This terrible night was over at last. "And straightway in the morning, as soon as it was day" (about four o'clock in the morning of Friday), the Chief Priests seem to have called the whole Council of the Sanhedrim together, to consult what was next to be done to secure their object: "they took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ? tell us." Jesus had already answered this question before Caiaphas, and knowing their motive in repeating it, "he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe. And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go." Jesus would not, however, allow them to suppose that He denied being the Messiah: and He therefore repeated the words, which they chose to call blasphemy, saying, "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. And they said, What need we any further witnesses? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth." "Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the Chief Priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood." Some feelings of sorrow and remorse for having given up an innocent man to be put to death, now led Judas to bring back the "reward of iniquity," and at once to confess his own sin, and bear witness to the innocence of Jesus. Perhaps he had a hope of thus saving Jesus from the fate which awaited Him: if so, Judas soon learnt, what many have learnt before and since, that it is easy to do wrong, but by no means easy to undo the wrong when done. Many of us, in a moment of passion or self-will, commit acts which embitter our whole future lives. Let the young beware, lest they bring upon themselves such life-long misery; they may truly repent and mourn, and God, for Jesu's sake, may forgive the sin; but the act itself, and its bitter consequences, can never be undone. The Priests and elders cared not whether Jesus was innocent or guilty, so as they could treat Him as if He _were_ guilty. His holy life, His heavenly teaching, showed them their own sinfulness, and therefore it was _because_ He was good, that they sought to destroy Him. Neither did they care for Judas's sufferings: they had gladly profited by his sin, and given him the reward agreed upon: now that they had got from him all that they wanted, they cared not what became of the miserable sinner. And this is often the case amongst men, who to gain something they want, persuade others to do wrong. Those who have sinned to help them, may afterwards be filled with remorse and misery; but they will meet with neither help nor pity from those who led them into sin. Like the Priests, they will say, What is that to us?