7V

7V

"'Forget the  crowd,' Pilate  will  say.  'Choose your  Yeshua. Either this  prisoner you have  brought before me here  shall be crucified or the murderer named Yeshua bar Abbas.'

"Caiaphas will hesitate to  answer because he  will know  he is caught in a trap. One bad move and he could be deposed.

"Pilate will say, 'I made my  own inquiries into this  man long before you brought him before me. This man was a disciple of the baptizer  called  Yohanan,  and  he assumed  leadership  of  the baptizer's disciples after Herod put him into prison. Such Herod communicated to  me months ago.  Herod beheaded Yohanan,  but do you  wonder why  he never  killed this  Galilean? The  answer is Yeshua never spoke a single word  against Herod. He is a doctor, and by every  account a good one. The crowds  follow him seeking to be cured, not to listen to  a firebrand. I was not content to take Herod's  word for it.  I sent an  agent. He asked  this man about paying taxes to Rome. Yeshua  said, 'Show me the coin used to pay the  tax' and my agent produced one.  Yeshua said, 'Whose likeness is  stamped on  the coin' and  my agent  said Tiberias. Finally  Yeshua  said, 'Then  give  to  Caesar what  belongs  to Caesar,  but give  to  God what  belongs to  God.'  So my  agent returned to me and made  his report,  and I put  this traveling healer out of my mind until you brought him before me today and said he must die. Now when he rode the donkeys, that was stupid. I can't have more of  that, so he shall  be flogged, but  is it worthy of  death? I leave it entirely  up to you,  Caiaphas. So choose. Shall I crucify a murderer or crucify your king?'

"'Release to us Yeshua bar Abbas," Caiaphas will  say. 'We have no king but  Caesar. But beware, Pilate,  this false  prophet foretold he would sit in the presence of God in three more days. It is clear  to  me now  he  was attempting  to  deter his  own execution. I fear that when  he is  killed his  followers will spread lies. Rumor will spread through the city that Yeshua has risen from the dead, just as he said. Afterwards we will never be rid of the zealots his disciples will draw to themselves.'

"Pilate will say he will  simply leave  your body on  the cross until  the crows  pick your  bones clean.  Caiaphas will  reply, 'General, I invoked the Law to pronounce death on Yeshua but the same Law  also says the  sun must never set  on one who  we have caused to be put to death.'

Then Pilate will  grow  annoyed at  the complications  Caiaphas keeps piles on. He will say, 'I will order my centurion to make an end of the man  before dusk and bury  him nigh to  the place where he died. Will that satisfy Caiaphas and his God's law?'