FOUR - THE CRISIS

CALEB

It had been almost a week since the arrests of Joseph, Simeon, and Samuel. Caleb had not seen Judah again. According to Judah’s sister, he had left Jerusalem on an urgent family matter, and it was uncertain when he would return. Caleb knew this was untrue, though he did not know if Judah’s sister knew this or if Judah had actually left the city. As far as Caleb knew, there had been no additional arrests, and he had not heard any rumors of soldiers looking around for additional conspirators. The people expected Roman authorities to punish these men soon, though most believed they would not do so until after the Passover.

The arrests had increased the tension in the city. People claimed that such seemingly insignificant men with no history of violence could not actually be responsible for the deaths of five Roman soldiers. Most believed that these men were peripheral at best to the attack, and that Roman authorities had arrested them in an attempt to find the true culprits.

Since the day of the arrests, Caleb’s soul had been conflicted. At times he felt extreme guilt, but at other times he was able to justify his actions and assuage his conscience. Today—at least for this moment—he was living in the latter. No doubt this first day of the Passover week, a beautiful spring day, helped. The city streets were bustling with activity, and excitement was in the air. While some pilgrims had arrived earlier, this was generally the day of arrival for most traveling to the city to celebrate the festival. The city with a population of approximately sixty thousand people would swell to almost three hundred thousand. While this influx of people certainly caused headaches for the city rulers and officials, it brought great energy and excitement for the common people. A majority of those making pilgrimage had family and friends in the city, and therefore this was a time of reunion and celebration.

Caleb himself had many friends arriving whom he was eager to see again. He also had family that he would be hosting in his own home: his aunt, Elizabeth, along with her son, Jacob, and daughter, Mary. Jacob was a year older than Caleb, and Mary was a year younger than his sister Miriam. Their families had been extremely close, but Elizabeth and her children moved to Damascus when she remarried after the death of her first husband. They always returned to Jerusalem for the Passover and stayed through the Feast of Weeks, a celebration of firstfruits and the giving of the Torah, held fifty days later. Because of his responsibilities in Damascus, Elizabeth’s second husband rarely made the trip with them.

Jacob and Caleb had grown up like brothers and were inseparable throughout their youth. They both worked in the pottery shop, and Caleb’s father took care of his sister’s family up until her remarriage. When they moved it was hard on Caleb, who lost his closest friend. It also made the death of Caleb’s father, only one year later, much harder. Though the distance had been difficult, the two regularly corresponded and usually saw each other at least twice a year. Their relationship was one on which time and distance seemed to have no effect. With this reunion in front of him, he couldn’t allow himself to be mired in guilt.

He closed the shop at noon. After a quick lunch with Miriam, they headed out to greet their family. The march of pilgrims into the city was exciting. Many pilgrims would sing and dance, and those at the gates waiting for family usually joined in as a group approached the city entrance—whether they knew them or not! Even for those who did not join in, the sight of family and friends reuniting was a joyous one.

As was their tradition, Caleb would meet Jacob and his family at the Shushan Gate on the eastern side of the city, across from the Mount of Olives. Travelers from the north would usually come south along the Jordan River to Jericho before turning west toward Jerusalem. They would pass through the village of Bethany, come down the Mount of Olives into the Kidron Valley, and then ascend Mount Zion, where Jerusalem’s glorious temple sat.

The current temple was the result of a massive remodeling of the one originally built by the Jewish leader Zerubbabel after the return from Babylonian exile five hundred years earlier. The remodel was undertaken by the late Roman client king, Herod “the Great,” whose sons, Herod Antipas and Philip, still ruled on Rome’s behalf in northern Israel. While he was a paranoid despot, Herod’s acumen for building was undeniable. The remodeling of the Jerusalem temple was, without question, his magnum opus. Before Rome granted Herod power in the region, Zerubbabel’s temple was nothing special to behold. It was a shell of the earlier temple built by King Solomon on the same site, Mount Zion (at times called Mount Moriah). Both had occupied only a fraction of the mountaintop. But in order to gain favor with the people and recognition for himself, Herod began a massive building program, turning the entire mountain into a platform for the temple to stand on.

While the people of Jerusalem hated Herod, they loved the temple he had built them. Every Jew in the city knew its dimensions. The enormous retaining wall around the Temple Mount was 1600 feet north to south and 900 feet east to west. The walls were a hundred feet at their highest point and sixteen feet thick. And its stones—oh, those great stones of the retaining wall! Caleb could hear the words of his father when he was just a young boy: “Five hundred tons, my son! Nothing could shake a foundation stone that size!”

The retaining wall was impressive, but the true beauty was the temple that sat within it. It was made of marble that glistened beautifully in the sunlight, as did the ornate golden overlays that adorned it. At times the beauty was almost blinding—as if the glory of Israel’s God was emanating from within. It was not quite centered on the Temple Mount but sat a bit to the north. It ran 480 feet east to west and 200 feet north to south, standing fifty feet at its highest point.

Most of the Temple Mount consisted of a massive open courtyard that was not technically a part of the temple itself. This courtyard was named the “court of the Gentiles” because it was open to anyone, Jews as well as Gentiles. Separating the court of the Gentiles from the temple proper was a fifteen-foot wall with multiple gates. Only Jews who had undergone proper purification could pass through these gates. The wall was engraved with warnings in both Greek and Aramaic that any Gentile or unclean Jew who passed through the gates would be sentenced to death. For this crime—and this crime alone— did the Roman governor grant Jews the power over life and death.

The Shushan Gate, where Caleb and Miriam were headed, was named after the capital city of Persia. This name honored the nation that allowed the Jews to return to their ancestral home and rebuild their temple. The gate depicted, ever so ornately, the royal palace of that great city. For this reason, it was often referred to as the “Beautiful Gate.” Through this gate one would enter directly into the outer courtyard of the temple, the court of the Gentiles. Consequently, to reach this gate from inside the city, one had to enter the western side of the Temple Mount and cross the entire courtyard.

As Caleb expected, the outer courtyard and its beautiful porticoes were bustling with activity. Newly arrived pilgrims were exchanging their Greek and Roman currency for that which was acceptable for use in the temple. That currency was then used to buy animals for sacrifice, food from local vendors, souvenirs from local artisans, and even payment for guided tours of the temple grounds. Some complained that the exchange rate was unfair, a complaint that Caleb knew on occasion had merit. But he was also a businessman and knew that the temple had expenses beyond what most could likely imagine. While some complained, most understood this to be the business of the temple. Priests of varying ranks were also moving about the area directing traffic, answering questions, and facilitating regular temple tasks. The increased number of people meant a need for additional priests.

Making their way through the hustle and bustle took a while. They declined at least five offers for a guided tour of either the temple or city. Twice Miriam stopped to admire the work of another potter and ask about sculpting techniques, both times causing Caleb to think he had lost her in the crowd. After the second time he snapped at her, saying they didn’t want to miss their family’s arrival. To this she simply smiled, told him to relax, and that they had plenty of time. This response only frustrated him more. He hated when she pointed out how uptight he could be—more often than not, she was right. And she turned out to be right again. They arrived at the gate at least an hour before their family arrived. Thankfully, Miriam didn’t rub it in.

The early arrival gave them a chance to enjoy watching the pilgrims coming up the road singing and dancing. They knew each song, and they sang them with all gathered there—songs of God’s faithfulness, his holy dwelling, and his deliverance. While Caleb’s faith had waned of late, he couldn’t help but sing these songs he had known since he was a child. Watching the reunion of family and friends was good for his soul: the kisses and embraces, the old jokes followed by laughter, the grandparents meeting grandchildren for the first time, and the tears of joy that accompanied it all. He loved his people, and he loved how much they loved each other. Caleb even joined some of these reunions as he recognized friends arriving to the city.

While caught up in one of these reunions, Caleb noticed a commotion brewing around him. Many people were speaking excitedly and moving to the front of the gate. Miriam pulled on his arm. “Come on Caleb, we need to see this. The prophet from Galilee is coming!” He suddenly understood, and together they worked their way to the front of the gate—not an easy task.

At first, Caleb saw a large crowd of people on the road moving across the Kidron Valley toward the city. The crowd was at least a hundred, maybe more. It grew as he watched, with some people running down from the city to join it and others catching up with it from behind. They were singing and shouting, but from this distance Caleb couldn’t make out what the people were saying.

As the crowd drew closer, he made out a man at the center who was riding what looked to be a horse. The people near him were taking off their coats and laying them down in front of him. Others were waving what looked like palm branches and laying them down along with the cloaks. The striking scene reminded Caleb of the stories he had heard about the great deliverer, Simeon Maccabeus, entering the city of Jerusalem. Was this really happening?

As the crowd drew closer, it became clear that the man was riding not a horse but a donkey. He could finally hear what the crowd was saying. The most dominant sound was the chanting of “Hosanna”—a declaration of coming salvation! But others were shouting, “Hail the Son of David,” “Blessed be the coming kingdom of David,” and “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” He couldn’t believe what was happening! This prophet was entering the city as a king, as a conquering messiah and deliverer of Jerusalem!

While others were rushing to join the crowd, Caleb slowly stepped back. Dread filled him. He looked around and saw four Roman soldiers stationed at the gate, frantically talking with each other. As he watched them, two remained at the gate while two ran in the direction of the Antonia fortress, which was adjacent to the northern retaining wall of the Temple Mount. It was the headquarters of Roman military power in Jerusalem. The remaining two soldiers made no movement but stood tensely, watching the crowd move closer. A number of others looked shocked and afraid, with some deciding to leave the scene altogether.

Caleb’s mind was racing. What did this mean? What would be the consequence? He expected at any moment to see more Roman soldiers storming to the gate to bring this display to an end and arrest Jesus. But none came.

The crowd was a mere thirty feet away now, and he could see Jesus clearly. He was smiling and touching the hands of those who reached out to greet him. He wore the common robes of a peasant. He bore no special decoration, nor did he appear to be carrying any sort of weapon. His face was weathered, but not old in appearance. He had an unkempt beard that could not conceal a warm smile. His eyes were kind and his face warm and sincere. He seemed unconcerned about the political gravity of the situation that surrounded him. When he was about ten feet from the gate, he signaled two men to help him dismount from the donkey. They led the animal back down the road away from the city. The crowd pressed in on him and swallowed him up as it moved through the gate into the outer courtyard of the temple.

Caleb was startled by someone grabbing his shoulders and shouting his name over the noise of the crowd. The sight of his cousin Jacob jolted him out of his concern for the Galilean prophet, reminding him of the reason he was at the Shushan Gate. The joy and excitement of seeing Jacob overcame the dread in his heart. They embraced, kissed each other on the cheek, and exchanged warm words of greeting. As they were doing so, Miriam suddenly appeared with Aunt Elizabeth and Cousin Mary. It was a joyful and happy reunion.

“When did you arrive?” asked Caleb. “I didn’t see you coming up the road.”

“We were in the crowd with the prophet Jesus!” Cousin Mary replied.

“You likely saw us coming, then, even if you didn’t!” said Jacob with a smile, followed by a laugh.

The fact that his family was a part of this dramatic entrance quickly sobered Caleb, though he tried not to let his face reveal his concern. It was awkward to suddenly realize that those he loved most dearly held a surprisingly different perspective than his own. Trying to hide his concern and surprise, Caleb replied, “Ah, so you were a part of the dramatic entrance? No wonder I didn’t see you in all that commotion!”

“Wasn’t it all so exciting?!” asked Mary.

“It most certainly was!” replied Miriam—a response that surprised Caleb, but he wasn’t sure why. “Did you travel with him all the way from the north?” his sister asked excitedly.

“Oh, no,” said Jacob. “We first saw him with his followers in Jericho four days ago. As you know, we always stay there a day or two with my father’s kin. When we arrived, we heard rumors that the prophet Jesus had arrived in Jericho that same day and would be teaching in the synagogue the following morning. We had heard of him even in Damascus, yet he had never been there. We were eager to hear him, so we decided to get up early to go to the synagogue. And it is a good thing we arrived early, as it seemed the entire town had the same idea. The synagogue was filled to capacity with an overflow surrounding it!”