Again Jesus was taking the initiative and was talking right over the heads of the priests to the multitude,and as always happened when he made a personal appeal,Jesus gained the immediate good will of his audience.
He was the victor in this opening battle with the authorities.The soldiers were obliged to let him go,and followed by his friends he quietly walked back to his lodgings and that day he was not molested any further.
But all this meant very little.
When the Pharisees set out to destroy a man they did not rest until their victim had been killed.And Jesus,who knew this,was in a very serious mood as night approached.
There was something else which gave him reason for anxiety.
Thus far his pupils had been very faithful to him,and the twelve who were always with him had really loved each other like so many brothers and had borne with each other's shortcomings with exemplary kindness.
But with one of them,all was not well.
Judas he was called and he was the son of a man who lived in the village of Cariot or Kerioth.He therefore was a Judaea,whereas the other eleven were Galileans.This may have had something to do with his attitude towards Jesus.
He felt all the time that he was being slighted—that the Galileans were trying to get the better of him—that he was a victim of his national antecedents.
None of this was true,but given a mean man with a petty mind,the most harmless remark may be turned into an unpardonable insult.
And Judas,who seemed to have joined Jesus on the impulse of a very momentary enthusiasm,was a greedy scoundrel with all the vengeful hatreds of a person aware of his own inferior qualities.
He had a great gift for figures and the other disciples had therefore asked him to be their treasurer and book-keeper and see that their slender funds were equally divided among all twelve.
Even in that quality,Judas had not given complete satisfaction and had gained the distrust of his fellow disciples.He was forever grumbling at the expense of some of the presents which were forced upon Jesus.More than once he had publicly given signs of his irritation when money was squandered upon what he was pleased to call “useless luxury.”
Jesus had spoken to him about this and had tried to show him how foolish and ill-mannered it was to show resentment at a gift which had been offered with the kindest of intentions.
But Judas could not be convinced.
He did not say anything.
Neither did he leave Jesus.He continued to call himself one of “the twelve”and listened with assumed eagerness whenever Jesus explained one of his favourite ideas.But in his mind he was working on an idea of his own.His vanity had been hurt by the reprimand,and he decided to commit the lowest of all crimes,He was going to “get even.”
Here in Jerusalem,where he was among his own people,the opportunity for revenge would offer itself easily.
When all the other disciples were asleep,Judas escaped from the house,and soon the Great Council,sitting late to discuss the steps which were to be taken,heard that there was a man outside who offered to give them some very important information.
They told the guards to bring him in and they crowded around him to listen to his story.
Judas went straight to the heart of the problem.
The Council wanted to get hold of the person of Jesus?
They most certainly did.
But they were afraid of causing a disturbance in view of the Nazarene's well-known popularity with the crowd?
That again was true.
And if they arrested him in public,and there was any trouble,then the Roman soldiers would be called out and that would be fatal to the prestige of the Pharisees and would be used by the Sadducees for political purposes?
Quite correct.
Therefore,whatever was to be done must be done quietly and under the guard of darkness and with the least possible noise?
Judas had understood the situation very well indeed.
But suppose that some one who was thoroughly familiar with the movements of Jesus should offer to tell them how he could be captured so that no one would hear of it until he was safely in prison?
That would fit in excellently with the plans of the Council.
How much were they willing to pay for this very valuable information?
There was a momentary consultation.
A certain sum was mentioned.
Judas was satisfied.
The bargain was struck.
Jesus had been sold to his enemies.
The price was thirty pieces of silver.
Jesus spent his last few hours of liberty quietly in the suburb of Bethany.
It was the day of Passover.The Jews observed this feast by eating roast lamb and unleavened bread.
Jesus asked his disciples to go to town and reserve a room in one of the smaller inns and order a dinner,that they might all be together.
When evening came,Judas,looking bland and innocent,left the house together with the others.
They went down the Mount of Olives and entered the city and found that everything was ready.
They took their seats around one long table and began to eat.
But it was not a cheerful meal.They felt the dread of those coming events which already were casting their terrible shadow over the small group of faithful friends.
Jesus spoke very little.
The others sat in gloomy silence.
At last,Peter could stand it no longer and he blurted out what was in everybody's mind.
“Master,”he said,“we want to know.Do you have reason to suspect one of us?”
Softly Jesus answered:“Yes.One among you who is now sitting at this table will bring disaster upon us all.”
Then all the disciples got up and crowded around him.They protested their innocence.
At that moment Judas slipped quietly out of the room.
They now all knew what was to come.
They could no longer stand it in that little room.
They needed fresh air,and they left the inn and walked out of the gate and went back to the Mount of Olives and opened the wicket to a garden which a friend had told them to use whenever they wished to be alone.
It was called Gethsemane,after an old oil-press which stood in a corner.
It was a warm night.
They were all very tired.
