Part 18 (1/2)
His name? His name was Judas Iscariot.
”What will you give me,” Judas said, ”if I turn Jesus over to you?”
The priests and rulers could hardly believe their ears.
”Thirty pieces of silver you shall have,” they cried, ”if you give us Jesus!”
So for thirty pieces of silver Judas agreed to show them where Jesus was, at some time when there was no one around but the twelve disciples.
”Send soldiers when I tell you,” Judas said. ”The other disciples will all be there, and the soldiers won't know which man to take. But I will go up to Jesus and kiss him. The man I kiss will be the one you want.”
Some dark night soon, a quiet place with no one around to see--and n.o.body would have to worry about Jesus of Nazareth any more!
[Ill.u.s.tration]
13. The Last Night
It was Thursday. On Friday afternoon the lambs would be killed for the Pa.s.sover, and on Friday evening all good Jews would sit down to eat the lambs at the Pa.s.sover feast. The disciples wondered where Jesus was planning to celebrate the feast with them.
But Jesus did not wait until Friday to have a meal with all his disciples. On Thursday he sent two of them into Jerusalem from Bethany. He told them the name of the man to whom they were to go.
”Go to this man,” said Jesus, ”and tell him that I said the time has come. He will show you where we are going to have supper tonight. Then you can get the supper ready.”
That evening Jesus and the twelve disciples met together at the house in Jerusalem. On the second floor there was a room, where food was spread upon the table.
As they were eating supper, Jesus suddenly spoke.
”One of you is a traitor!”
[Ill.u.s.tration]
Everyone stopped eating. And each one of the twelve disciples thought of his own sins. Each one wondered if he were loyal enough to Jesus.
Each one cried out:
”Master, is it I?”
Jesus only answered:
”It is one of you twelve men, eating with me now. It would have been better for that traitor if he had never been born!”
A moment later Judas Iscariot slipped quietly out of the door. The other disciples did not know where he had gone.
Jesus spoke again: ”I wanted so much to eat the Pa.s.sover feast with you this year, before I suffer. But I shall not eat it again with you until a better day, when we shall all be together once more.”
He took up a piece of bread, and said a prayer of thanks to G.o.d. Then he broke the bread, and pa.s.sed the pieces among the disciples--only eleven of them now. He said words that they did not understand.
”Take and eat this. This is my body.”
He took a cup of wine, and once more he gave thanks. Then he pa.s.sed the cup among the disciples, saying: