Lucius groaned in frustration. “Gentiles don’t care who the Nazarene claimed to be. It doesn’t matter to us. The people of Jerusalem will see us as impartial observers.”
“Ohe! We don’t have time for this, Weasel!” exclaimed Hektor, losing patience.
“No, we don’t! Let’s go!” ordered Lucius.
The men made their way to an area of the temple where Gentiles were permitted. They sent a boy to find Malchus, the chief servant of Joseph Caiaphas. Malchus was also a temple guard and known to some of the soldiers at the Antonia, including Lucius. When he came out to them, they demanded to see the high priest. Lucius was growing impatient when Malchus returned with Caiaphas. Lucius explained why they were there.
“Listen, it’s quite simple. The body of your Messiah is gone. The tomb is open and empty and people have seen it. No telling how many more have seen it by now. We can help you for a decent price. You tell us what you want us to say, or we tell all of Jerusalem what I just told you. Decide quickly. Every hour that goes by, more people will know.”
Caiaphas eyed Lucius with distaste. “Wait here. I must meet with the chief priests and elders.” The two men walked away. The soldiers sat under an acacia tree to discuss what they would do with their new found wealth. Lucius set his “sun-dial” stick in the ground. “I give him an hour. If he’s not back by then, we go to Valentius.”
“If a squad doesn’t arrest us first,” muttered Hektor.
Inside the temple, a small group gathered to discuss the situation. Annas, father-in-law to the high priest said, “Those soldiers buried the body somewhere else to blackmail us.”
“It doesn’t matter. The body is missing,” said Gamaliel, one of the high priests. “However, will they dare to tell this story knowing Governor Pilate will not be pleased? I think they’re bluffing.”
“What if they’re not?” Caiaphas gestured impatiently. “We’re in a dangerous position. The people will believe their story. I propose we pay them, but only once. Let’s make sure they don’t come back for more. We’ll pay the soldiers to say the disciples stole the body. We tell them that if Pilate hears of it and they never ask for more money, we’ll cover for them.”
“I thought once Yeshua was dead, it would be over,” said Annas. “Yet the blasphemer reaches out from the grave and torments us.”
“You’re being overly dramatic,” chided Caiaphas. “Believe me, in a few weeks no one will even remember his name. You’ll see.”
They determined the amount of the bribe. Caiaphas took the money from the treasury and put it in a leather money belt. He gave it to Malchus along with instructions. Malchus slung the belt over his shoulder. It was heavy. The chief priests and elders were taking no chances. As he walked along the corridors of the temple, he touched his right ear. He slowed his steps, stopped, lowered his head, and cradled his right ear with the palm of his hand.
Only a few days before, Caiaphas sent Malchus with Judas Iscariot to arrest Yeshua. Because of Yeshua’s popularity, they planned to arrest him at night. As the group of temple guards and officials came within sight of the Mount of Olives, Judas said, “The one I greet with a kiss is the man you want.”
Malchus gave Judas a sidelong look. “Why are you doing this?”
“How can you ask such a question? He says he is the Son of God. He makes a mockery of the law when he heals on the Sabbath. It is God’s will for this man to die. The prophets say the Messiah will be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. Yet we know Yeshua was born of Joseph and his wife Mary. Can a man be born of a woman, yet have existed forever?”
“The prophets also say the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem. So the Messiah must be born of a woman as God in human form. The Messiah will conquer the Romans and re-establish the kingdom of David. The prophet wrote, ‘The government shall be upon his shoulder.’ Of course, we know Yeshua is from Nazareth.”
“He is dangerous,” Judas exclaimed. “He knows what you are thinking. What! Why do you look at me with condemnation?”
“Why do you look guilty? Are the rumors true? Did you steal money from the disciples?”
“You hypocrite!” Judas fired back. “What is the high priest paying you to do tonight?”
“He instructed me to arrest Yeshua for questioning. We do this at night only to protect the people from the Romans in case there is a riot.”
“Can you be that foolish? Do you really not know of the three secret meetings when the death penalty for Yeshua and excommunication for his disciples was decided?”
“Impossible! No one can be sentenced without the accused being present before a quorum of the Sanhedrin.”
“Your allegiance is commendable, but you are naive. I was in the meeting, just days ago. They have instructed witnesses to present against him. The Sanhedrin hopes to trap Yeshua into declaring himself the Messiah. It will be their proof he is a false prophet.”
“Now I know you are lying. The Book of Moses states that no man can be condemned by his own confession, neither can the high priest pose as both accuser and judge to pass sentence. They only want to question him. Besides, only the Romans can execute a man. The Romans are not involved in this arrest.”
“Then what are they doing here?” Judas pointed at four Roman legionnaires walking closely with a man they addressed as Tribune. The tribune looked as if he had been ill and malnourished. His face was thin with a waxy paleness, but his gaze was intense, almost feverish. Judas moved closer to listen, but the tribune’s voice unnerved Malchus. The man kept touching the soldiers on an arm or shoulder, withdrawing his gnarled fingers too slowly.
The guards and officials reached the end of the path and entered the Mount of Olives. Judas walked up to the only one who was awake and greeted him with a kiss. Not waiting for the others, Malchus pushed Judas aside and reached for the Nazarene. Awakened by their approach, Simon Peter moved in front of Yeshua, brandishing a sword. Malchus didn’t see the sword until it was too late. His ear was gone and he cried out in pain. He slapped his hand over the gaping wound. Staggering backward, he held the side of his head, trying to staunch the bleeding.
Yeshua stepped in front of Peter and said, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” Then Yeshua said to Malchus, “Permit even this.” Yeshua pulled Malchus’ hand away from the wound and touched the side of his head. Instantly, the pain was gone. Astonished, Malchus felt for the wound, but there was none. There was an ear. He wiped at his face with his sleeve and felt for his ear again. It was as if it had never been severed.
Pushing aside the memory of the dramatic healing, Malchus thought about the bribe money he was about to hand over to Lucius and the others. For a moment, Malchus considered keeping the money and fleeing Jerusalem for good. He had no wife, since she had died giving birth to their first stillborn child. But Malchus knew he could not leave. Resigned to his fate, he followed his master’s instructions. He always did.
Lucius watched Malchus approach. “What took so long? It’s been an hour.”
Malchus said nothing and handed the money over to them. All three of the men reached for it, but Lucius snatched it away. Malchus related the high priest’s instructions. Lucius grinned at the threat of reprisal the Sanhedrin had tacked on to their deal. They started to leave.
“Wait! Why are there only three of you?” Malchus demanded. “Where is your centurion? Will he tell a different story?”
“Let him talk of angels and earthquakes. Let him tell the people an angel ripped the stone from its seal, and a dead man vanished from inside his burial linens? Doesn’t that sound insane to you?”
Malchus watched them leave. For the first time, he wondered if their report was actually true. Octavean already had the bribe money. Why would he continue to describe such unbelievable detail? Why did he say