Truth About The Crucifixion — Page 124
answer, they were silent. (Luke 20:21-26) Under the influence of his teachings large numbers of people became inclined to believe in him, which seriously upset the Jewish priesthood and they conspired to arrest this tendency by sending their officers to seize Jesus as is written: The Pharisees heard the crowd thus muttering about him, and the chief priest and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. (John, 7:32) But they were so affected by hearing Jesus that none of them dared to make a move against him. A few days before the festival of Passover the Jewish priests came together in the house of the Chief Priest Caiaphas and began to cast about for means to seize Jesus by some trick and put an end to him. At last they contrived to win over Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, one of the disciples of Jesus, through bribery, who sold himself into their hands in return for a few pieces of silver. Matthew states that he went one day to the priests and asked them: What will you give me if I deliver him to you? And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. (Matthew, 26:14-16) The Passover arrived and Jesus directed his disciples to arrange for the supper on that day. In the evening the twelve disciples sat with Jesus at table and ate with him. On that occasion Jesus prophesied: He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. (Matt. 26:21) After supper Jesus proceeded to a place called Gethsemane. According to Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus appeared disturbed 116