THE BEGINNING OF THE END...
7:00 am – YERUSHALAYIM, FRIDAY, APRIL 7, A.D. 30
WHEN YESHUA, bent over and leaning against one of the walls, seemed about to faint, several Levites entered, ordering the others to take the Rabbi to the Sanhedrim's presence. When those savages took the mantle from Yeshua's head, it felt like the blood was freezing in his veins. Any of his closest friends wouldn't recognize him.
The first blow, although the blow had been softened, had landed on the cheekbone and part of the nose, causing swelling in both areas. This blow, or perhaps the other punches and slaps, had given rise to a massive nosebleed. Threads of blood came out of both nostrils, running down his lips and soaking his mustache and beard. The bruises on both eyes were so big that Yeshua could barely open them.
That broken face, inflamed and bloodied on the left half, left some of the Sanhedrim's servants and hired assassins speechless. It was evident that the punishment had been brutal. Much to their surprise, many of the Levites became nervous and began to argue about the advisability of washing and making Yeshua's face more presentable. Not out of mercy, of course, but out of fear of possible reprisals or recriminations from the judges and, perhaps, from the adherents of the Nazarene.
Finally, one of the servants soaked one end of the robe or cloak with which he had been covered in the water that remained from the pitcher.
The Council was waiting.
One of the servants took the edge of his rough cloak and, as gently as he could, began to clean away the crusts of blood that had clung to his cheekbone and left cheek. The bleeding, both from the tear in his left eyebrow and his nose, had been massive, although he got the impression that the blood loss was unimportant. Both the blow to the eyebrow and the cuts to the lips and the two threads of blood coming from his nostrils had clotted very quickly. When that half of the face was clean, the servant dropped the cloak.
Before Kaiafa's servants could react, the servant managed to rip off a piece of his robe, put it in the mouth of the pitcher, wetting it as much as possible, and then returned to the wall where Yeshua was still leaning, passing the light bone-colored handkerchief for deformed nose and lips, eyebrows and eyelids
During cleaning, when the servant touched the inflamed muscle mass of the nose, when palpating the nasal cartilage area, the nazarene slightly recoiled. Despite its extensive softness, the mere touch of the fabric at that point on her nose multiplied the pain. At that moment, he, who remained silent, half opened his eyes as best he could, fixing his gaze on him, recognizing him as the man who had helped to cure a paralytic after his friends had opened the roof of the roof of a house in the city of Capernaum, from the house of Cephas and lower it with ropes.
— Thank you – stammered Yeshua.
— I thank you, sir.
Yeshua gave him a slight smile, understanding his poor but sincere proof of friendship and gratitude. His lips twitched. Suddenly, to his dismay, a tear ran from his left eye, sinking him even further into impotence.
The sicario who had warned the executioners reappeared at the door and, with a gesture of impatience, made his way towards the defendant. Grabbing him by the arm, he yanked him violently toward the exit. With unsteady steps, the Nazarene reentered the Sanhedrim's room.
Lack of sleep, pain and fatigue after the beating had begun to undermine his system.
THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL of the Sanhedrim had taken the same seats and the Nazarene, escorted by the legionary and two other servants, were trying to keep him standing before the semicircle. His appearance, despite the quick face wash, was so pitiful that those thirty Jews could not control their surprise.
For a few minutes they exchanged sarcastic glances, imagining the torture the imposter had been subjected to and rejoicing at the sudden change of that majestic and serene face into an unrecognizable Yeshua.
Yohanan's eyes were visibly amazed, they looked and looked at the Rabbi's face without being able to give credit to what, unfortunately, was only the beginning of the end...
When the court scribes had taken their places, Ananus took the floor and, pointing to a parchment that his son-in-law was holding, insisted again on the idea he had expounded in the first part of that meeting. For the former high priest, the charge of blasphemy lacked force, at least in relation to the Roman procurator. And he insisted on the need to draft a series of pleadings that would commit the Rabbi of Galilee to the justice that Pilatus represented.
Listening to Kaiafa's father-in-law, Yohanan imagined that the scroll to which Ananus had alluded must contain the final sentence against Yeshua, due to the deliberation of the judges in the absence of the defendant.
With tears in his eyes Yohanan remembered what he had witnessed during the impromptu meeting of the Sadducees and Pharisees in the central courtyard of the building, those unworthy priests had only come to an agreement...
Execute Yeshua...
Despite being very close to the judges, Yohanan did not get to know the text of the sentence, written by Kaiafa himself, after not a few discussions. For a moment he believed that the high priest would read the charge or charges. But it wasn't.
After much detours and ramblings by the assembly, three of the Pharisees rose from their seats, renouncing to continue in that trial. Although they agreed to put the Nazarene to death, their traditional sense of purity advised them, as they publicly stated:
— We do not wish to take part in this flagrant illegality, unless the Nazarene is brought before Pilatus, when the reason for which he has been condemned is made known to him.
Kaiafa was not impressed with this setback that was inflicted on him by the so-called saints or separated and, after consulting the court, suspended the session, but that was all already foreseen.
***
TWO ROLLS
07:30 - YERUSHALAYIM, FRIDAY, APRIL 07, A.D. 30
THE SADDUCEANS, scribes and the few Pharisees who had remained faithful to Kaiafa paraded for the second time before the martyred figure of Yeshua of Natsrat, who was not long in following in the footsteps of the judges.
Strongly escorted, Yeshua stayed for a few minutes in the inner garden of the Sanhedrim. In a corner, Kaiafa and his men continued to argue heatedly. They reentered the Chamber and, after a while, reappeared in the central courtyard.
The obese high priest carried two scrolls in his left hand. Next, Kaiafa, stood at the head of the Levites and servants, ordering them to tighten the circle around the blasphemer as they made their way to Roman headquarters.
Ananus and most of the judges said goodbye to Kaiafa, returning to the court where the first part of the trial had taken place. Yehudhah Ish Queryoth, who had not exchanged a single word with his former companion, joined the entourage.
The acting high priest, the half-dozen Sadducees, and the platoon that surrounded the Nazarene set out through the streets of the Upper City, towards the Porta dos Peixes. As they passed in front of the bazaars, people stood up, reverently saluting the high priest, none of the astonished witnesses even recognized Yeshua. The bruises on his eyes, nose and right cheekbone had deformed his face to the point where it was almost unrecognizable.
As they hurriedly walked towards Pilatus' stronghold, Yohanan noticed again the two scrolls Kaiafa was carrying.
What would your content be?
Was it the sentence he had to present to Pontius Pilatus?
In his mind was that court notice promising a second hearing churned incessantly.
Given that excess of irregularities committed in the mock trial, what could one expect from a second hearing? The Sanhedrists had broken at least twelve of the basic rules that Hebrew law established for judgments relating to capital punishment.
***
MEETING OF THE TITANS
7:50 am – YERUSHALAYIM, FRIDAY, APRIL 7, A.D. 30
IT WAS FEW MINUTES to eight in the morning when the reduced entourage left the Bairro Alto de Yerushaláyim behind. The meeting between the Sanhedrists and the Roman procurator would take place at the gate and tunnel on the western facade of the Torre Antonia. But Kaiafa and the Sadducees crossed in front of the protective wall in front of the moat and, without hesitation, turned the northwest corner towards another gateway to Pilatus' headquarters in Yerushaláyim.
Turning that corner of Antonia, the sudden presence of the old Yousef of Armathajim and a young Hebrew made Yohanan momentarily forget his doubts.
Yousef of Armathajim, was aware of the steps of Yeshua and the high priest. Although he didn't see him at the trial, he deduced that his contacts kept him properly informed. The fact that he was there was proof.
Kaiafa saw Yousef and, having the best friend of one of his biggest political annoyances, passed him with an air of superiority.
Bastard, seeing him like this is a double win...
However, he did not even greet him. The old man, upon discovering the Rabbi, was distressed. Although, possibly, he was also aware of the torture to which he had been subjected, on checking it out for himself, he paled.
Armathajim, who seemed to have given up hope that he had tried to enter the courtyard of Ananus' house, but like many there, was not successful, relying solely on his contacts within the Sanhedrim from the time he disputed the office of high priest against Kaiafa, who because he had married the daughter of Ananus, he got the job.
That distressed poor Yousef even more who, on the eve of Yeshua's father's death, had promised his friend to take care of his family and he was there, completely powerless in the face of his empty promise, even though an angel had appeared to him in those few hours of sleep, his feeling still consumed him inside.
***
THE SAME CHALICE
YERUSHALAYIM, SUNDAY, APRIL 2, A.D. 30
ONE DAY AFTER the sermon on "The Kingdom of Heaven," Yeshua announced that he and the apostles would leave for Passover in Yerushaláyim the next day, visiting numerous cities in southern Perea along the way. The utterance about the Kingdom and the announcement that he was going to Passover left all of his followers thinking that he was going to Yerushaláyim to inaugurate the temporal kingdom of Jewish supremacy. No matter what Yeshua said about the non-material character of the Kingdom, he could not extract from the minds of his Jewish listeners the idea that the Messiah was about to establish some sort of nationalist government based in Yerushaláyim.
What Yeshua said in the sermon only had the effect of confusing most of his followers, few were enlightened by the Rabbi's speech. The leaders understood something of his teachings about the Kingdom within, "the Kingdom of heaven within you," but they also knew that he had spoken of another kingdom to come, and it was to establish this kingdom that they believed he now went to Yerushalayim. And everyone was disappointed in their expectations when Yeshua was rejected by the Jews and later when Yerushaláyim was literally destroyed, for they still clung to their hopes, sincerely believing that the Rabbi would soon return to the world with great power. And in majestic glory, to set up the promised kingdom.
On the Sunday afternoon after Elazar's resurrection, Salome, the mother of James and Yohanan Zebedee, came to Yeshua with her two apostle sons and, in the same way that one approaches an Eastern potentate, she sought to have, in advance, Yeshua's promise to grant her any request she could make. But the Rabbi wisely didn't want to promise anything; instead he asked her:
— What do you want me to do for you?
Then Salome replied:
— Rabbi, now that you are going to Jerusalem to establish the kingdom, I would ask you, in advance, to promise me, for these two sons of mine, to honor them with you, making them, in your kingdom, those who one at your right hand and the other at your left hand.
After hearing Salome's request, Yeshua said:
— Woman, you don't know what you ask for.
And then, looking deeply into the eyes of the two honor-seeking apostles, he said:
— Because I knew and loved you a long time ago; because I even lived in your mother's house; because Andrew appointed you to be with me all the time, for all that, did you allow your mother to come to me secretly, making this inconvenient request? Let me ask you, then: Are you able to drink from the cup that I am about to drink?
And, without hesitating for a moment to think, Tiago and Yohanan replied:
— Yes, Rabbi, we are capable.
Yeshua said:
— I am saddened, for you do not know why we go to Yerushaláyim; I suffer because you do not understand the nature of my Kingdom, I am disappointed because you bring your mother to make this request of me, I know, however, that you love me within your hearts; so I declare that you will indeed drink from my cup of bitterness, and that you will share in my humiliation, but as for sitting at my right hand and at my left hand, it is not for me to concede. Such honors are reserved for those appointed by my Father.
By this time someone had told Cephas and the other apostles about this conversation, and they were quite indignant that James and Yohanan had sought to be preferred to them, and that they had secretly led their own mother to make such a request.
When they began to argue among themselves, Yeshua gathered them all together and said:
— You understand well with what arrogance the rulers of the Gentiles treat their subjects, and how those who are great exercise authority. But it will not be so in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever wants to be great among you must first become your servant. Whoever wants to be first in the Kingdom, let him become your minister. I declare to you that the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister; and I go to Yerushaláyim to lay down my life, to do the Father's will and to serve my brothers.
On hearing these words, the apostles withdrew to pray alone. That afternoon, as a result of Cephas' efforts, Tiago and Yohanan properly apologized to the ten and returned to their brothers' good graces.
When asking for places at the right hand and at the left hand of Yeshua, in Yerushaláyim, the sons of Zebedee hardly imagined that, in less than a month, their dear and well-loved Rabbi, would be hanging on a Roman cross, with a dying thief, on one side, and yet another transgressor on the other side. And their mother, who was present at the crucifixion, well remembered the foolish request she had made to Yeshua at Pella concerning the honors, which she had so foolishly sought for her apostle children.
***
ON THE WAY TO YERUSHALAYIM
YERUSHALAYIM, MONDAY, APRIL 3, A.D. 30
ON MONDAY MORNING, Yeshua and his twelve apostles finally bid farewell to the camp and set out on their journey through the cities of southern Perea, where fellow disciples connected with Abner were at work. They spent more than two weeks in conversation with the seventy and then went directly to Yerushaláyim for Passover.
When the Rabbi left Pella, the disciples, encamped with the apostles, a total of about a thousand people, followed him. Nearly half of this group left him at the ford of the River Jordan, on the road to Jericho, when they heard that he was on his way to Heshbon, and after he had preached the sermon on "Assessing the Cost," they went to Yerushaláyim. The other half followed him for two weeks, visiting cities in southern Perea.
Most of Yeshua's immediate followers generally understood that the camp at Pella had been abandoned, but they thought this really indicated that their Rabbi was after all intent on going to Yerushaláyim and enforcing his claims. to the throne of David. A great majority of his followers were never able to grasp any other concept of the Kingdom of Heaven; no matter what Yeshua taught them, they would not abandon this Jewish idea of a kingdom.
Acting on the instructions of the apostle Andrew, David Zebedee closed the visitors' camp at Pella on Wednesday. At that time almost four thousand visitors were residing there, and that did not include the more than one thousand people who stayed with the apostles, in what was known as the teachers' camp, and who went south with Yeshua and the twelve. Despite his distaste for doing so, David sold all the equipment to numerous buyers and proceeded with the funds to Yerushaláyim, subsequently handing the money over to Yehudhah Ish Qeryoth.
***
ON COST ASSESSMENT
BETANIA, MONDAY, APRIL 3, A.D. 30
WHEN YESHUA and the group of nearly a thousand followers arrived at the ford of Bethany on the Jordan River, sometimes called Betabara, his disciples began to understand that he was not going directly to Yerushaláyim. As they hesitantly debated among themselves, Yeshua climbed onto a huge rock and delivered that speech that became known as "Assessing the Cost."
The Rabbi said:
— From now on, you who want to follow me, must accept to pay the price of sincere dedication to do my Father's will. If you want to be my disciples, you must be willing to forsake father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters. If one of you now wants to be my disciple, he must be willing to give up even his life, just as the Son of Man is about to offer his life to complete the mission of fulfilling the Father's will on earth and on earth. beef. If you are not willing to pay the full price, you can hardly be my disciples. Before you continue, all of you should settle down to assess what it might cost to be my disciple. Which of you will want to undertake the construction of a watchtower on your land, without first evaluating the cost, to see if you have enough money to complete the work? If he makes a mistake in calculating this cost, after he has laid the foundation, he may find that he is not able to finish what he started, and so all the neighbors will make fun of him, saying:
— See, this man began to build, but he was not able to finish his work.
And then what king prepares to make war against another king and does not sit down and ask for advice as to whether he will be able, with only ten thousand men, to stand up to another who has twenty thousand men? If the king does not have the resources to face his enemy, being unprepared, he sends an ambassador to that other king, even though he is at a great distance, to ask for the terms of peace. Now then, each of you must sit down and weigh the cost of being my disciple. From now on, you will no longer be able to follow us, listening to the teaching and witnessing the works; you will be required to face bitter persecutions and bear witness of the gospel even under overwhelming disappointments. If you are not willing to renounce everything you are and dedicate everything you have, then you are not worthy to be my disciples. If you have already conquered yourselves, within your own hearts, you need have no fear that an apparent victory must be needed, when the Son of Man is rejected by the chief priests and Sadducees, and ends up being delivered into the hands of mocking unbelievers. Now you must examine yourselves to know the motives you have for being my disciples. If you seek honor and glory, if you are turned to earthly things, then you are like salt when it has lost its flavor. And when the one whose value lies in its saltiness loses its flavor, with what then should it be seasoned? Such a condiment has become useless; It's just to be thrown in the trash. And therefore I have already warned you to return to your homes in peace, if you are not willing to drink with me from the cup that is being prepared. Again and again I have told you that my Kingdom is not of this world, but you do not want to believe me. He who has ears, let him hear what I say.
Immediately after saying these words and causing the twelve to rise, Yeshua set out on his way to Heshbon, followed by about five hundred people. After a short delay, the other half of the crowd made their way to Yerushaláyim. His apostles, along with the chief disciples, thought much about these words, but they still clung to the belief that after this brief period of adversity and trial, the kingdom would surely be established and, in a sense, in accordance with the hopes so long cherished by them.
***
THE PEREAN CAMPAIGN
YERUSHALAYIM, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, A.D. 30
YESHUA AND THE TWELVE, followed for several weeks by a multitude of several hundred disciples, traveled through the south of Perea, visiting all the cities in which the seventy had works. Many Gentiles lived in this region, and since few would attend the Passover feast in Yerushaláyim, the messengers of the Kingdom immediately continued with their work of teaching and preaching.
Andrew ordered that the work of the seventy not be interrupted by the Passover feast. Yeshua advised the messengers to continue their work, despite what was about to happen in Yerushaláyim. He also advised Abner to allow the body of women to go to Yerushaláyim for Passover, according to their individual decision.
As they traveled from town to town, a large number of his followers defected to go to Yerushaláyim, so that by the time Yeshua left for Passover, the number of those who followed along with him day by day had dwindled to less. of two hundred people.
The apostles understood that Yeshua was going to Yerushaláyim for Passover. They knew that the Sanhadrim had sent a message throughout the land of Israel declaring that he had been doomed to die and ordering that anyone who knew of his whereabouts should inform the Sanhadrim; and yet, in spite of all this, they were not so alarmed, as they were when he announced to them in Philadelphia that he was going to Bethany to see Elazar.
This change in attitude, from intense fear to a state of silent expectation, was mainly in view of Elazar's resurrection. They had come to the conclusion that Yeshua could, in an emergency, assert His divine power and bring His enemies to shame. This hope, combined with a deeper and more mature faith in the spiritual supremacy of their Rabbi, was responsible for the outward courage displayed by his direct followers, who were now preparing to go with him to Yerushaláyim to face the Sanhadrim's public declaration that he should die.
Most of the apostles, and even many of their closest disciples, did not believe in the possibility that Yeshua would die; thinking that he being "the resurrection and the life," they considered him immortal and already triumphant over death.
On Wednesday evening, Yeshua and his followers camped in Livias, on their way to Yerushaláyim, after having completed their campaign in the cities of southern Perea. It was during that night, in Livias, that Shim-on Zelote and Shim-on Cephas, having conspired to have more than a hundred swords delivered to them in that place, received and distributed these weapons to all who accepted them and who wear them hidden under their cloaks. Shim-on Cephas was still carrying his sword, on the night of the betrayal of the Rabbi in the garden.
On Thursday morning, very early, before the others woke up, Yeshua called André and said:
— Awaken your brothers! I have something to say to them.
Yeshua knew about the swords and which of his apostles had received them and were carrying such weapons, but he never revealed any knowledge of these things. After Andrew had awakened his friends and they were all gathered together, Yeshua said:
— My children, you have been with me for a long time; and I have taught you much that is necessary in these times, but I would now like to warn you not to put your trust in the uncertainties of the flesh, nor in the weaknesses of human defense against the trials and tests that we have before us. . I have gathered you here, just us, so that I can tell you clearly once more that we are going to Yerushaláyim, where, as you know, the Son of Man has already been condemned to death. And again, I am telling you that the Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of the chief priests and religious leaders; and that they will condemn him and then place him in the hands of the Gentiles. And so they will mock the Son of Man, even spit on him and scourge him, and put him to death. And when they kill the Son of Man, do not be dismayed, for I declare to you that on the third day he will rise again. Take care of yourselves and remember what I warned you about.
And again the apostles were astonished, stunned; but they did not come to take his words literally; they could not understand that the Rabbi meant exactly what he had said. They were so blinded by their persistent belief in a temporal kingdom on Earth, with headquarters in Yerushaláyim, that they simply could not and would not allow themselves to accept Yeshua's words as literal.
That day they pondered all that the Rabbi might have wished to express with such strange pronouncements. But none of them dared to ask him a question about these claims. Only after his death did these bewildered apostles awaken to the realization that the Rabbi had told them, clearly and directly, in anticipation of his crucifixion.
Shortly after breakfast, some friendly Pharisees came to Yeshua and said:
"Run away from those places quickly, for Herod, as he did to Yohanan, now intends to kill you. He fears an uprising of the people and has decided to kill you. We bring this warning so you can escape.
And that was partially true. Elazar's resurrection had frightened and alarmed Herod, and knowing that the Sanhadrim had dared to condemn Yeshua even before a trial, Herod decided to kill Yeshua or drive him out of his domain. He really preferred the second option, for he feared Yeshua so much that he hoped he would not be forced to execute him.
When Yeshua heard what the Pharisees had to say, he replied:
— I am well aware of Herod's fear of this gospel of the Kingdom. Make no mistake, however, he would very much like the Son of Man to go to Yerushaláyim to suffer and die at the hands of the chief priests; only that having stained his hands with the blood of Yohanan, he feels no anxiety to become responsible for the death of the Son of Man. Go and tell that fox that the Son of Man is preaching in Perea today, that he will go to Judea tomorrow, and that after a few days he will have completed his mission on earth with perfection and will be prepared to ascend to the Father.
Then, turning to his apostles, Yeshua said:
— Since ancient times the prophets have perished in Yerushaláyim, and it will only be fitting for the Son of Man to go to the city of the Father's house to be offered as the price of human fanaticism and as a result of religious prejudice and spiritual blindness. O Yerushaláyim, Yerushaláyim, you who kill the prophets and stone the teachers of truth! How many times have I gathered your children the way a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you don't want me to do that! See, your house is about to leave you desolate! You will often want to see me, but you will not. You, then, will look for me, but you will not find me.
And when he had finished speaking, he turned to those beside him and said:
— Let us then, in spite of everything, go to Yerushaláyim, attend Passover and do what suits us, in order to fulfill the will of the Father in heaven.
It was a confused and bewildered group of believers who followed Yeshua to Jericho that day. In Yeshua's statements about the Kingdom, the apostles could discern only that note of final triumph; they were unwilling to come to terms with the warnings of impending setback.
When Yeshua spoke of "rising on the third day," they interpreted this statement to mean a certain triumph of a kingdom, which would come immediately after an unpleasant preliminary skirmish with the Jewish religious leaders. The "third day" was a common Jewish expression, meaning "soon" or "shortly after." When Yeshua spoke of "resurrecting", they thought he was referring to the "resurrection of the kingdom".
Yeshua had been accepted by these believers as the Messiah, and the Jews knew little or nothing about the suffering of a Messiah. They did not understand that Yeshua was about to accomplish, with his death, many things that could never have been accomplished in his life. In the same way that Elazar's resurrection encouraged the apostles to enter Yerushaláyim, the memory of the transfiguration perspective was what sustained the Rabbi in this period of trials of his bestowal.