These religious leaders (like so many today) have pretended to be about religious piety and national fidelity. They seemed to want liberation from Caesar. But now they manifest their true desire: to affiliate with the powers that be, to maintain sovereignty in their little turf and the continuation of their little religious regime, as if to say, “May our will be done!” If Jesus’ secret message threatens their domain, they will scream for Caesar to bolster their leverage. Their true colors—pale, bilious, gangrenous— have shown through.
