The
Sanhedrin Council
Brothers, will you put your trust in rumors, or in your senses, or upon the clear word of God?
Zealot: Haven't you folks read the many prophecies of the glory of Israel? And don't you long for that day when we shall be freed from our oppressors, to take our rightful place among the nations of the world? Do you think God is glorified when his people are treated like scum? Don't you long for the coming of Messiah, who will restore the house of David? My fellow Jews, I not only long for that day, I work actively to promote the kingdom of God. We once hoped that Jesus might be the Messiah, but he is a grave disappointment. He tells people to give their hard-earned money to the pagans, and even welcomes tax collectors among his disciples. No, Jesus is not a Zealot.
Essene: Men and brothers, no one has greater longing for Messiah than we. With all due respect, most of you devote most of your time to very worldly concerns. We have consecrated ourselves to communion with God, and have chosen to create a religious community where we can do that full-time. Jesus has been known to depart into solitary places to study and pray. For that we commend him. But then he spoils it all by returning to mix with the worst dregs of society. We understand that he actually prefers the society of gluttons, wine-drinkers, and prostitutes. No, Jesus is not an Essene.
Educator: I'm old enough to remember that when Jesus was twelve years old, he wandered into the prestigious class I was teaching in the temple academy. He showed he had an uncommon knowledge of the scriptures. Jesus is not ignorant. And yet with that exception, I think it was three days, Jesus has not attended the rabbinical schools, although we gave him the opportunity. He has no credentials, no degrees, no transcripts, nothing. We offered to share with him the contributions of wise men over the past two thousand years, and he shows no interest whatsoever. No, Jesus is not educated.
Brothers, this special meeting has been called because of the rumor that a dead man has been returned to life. Belief for or against resurrection is not one of our fundamental beliefs. This is an area in which scholars have legitimate disagreement. We will continue to discuss these things among ourselves, but we have agreed not to confuse the people of God with a public debate. Now Jesus has stirred up the idea of resurrection into a divisive public issue.
Historian: Moses, the greatest of prophets, once killed a man, and witnessed the deaths of many more, but never brought any back to life. Some have suggested that the prophet Elisha once brought a child back to life. May I read the passage?
"So he went in and closed the door on the two of them, and prayed to the LORD."
Note that Elisha was himself the only witness to this occasion, and we know only what he tells us.
"Then he got up on the bed and lay upon the child, putting his mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and while he lay bent over him, the flesh of the child became warm. He got down, walked once to and fro in the room, then got up again and bent over him; the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes." [2 Kings 4:33-34 NRSV]
Now I ask you, is this clear evidence that Elisha actually brought a child back from the dead, or did he only administer cardio-pulmonary resuscitation?
Since the prophet Malachi died, God has inspired no true prophets. Instead we have been plagued with a series of false prophets.
God spoke specifically of Aaron as a prophet, [Exodus 7:1] and later appointed Aaron as high priest. If God were to once again grant us the prophetic gift, isn't it likely that he would choose our own high priest, Caiaphas?
Caiaphas: We have tried for the past three years to work with this man. But he refuses to cooperate or accept our position. He appeals directly to the people, and actually works to undermine our authority. As some of you know, we have had our informants follow Jesus wherever he has gone, since he first came to our attention.
Psychologist: We have carefully examined these reports. Jesus is obviously uncomfortable about his parentage. He feels very close to his mother, but never mentions his father, Joseph the carpenter. In fact there are serious doubts that Joseph really is his father. Whenever the subject comes up, he starts making strange references to Almighty God, as if God were the Father.
Gentlemen, those of you who have studied mythology know that legends of virgin birth have been with us for a long time. But surely no one would take such a claim seriously. We are unsure whether Jesus is schizophrenic with delusions of grandeur, or if he is a charlatan. His particular case has not been described in any of the psychological literature. As a result, despite careful study, we have been unable to predict what outrageous thing he may do next.
Jesus is completely unpredictable, uncontrollable, therefore a hazard, a loose cannon.
Caiaphas: Jesus has claimed not only that he raised Lazarus from the dead, but that he is himself the resurrection and the life. But we cannot be sure what he meant, or what really happened.