The Shadow of the Galilean - Part II

Andreas’ second mission from Pilate is to check on Jesus’ activities in the region to ascertain his initiated religious movement - the coming of God’s kingdom - would become a “security risk’ or post any imminent danger to the existing tension experienced in Jerusalem. Andreas (as expected being a fictional character) never actually has a chance to meet with Jesus except the one last view he has from a distance when Jesus was crucified at Calvary with two other Zealots. We can’t tell how much Andreas is being influenced by Jesus’ teaching through the testimonials and accounts he heard from various groups of people who said about Jesus. He seems to incline towards Jesus’ religious movement more than agreeing with the Zealots who believe that they must engage violence to liberate their people from Romans’ oppression. They believe that God’s would deliver them only when somebody is doing something. An extreme between Zealots’ vengeance and Jesus’ advocate of loving your enemy truly stands out to arrest one’s attention.

Pilate was fearful of another riot occurred during the Passover feast of unleavened bread with multitude of pilgrims streamed into the city of Jerusalem from different parts of the regions. He manipulated Andreas’ idea of granting amnesty to Barabbas and other Zealots who were either imprisoned or took sheltered in the caves, and also to Jesus who was arrested by the authority. Pilate’s sole interest was to reconcile with the crowds by releasing a prisoner to their request to avoid a possible riot, and at the same time to test out where the real political threat actually come from: the Zealots or Jesus’ passive political reformation. Having discovered Pilate’s motive, Andreas felt he was indirectly involved in Pilate’s decision. He struggled with the issue of who is the culprit and who is guilty. Was it the Zealots, without them in the background, without that tension, Jesus would not in any way be viewed as security risk? Has not the Roman anxiety over the messianic unrest, Jesus may have not been arrested.

Though this is a novel with a predictable ending of Jesus’ execution on the cross by the Romans authority as well as a major part of the storyline is somewhat familiar from the biblical narrative, the author didn’t fail in keeping up his readers’ eagerness to follow through the story. Certain parts of the scene like blackmailing and kidnapping are thrilling, and the debate and conflict of healing on Sabbath is exciting and at times suspenseful. It is brilliant to begin the story with Andreas in the jail; this has absolutely caught the attention of the readers who eagerly want to know what would happen to his fate.