Whether you look to movies, books, TV, or podcasts for entertainment, you’ve probably experienced the excitement of discovering an Easter egg or two along the way. It is pure fun to stumble upon one of these hidden references to an obscure historical fact or a favorite past movie, song, or TV show.
One joy that I experienced while researching and drafting Coin and Dagger was the discovery of small details in the gospels that struck me much the same as Easter eggs jumping out at the attentive movie fan. Obviously, when we talk about “Easter eggs” in the gospels, we can’t quite mean the same thing, since it would be silly to presume that the human authors intend these to be “aha!” discoveries.
Some details refer to people and events that likely would have been familiar to the original audience but have since been lost to history. Others might be small details that weren’t wholly critical to the gospel story and didn’t demand elaboration.
But all of them provided this writer with some fun prompts to explore in the context of telling a story. If you’ve read Coin and Dagger (thank you for reading!) you probably noticed at least one or two of these details. Let’s mine a few of these little passages and examine them more closely.
The Plot by the Herodians and the Pharisees
The first passage isn’t surprising because of what it says, but when it appears:
Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus – Mark 3:6 (NIV)
This reference shows up early in the narrative, probably in the first year of Jesus’ ministry. Yet, we don’t see the Pharisees and Herodians working together against Jesus “on stage” until the final week of Jesus’ earthly life when they challenge him over the lawfulness of paying taxes to Caesar.
So how did Mark know that they began plotting together almost two years earlier? Some well-meaning readers might cite Divine inspiration. While I wholly believe in the inspiration of scripture and the work of the Holy Spirit in its writing, I also believe that God often works through ordinary interactions to achieve His purposes.
In this instance, the simplest explanation is that somebody told Jesus and his disciples that others were plotting. This isn’t hard to imagine. Capernaum had a population of about 1500 people in the first century, just a little smaller than the student body of my high school.
I didn’t know every student by name but I could probably name more than half of them. The most prominent students (and faculty) were, of course, familiar to all.
The math suggests that in first-century Capernaum, no matter who discovered a plot among these unlikely allies, it would not have been hard for word to reach Jesus.
My writer’s brain saw the placement of this information as a useful plot device. Why did I choose Simon as the discoverer of this news? Largely because I needed a reason for him to reunite with Jesus and this piece of information provided a built-in means of doing so.
The Plan to Kill Lazarus
The gospels show that the religious leaders in Jerusalem saw Jesus as a threat and were desperate to get rid of him. This is especially evident in John’s gospel, which shows Jesus escaping twice from angry crowds ready to stone him (John 8:59, 10:39). His next trip to Jerusalem after the second attempt to stone him began with the triumphal entry.
What does this have to do with Lazarus? Well, Lazarus was literally living proof of Jesus’ divine power. So the Sanhedrin wanted to get rid of Lazarus along with Jesus:
Meanwhile, a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. – John 12:9-11 (NIV)
Like the plot between the Herodians and the Pharisees, we have to ask, how did John (or any of the disciples) know that Lazarus was in danger? Did they have an “in” with the Sanhedrin?
As a matter of fact, they did! Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin. We meet him during Jesus’ first trip to Jerusalem, and we see him again at the crucifixion. It is reasonable to assume that Jesus and the disciples had ongoing contact with Nicodemus during their visits to Jerusalem in between.
Putting a warning to Lazarus in Nicodemus’ voice made sense. In this case, though, I found no need to add a subplot involving direct action against Lazarus. Though scripture is silent on what happened to Lazarus after Jesus raised him to life, it served this story best for him to survive and remain with Jesus’ followers.
The Tower of Siloam
The opening verses of Luke 13 give us one of the most interesting “Easter eggs” in the gospels:
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” – Luke 13:1-5 (NIV)
When we read this text, our focus is almost always on Jesus’ call to repentance and the subsequent parable of the fig tree, not on the particular events that prompted his words.
So what was the tower of Siloam and how did it fall on these 18 men? The answer is not recorded in scripture or extra-biblical writings, such as Josephus. The pool of Siloam makes a couple of appearances in scripture and is labeled on our maps. But no known reference to a tower at Siloam has survived. Similarly, there is no Biblical reference to the Galileans mentioned in verse 1.
Help from a Historian
Seeing the creative freedom to explore the “what ifs,” but aiming to stay within the bounds of plausibility, I drew on some historical events and used those as the building blocks to assemble the tower. Josephus records that Pilate had raided the temple treasury to fund the construction of an aqueduct in Jerusalem. He goes on to tell us that Pilate’s actions sparked a violent response by the people.
It wasn’t a stretch to incorporate this event in Coin and Dagger, even though it is omitted from the gospels (with good reason—the gospels are about Jesus, not Pilate). It seemed a natural match to the elusive tower of Siloam for the simple reason that aqueducts are supported by pillars or towers.
Would an uprising in Jerusalem involve the sabotage of an aqueduct? Quite likely, given Pilate’s use of Temple resources along with the Jewish perception of an aqueduct as a uniquely Roman (and thus defiling) presence in their holy city.
Similarly, the Roman reprisal in Coin and Dagger employs a method that history tells us Romans used on at least one occasion against the Jews, which was dressing to blend in with the crowd to affect a coordinated ambush.
A Naked Escape
Finally, Mark’s gospel includes a curious detail in its telling of Jesus’ arrest:
A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind. – Mark 14:51-52 (NIV)
Neither Luke nor Matthew saw the need to preserve this detail in their narratives. So why did Mark include it?
Most scholars believe that Mark adds this detail because it is a self-reference. We don’t have space to unpack all of the traditions surrounding Mark here, (we’ll discuss him in detail in a future entry), but this one stands out because it is the one that carries the strongest consensus among Bible scholars.
This moment was also fun to write, as it allowed some levity for the readers. Jesus’ arrest was, of course, a high-stakes, adrenaline-filled, emotionally intense moment, so a little tension release was in order. If you read Coin and Dagger (again, thanks for reading!) and saw the bewildered guard holding an empty tunic in chapter twenty-eight, I hope it made you smile.
What Else?
Readers, what else did you encounter in Coin and Dagger that made you wonder if it came from scripture or creative license? Leave a comment and we can discuss it!