Timelock

by R. G. Knighton

“As I have just explained, I wish to see my vision fulfilled and that includes the arrest of this man. It is very important to a seer predicts an accurate future.”

  Toomak replied but Marcellus did not really care, all he could think about were the coins held within the purse on the table and he drummed his fingers on his thigh in the anticipation of soon keeping them in his possession.

  “Are you sure that is all you want of me, just the arrest, on what charge?”

  He asked cautiously. Toomak explained that it would be a crime against the church and all he had to do was follow the lead of the Sanhedrin. Marcellus accepted this and they finally parted, each convinced that they had the better deal.

  With one last piece of her Machiavellian plan to instigate, Toomak started to really believe success would soon be within her grasp. She forged a governor’s order and sent it to the city moneylenders with an instruction that due to the larger than normal influx of people visiting the city they were to move from their usual site in the marketplace to within the grounds of the temple until after Passover.

  ‘That was it, everything in place, nothing could possibly go wrong.’ Toomak thought to herself as she returned to her workshop. With Jesus easily accessible in the confines of the city jail, Toomak decided on a slow poison that could be added to his food and titrated according to Jesus’ reaction. This would allow her to plot the precise time with which to seal his fate.

  With every eventuality accounted for it now seemed impossible to fail and Toomak retired to her rooms happier than she had been for a very long time. Unfortunately the excitement lasted less than twenty-four hours when early the next morning she awoke to a knock at the door to her rooms. Bleary eyed and angry at the intrusion, Toomak tore the door open ready to admonish whoever dare to wake her at this early hour, to see a young servant girl standing trembling in the corridor with a hand written message in her hand. She took one look at Toomak’s scowling face, dropped the scroll then turned and squealed in fear while running away as fast as she could. Toomak picked it up from the floor, broke open the seal, and unrolled the note. As she scanned the words, the colour drained from her already sallow complexion and gasping for air she staggered back into her room that had already started to spin. Pouring herself a drink, she sat down re-read the order.

  Pontius Pilate desperately needed Toomak’s physician skills to treat his son, Pilo, who lay gravely ill after his horse fell on him during a hunting expedition with his father. The location of the boy was nearly three days travel away from Jerusalem and he could not be moved. For the first time in her life, Toomak shed a tear in frustration. Knowing that it was impossible to ignore the order and her reluctant concern for the child’s wellbeing, Toomak knew that she had to go. Her only hope was that everything would proceed as planned and Jesus would be placed in jail, awaiting his fate upon her return.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  In a whirlwind of frantic orders and the collecting of medical supplies, Toomak headed through the bustling streets astride a lively grey mare. The usual mode of transport would be a horse and wagon but the journey would take twice as long as riding alone, so even though heavily laden, the horse trotted through the city gate then broke into a fast canter up the dusty mountain road. To Toomak’s amazement, the roads and pathways were teeming with people, mainly on foot, all heading in the opposite direction towards the city. There was usually an increase at this time of year for the Passover, but this growth seemed fourfold. She questioned several of the travellers and the answer was always the same, they had come to see Jesus.

  In a rage, Toomak kicked her horse into a gallop and revelled in the sight of people diving out of the way in fright. Pushing her horse as hard as possible during the daylight hours and taking minimal rest, within two days she arrived at the small shepherd’s house, commandeered by Pilate to shelter Pilo from the extremes of temperature the mountains had to offer. The poor boy had never been healthy since birth and added to that his withered right foot, it seemed farcical to take him on such an arduous expedition, but Pilate did and this was the result. Bursting in unannounced, Toomak quickly cleared the room and set about the task of a complete examination of the boy as he lay weakly in his bed. Although most of the damage seemed superficial, mainly cuts and bruises, the erratic beating of his heart was the greatest concern. Toomak also detected a mild ague, which she hoped was the only cause of the hearts excessive labour. Administering a little opium for the pain and a mixture of special herbs applied as a poultice to the forehead, Toomak was confident that the fever would soon subdue. Within the hour, she emerged into the harsh sunlight to face an anxious father pacing up and down the farmyard. When he saw Toomak, he quickly ran over to hear her diagnosis.

  “The boy is weakened considerably from the excursion and has a mild fever, but with complete rest, medication and good food he will be up very soon I’m sure.”

  Toomak stated, hoping to settle Pilate’s fears and allow her to return to the city in the next morning. With relief in his voice, Pilate thanked Toomak for her swift arrival and expert help then he continued to babble.

  “Pilo’s mother told me it would be too much for the boy but I hoped it would make a man out of him but his weakness caused the accident, he could have died!”

  Pilate placed the side of a clenched fist against his lips and choked on the final words. Turning away he had to clear his throat several times to avoid breaking down in front of his men. Lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear and asked Toomak if the use of any of her special gifts would help his son. Toomak shook her head and told him that rest and care was all the boy needed for a few days. Toomak’s assurance was all Pilate needed and he suddenly brightened up and said,

  “It’s settled then. I have to return to Jerusalem for the Passover, you will stay here with the boy and make sure he gets all the necessary care.”

  Toomak tried to protest but it was no use, the governor had made up his mind and that was final. As he turned his back and walked away Toomak knew not to press her case any further, as she knew only too well what happened to people that challenged the governor, and a prolonged stay in jail would completely crush her plans. The only sensible course of action would be to rehabilitate Pilo as quickly as possible and pray that nothing would go wrong and Jesus would be waiting in jail upon her return.

  The time of Passover arrived in Jerusalem and on the Sunday, thousands of people came to see and cheer Jesus. As he entered through the eastern gate, they covered the road with palm fronds to cushion the hooves of the donkey that he chose to ride on his journey into the city. As he passed, desperate families offered up their sick and dying relatives in hope of a miracle. A blessing from his hand or even a touch of his robes is all that some needed to galvanise their faith and truly believe him to be the Son of God.

  From all sites across the city, the Sanhedrin council received accounts from informants who had been ordered to document Jesus’ activities. The most disturbing of all was an incredible story that on the way to Jerusalem Jesus received a message of help from two sisters living in Bethany whose brother Lazarus lay gravely ill. Constant attention from eager followers hampered Jesus on his journey and when he arrived, they told him their brother had died four days earlier. Jesus insisted on the removal of the stone that covered their brother’s tomb and while he stood at the entrance, Jesus said a prayer then called out to their brother. To everyone’s amazement, Lazarus walked from his tomb still wrapped in his funeral bandages.

  This crass regard to their holy doctrine of the Talmud raised calls within the Sanhedrin council for the execution of Lazarus. In addition to this, the expectation that Jesus would commit another crime within the boundaries of the city would be enough to call for his arrest. This would satisfy the council’s commitment to Toomak and remove this deviant religious man from the public eye.

  For every person who adored Jesus there were many more who hated his blasphemous teachings and tensions rose between opposing factions. Strict followers o
f the Talmud argued in the street with the new believers adding to the workload of Marcellus and his men. The captain cancelled all leave and to maintain order, stationed every available soldier on guard duty at key points of the city. They were also to report anything suspicious regarding the activities of the prophet called Jesus or any of his disciples. The increasing popularity of this man troubled Marcellus and he fretted over his deal with Toomak. Deep in thought, he paced up and down his office with only the weight of the coin purse pulling on his belt easing his troubled conscience.

  Jesus wandered through the city greeting followers and eventually reached Herod’s temple courtyard, which overflowed with people trading their wares including oxen, sheep, and doves. Following behind Jesus were his disciples who watched in amazement as their normally forgiving master lost his calm demeanour and angrily ran through the crowd jostling the traders for dealing within the temple grounds. He then took a length of cord from a stallholder, and using it as a whip, chased all the beasts and their owners from the holy site. With his fury unabated, Jesus turned on the moneychangers who following Toomak’s forged orders had relocated from the marketplace and now sat patiently in their booths lining the outer fringe of the courtyard. To everyone’s surprise, Jesus ran from table to table upturning every one. Piles of coins flipped into the air spinning and reflecting the sunlight as they fell to earth and bounced across the cobbled stone floor. This only made matters worse as people fought over their lost currency.

  Before the disciples could usher Jesus away to safety, he marched inside the temple and to the alarm of the priests within, he forcibly ejected anyone trading their wares instead of praying to God. Amid the confusion and with a rage in his voice his disciples had never heard before, Jesus cried,

  “How could you do this in my father’s house? It is a place of prayer.”

  Before the day ended, both Marcellus and the Caiaphas heard all the news and while the Sanhedrin held council, the captain waited patiently for the delivery of an order calling for the arrest of Jesus of Nazareth.

  The disciples guided Jesus away from the temple and the rest of the day passed without any major incident. At sunset, they all passed back through the eastern gate of the city and headed to an inn where a first floor room had been prepared and the innkeeper waited patiently for their arrival.

  “There is no doubt that the false prophet named Jesus is guilty of blasphemy. He calls himself the Son of God and the performance of miracles, if we are to believe such a thing, occurred on the Sabbath day. Both of which are arrestable offences. Do I have your agreement and full support?”

  Caiaphas announced, as he addressed the emergency meeting of the Sanhedrin. All those present looked at one another and avowed their agreement, allowing Caiaphas to continue.

  “We have the power to order execution by public stoning and that would eradicate the problem. But I fear that would offer little ministration to our temple as it would outrage a vast number of the populace, turning them against our faith.”

  Caiaphas smiled as murmurs of concern passed through the council and he waited patiently until he regained their full attention before he continued. By drip feeding all the relevant information, he could easily control the direction with which he wanted to proceed and thus guarantee the desired result.

  “In this instance I feel is in our best interests that when we have concluded our own trial, the false prophet should be passed over to the Roman authorities as he also proclaims himself ‘King of Israel,’ which is an act of treason and sedition according to Roman law, the penalty of which is crucifixion.”

  Believing that this is what Toomak wanted, all twenty-three members signed the arrest warrant and within the hour, Marcellus received the alert and began to call up the guard.

  In the cool of the evening after their supper, Jesus and his disciples crossed over the ravine of Kidron then walked down between the olive trees in the gardens of Gethsemane.

  A quarter of a mile down the road, Marcellus and his soldiers stood alongside Caiaphas with his own temple guard ready for Jesus’ arrest. Marcellus had brought far too many soldiers with him for the arrest of just one man but the thought of a sword between his shoulder blades as Toomak predicted played heavily on his mind. Caiaphas addressed Marcellus curtly regarding who should be the first to take Jesus into custody.

  “I have an order, signed by all of the Sanhedrin Assembly for the immediate arrest of the false prophet named Jesus. He will be tried by our own court and then he will be passed over to the Roman authorities for you to begin your own proceedings.”

  Marcellus stood quietly, listening intently, and while holding out his own arrest warrant, he spoke in turn.

  “As long as I serve him with the warrant held here in my hand, I have no objection to your request.”

  Marcellus did not like being told what to do and he chose his words carefully. By using the word ‘request’, it looked like Caiaphas and the assembly had to seek permission from the Roman authorities, knowing this would get under their skin adding to his enjoyment of keeping them in check. He was also quite content to earn his silver by doing Toomak’s bidding and if the Sanhedrin did their job correctly, Jesus would be sentenced to death by stoning, removing any blame from the Roman authorities.

  In full agreement both sets of troops fanned out around the outer edge of the gardens and forming a pincer movement they closed in. With the main group of disciples in clear sight, Marcellus stepped out of the darkness, produced his arrest warrant, and announced.

  “By proclamation of the Roman authority, I hereby order the arrest of the one who calls himself Jesus of Nazareth.”

  Unable to comprehend his own actions, Judas calmly walked forwards, Identified Jesus with a kiss on the cheek and then stepped away. Marcellus ordered the advance and when they suddenly found themselves surrounded, panic broke out amongst the disciples. Peter drew his sword and fearing for his safety, struck out and cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of Caiaphas who had found himself caught up in the mêlée. Before any more bloodshed could take place, Jesus called for his men not to resist, and as swords were lowered, Jesus picked up the severed ear from the ground, said a short prayer, and then carefully placed it onto the side of Malchus’ head where in full view of all, it healed instantly. Marcellus along with a good few of his men watched open mouthed as the miracle took place and even they began to understand why his followers called him the Son of God. The Sanhedrin dismissed the event as dark magic and eagerly issued their warrant. Marcellus, deciding that it was better to abide by Toomak’s wishes rather than face her wrath reluctantly followed suit. In fear for their own lives, the disciples were allowed to flee into the darkness, leaving Jesus guarded by two soldiers and a bemused Judas standing not far from the scene. Before he was led away, Jesus beckoned Judas over, and understanding what had happened forgave him for his sins, leaving Judas standing alone and very confused as Jesus was led away. Marcellus suddenly realised the seriousness of his committed act and had an epiphany. Feeling penitent for the first time in his life and wanting no payment for his actions, he crossed over to Judas released the purse from his belt and handed over the thirty silver pieces for his part in Jesus’ betrayal.

  With everyone gone, his hypnotic state dissipated and clarity resumed leaving Judas standing alone holding the bag of silver. Believing that somehow he had been paid off for contributing in Jesus’ arrest and finding that there was no one to turn to for comfort or advice, a pit of despair gripped his soul. Screaming with all his might and listening to the cry of anguish echo and fade across the valley, he collapsed sobbing onto the dusty earth. For over an hour Judas relived the moment, trying to understand what had happened and possibly glean any scrap of comfort. When he realised that there was none to be found, he decided there was only one course of action. Getting wearily to his feet, he walked slowly back to the inn where only a few hours ago he laughed and joked with the other disciples as they shared a meal with their master. Ignoring the front doo
r, he walked around the back to the stables, picked up a spare halter and rope, and then led away the same donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem. Walking back to the spot where Jesus last stood a free man, Judas found the nearest suitable tree, threw one end of the rope over a stout branch and secured the other end to another branch lower down. Mounting the donkey, he positioned himself under the free end of the rope, tied it tightly around his own neck, and then slid silently off the donkeys back when he dug his heels into its flanks making it walk away. He did not kick or fight when the rope creaked and tightened around his throat, slowly suffocating his life as he revolved silently only inches from the ground. As he died, tears of despair still rolled down his cheeks and soaked into his tunic. On the final beat of a heavy heart, Judas’ dropped the purse which burst open as it hit the ground, spilling out the twinkling silver pieces like fallen stars in the moonlight.

  For the next few days, The Sanhedrin tortured and questioned Jesus over his blasphemous ways and he refused to give any response. In utter frustration and unwillingness to order an execution, they handed Jesus over to the Roman court where they soon found him guilty of treason and sedition.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  Pontius Pilate returned to Jerusalem to find Jesus under arrest and sentenced to death. This news greatly upset his wife who hoped to introduce Pilo to Jesus in hope of a miracle and cure of his disfigurement and ills. On bended knee, his wife begged and pleaded with her husband to find some way with which to save Jesus’ life. For most of the day and long into the night, Pilate held discussions with his advisors, trying to find a loophole to use. By the first morning light he believed to have found the solution and informed his grateful wife of a Passover tradition where the authorities hold two convicted prisoners in front of the populace and they could choose one to acquit. Armed with this knowledge Pilate sourced out the one of the most notorious villains already sentenced to death and planned to display this man against Jesus during the feast of the Passover. In front of the assembled masses, he calculated that the people would make the right choice of whom should be freed.