THE LORD'S SUPPER.--JESUS IN GETHSEMANE.--THE JUDAS KISS.--PETER DENIES
JESUS.
NOW the day was come when the Jews were to keep the feast of the
pass-o-ver. To do this each man took a lamb to the church, and killed it
on the al-tar. The priest would burn the fat, but the rest of the lamb
the man took home, and it was cooked, and he and his folks ate of it in
the night.
The twelve came to Je-sus to ask him at what place they should set out
their feast. For they had no house or home of their own.
Je-sus sent forth two of them and said, Go ye to Je-ru-sa-lem, and there
shall meet you a man with a jug of wa-ter. Go to the house where he
goes, and say to the man who lives there, The mas-ter bids thee show us
the room where he shall come to eat the feast with his friends.
And he will show you a large room, up-stairs; there spread the feast.
The men did as Je-sus told them, and the man showed them the room, and
there they spread the feast.
And at night Je-sus came with his twelve friends. And as they did eat,
Je-sus said, There is one here who will give me up to the Jews.
These words made them all feel sad.
Now there was one of the twelve of whom Je-sus was most fond. His name
was John. And as he lay with his head on Je-sus' breast he said to him,
Lord, who is it?
Je-sus said, It is he to whom I shall give the piece of bread I dip in
the dish.
And when he had dipped the bread he gave it to Ju-das. And he said to
him, What is in thy heart to do, do at once.
Now none of the rest knew why Je-sus spoke thus. But as Ju-das had
charge of the bag in which the mon-ey was kept, some of them thought
that he bade him buy things they were in need of, or give some-thing to
the poor. Then Ju-das went out of the house where Je-sus and his friends
were; and it was night.
And when he had gone, Je-sus said to them, I shall be with you but a
short time. But ere I go a new law I give to you--the law of love. As I
have loved you so shall ye love each oth-er. By this shall all men know
that ye love me.
Pe-ter said, Lord, where dost thou go?
Je-sus said, Where I go thou canst not come now, but thou shalt be with
me by-and-by.
Pe-ter said, Lord, why can-not I go with thee now? I will lay down my
life for thy sake!
Je-sus said, I tell thee, Pe-ter, the cock shall not crow thrice till
thou hast sworn thrice that thou dost not know me.
And as they did eat Je-sus took the bread and gave thanks and broke it,
and gave to them, and said, Take and eat.
Then he took some wine in a cup, and when he had thanked God, he gave it
to them and they all drank of it.
[Illustration: PRAY-ING IN THE GAR-DEN.]
And he told them that when he was dead they must meet from time to
time, and eat the bread and drink the wine in the same way that he had
shown them; and as of-ten as they did it they were to think of him, and
the death that he died to save men from their sins.
Je-sus spoke with them for some time. Then a hymn was sung and they all
went from the house, and came to the Mount of Ol-ives. And they went to
a gar-den there, known as Geth-sem-a-ne. And Je-sus took with him
Pe-ter, James, and John, and said to them, Sit ye here and watch with me
while I go and pray. And he went from them a short way, and knelt down
and prayed. And when he thought how soon he was to be put to death for
our sins, he was in such grief and pain that the sweat seemed like great
drops of blood as it fell to the ground. And God sent an an-gel to calm
him and give him strength.
And when he rose from his knees and went back to where his friends were,
he found that they slept. And he said to Pe-ter, What, couldst thou not
watch with me one hour?
And he went off to pray once more. And when he came back his friends
still slept! And he left them and came back a third time. Then he said,
Rise up and let us go, for the worst of my foes is close at hand.
[Illustration: JU-DAS BE-TRAY-ING CHRIST.]
Now Ju-das had been on the watch, and knew when Je-sus went to the
gar-den. And as it was dark he thought it would be the best time to give
him up to the Jews. So he went to the chief priests and told them, and
they sent a band of men out with him to take Je-sus.
Je-sus, who knew all things, knew that Ju-das was near, yet he did not
flee.
Ju-das had told the band that he would give them a sign by which they
might know which was Je-sus. He said, The one I shall kiss, is he; take
him, and hold him fast. Then he came to Je-sus and gave him a kiss.
And the men laid their hands on Je-sus and took him. His friends who
were near him said to him, Lord, shall we fight them with the sword?
Pe-ter who had a sword struck one of the band and cut off his ear.
Je-sus said to him, Put thy sword back in its sheath. Could I not pray
to God to send me a host of an-gels to fight for me and save me from
death? But how then could the words of wise men come true? Then Je-sus
touched the man's ear and made it well. And he said to those who took
him, Have ye come out with swords and staves as if I were a thief, to
take me? I sat from day to day and taught you in the church, and you did
not harm me.
Then Pe-ter, James and John, and the rest, were in great fear, and fled
from him.
The men that took Je-sus led him off to the house of the high priest,
where the scribes and those who had charge of the church had all met.
Pe-ter kept up with the crowd and went in a side door of the house to
sit by the fire. And one of the maids of the high priest came to him,
and said, Thou wast with Je-sus. But he said, I know not what you mean.
Then he went out on the porch and the cock crew. While there a maid said
to those who stood near, This one was with Je-sus.
And Pe-ter said once more that he did not know him. And the cock crew
once more.
Now it chanced that one of the high priest's men was a kins-man of the
one whose ear Pe-ter had cut off. And he said to him, Did I not see thee
in the gar-den with him?
Pe-ter swore that he was not there, and did not know the man. And Je-sus
gave him a look as he went by, that was like a stab in Pe-ter's heart.
For then the cock crew for the third time, and it came to Pe-ter's mind
what Je-sus had said,--Ere the cock crow thrice, thou shalt de-ny me
thrice. And he went out and wept as if his heart would break, so great
was his grief and shame.