The Search for Whit, Part 3 of 3

Host (Male): Previously on Adventures in Odyssey.
Professor Charles: I may have stumbled onto the most significant archaeological find since the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Jason: The only way we're going to find my dad is to follow his tracks. Eugene, how would you like to take a trip to the Middle East?
Guest (Male): The latest revelation has everyone desperate to grab your father and the parchment he found.
Jason: If Whit's parchment is correct, if it really tells us where the bones of Jesus are, then the faith of millions would be shattered.
Professor Charles: Don't anybody move a muscle. Please tell us where the parchment your father found is located.
Jason: Dad's hiding. And when my dad hides, nobody will find him.
Professor Charles: Hi, Eugene. Mr. Whittaker. I have found a genuine first-century parchment that gives every appearance of being a sort of gospel.
Jason: You lied to my father and put him in a potentially life-threatening situation.
Professor Charles: I didn't lie to him. I didn't know anything about it until a few days ago. I think I've worked out where the bones are hidden. I want you to meet me at the Egged bus terminal on Jaffa Street in two hours.
Guest (Female): They've just made contact with the target, John Avery Whittaker himself.
Host (Male): Try an Adventures in Odyssey Club membership to hear even more faith-building stories. Get access to over 1,000 episodes, including club exclusives. Try a membership for 14 days free to see if it's right for your faith. Go to adventuresinodyssey.com.
Jason: Okay, Eugene, now you remember what to do.
Eugene: Aye, aye, Jason.
Jason: And you have the you-know-what?
Eugene: Discreetly placed. Good.
Jason: Then Lord willing, I'll see you in an hour.
Eugene: Farewell and Godspeed.
Jason: Yeah, see ya.
Tasha: Good afternoon, Mr. Whittaker.
Jason: Good afternoon, Tasha. How are things?
Tasha: Not sure. Where's Eugene rushing off to?
Jason: I'm surprised you don't know. Didn't you plant a bug in his salad?
Tasha: Jason, we need to talk.
Jason: All right, what's the topic today?
Tasha: Why do you insist on making this so hard?
Jason: Why should I make it easy? Come on, Tasha. It's bad enough that you, I mean the agency, used my father for your little scheme, but you still haven't told me the whole truth.
Tasha: What haven't I told you?
Jason: Is my room bugged?
Tasha: It might be.
Jason: By you? Jason, you were an agent. You know what goes on. Forget what I know. You bugged my room. And that little coincidental drop-in by Alfred Brownlee makes me think that he's working for you, right? Right?
Tasha: Well, he's not on staff, but yes, he's working for us.
Jason: At every turn, more deception. You know what bothers me? You really, really like this stuff. It doesn't matter that we're supposed to love each other, that we're getting married. You really like playing the game.
Tasha: Is it so wrong to like my job?
Jason: When your job means weaving so many deceptions you don't know the truth anymore, yeah, well, I'd have to think twice about it.
Tasha: What is truth, Jason?
Jason: Okay, Tasha. Tell me this. The agency knows we're engaged, and yet they let you handle this case? Doesn't the idea of an emotional conflict of interest come to mind? Why would they send you to deal with this?
Tasha: Because they figured I'd know you. They figured I'd know what you'd do and could anticipate your moves.
Jason: And you agreed?
Tasha: Yes.
Jason: Well, you know what my move is going to be right now?
Tasha: You're going to walk out.
Jason: Good guess.
Tasha: Jason! Jason!
Whit: Eugene. Mr. Whittaker. Don't turn around. I'm dressed as a custodian. If we're being watched, they might think I'm just cleaning the lockers.
Eugene: Right. Where's Jason?
Whit: I don't know. I thought he'd be here by now. Oh, here he comes.
Jason: Hi, Eugene. Sorry I'm late. Don't react, Jason, but that's your father right behind me. Oh, hi, Dad. Nice getup.
Whit: Hi, son. You didn't have any problems?
Jason: You should have seen it. I did the old taxi to a bus stop to another taxi to another bus tactic. I challenge anyone to follow me after that wild goose chase. How about you, Eugene?
Eugene: Well, I went to the street market in the old city as we planned. I then wandered into the center of a large crowd of tourists, ducked behind a souvenir stall, put on the turban which was cleverly concealed under my shirt, and disappeared into the crowd. I'd be quite surprised if anyone followed me as well.
Jason: Great. I tell you, this cloak-and-dagger stuff is pretty easy.
Whit: If the two of you are finished with your self-congratulations. Oh, yeah, sure, Dad. Okay, then follow me.
Jason: Where are we going?
Whit: Where else? We're getting on a bus. Thank you. Dad, don't get me wrong, but this is the middle of nowhere.
Whit: Ah, but it's the middle of where we need to be. This is the Wadi Kidron, the Kidron Valley. We're going to take a little walk to a cave where I stashed some hiking gear and tools, and then we're going searching for some bones.
Jason: All right, as long as you tell us what in the world is going on. How far have we walked? I'm exhausted.
Whit: Only a couple of miles, but it's steep.
Jason: Okay, Dad, what's the deal? Where are we going?
Whit: We're going to my little dig.
Eugene: But we went to the Ahroni dig and it's nowhere near here.
Whit: We're not going to the Ahroni dig. We're going to my other dig. It's where I originally found the parchment.
Jason: Everyone thought you found the parchment at the Ahroni dig.
Whit: I let them think that. I figured it would keep the other site protected.
Jason: So what is your other site?
Whit: After I first arrived in Israel, I stumbled onto the journals of Dr. Banes, my predecessor.
Eugene: Right. He's the one who suddenly died, causing you to accept the position here.
Whit: That's right. And Dr. Banes kept referring to a site he'd been working on in this area, but nobody knew what he was talking about. Finally, I asked a friend of his, a Bedouin shepherd, who confirmed that there was a Kirbet that Dr. Banes had been exploring.
Eugene: Kirbet?
Whit: Yeah, it means "the lost place." I asked the shepherd to guide me to it, and he did. Guys, I don't want to alarm you, but that's like the fourth time that helicopter's flown over us. My guess is he's not out for a joyride. Any way to shake him, Dad? Well, we could make a run for it.
Jason: To where?
Whit: Straight ahead. Those rocks on that hillside. All right. Everybody ready? Well, actually, I—go! They're running for it. Perfect. Let's chase them to the bones.
Eugene: Yikes! This way, Eugene. This way. They'll never find us in the rocks. They're going to that rock formation. We've lost them. Don't panic. That formation is just what we've been looking for. Now pull back and find a safe place to land.
Jason: Well, they're going, but you can be sure they won't be gone for long.
Whit: That's all right. Here, help me pull these bushes back.
Eugene: Pull the bushes back?
Whit: Just help, Eugene.
Eugene: A tunnel! Mr. Whittaker, how did you know it was here?
Whit: Because this is my dig.
Jason: Huh?
Whit: The village where I found the document.
Eugene: This is the lost place?
Whit: Uh-huh. Now let's pull the bushes back in place and go down.
Jason: Okay, Dad. Come on out with it. Finish the story about this place.
Whit: This is Dr. Banes' dig, where I've been working for the past year or so. It leads to a network of caves where I found first-century pottery, arrowheads, coins, all kinds of artifacts pointing to a village that was once alive and active. But it wasn't a normal village. It was a commune of an extremist group of the Sadducees.
Eugene: Ah, yes. The Jewish sect whose membership came largely from the priesthood and upper classes. They were particularly power-hungry and conspired with the Roman leadership.
Jason: Yeah, yeah, we're all impressed, Eugene. They were the guys who hated Jesus and wanted him dead.
Whit: That's right. A branch of the Sadducees set up this village and called it the place of Tau.
Eugene: Tau? Isn't that a letter in the Hebrew alphabet?
Whit: Very good, Eugene. It is. But the word "tau" was also used in the Old Testament to indicate a mark of some sort. In Ezekiel, for example, it was used as the mark put on the foreheads of the righteous.
Jason: Dad, stick to the story.
Whit: This particular Sadducee community believed themselves to be the only righteous left in the world. So they literally marked their foreheads to prove it. Thus, this village became known as the place of Tau. And this is where I found the parchment. And from that, I worked out where the bones are buried.
Eugene: Here?
Whit: Uh-huh.
Jason: But where?
Whit: Grab the flashlights and the tools and I'll show you. I found this deeper tunnel a few months ago and didn't think much about it until I discovered the parchment.
Eugene: Mr. Whittaker, what are all these markings?
Whit: I'll explain in a minute. Keep the flashlight fixed ahead there, will you, Jason?
Jason: Oh, sorry. This place gives me the creeps.
Whit: So it should. It's a tunnel of tombs.
Jason: Terrific.
Whit: The parchment I found said that the disciples had bribed the Romans so they could take Jesus' body and hide it, allowing them to claim that he'd risen from the dead.
Jason: Well, that's an old claim.
Whit: Sure. The writer then went on to say that the disciples buried his body somewhere in the Kidron Valley.
Eugene: Wait a minute. Who is this writer anyway?
Whit: Believe it or not, the writer of the document claims to be Judas.
Eugene: Judas? As in Judas Iscariot?
Whit: Yep. But he killed himself after betraying Jesus.
Whit: Not according to this Judas. Ironically, this Judas claimed to be such a lover of truth and so ashamed of the disciples' lies about the resurrection that he dug up the body and moved it to the place of the Tau. If the parchment is true, Judas was in cahoots with the Sadducees.
Eugene: This is unbelievable.
Jason: And that's how you were able to narrow down where Jesus' body is buried?
Whit: Exactly. Judas said he put the body in the tunnel of tombs and marked the tomb with the sign of suffering.
Eugene: Sign of suffering? What's a sign of suffering? The cross perhaps?
Whit: That's what I was hoping we could find out together. We need to go through the tunnel and look for something that might serve as a sign of suffering. Are you up to it?
Eugene: Sure. Simply point me in the right direction. Well, has anybody seen anything worthwhile?
Jason: Not me. Just a lot of letters and stuff. No crosses or signs of suffering that I can see.
Eugene: Hmm. This is curious.
Whit: What is it?
Eugene: Well, it looks like a thistle bush, but I've never thought of a thistle bush as a sign of suffering, unless you fall into one.
Whit: Wait a minute. Let me get a closer look. Here we are. It isn't a thistle bush, Eugene. See?
Eugene: It's a crude drawing of a crown of thorns.
Whit: Thistles, thorns, and the crown of thorns were popular icons among the early Christians to symbolize the sufferings of Christ.
Jason: You mean this is it? This is where the bones of Jesus are?
Whit: Are supposed to be. But we won't know until we pick up those tools and break through.
Eugene: But I'm not sure I can.
Whit: You can't. Why not?
Eugene: I'm afraid.
Whit: Afraid of what?
Eugene: Well, what if Jesus' bones are really in there?
Whit: Eugene, this is a good time to ask yourself: in what have you put your faith?
Eugene: What indeed, Mr. Whittaker? What indeed? Hand me a shovel. There, that's it. We're through.
Jason: Can you squeeze in? Yeah. Hand me one of the flashlights.
Eugene: What do you see?
Jason: It's a room all right.
Eugene: A tomb?
Jason: Yeah, looks like it could be. Come on. Let's clear some of the debris and set up the lights. I want a better look.
Professor Charles: Hold it right there.
Jason: What? Who's there?
Professor Charles: It's Professor Charles. I'm so sorry that you didn't feel you could trust me anymore.
Jason: What are you doing here? And how did you find it?
Professor Charles: You must be joking. Did you really think Eugene's lame ploy with a turban would throw me off the track? How cliché.
Eugene: I thought it was rather clever.
Professor Charles: Not by half. Following you was easy. In the helicopter.
Jason: Yes, and on foot. I've known about Dr. Banes' secret dig for a long time, but needed you three to lead me to it. The hidden tunnel was incidental. Now, if you'll please move away from that entrance.
Jason: Oh, yeah? Says you and what army?
Professor Charles: Me and Benjamin. Benjamin, let young Mr. Whittaker see your weapon.
Benjamin: This is my weapon, young Mr. Whittaker.
Jason: Thank you, Benjamin. So which side are we on today? I mean, just out of curiosity.
Benjamin: There was only ever one side, Jason.
Whit: That sounds like something a member of the symposium would say. Stephen, I would have given you more credit than that. Just move away from the entrance. If the bones of Jesus are to be found, I want to find them first. Now kindly clear the way.
Alfred Brownlee: You want to find them first? Is that what you said?
Professor Charles: Who said that? Come into the light.
Alfred Brownlee: Relax, Benjamin. It's me, Alfred Brownlee.
Jason: Getting awfully crowded in here. Well, this is a nice turn of events, I suppose. This means Tasha and the cavalry are right behind you.
Alfred Brownlee: Sorry, but no. Tasha and the agency just couldn't afford me.
Jason: Good grief. Then which side are you working for? Wait a minute. Let me guess. If Professor Charles is with the symposium, then you must be a hack for the first things group. Am I right? Come on, you can tell me. I can take it. Did you hear that, Professor?
Professor Charles: I heard. You silly boy. Alfred is working with me.
Jason: Surprise.
Eugene: The two of you are working for the symposium?
Alfred Brownlee: Wrong again. We're actually working for ourselves.
Jason: I'd sure like to see a schematic of this. So we have a single and a double deception.
Professor Charles: To put it crudely, yes. All to get rich from Whit's remarkable find. Now, let's all get digging so I can see those bones.
Alfred Brownlee: So that we can see those bones.
Professor Charles: Yeah, right. Keep those lights still. What's that? It looks like a stone coffin.
Whit: Some coffins were made of stone in the first century. True.
Professor Charles: It must be a coffin. Oh, this is wonderful. Let's get this thing open. Step aside, Alfred. This is my honor.
Alfred Brownlee: We'll do it together.
Professor Charles: I'll do it. Benjamin, step back, Mr. Brownlee.
Alfred Brownlee: What are you doing? Don't point that thing at me.
Professor Charles: Don't be dense, Alfred. I've only let you tag along to help sidetrack Tasha and her agency friends. You served your purpose. Whatever's here is mine and mine alone.
Jason: Now, would that make it a triple deception? I've lost count. It's going to take me weeks to sort this out.
Professor Charles: Except you won't have weeks, my friend. You don't think I'm going to allow any of you out of here? Watch them, Benjamin, while I take this cover off.
Eugene: I don't want to look. I should never have heard about this. If there are bones inside.
Whit: Eugene, listen to me. No matter what's in that box, God's word remains true. You haven't believed in vain. Our faith can't be based on the whims of science or of archaeological discovery. There's nothing to be afraid of.
Jason: You know, Professor, if you just let us help.
Professor Charles: Quiet! I have it! I have it! Get those lights down here. A moment of truth. What is that? I don't understand.
Alfred Brownlee: They look like jars.
Professor Charles: It's a coffin full of jars. Wait, wait. Those aren't just jars. Look closer. They're containers for parchments.
Eugene: More parchments?
Professor Charles: I didn't come all this way for parchments.
Whit: Get closer with that flashlight, will you, Jason? There. How's that? Look, Professor. The markings on this one are very similar to the parchment I found. See here? I see, I see, but why is there another one? Beats me. That doesn't matter. Whatever they are, I'm certain they'll be worth a lot of money. Now step back, everyone. Step back. Benjamin, you know what to do.
Tasha: Yes, he does know what to do. He knows to put down that gun and raise his hands slowly.
Jason: Tasha! What is this? Looks like a convention if you ask me.
Tasha: Do it now, Benjamin.
Professor Charles: Do what she says, Benjamin.
Benjamin: Yes, sir. But ma'am.
Tasha: Jason, darling, will you take his gun?
Jason: Sure, pumpkin. Whatever you say.
Tasha: All right, I want everybody out of here, single file. And boy, you all have a lot of explaining to do.
Jason: What's taking them so long?
Eugene: Relax, Eugene. Those parchments have been waiting there for 2,000 years. You can wait a few hours. Besides, it's not like we actually found any bones. Why are you panicked? Well, I'm relieved that we didn't find any bones, but my imagination is running wild with the significance of those parchments. What if they're other gospels? What if they also say that Jesus didn't rise from the dead?
Jason: You need to calm down. Those scholars get paid by the hour. Believe me, they're in no rush. Why don't you just go back to the hotel?
Eugene: Oh, no thank you. I want to be here when Mr. Whittaker comes out. Suit yourself.
Tasha: Well, that takes care of part of the problem.
Jason: You got Charles and Albert under wraps?
Tasha: Mm-hmm. For the time being. The Israeli government isn't very happy with either of them.
Jason: So who were they really working for? The symposium or first things? I can't really believe they concocted this whole thing themselves. Believe it. Professor Charles and Alfred Brownlee not only work for themselves, but are the symposium and first things.
Jason: What? Yeah, they created the two radical organizations as convenient covers while they sold valuable archaeological finds on the black market. Oh, hold on. Then that means you actually caught everybody you were hoping to catch, right? Right. Remind me to thank your father when he's not too busy.
Jason: You can be sure I will. But help me out with something. What? How did you know where we were? Alfred Brownlee said he shook you. Well, he did. But you didn't. Wait a minute. What do you mean you didn't? I thought it was pretty ingenious the way I jumped from taxis to buses. It would have been ingenious if I hadn't hugged you. What do you mean? Remember in the hotel lobby, I hugged you? And I put a tiny tracking device on the belt loop at the back of your pants. You what? It's still there.
Jason: I don't believe it. Okay, okay. Lecture me if you want, but remember that I saved your life. Fine. I won't yell. Thank you. You're welcome. But there are a few things to be said softly. Are there? I think you know. Yeah, yeah, I do.
Eugene: I believe I'll be in the corner pacing if anyone needs me for anything. Thanks, Eugene. Thanks.
Tasha: Jason, you know how I feel about you.
Jason: Yes, I know. But it isn't enough, is it? You love what you do. And I can't believe you'd really want to give it up to marry me and live in Odyssey. I'm right, aren't I? You can't deny it. No, I can't. Maybe some other time then. Yeah, some other time.
Whit: Oh, hi, kids. Come on in. There's something you need to see. Finally. Now these are all scholars with the Department of Antiquities. It's going to take them a long time to go through the parchments, but we've confirmed that most of them are copies of the parchment I originally found.
Eugene: Copies of the Judas parchment? Meaning they claim that Jesus died and was buried? That's right. And they're bona fide first-century parchments? It looks that way.
Jason: Oh, no.
Whit: Well, not so fast. They're genuine first-century parchments, but that doesn't mean they're true.
Eugene: Why wouldn't they be?
Whit: There's another parchment on this table you need to see. A single parchment that looks like a letter. Here.
Eugene: A letter? What kind of letter?
Whit: Basically, it's a letter from the High Priest Ananias to Gessius Florus. He was the Roman governor in the late sixties. You might remember that the Sadducees were political weasels who would do anything to gain favor with the Romans.
Eugene: I recall it well.
Whit: This was one way they tried to do it. The letter is the High Priest's promise to create fictitious accounts of Jesus' death. The idea was to help counter the influence of the Christian gospels that were being circulated at the time. The High Priest thought it would endear him to the Romans by turning the Jews' anger away from Rome and towards the Christians. He secured the help of his underlings at the place of Tau to forge the parchments and store them there in the tunnel. The idea was to slowly distribute them over time.
Eugene: But none of this happened. They didn't pass out the fake gospels.
Whit: Well, I'm guessing, but I think that history took away their chance. Jewish patriots rebelled in sixty-six. Gessius Florus was ousted and the Roman army came down on Israel like a hammer. They pretty much leveled the whole country, including the place of Tau. So the parchments were left where they'd been stored. I must have found a wayward copy in my excavations.
Eugene: It's amazing. So the whole thing was a big fat first-century deception. Kind of like Professor Charles, Alfred Brownlee, and their bogus radical organizations.
Whit: For centuries, people have tried to deny the truth of Christ's resurrection with lies, much as they try to do now. Which is why our faith has to be firmly grounded in the Bible. Right, Eugene?
Eugene: Of course, Mr. Whittaker. The grass may wither and the flower fade, but the word of our God will endure forever.
Jason: Well, there's my flight.
Whit: I wish you'd reconsider, Jason. Why don't you stay for a few more days?
Jason: I'd like to, Dad, but I really should get back. You and Eugene have a lot to catch up on. Go have some fun.
Eugene: I appreciate your sentiment, Jason. However, it would be far more enjoyable if you stayed.
Jason: No thanks. I want to get back to Odyssey for some peace and quiet.
Whit: Jason, I'd feel a lot better if you and Tasha had talked things out more before you go.
Jason: We did all the talking we needed to, Dad. There's no point in deceiving ourselves anymore about this particular truth. We get enough of that everywhere else. Well, I'd better go.
Whit: Okay, son. I love you.
Jason: I love you too. Well, see you in Odyssey in a couple of weeks, Eugene.
Eugene: Yes, sir. And thanks for the time off.
Jason: My pleasure. Hey, Dad?
Whit: Yes?
Jason: I know everybody's going to ask. So just give me a clue. When are we going to see you in Odyssey again?
Whit: Oh, you'll never know when I'll turn up. You'll never know.
Chris: I think Whit said it best when he told Eugene that we can't let our faith be affected by the latest scientific discoveries or archaeological whims. God's word is always true, even while man's theories and speculations come and go. As the psalmist said, "The sum of Thy word is truth, and every one of Thy righteous laws is everlasting." Thanks for sharing these adventures with us. Remember, if you ever want to write to us, our address is Adventures in Odyssey, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995. Or in Canada, write to Box 9800, Vancouver, BC, V6B 4G3. And when you write, be sure to ask about how you can get your own copies of all three parts of The Search for Whit. Adventures in Odyssey is a presentation of Focus on the Family. The Search for Whit was written and directed by Paul McCusker. Our production engineer was Mark Brewer, and our executive producer is Chuck Bolte. And I'm Chris, hoping you'll join us again next time for more Adventures in Odyssey.