Daughter of My People: Jesus' Jerusalem destroyed

Chapter Seven

Jerusalem

A.D. 62-64

The Procurator of Judea, Festus, has just died. And now it is in the hands of either Nero or the Senate at Rome to appoint the new Procurator. But Nero gets to decide.

Tough job! The Jews are generally a disobedient people against Roman rule. This is why Syria, nearby Judea, is under the direct rule of the emperor. Stationed there are detachments of Roman soldiers, just in case.

Finally, Nero appoints Lucceius Albinus to be the new Procurator. So Albinus is on his way there when someone already assumed authority not his.

Ananus ben Ananus takes hold of the high priesthood. He is quite a receiver of this because of King Agrippa II, called King of the Jews by the Romans, just as his forefather Herod the Great was named so over a hundred years ago. Agrippa removes the high priesthood from Joseph Cabi ben Simon, and gives it to Ananus.

The Sadducee takes his chance to gather some judges together while Albinus was still on his way. It is almost Passover. They come to the Temple courts, and have James and some others taken forth.

This James is known as a brother of Jesus of Nazareth. James truly believes Jesus is the Messiah. He still says he saw the resurrected Jesus in person and was one of those who received the Holy Spirit with the others that Pentecost.

But that was thirty-one years ago. And James still preaches zealously. And he is respected by the people here in Jerusalem. He prays often on his knees. He leads the Christian assembly here in Jerusalem. He spoke with the apostle Paul when he went down to Jerusalem, for the last time. Then Paul was arrested, examined (even by King Agrippa II, who is famously known for saying, "You almost persuade me to be a Christian," yet he never converted), and then taken by ship to Rome.

Now James and his friends in Jesus are taken to the Temple. Now the scribes and Pharisees in that council come up to James. One says to the old man, "We beg you to restrain those people who were led astray in their opinions of Jesus, like he was the Messiah."

They are commenting that so many Jews have converted to James' faith in Jesus, and that they want them to stop believing in Jesus.

Another says, "Please turn everyone against Jesus, those who have come for the day of Passover. Look, we'll all hear your persuasion. Not only we testify that you are just and not one who shows partiality to anyone, but all the people. So then, go out. Persuade the people not to have incorrect beliefs about Jesus."

Some of them even suggest James stand on the summit of the Temple, where Jew and Gentile could hear and see him clearly.

But James would not renounce Jesus. He won't denounce the Messiah before plenty of people who should believe in Jesus. He may well go up the summit. But James tells the people who Jesus really is—the Son of Alaha! "The Messiah himself sits in heaven," he continues. "He's at the right hand of the Great Power, and will come on the clouds of heaven!"

James is so bold that the scribes and Pharisees just stand there, shunned, yet enraged. They speak to themselves that since they can't keep him from speaking while he's alive, they would silence him... by killing him.

So they throw James down from the high point in the Temple.

But since he somehow survives the fall, Ananus ben Ananus quickly orders James to be stoned at once.

So James is dragged out and being stoned outside the city walls on the east side. In plain view is the Temple building. James looks upon it, and knows time is up for Jerusalem. Jesus said so. It only has nine years left.