

  “Peter… who’d have thought he’d be the one to crack?”

  “First Jude then Peter. I wonder which one of us will be next?”

  “They won’t come after us will they? I mean what use are we?”

  “They might, you saw the pictures of Peter, they were after him.”

  The pictures of Peter disturb Simon and now he fears for John’s safety. This is turning into a nightmare, what else could go wrong?

  “Any word from the others?” asks Nathaniel.

  “John is at the palace, he went with Peter. He says he’s gonna stay there and hopes to get inside and see for himself what is happening.”

  “Who’d have thought John would be the one to risk hanging around the palace?”

  “John is tougher than you think. He can handle himself,” says Andrew.

  Simon has his doubts.

  Chapter 35

  The armoured escort, with priests and Temple guards, is readied and the transport truck starts up, waiting for its prisoner. With precision timing, Jesus is bundled into the back, the gates opened and the convoy sets off at high speed through the narrow streets.

  John had anticipated this might happen and he knows where they are taking Jesus; the barracks. Nothing gets done in Jerusalem without Pilate’s approval.

  From overheard conversations and several phone calls, John has found out what happened to Peter. Although he is shocked that Peter, of all people could deny that he even knew Jesus, John isn’t as surprised as the others will be. There is a tension in the air, a violent undercurrent that John has never felt before in his life. You would think a palace owned and run by priests would be a joyful place. This one has evil lurking in every corner. He can sense it and it gives him the shivers. Only he doesn’t feel scared, actually he’s too numb to be frightened by all this. It happened so fast, one minute they are having a great time, the next? He does wonder why he hasn’t been called out? Part of him, only a tiny part, is disappointed that he hasn’t been recognised. Should he have made a bigger impression?

  It is one thing guessing what might happen next and another thing staying close to Jesus. Thank goodness for the boss’s secret followers. As John stands away from the press and staff, pretending to be on his phone, a mysterious priest dressed all in black discreetly hands him an envelope. The contents give him everything he needs; not only is there a press pass Access All Areas but also a Union pass to enter the barracks. He clips his pass onto his jacket; now he just has to remember he is called Isaac Joshua Kelson.

  As the transport truck leaves, the press scramble to their cars in hot pursuit. John, not really wanting to walk, figures he might as well blag a lift. If they guess who he is really is, what’s the worst they can do? Write about it!

  He confidently gets in a press car with three others. They all stare at him.

  “Come on, they are getting away,” he points and gets out his phone and pretends to be typing out an email.

  “I haven’t seen you around. Who are you with?” asks the man sitting next to him.

  John looks down at his pass, “Galilee Gazette.”

  “Thought I recognised you” says the driver, looking in the mirror.

  It’s only a few minutes to the barracks and the driver isn’t far behind the truck convoy when they arrive. They have to stop and show their passes. John waves his in the direction of the soldier while keeping his head low. They are allowed through, park up and all four run to the steps of the Governors quarters. Soldiers have pulled Jesus out of the truck and are just about to take him inside along with some temple guards.

  “Wait,” says a priest who is accompanying them.

  “We are not allowed into an unclean Gentile building, and especially not during a festival.” says another.

  A soldier reluctantly goes to inform his commanding officer.

  The hairs on the back of John’s neck stand on end as he recognises the priests. He hangs back, putting other reporters in his way and luckily he is close enough to hear what is being said.

  After a few tense minutes Governor Pilate appears at the top of the steps.

  “What do you accuse this man of?” he demands.

  “We would not have brought him to you if he had not committed a crime,” says a chief priest.

  “Then you take him and try him according to your laws.”

  “We are not allowed to put anyone to death.”

  Pilate beckons Jesus towards him. “Are you the King of the Jews?”

  “Does that question come from you, or have others told you about me?” says Jesus.

  “Look, I am not a Jew, your nation and priests delivered you to me. So what is it that you have done?”

  “My Kingdom does not belong to this world; if my Kingdom did, then my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish Authorities. No, my Kingdom does not belong here!”

  “So, you are a King!”

  “You say that I am a King. I was born and came into the world for this one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me.”

  “Truth! What is truth?”

  Pilate takes Jesus to the priests. “I can’t find any reason to condemn this man.”

  “This man goes around the country teaching and starting a riot amongst the people,” the priests insist. “He started in Galilee and now he has come to Judea.”

  “Not true,” says John a bit too loud. Luckily only the reporter standing next to him overhears and smiles.

  “Is this man a Galilean?” asks Pilate.

  “Yes Governor.”

  “Then Herod can rule on this matter.”

  Suddenly there is movement again, the reporters all start to rush back to their cars. John follows, and as he’s getting in the car asks, “why Herod?”

  “Herod’s in Jerusalem for the festival,” says one of the reporters.

  John has a really bad feeling about this. Herod is a nut-case, he kills people for fun. John thought Pilate hated Herod, or that’s what the media says.

  “Why is Herod down here anyway, your Galilee not sophisticated enough for him hey Isaac?”

  John smiles, he doesn’t know the answer, luckily one of the others replies.

  “I heard that Herod likes to party at the festivals. Don’t be surprised if he’s too drunk to do anything.”

  John hopes that’s the case, maybe Jesus has a chance after all.

  The cars follow the convoy into Herod’s palace. Again guards che
ck their passes before showing the driver where to park. John starts to wish he’d run home from the garden, this is all too much. Here he is so vulnerable, this was a big mistake.

  Whereas Pilate was courteous to the priests, meeting them outside, Herod is having none of it. His soldiers take hold of Jesus and escort him into the palace.

  “Well, do you lot refuse to enter a Gentile building like that lot,” a soldier says to the group of reporters, pointing to the chief priests.

  “Not a chance,” says the reporters, accepting the invitation.

  John follows, he can’t believe he is actually setting foot in Herod’s palace. Looking around he doesn’t think he’s ever seen so much gold, it’s everywhere.

  He, along with the other press are shown into a grand hall.

  “Wow,” says John, looking up at the painted ceiling and huge chandelier.

  Herod is sitting on a gold throne at the far end of the hall. In front of him stands Jesus, between two soldiers.

  “That’s far enough,” says a soldier, stopping the press from getting closer.

  Herod seems to be in a good mood. He laughs as a captain whispers in his ear.

  “It is him, oh I was so hoping Pilate had sent me the teacher or should I say King of the Jews?” Herod looks to Jesus, “I have heard much about you. If it had been someone else, I would have been so disappointed. Go on, entertain me. Perhaps you can perform a miracle for me, or say something wonderfully prophetic, like you said about the Temple.”

  John doesn’t think Jesus will play along. He doesn’t, he bows his head and stays silent.

  “Oh, come now, don’t be shy, give me just a small miracle, a glass of water into wine perhaps?”

  John is relieved when Herod leans back in his chair and waves everybody away.

  “I’m tired of this, send him back to Pilate. I find no evidence to convince me for an execution.”

  The soldiers take hold of Jesus and turn when Herod shouts, “on second thoughts…”

  John’s heart misses a beat. Jesus almost survived but by the glint in Herod’s eye he’s up to something.

  “If Jesus thinks he’s a ruler, maybe he should dress like a ruler.”

  The Captain moves forward and is given some instructions after which Jesus is led away through a side door.