I Appeal To Caesar!

asking for the order. Slowly the delegates quiet down and are seated, still mumbling comments to one another.

“My dear family,” the High Priest continues, speaking as a loving parent now (controlling his emotions), “these past happenings are indeed grievous, but our conscience is clear, we moved as quickly as possible to silence Jesus of Nazareth; thankfully that was accomplished. “Now those lies and the strange use of the Scripture by Jesus are behind us. To our surprise, we now face another problem equally as wrong and perhaps more dangerous. I speak of the Jesus People Movement who claim Jesus is not dead, but alive at the right hand of God in heaven! “Listen to me carefully, just as you did when I suggested that it would be better for one man, Jesus, to die than to have the whole nation destroyed. You recognized the good sense of that insight, and we made the right decision. “Once again we must act for the protection of Judaism, the Scripture, and the Temple. During the past few days, I have gone through all the reports you have turned in about what Jesus has done and taught and the reactions of the people. “I sought to find the key problem, the foundational doctrine, to identify how this Jesus revolution strikes at the very heart of Israel. Brethren, I believe I have put my finger on the root issue! I present to you the basis of their blasphemy!

“In Jesus’ later Judean Ministry, He taught things that we would all find uncomfortable, heretical, or debatable, but