SAUL & THE CRUCIFIXION CHAPTER TWENTY ONE- Page 3

ON THE SECOND day following the crucifixion, Hulda arose feeling stronger than she had for many weeks. She had been confined to the house with a nagging illness. This morning she remarked to Miriam how good it was to feel a return of strength. "It is such a beautiful morning," she said, "I believe I will take a little walk to the home of Mary, John-Mark's mother. She was so kind to send me soups and bread during my illness. I will return these dishes and thank her for her kindness."
"Are you sure you feel up to going?" Miriam asked. "Joel would be happy to return the dishes, and he always enjoys seeing John Mark, you know."

"I know, but I feel the walk will do me good, Miriam, and thank you for your concern. You are so thoughtful."

Miriam watched her aunt go down the steps. Then turning to Esrom, she said, "True love is never one-sided."

"If Hulda has no need of your presence here at the moment," Esrom said, "will you go with me to the Temple?"

Miriam had been so confined to the house with responsibilities for so long, the question caught her unprepared. She thought a moment and said, "Of course."

Moments later they left, and Joel found himself alone in the house. For a boy his age, he was very serious-minded, and older people would often say he was much like his father. He had retired to his room, and had just begun writing a report on Roman law, when he gave a start. He heard someone entering the house. He knew his Aunt Hulda had gone to see her friend Mary, and his parents were on their way to the Temple. So who could be coming in without knocking? The conversation in the home these past two days had centered greatly on the arrest and death of Jesus. Authorities at the Temple knew his father and mother were followers of Jesus. Had they come to take them prisoner, too?

With boyish determination, he drew from the cupboard beside him the dagger his Uncle Saul had given him as a souvenir of the occupation of Tarsus. When Saul gave him this gift, he had good naturedly said, "Just be sure you don't think of using it on any Roman." Now as he rushed down the stairs to the floor below, Joel cried, "I am not a zealot. I wouldn't seek a Roman, but . . . if they are seeking me, I'll . . . " He got no further in his statement. He exclaimed, "Uncle Saul! It is you!"
Glancing at the dagger in his nephew's hand, Saul gave a hearty laugh. "It appears, Joel, you are a frightened young man."

Joel blushed.

Saul gently added, "Don't feel embarrassed, Joel. With all that has happened these past two days, I can understand if your nerves are on edge. Yes, believe me, I can understand."

"So much has happened since you were here, Uncle Saul. You picked a bad time to take a journey."

"Journey?"

"Yes, didn't you say several days ago you were leaving?" Joel asked, with a perplexed look.

"Leaving? Yes, but not on a journey. In fact, Joel, I left the home because of what I knew was coming. I did not want to make more friction in the household, but I never left the city of Jerusalem. When you are alone and we have time, I will tell you where I was, and why I was there."

"I am alone at present, Uncle Saul. Aunt Hulda has gone to see her friend Mary, and mother and father have gone to the Temple."

Saul heaved a sigh. "Well, perhaps now is as good a time as any to tell you something I have wanted to say to you ever since I came back to live with your parents."

Once seated in the adjoining room, Saul said, "I will endeavor, Joel, to speak briefly, and take advantage of this opportunity to tell you in confidence about the carpenter from Nazareth."
"You mean Jesus?" Joel questioned.

"Yes. You know, Joel, that your parents and I differed greatly in our opinions of this man."
"And Aunt Hulda, too."

"Yes, her too. If you are aware of this then you should know that your parents and I had differences, not just in private opinion, but in our open discussions. Undoubtedly you overheard some of our many conversations. This man Jesus, Joel, seemed to possess some sort of sorcery that attracted many followers who claimed he could heal diseases."
"But Father said there were miracles."

Saul raised a restraining hand. "Please, Joel, I would prefer that you not interrupt me. I grew weary in my conversations with your father, when I tried to explain for his own good that he was being deceived by this carpenter from Nazareth."

Joel bit his lip and made no reply. He did not appreciate Saul saying his father had been deceived. Joel had total confidence in Esrom, who told of Saul's own partner Jephuneh giving testimony about his brother Amram who had been healed of leprosy. He had also heard about the greatest of all miracles, the raising of Lazarus. But knowing his uncle's forceful nature and strong will, he realized he had to remain silent and listen, out of respect for his elder, if nothing else.

"As it developed, Joel, each day we saw the followers of this sorcerer increase in numbers. Some began to suggest he was the promised Messiah. That is blasphemy! What made it even worse was his own statement that he was indeed the Messiah, and had come from the Father, and would return to him when his mission was accomplished. Galileans were among those most ready to follow him. I know you may be thinking it was only a few days ago that it seemed the whole city was acclaiming him when he rode into Jerusalem, but I knew that he had come near the end of his career."
Unable to restrain himself, Joel cried, "How could you know all of this if you were not here?"

"But I was here," Saul replied.

"You were here? In Jerusalem?"

"Yes, and I might as well tell you frankly, Joel. I was in the guest quarters of the High Priest Caiaphas."

Joel's eyes widened with alarm and amazement. He struggled to maintain silence, but he turned pale realizing that the man beside him was not only a friend of the High Priest who plotted the death of Jesus, but a close ally and apparent confident. Speaking in a most relaxed manner, Saul continued. "Caiaphas told me some weeks ago that he felt I had special qualities of leadership. He appreciated, he said, my concern over the manner in which the masses were being deceived by the man from Nazareth. Them he surprised me about one week ago when he said, 'Saul, Annas, my father-in-law, and I have been talking much about you lately. You have a very keen mind, and are devoted to keeping the strictest matters of the law, and have qualities that contribute to making you a natural leader.' Ordinarily Caiaphas and his father-in-law seemed to have all the answers. Now they needed help and were reaching out for it. I thought, what a chance to advance the cause of reform. So, as a compromise, in order to put myself in a position to eventually demand 'no compromise,' I became one of a select few in the band that met with the High Priest during the crisis."
Joel sensed a tone of pride in Saul's voice, but now listened with his heart racing rapidly. This man Saul? His uncle, his mother's brother . . . an ally of Caiaphas?

"Caiaphas suggested several plans that might be considered for taking Jesus. But the 'taking of Jesus,' they said, required utmost skill in the timing and tactics. Caiaphas said that if they put him to death, he would have to enlist the support of Rome. And there would have to be secret leaders to gather in the crowds at The Pavement, the place where the Roman governor could condemn him. Caiaphas decided that when Pilate stepped from his residence at the Tower of Antonia, he would hear a thunderous cry, 'We want no king but Caesar.'"

The shutter rattled and Saul looked up with a start. He thought someone was at the door, and was relieved that it was only a gust of wind. He was glad that he and Joel were still alone because he would not want to have to answer for the way he was seeking to influence him against his parents.
"So," Saul continued, "Caiaphas told me that he had an important role planned for me as his personal assistant, not just in the taking of Jesus, but even more importantly, in handling the opposition that would follow his death."

"Handling the opposition?" Joel's face reddened. "Wouldn't that include my father and mother, and Hulda?"

"I really do not see much difficulty ahead, Joel. Now that Jesus is dead, the masses will realize that this man Jesus was a deceiver."

"Uncle Saul, Pilate found no fault in Jesus. Herod, who was here in the city for the Passover, allowed his soldiers to mock him, but found no fault in him, either. Peter says that after Judas betrayed him, he returned the money to Caiaphas and said that he had betrayed innocent blood. Has Caiaphas' money won you over, too, Uncle Saul?"

This brought a flash of anger on Saul's face, and Joel realized he had said the wrong thing.

"Money has nothing to do with my convictions, Joel. Do you hear me? If you disagree with everything your Uncle Saul may say, let me emphasize there is not enough money in the treasury of the Temple, nor the palace of Herod, nor all of Judea, to buy my convictions. I was convinced, and am more than ever convinced that this man Jesus, a deceiver, has misled the masses. And what grieves me most of all is it has affected my own sister, your mother, and Esrom, and they are even trying to turn you into one of these--" Saul was about to say despised followers, but he realized that might be too much. He wanted to leave this conversation with hope of eventually bringing Joel to truth as he saw it.

He lowered his voice to a gentler tone. "Joel, I need not arouse any more differences when it is so unnecessary. All of the arguments of the past are now behind us. What I failed to do in words, is now done in deed. When we took Jesus who could not even defend himself in a physical manner, or with angels, not even with words--"

"But Uncle Saul, are you aware that Jesus refused to let Peter defend him with a sword? Even after he cut off the ear of Malchus, the chief captain of the Temple Guard, Jesus healed him? Malchus now says that Jesus is truly the Messiah, the Son of God."

Saul's face reddened and he started to respond but realized it was better to restrain his answer and ignore Joel's comment. He continued as through not interrupted, saying, "When questioned at the judgment, then all of the people saw that he was no Messiah, but only a poor deluded person who may have assumed he was the Son of God, as he said. Caiaphas finally agreed with me that to claim being the Son of God was blasphemy that deserved death. We now have accomplished through a Roman crucifixion what I hope soon to accomplish again in Israel with stoning. It is harsh, but it is God's law, and it is time God's chosen people took it seriously again!"

Joel's reply was so low, Saul could barely hear him. "Do you believe in the law or in Caiaphas? How could you compromise with the likes of him?"

Saul arose and pretended not to hear. He left the room without giving an answer, because he had none.

At the nearby window, he looked between the shutters and saw Hulda returning. Hurriedly he said, "Joel, I am glad for this conversation. I know you will appreciate my effort to save your parents from deception, and--and even the sin of blasphemy. That is in my heart. But until it becomes clear, I would appreciate your keeping our man-to-man talk private."