Fire and Sword (34 page)

Perhaps things were finally turning in his direction. The new governor, a man named Festus, had recently arrived and seemed eager to work with the priests. This being the case, Ananias requested, and was granted, permission to have Paul transferred back to Jerusalem to stand trial. Finally, it seemed, they had him.

“The others have arrived,” said Ananias’ aide, Zechariah.

The high priest nodded. “Thank you, Zechariah. Send them in.” Ananias stopped to check out his reflection in the mirror. He stared for a moment at the middle-aged reflection looking back at him, thinking of the business he was about to conduct. “What are you, Ananias?” he spoke to himself. “A priest or a politician? Perhaps there is no difference.” He smiled at his reflection. “At least, not these days.”

“No difference, indeed,” said Rugio, as Ananias left the room. “Not in Israel at least. Right, Nathan?”

Nathan, a warrior angel who served Rugio, nodded in agreement. “I’m afraid the priesthood has fallen into hard times.”

“It will get harder before it lets up,” said Rugio. “Hardest of all for Paul.”

Ananias received the three men he trusted most: Zechariah, Bezial, and John. All of these men were Pharisees who sat on the Sanhedrin. They had the ear and the confidence of the high priest and came today at his request. Ananias bid them all come in and sit down.

“Thank you for coming, my friends,” Ananias began. “I asked you here because there has been a critical change in fortune regarding Paul of Tarsus.”

“He has died?” asked Bezial.

“Not yet, Bezial, but keep praying,” Ananias said. The men laughed.

“I pray constantly for his death,” Bezial affirmed.

“I like Bezial,” said Rugio to Nathan. “He has murder in his heart. He’s the one I can approach with this.”

“Agreed,” said Nathan. “And this is the perfect time.”

Rugio moved next to Bezial and stood behind him. “Now let’s see how things develop. Before we’re done here, Paul will be finished.”

“As you know, Felix has been replaced by the new governor, Porcius Festus,” Ananias continued. “He is here in Jerusalem and has proven quite accommodating. I intend to ask him to bring Paul to Jerusalem for trial.”

“Finally!” John responded. “Do you think he will?”

“Possibly,” Ananias answered. “It seems Rome is quite anxious that the peace be maintained in this troublesome province. Festus is eager to cooperate.”

“Suppose Paul never made it to Jerusalem?”
Rugio spoke into Bezial’s mind.

Ananias glanced at the strange look on Bezial’s face. “What is it Bezial? What are you thinking about?”

“What if something happened on the way down? It’s quite a distance…”

“Just thinking,” Bezial said. “How nice it would be if Paul met with an accident on the journey down. That would save us all a lot of trouble.”

The men laughed. Ananias looked at Bezial. “You’re serious?”

“I am.”

“You could arrange it.”

“Give me your permission,” Bezial said. “And I can assure you that Paul will never make it to Jerusalem. Why risk a trial if he can be punished beforehand?”

Ananias looked at the others. “You speak of murder. We can have no part in Paul’s death. It is too obvious.”

“Ananias need not take part in this…”

“I’ll arrange everything,” Bezial said. “He will be ambushed along the way, and it will appear as if a band of marauders took his life.”

“My lord!” came a voice.

“I am in council,” Ananias said. “What is it?”

“A message. From Porcius Festus.”

Ananias smiled at the others. “This is Festus’ answer. And if Bezial is right, it is also Paul’s death sentence!”

The priest took the message from his aide’s hand and unrolled it. As he read, his face turned from upbeat to downcast. He handed the message to the others. It read:

Bezial crumpled the message and threw it to the floor. He looked at the others with a disgusted scowl. “How can we get at this man!? It’s as if the angels themselves watch over him!”

Rugio and Nathan were just as dumbfounded at the news. Neither relished having to report this to Lucifer.

“How can we get to this man?” Rugio said to Nathan, mimicking Bezial’s voice perfectly. “It’s as if the angels themselves watch over him!”

Nathan laughed. “And so they do,” he said.

“I long for Eden,” Rugio said.

“I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the Temple or against Caesar.”

Paul stood once more in front of Ananias and several other accusers in Caesarea. He was amazed at the tenacity of these men who were bent on destroying him. Even in this circumstance, there was a part of him that ached at seeing Israel so blinded to the truth of the Messiah. These men—the shepherds of Israel—had turned their back on the very One the nation had always anticipated. Now they were determined to stop the work he had begun.

“I am innocent in these charges,” Paul said.

Festus looked at the group of Jews who had arrived in Caesarea a few days earlier. His inclination as a man was to believe Paul. He could tell that these priests, who he found himself liking less and less, were no different from the political instigators who surrounded the emperor in Rome. But as an agent of the emperor, he was bound by duty to act in Rome’s best interests.

“Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?” Festus asked Paul.

“Is he willing?” Ananias asked. “What difference does it make if he is willing or not? He has been in Caesarea for two years. Pardon, honorable Festus, but a friend of the Jews would not give this man any more choices in the matter.”

“I am a friend of Rome,” Festus said. “And so, Paul, I repeat the question: will you stand trial in Jerusalem?”

“Governor, in as much as you are Rome, I feel that I am standing trial now—under Roman authority. You yourself know that I have committed no crime against any nation. But if I have committed a crime against Rome, I am willing to stand trial—even willing to pay with my life if necessary.”

“You wish to be tried in a Roman court?”

“I will not subject myself to these men whose only ambition is to destroy me for no crime,” Paul said. “Therefore, as a citizen of Rome, I appeal this matter to the emperor. I will appeal to Caesar.”

A loud murmur went up among the priests. They quickly conferred, and Tertullus stepped out from among them. “This man should be released to us immediately,” he said. “This is a Jewish matter—not a Roman affair.”

“He has appealed to Caesar,” Festus said. “It is no longer in my hands. He will go to Caesar.”

Paul’s decision not only created a buzz among the priests, but also among the angels who were present—both those who were supportive and those who were opposed to Paul. Serus turned to Michael and Crispin. They had witnessed the hearing, certain that Paul was on his way to Jerusalem to stand trial. He wondered about the decision of Paul to go to Rome.

“It is his destiny,” said Crispin. “Remember that the Lord Himself told Paul that he must go to Rome. He is merely expediting this.”