by Adam Winn
“I will send these instructions to our informants this morning,” Aaron replied. “And I know a few of them that I can trust to track this prophet down at night. I am quite confident that with our resources, we will be able to find his location in the evenings so that we can make an arrest.”
“I hope you are right, Brother. Much depends on it!” Caiaphas replied.
Eleazar spoke, “It seems to me it is also quite important to keep eyes on this man throughout the day. I know Pilate believes he seeks to force Rome’s hand into violence, and that he himself will not organize the people to such an end, but what if he is wrong? We must watch him closely and be prepared to act if it appears he is calling for open rebellion.”
“I agree,” replied Simeon. “Our observation must not only continue but ramp up. While informants will be useful, I think some trustworthy lower-level priests and Levites could also be used effectively. We might even seek the assistance of leading Pharisees. From what I gather, they are not friends of this prophet.”
“There is wisdom in these words,” replied Caiaphas. “I will delegate this task to you both. Find men you can trust, be they priests, Levites, or even Pharisees, and charge them with watching this man while he is in public. Get regular reports from them throughout the day, and if anything this prophet does appears remotely dangerous, have them alert you immediately. No doubt Pilate will have his own surveillance as well, but the more resources we have the better we will be able to control the outcome.”
After a brief pause, Ezra raised a concern. “Surely you have authority to arrest the prophet, but in order to bring him to Pilate and demand his death, you will need approval from the great council, will you not? We must follow our sacred customs.”
“Yes,” Caiaphas responded, “we will need the council’s support, and this is something to which I have given great thought. I have significant influence as president, yet to bring this man before Pilate for punishment of a capital crime I will still need the majority of the council to confirm his guilt. It would certainly be politically beneficial to have the council’s support.”
Eleazar interjected. “I am quite confident you could get a majority of the seventy-one members, Father. At least a third of the priestly members are loyal to you. We might be able to persuade the Pharisees and scribes to support you. As Simeon said, they are no friends of this prophet and might be eager to get rid of him.”
“Yes, it is likely we can gain a majority of the council, but we will have to work to assure it. Ezra, will you begin canvassing those priests who are loyal to my leadership? And Simeon, you have a good relationship with the Pharisee Jonathan. Meet with him, get a sense of his opinion of this prophet. Be discreet about our plans but probe to see how likely it would be for the Pharisees on the council to support the prophet’s removal.”
“What of Annas, Cousin?” Ezra asked. “Unfortunately, more of the priestly members are loyal to him than they are to you. If he is able to add some of the Pharisees or perhaps flip some of our priests to his side, he could cause a significant problem for us.”
“What indeed will Annas do?” Caiaphas asked, as if speaking to himself. “I wonder how he will play this situation. He meets with Pilate today, but the governor has agreed not to tell him of our plan. Pilate will tell him that he does not see this Jesus as a problem, and that he has no plans to arrest him.”
Shaking his head, Ezra interrupted, “Surely with this knowledge he will oppose us in order to curry favor with Pilate. It seems to me you have made a mistake, Cousin.”
“You may be right, Ezra,” Caiaphas replied calmly. “Perhaps he would resist our efforts. But he is more cunning than you think, and another option will be available to him. He could support me for the moment, particularly if he thinks I already have a majority of the council. Knowing that my action will be unpopular with the people, he might be willing to give me what he perceives to be just enough rope to hang myself. Then, when the people oppose me, his support will vanish and my downfall will be his chance to rise.”
“I think you are right, Brother,” affirmed Aaron. “Annas has never been one to make the obvious move. Subtlety has always been his preference.”
Ezra was not convinced. “You both give him too much credit,” he replied with mild disgust. “And in case you are wrong, we must be confident of our other allies.”
“Yes, of course, Cousin. We will make every effort to establish a majority without Annas. I trust you and Simeon can do so?” Caiaphas said.
“Of course,” said Simeon, exchanging a nod with Ezra.
“We must also discuss our role in this ruse,” Caiaphas went on. “For it to be successful, it must be convincing. If Pilate is to protest Jesus’ innocence, he must face formidable opposition for that protest to be believable. Not only will we need support from the council to vote in favor of the prophet’s guilt, but we will need to create a significant crowd to demand that Pilate support the council’s verdict.”
“The priests on the council that are loyal to you will be easy to convince,” Eleazar said. “They, with their attendants and clients, will make a sizeable crowd.”
“That is a good start, to be sure,” said Caiaphas, “but I think securing a commitment from the prominent Pharisees will also be important—and more difficult. But we could also use the priests that are loyal to Annas—here, again, his immediate support would be useful. No doubt he himself would avoid such a public display, but his loyal priests and their attendants would help amass a formidable crowd.”
“Should we then recruit for this purpose as well?” asked Simeon.
“Not explicitly,” answered Caiaphas. “We cannot betray our knowledge of what Pilate will do. But tell them we might need their support should Pilate not support the will of the council. Stress that we all must be willing to demand this man’s death should the Roman governor’s will prove weak. I think such an approach will be successful without arousing suspicion.”
Simeon and Ezra both nodded.
“It is also important that our demonstration be public. We need word of the events to spread throughout the city,” said Caiaphas. “Selling the narrative is just as important as creating it. No doubt the scene will draw onlookers. We must not push them away or limit their access but let them see all that transpires. We must rely on them for word to spread.”
“Informants can also help in this regard,” said Aaron. “We can place them strategically throughout the city, in prominent hotels, taverns, shops, and markets. We can instruct them to observe and spread the news of the morning’s events. The narrative should spread throughout the city like wildfire.”
“Excellent idea, Brother,” replied Caiaphas. “Without such publicizing, many might simply assume Rome is responsible for the prophet’s death. If so, this entire plan could fail.”
After they addressed a few more items, Caiaphas closed the meeting. “You all know your assigned tasks. We will reconvene tomorrow morning to assess our progress.”
Eleazar remained behind after the others had left. The meeting had tasked him with nothing more than finding men who would observe the prophet’s public actions—a duty he shared with Simeon. Surely, he was worthy of greater responsibilities than this.
As if reading his mind, his father spoke without looking at him. “You feel you have been overlooked in the delegations of duties?”
Eleazar had been planning his words carefully. “I am happy to serve in the way you have instructed, Father, but I had hoped to play a more prominent role in the execution of this plan. I believe I have shown my worth and have earned such an opportunity.”
His father looked at him thoughtfully and gave a slight smile. “You have indeed proven your worth, my son. I am proud of you, and perhaps I don’t tell you that enough. You hold your own quite well in these private counsels.”
He looked admiringly at Eleazar, something he rarely did, then went on: “Not to worry. I have not forgotten you or overlooked your abilities. I have two important roles for yo
u to play. First, in addition to appointing priests and Levites to watch this prophet, I want you to do the same. I want you to be my primary eyes and ears in the temple courtyards, where this man will no doubt be teaching the people. It was you who first saw his demonstration against the money changers, and you who brought me the report. I want you to continue to watch this man. Seek to better understand him and assess the level of threat he actually poses to us. I trust your judgment more than all the priests and Levites combined—I daresay more than even your uncles and cousin.”
The pride that filled Eleazar’s heart could not be concealed from his face. “I am happy to accept this assignment, and I am honored by it. What is the second task you would give me?”
“The second is greater than the first, and more dangerous.” Caiaphas paused, seemingly assessing his son’s reaction.
The words “greater” and “dangerous” sent a chill of excitement through Eleazar, causing the hair on his neck to stand up.
“I task you to lead the temple guard in the arrest of this prophet.”
Eleazar was stunned. Such a role was beyond what he had anticipated or could have imagined. The thought of a possible conflict with the prophet and his followers was invigorating. “I will do it!” he blurted.
With a weighty look, Caiaphas said, “This is no small task, and it involves an element of danger. We don’t know what you will encounter when you go to arrest him. Our plan will likely catch him by surprise, and there is no telling what a man will do in that situation. He and his followers are likely to resist, and there could be bloodshed. You must plan for this and be prepared to overcome it.”
His father’s words did not dissuade Eleazar in the least. In fact, there was a part of him that hoped his father was right. The thought of combat with zealot revolutionaries excited him! Though he had never faced real combat, he had trained for it since his youth. “I understand,” he replied. “I am honored by this appointment, and I will see it through.”
His father nodded—the look of pride was unmistakable. Then with great seriousness, he said, “For this assignment, you will wear my ring and bear my authority. This task is an opportunity for you to show your merit and earn great honor. Successful apprehension of this man will commend you to Pilate. Perhaps it will even give him confidence in you as one who might replace me when my time as high priest is over.”
With these words, Caiaphas’s purpose in making this appointment became crystal clear. This was more than honoring his son with a significant task; he was giving his son an opportunity to make his claim on the future office of the high priest itself. He had always told Eleazar that with the Romans, one could not count on heredity—merit was essential. Here was a chance for just such merit. Then and there, Eleazar swore to himself that he would not fail.
With resolve in his eyes and conviction in his heart, he said, “I hear you, Father, and I understand. I promise you I will not fail in this task.”
Caiaphas moved toward his son, embraced him, and said warmly, “I am confident you will not.”
CALEB
A day and a half had passed since the prophet Jesus had entered the city as a conquering king, and to Caleb’s amazement, nothing had come of it. No one had intervened to stop this man. No Roman soldiers had entered the temple courtyard. No arrests had been made. It was as if his actions had gone completely unnoticed, at least by the Roman governor.
But the people had certainly taken notice. He was all anyone talked about, and they all seemed to love him. Each day Jesus had come to the temple courtyard, and each day larger crowds gathered around him. They were mesmerized by his talk of the kingdom of God and his call for justice and true peace.
There were also naysayers. The most prominent Pharisees engaged him in debates over the proper interpretation and practice of the Torah, and these debates often ended in their public denouncement of Jesus. But such denouncements seemed to have no effect on the people. They seemed to favor Jesus’ interpretation of the Torah over that of the Pharisees—which no doubt irritated these teachers who had long held influence over the people. While priests also stood in the crowd, listening to his teachings, few ventured to engage him. When they did, it often did not go well for them. It was not that they lacked a legitimate viewpoint or argument; rather, the creativity and evasiveness of this prophet caught his interrogators off guard. They were used to certain steps in the dance of argument, and this partner’s freestyle movement caused them to look foolish. The antagonism of the crowds certainly did not aid their confidence.
Caleb had a front-row seat for all these interactions, though he would have never imagined he would find himself in such a crowd the day this prophet first entered the city. He was there on assignment, you could say.
The morning after he had witnessed Jesus’ entrance into the city, his contact had appeared at his pottery shop and instructed him to go to a private meeting place. Within the hour, Caleb had made his way to a small apartment on the north side of the city. Though it was unlikely anyone was watching or following him, Caleb took a roundabout way to the location. He approached the back entrance to the apartment via a small alleyway and gave the door two sharp knocks, per his instructions. His contact quickly let him in. Caleb was eager to share the news of what he had seen the previous day, but his contact quickly silenced him. Apparently, he was aware of this information; another matter was more pressing. The contact’s master was concerned about this new prophet and had ordered that he be watched constantly. This observation would be Caleb’s new assignment.
He protested, claiming he needed to run his shop. It was a busy time of year for his business. But his host quickly reminded him that their new arrangement was also important for his business, and failure to accept this task could be detrimental. The man knew that Caleb had hired a number of new workers, one of whom could serve as manager when he was absent. The shop would be in good hands while Caleb stepped away for this assignment, the contact told him.
Caleb was surprised and somewhat unsettled at how much this man knew about his business. It gave him a sense of uneasiness about this arrangement, but ultimately he had little choice. Reluctantly, he accepted the assignment.
He was to observe Jesus throughout the day and give a report on what he saw each evening. If he noticed anything that might cause immediate danger or unrest in the city, he was to report it to a temple guard. Aside from his absence from the shop, he thought his assigned task wasn’t overly burdensome. It turned out to be quite convenient, since his cousin Jacob had expressed interest in hearing the prophet again.
Caleb was to begin that very afternoon. He put one of the new workers in charge of the shop, stopped by his house to get Jacob, and they headed to the Temple Mount. The crowds around Jesus made it easy to find him. At first, they had to listen from a good distance away, but because of the constant flux of the crowd they eventually worked their way to where they could see the prophet clearly.
To his surprise, Caleb enjoyed listening to this man and watching him occasionally spar with would-be-detractors. He spoke with passion and simplicity, and had a magnetism about him that easily and furtively drew people in. He talked of a coming kingdom of God in which the powerful oppressors would be brought down, in which equity would again be experienced in Israel. But he urged his hearers not to wait and to be actively engaged in enacting that kingdom now, by forgiving debts, loving their neighbors, and extending hospitality to those of lower social standing.
While Caleb was cynical about any coming new age of God, there was much in this man’s teaching that was appealing—challenging, to be sure, but appealing. He also had much to say about the leading priests who controlled the temple. He chastised them for corrupting God’s house, for growing rich without properly caring for the poor and the widows, and for valuing political gain over the peace and justice God had demanded through the Torah and his prophets. He spoke clearly of the coming judgment on those who currently ran the temple, and it seemed to Caleb that he may even have en
visioned a destruction of the temple itself. The day passed quickly, and that evening Caleb had much to report to his contact.
Caleb and Jacob arrived earlier the next day, but still had to fight through the crowd to see Jesus clearly. Today he talked more about the kingdom, but he also spoke about the ancient prophets of Israel and their call for justice and the inclusion of the marginalized and the outsider. He claimed that faithfulness to the kingdom was more important than one’s family, even more important than one’s own life.
Again his teaching enraptured the crowd, and again he faced various challengers and detractors. The most noteworthy of these came after Jesus had just finished speaking against the temple authorities. Two prominent Pharisees, men Caleb knew as friends of his father, approached Jesus and praised his sincerity, integrity, and commitment to truth. To Caleb, it seemed false flattery. They then asked a question that was clearly intended to test the prophet: “Should we Jews pay taxes to our Roman overlords? Should we give money to Caesar?” Anyone could see the implications of either answer he might give. To answer “no” would mean he was anti-Roman. This would be consistent with his dramatic entry into the city and his proclamation of a kingdom that would replace Rome and its rulers. It was no doubt the answer the people would have wanted. To answer “yes” would seem radically inconsistent with his previous actions and teaching. It would confuse the people and perhaps upset many of them.
Caleb could not figure out why Pharisees would ask such a question. Why would they try to push this prophet to one extreme or the other?
Jesus responded with a question of his own. “Do you have a didrachma?” This was the coin used for the temple tax, worth two denarii. The two Pharisees looked at each other, confused. But one finally reached into his garment and pulled out a silver coin and gave Jesus an inquisitive look.