A third time he went apart from them and prayed. He prayed in the same words he had used before. And suddenly he began to feel stronger. He rose from his knees at last, and came back to the disciples. His voice broke in upon their sleep: "Are you still sleeping? Well, you've slept long enough! My time is up. I am going to be turned over to sinners now! Get up! Look, the traitor is coming!" While he was still speaking, a crowd of soldiers carrying swords and clubs burst into the grove. Judas Iscariot was leading them. Judas ran to Jesus and kissed him, saying, "Hail, Master!" Jesus answered, "Well, friend--what have you come to do?" Then a band of men laid their hands on Jesus, and held him so that he could not escape. Peter was wide-awake by now. He had brought a sword with him. Pulling it out, he cut off the ear of a man in the crowd. Jesus said to Peter: "Put your sword away. My Father gave me these things to suffer. He would save me now if I asked him. But that is not the way it is to be." Then Jesus turned to the crowd of soldiers, and said: "Have you come to arrest me with swords and clubs, as though I were a robber? Every day I was in the Temple teaching, and you could have taken me then, but you never laid a hand on me. But this is what the Scriptures said would happen to the Messiah." The disciples could stand no more. They left Jesus standing there, and in terror they fled away. [Illustration] [Illustration] 14. The Last Day The soldiers bound Jesus and led him back to Jerusalem. They took him to the palace of the high priest. All the chief priests and rulers were gathered there in a council meeting. The council had already decided that Jesus would have to die, but it was hard to find a reason for killing him. They had to prove that Jesus had said or done something for which he could be put to death. They found a great many people who came and told lies about Jesus, but no two of them told the same story. At last the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, stood up and said to Jesus: "You hear all the things that are being said about you. Aren't you going to defend yourself?" Jesus did not say a word. The high priest spoke again: "In the name of the living God I ask you: Are you the Christ--the Messiah--the Son of God?" Jesus answered: "You have said it." That was all the council wanted to hear. Caiaphas tore his own clothes in anger, and shouted: "Why do we need any more witnesses? You have heard him say it with his own mouth. He says he's God! What do you think about it?" And the whole council answered, "He ought to be put to death." Then some of them spat in his face. They covered his eyes, and slapped him, and shouted: "If you were the Messiah, you would know who hit you! Tell us, you Messiah you--tell us who hit you!"