Killing Jesus: A History

by Bill O'Reilly

  “We don’t know,” a chief priest finally says.

  “I’ll tell you the truth,” Jesus replies in full view of his audience. “Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

  The crowd is awed. The high priests are stunned into silence.

  * * *

  Word of Jesus’s intellectual victory spreads through the Temple courts. The pilgrims now love Jesus even more. They are speaking of him as a true prophet and hope he will live up to the promise of his celebratory entry into Jerusalem just two short days ago.

  The sun climbs higher and higher in the sky, and business in the Temple courts goes on as Jesus holds the crowd in thrall. Rather than back down after their earlier embarrassment, the chief priests and elders continue to look on.

  The Nazarene tells a parable about a wealthy landowner and his troublesome tenants. The summation is a line stating that the religious leaders will lose their authority and be replaced by others whose belief is more genuine.

  Then Jesus tells a second parable, about heaven, comparing it to a wedding, with God as the father of the groom, preparing a luxurious banquet for his son’s guests. Again the religious leaders are the subject of the final line, a barb about a guest who shows up poorly dressed and is then bound hand and foot and thrown from the ceremony. “For many are invited,” Jesus says of heaven, “but few are chosen.”

  This stings badly. The authority of the religious leaders is that they are the chosen ones. For Jesus to state publicly that they are not is an enormous defamation of their character. So they finally leave the Temple courts and switch tactics, sending their own disciples out to wage theological battle. These disciples are smart. Rather than attacking Jesus, they try to soften him up with flattery. “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men because you pay no attention to who they are.”

  Then the flattery ends. Aware that they’re unlikely to catch Jesus in a theological misstatement, the Pharisees’ disciples now try to frame Jesus by using Rome. “What is your opinion?” they ask. “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

  “Why are you trying to trap me?” Jesus seethes. He asks for someone to hand him a denarius. “Whose portrait is this?” he asks, holding up the coin. “And whose inscription?”

  “Caesar’s,” they answer.

  “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” Jesus tells them. “And to God what is God’s.”

  Again the crowd is awed. Although Caesar is a feared name, the Nazarene has marginalized Rome without directly offending it. The brilliance of Jesus’s words will last throughout the ages.

  * * *

  Having failed in their mission, those disciples leave. They are soon replaced by the Sadducees, a wealthy and more liberal Temple sect who count Caiaphas among their number. Once again, they try to pierce the aura of Jesus’s vulnerability with a religious riddle, and once again they fail.

  Soon the Pharisees step forward to take their turn. “Teacher,” asks their leader, a man known for being an expert in the law, “what is the greatest commandment in the law?”

  Under the teachings of the Pharisees, there are 613 religious statutes. Even though each carries a designation marking it as either great or little, the fact remains that each must be followed. Asking Jesus to select one is a clever way of pushing him into a corner, making him defend his choice.

  But Jesus does not choose from one of the established laws. Instead, he articulates a new one: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”4

  The Pharisees stand silent. How could anyone argue with that? Only, Jesus goes on to add a second law: “Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”

  Jesus has now defeated the sharpest minds in the Temple. But he does not settle for victory and walk away. Instead, the Nazarene turns and excoriates the priests in front of the pilgrims. “Everything they do is for men to see,” he tells the crowd. “They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long. They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues. They love to be greeted in the marketplace and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’”

  Six times, Jesus denounces the Pharisees as hypocrites. He calls them a brood of vipers.5 He tells them they are unclean. He denounces them for focusing on such trivial details of religious life as whether to tithe their allotment of herbs and spices, in the process completely missing the true heart of God’s law.

  Worst of all, Jesus predicts that these holy men will be condemned to hell.

  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” Jesus laments, knowing his time of teaching is done. The Nazarene departs the Temple and will not be seen in public until the time of his condemnation. In fact, he seals his death sentence by predicting the destruction of the Temple. “Do you see all these great stones?” he asks. “Not one stone will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

  Jesus says these words to his disciples, but a Pharisee overhears. That statement will become a capital crime.

  * * *

  A short time later, Jesus sits atop the Mount of Olives. A week that began in this very spot with him weeping while astride a donkey now finds him reflective. With the disciples sitting at his side, Jesus summarizes his short life. Darkness is falling as he tells his followers to live their lives to the fullest, speaking in parables so that they will comprehend the magnitude of his words. The disciples listen in rapt fascination but grow concerned as Jesus predicts that after his death they, too, will be persecuted and killed. Perhaps to lessen the impact of this, Jesus shares his thoughts on heaven and promises the disciples that God will reveal himself to them and the world.

  “As you know,” Jesus concludes, “the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

  * * *

  Even as Jesus speaks, the chief priests and the elders gather at Caiaphas’s palace. They are now in a frenzy. Killing the Nazarene is the only answer. But time is short. First, Jesus must be arrested. After his arrest, there must be a trial. But the religious laws state that no trials can be held during Passover, and none can be held at night. If they are to kill Jesus, he must be arrested either tomorrow or Thursday and tried before sundown. Making matters even more pressing is the religious stipulation that if a death penalty is ordered, a full night must pass before the sentence can be carried out.

  All of these details, Caiaphas knows, can be massaged. The most important thing right now is to take Jesus into custody. The other problems can be addressed once that occurs. None of the people who have listened to Jesus in the Temple courts can be alerted, or there could be a riot. Such a confrontation would mean Pontius Pilate’s getting involved and Caiaphas’s being blamed.

  So the arrest must be an act of stealth.

  For that, Caiaphas will need some help. Little does he know that one of Jesus’s own disciples is making plans to provide it.

  All he wants in return is money.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  JERUSALEM

  WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, A.D. 30

  NIGHT

  Judas Iscariot travels alone. Jesus has chosen to spend this day in rest, and now he and the other disciples remain behind at the home of Lazarus as Judas walks into Jerusalem by himself. It has been five days since the disciples arrived in Bethany and three since Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. But Jesus has yet to announce publicly that he is the Christ; nor has he done anything to lead an uprising against Rome. But he has enraged the religious leaders, which has put targets on his back and those of his disciples. “You will be handed over to be persecuted, and put to death, and you will be hated
by all the nations because of me,” Jesus predicted yesterday, when they were all sitting atop the Mount of Olives.

  Judas did not sign on to be hated or executed. If Jesus just admits that he is the Christ, then he would triumph over the Romans. Surely the religious authorities would then be eager to align themselves with Jesus. All this talk of death and execution might come to an end.

  So Judas has decided to force Jesus’s hand.

  Judas made his decision moments ago, during dinner, when Jesus and the disciples were eating at the home of a man named Simon the leper. The group lounged on pillows around the banquet table, plucking food from the small plates in the center with their right hand. As had happened so many times before, a woman approached Jesus to anoint him with perfume. It was Mary, sister of Lazarus, who broke off the thick neck of the flask and poured nard, an exotic scent imported from India, on Jesus’s head in a show of devotion.

  Judas expressed revulsion at such a waste of money. Passover, in particular, is a time when it is customary to give money to the poor. This time he was not alone in his disgust. Several other disciples joined in before Jesus put an end to the discussion.

  “Leave her alone,” Jesus ordered the disciples. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them anytime you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.”

  Once again, Jesus’s words were bewildering. He allowed himself to be anointed like the Christ, and yet he was predicting his death.

  Now, Judas boldly walks back into Jerusalem. The night air smells of wood smoke from the many campfires. Passover starts on the night of the first full moon after the spring equinox, which will be Friday evening.

  Judas picks his way carefully down the bumpy dirt road. His march could be an act of stupidity—he knows this—for he is intent on going directly to the palace of Caiaphas, the most powerful man in the Jewish world. Judas believes that he has an offer of great value that will interest the leader of the Sanhedrin.

  Judas is a known disciple of Jesus, however, and this strategy could very well lead to his arrest. Even if nothing like that happens, Judas is uncertain if an exalted religious leader such as Caiaphas will meet with an unwashed follower of Jesus.

  Making his way from the valley and through Jerusalem’s gates, Judas navigates the crowded streets to the expensive neighborhoods of the Upper City. He finds the home of Caiaphas and tells the guards his business. Much to his relief, Judas is not arrested. Instead, he is warmly welcomed into the spacious palace and led to a lavish room where the high priest is meeting with the other priests and elders.

  The conversation immediately turns to Jesus.

  “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” Judas asks.

  If the high priests are surprised by Judas’s behavior, they don’t show it. They have set aside their normal arrogance. Their goal is to manipulate Judas into doing whatever it takes to arrange Jesus’s arrest.

  “Thirty silver coins,” comes the reply.

  This is 120 denarii, the equivalent of four months’ wages.

  Judas has lived the hand-to-mouth existence of Jesus’s disciples for two long years, rarely having more than a few extra coins in his purse, and very little in the way of luxury. Now the chief priest is offering him a lucrative bounty to select a time and place, far from the Temple courts, to arrest Jesus.

  Judas is a schemer. He has plotted the odds so that they are in his favor. He knows that if he takes the money, one of two things will happen: Jesus will be arrested and then declare himself to be the Christ. If the Nazarene truly is the Messiah, then he will have no problem saving himself from Caiaphas and the high priests.

  However, if Jesus is not the Christ, he will die.

  Either way, Judas’s life will be spared.

  Judas and Caiaphas make the deal. The traitorous disciple promises to begin searching immediately for a place to hand over Jesus. This will mean working closely with the Temple guards to arrange the arrest. He will have to slip away from Jesus and the other disciples to alert his new allies of Jesus’s whereabouts. That may be difficult.

  Thirty silver coins are counted out before Judas’s eyes. They clang off one another as they fall into his purse. The traitor is paid in advance.

  Judas walks alone back to Bethany. Robbers may be lurking on the roads. Judas wonders how he will explain his absence to Jesus and the others—and where he will hide such a large and noisy bounty.

  But it will all work out. For Judas truly believes that he is smarter than his compatriots and deserving of reward in this life.

  If Jesus is God, that will soon be known.

  The next few hours will tell the tale.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  LOWER CITY OF JERUSALEM

  THURSDAY, APRIL 4, A.D. 30

  NIGHT

  Jesus has so much to do in a very short period of time. He must at last define his life to the disciples. As the final hours to Passover approach, Jesus plans to organize a last meal with his followers before saying good-bye, for they have been eyewitnesses to his legacy. And he must trust them to pass it on.

  But although these things are vitally important, there is something holding him back: the terrifying prospect of his coming death.

  So Jesus is having trouble focusing on his final message to the disciples. Like every Jew, the Nazarene knows the painful horror and humiliation that await those condemned to the cross. He firmly believes he must fulfill what has been written in Scripture, but panic is overtaking him.

  It doesn’t help that the entire city of Jerusalem is in an anxious frenzy of last-minute Passover preparation. Everything must be made perfect for the holiday. A lamb must be purchased for the feast—and not just any lamb but an unblemished one-year-old male. And each home must be cleansed of leavened bread. Everywhere throughout Jerusalem, women frantically sweep floors and wipe down counters because even so much as a single crumb can bring forth impurity. At Lazarus’s home, Martha and Mary are fastidious in their scrubbing and sweeping. After sundown Lazarus will walk through the house with a candle, in a symbolic search for any traces of leavened products. Finding none, it is hoped, he will declare his household ready for Passover.

  At the palace home of the high priest Caiaphas, slaves and servants comb the grounds of the enormous estate in search of any barley, wheat, rye, oats, or spelt. They scrub sinks, ovens, and stoves of any trace of leaven. They sterilize pots and pans inside and out by bringing water to a boil in them, then adding a brick to allow that scalding water to flow over the sides. Silverware is being heated to a glow, then placed one at a time into boiling water. There is no need, however, to purchase the sacrificial lamb, as Caiaphas’s family owns the entire Temple lamb concession.

  At the former palace of Herod the Great, where Pontius Pilate and his wife, Claudia, once again are enduring Passover, there are no such preparations. The Roman governor begins his day with a shave, for he is clean-shaven and short-haired in the imperial fashion of the day. He cares little for Jewish tradition. He is not interested in the traditional belief that Moses and the Israelites were forced to flee Egypt without giving their bread time to rise, which led to leavened products being forbidden on Passover. For him there is ientaculum, prandium, and cena (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), including plenty of bread, most often leavened with salt (instead of yeast), in the Roman tradition. Back at his palace in Caesarea, Pilate might also be able to enjoy oysters and a slice of roast pork with his evening meal, but no such delicacies exist (or are permitted) within observant Jerusalem—particularly not on the eve of Passover. In fact, Caiaphas and the high priests will even refrain from entering Herod’s palace as the feast draws near, for fear of becoming impure in the presence of the Romans and their pagan ways. This is actually a blessing for Pilate, ensuring him a short holiday from dealing with the Jews and their never-ending problems.
/>   Or so he thinks.

  * * *

  Judas Iscariot watches Jesus with a quiet intensity, waiting for the Nazarene to reveal his Passover plans so that he can slip away and inform Caiaphas. It would be easy enough to ask the high priest to send Temple guards to the home of Lazarus, but arresting Jesus so far from Jerusalem could be a disaster. Too many pilgrims would see the Nazarene marched back to the city in chains, thus possibly provoking the very riot scenario that so terrifies the religious leaders.

  Judas is sure that none of the other disciples knows he has betrayed Jesus. So he bides his time, listening and waiting for that moment when Jesus summons his followers and tells them it is time to walk back into Jerusalem. It seems incomprehensible that Jesus would not return to the Holy City at least one more time during their stay. Perhaps Jesus is waiting for Passover to begin to reveal that he is the Christ. If that is so, then Scripture says this must happen in Jerusalem. Sooner or later, the Nazarene will go back to the Holy City.

  * * *

  Next to the Temple, in the Antonia Fortress, the enormous citadel where Roman troops are garrisoned, hundreds of soldiers file into the dining hall for their evening meal. These barracks are connected to the Temple at the northwest corner, and most men have stood guard today, walking through the military-only gate and onto the forty-five-foot-wide platform atop the colonnades that line the Temple walls. From there, it is easy enough to look down on the Jewish pilgrims as they fuss over last-minute Passover preparations. The entire week has been demanding and chaotic for the soldiers, who have spent hours standing in the hot sun. But tomorrow will be their most demanding day of all. Lambs and pilgrims will be everywhere, and the stench of drying blood and animal defecation will waft up to them from the innermost Temple courts. The slaughter will go on for hours, as will the sight of men clutching the bloody carcasses of lambs to their chests as they rush from the Temple courts to cook their evening Seder.