I Appeal To Caesar!

Caiaphas Invites His Hostile Witnesses, 35 AD

Saul receives a beautiful, hand-written invitation from Caiaphas that affects him deeply. He is invited to meet with a group of Sadducees and Pharisees to discuss what must be done about the effect the teachings of Jesus and his followers are having upon Jerusalem and the Temple. The afternoon meeting will be held in two days in the large assembly room at the Mansion of the High Priest. Caiaphas emphasizes the urgency of the meeting, insisting that all invited must be in attendance! Saul cannot help but reflect that being in his thirties he will be the youngest person present, at least half the age of everyone else attending! “Why invite me?” he asks. Saul now knows that the time has come for all the Pharisees, including himself, to make a decision about the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. * * * * * Like a president gathering his cabinet to make a declaration of war, Caiaphas as the ruling High Priest calls for his own trusted associates. However, before the forty-four older men and the one younger man are scheduled to arrive in two days, Caiaphas must construct his program carefully. His objective is to make a case against the Jesus People and propose an immediate, violent course of action. He hopes that both the leading Sadducees and his sympathetic Pharisees will reach the same conclusion. The most crucial response of all will be that of Saul, the youngest man present. * * * * *