* * * * * The priests and the rulers did not know what to do about Jesus. _The Messiah, indeed!_ they thought. They hated him, and they were afraid of him. They were afraid of the Romans too. What would the Roman governor say if he heard that there was someone in Jerusalem pretending to be King of the Jews? The priests and the rulers wanted to kill Jesus. That was all they talked about. But they did not know how it was to be done. For whenever Jesus came to Jerusalem, great crowds gathered around him. None of the priests dared to lay a finger on him in the open. The crowds would never let them. It seemed to the people as if the Messiah might have come at last. But something had to be done, the priests and the rulers said. The week was going by. The Feast of the Passover was nearly there. "We shall have to do away with Jesus quietly," someone said. "Yes," the others agreed, "we can't wait till the day of the Passover. If we should do anything to him on that day, there would be a riot." They were at their wits' end to know how to get rid of Jesus. The craftiest men in Jerusalem could not think what to do. There was a knock at the door. It was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, who had come to see the priests and rulers. 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 nobody would have to worry about Jesus of Nazareth any more! [Illustration] 13. The Last Night It was Thursday. On Friday afternoon the lambs would be killed for the Passover, and on Friday evening all good Jews would sit down to eat the lambs at the Passover 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!" [Illustration]