PART 18 B

THE DEATH COUNCIL

{On this day} the chief Kohenim, Soferim and Zakenim of the people gathered together in the palace of the Kohen Gadol, who was called Chaiyafa. They consulted how they might be able to arrest Yeshua by covert means and kill Him. But they said, "Not on the Feast day. {It must be before} or else the people will riot." One of the twelve, by the name of Yehudah of Kir'yot, went to the chief Kohenim. "What are you willing to pay me, since I am willing to turn him over to you?" He asked. When they heard it they rejoiced and weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. Then from that time Yehudah sought an opportunity to turn Yeshua over to them.

THE PESACH OF YESHUA

Then came the time for Matzah, starting with Pesach, when the Passover lamb must be sacrificed. {This was 14 Abib/Nisan.} The disciples came to Yeshua and asked, "Where do You want us to prepare the Pesach Seder for you?" Yeshua instructed Kefa and Yochanan, "Go into Yerushalayim and look. A man will meet you there carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house he enters and say to the owner of the house, 'the Rabbi says to you: My time is near. Where is the guest room, where I will eat the Pesach Seder with My disciples?' He will show you to a large furnished room upstairs. Prepare the Pesach Seder there." The two disciples went and found it exactly as He described and they prepared for the Pesach Seder. When it was evening Yeshua came and sat down to dinner with the twelve Shaliachim. "With desire I have wanted to eat this Pesach dinner with you before I suffer," He said to them. "For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is completed in the Kingdom of Elohim." Then He took the cup and blessed {saying, "Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam boray p'ri hagafen"}. Then He said, "Take this cup and share it with one another {in expectancy of My Kingdom.}" Yeshua knew that Abba had put all things under His power and that He had come from Elohim and was returning to Elohim. The Seder food was being served to everyone there. Suddenly, He got up from the dinner table, took off His tallit and wrapped a towel around His waist. Then, He poured water into a bowl and began to wash His disciples' feet. He dried them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. When He came to Shimon Kefa, Kefa said to Yeshua incredulously, "Adonai, are You going to wash my feet?" "You do not realize right now what I am doing, but later you will understand," answered Yeshua. "No," Kefa said, "You will never wash my feet!" Yeshua responded, "Unless I wash you, you will have no fellowship with Me." "Then, Adonai," said Kefa, "not only wash my feet, but my hands and my head as well!" "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet, since his body is clean." Yeshua explained. "And you are clean, though not every one of you." For Yeshua knew who was going to betray Him and that was why He said not every one of them was clean. When Yeshua had finished washing their feet, He put his clothes back on and returned to His place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" He asked them. "You call Me 'Great One' and 'Adonai' and this is correct, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Adonai and Great One, have washed your feet, you should also wash each other's feet. I have given you an example, that you should follow Me by doing what I do for you. I tell you, remember this: no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger more important than the one who sent him. Now that you know this, you will be blessed if you do it. But I am not referring to every one of you. I know those I have chosen. It is time for a necessary completion of this scripture: 'He who shares my food has raised his heel against me.' I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will trust that I am He. I tell you, remember this: whoever accepts anyone I send accepts Me and whoever accepts Me accepts the One who sent Me." After He said this, Yeshua was troubled in spirit and said, "I tell you, remember this: one of you is going to betray Me. Look around. The hand of the one who betrays Me is here at the table." His disciples stared at one another, not knowing which one of them He referred to. They became very sad and began to ask Yeshua one by one, "Is it I, Adonai?" The disciple whom {it was said} Yeshua loved was reclining next to Him. Shimon Kefa motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one of us he means." Leaning back, since the disciple was reclining {according to a section of the Seder tradition} towards Yeshua, he asked Him, "Adonai, who is it?" "It is the one who will dip in the {Seder} dish with me and I will give him a piece of matzah that has been dipped," He replied. "The Son of man departs, exactly as it has been written, but trouble will come on that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." Then Yehudah Kir'yot asked Him, "Is it me, Rabbi?" Then, dipping the piece of Matzah {as it is the tradition of the Seder, to twice dip the Matzah in the charoset [sweet fruits] and the maror [bitter herbs]}, Yeshua gave it to Yehudah Kir'yot, son of Shimon and said, "You have said so." As soon as Yehudah accepted the Matzah, the Adversary came into him. "What you are about to do, do it quickly," Yeshua told him. Yehudah left immediately. It was night time. Yet, no one at the Seder understood why Yeshua said this to him. Since Yehudah was in charge of the money, some thought Yeshua was telling him to buy what was needed for the appointed holy Feast or to give something to the poor. Then there arose an argument among them concerning which one of them should be considered the greatest. So Yeshua said, "The kings of the Gentiles govern over them and those who exercise authority over them are considered good workers. But for you, the one who is greatest among you, let him act as the younger of you and the one who is in charge should act as the person who serves. For who is greater, the one who sits at the dinner or the one who serves? Isn't it the one who sits at the dinner? However, among you, I am as the One who serves. You are the ones who have continued with Me through My tests. I appoint a Kingdom for you, as Avi has appointed to Me, so that you may eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Yisrael.” Then while they were eating Yeshua took matzah and blessed {saying, "Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam ha’motzi matzah min ha'aretz"} and broke it and shared it with them, saying, "This is {and always has been the symbol of} My body, which is given for you. {When you do this every Pesach}, do it in remembrance of Me." After supper He took the cup and said, "This cup is the B'rit Chadasha through My blood, which is spilled for you and for many, for the removal of sins. For I tell you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine again until the Kingdom of Elohim comes. On that day I will drink it as new along with you in Avi's Kingdom." They sang a hymn {to close the Seder} and departed to the Mount of Olives.

DIALOGUE WITH KEFA

When He had left {the house} Yeshua said, "Now the Son of Man will be glorified and Elohim is glorified in Him. If Elohim is glorified in Him, then Elohim will also glorify Him in Himself; immediately glorifying Him. Little children, only a little while longer I will be with you. You will seek Me, but as I said to the Yehudim, where I go you cannot come. So now I leave you a new commandment; that is: 'you love one another. In the same way I have loved you, you also love one another.' By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another. All of you will fall into a trap because of Me tonight. For it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd and the flock of sheep will be dispersed. However, after I am resurrected, I will go before you into the Galil." Shimon Kefa said to Him, "Adonai, where are You going?" "Where I am going you cannot follow right now, " Yeshua said, "but you will follow Me later." Kefa said, "Adonai, why can't I follow You now? I will give my life for You! Even if everyone falls away from You, I will never fall away!" "Will you give your life for Me?" asked Yeshua. "Shimon, Shimon, look here. The Adversary has desired you and wants to test you like wheat in a sifter. However, I have prayed for you, so your trust will not cease and when you do t'shuvah again, establish your brothers.” Kefa said, "Adonai, I am ready to go with you, both to prison and to death!" "Amen, amen!" Yeshua answered. "I tell you, the rooster will not crow three times before you have denied knowing me three times tonight." But Kefa was insistent, "Even if I must die with You, I will not deny You!" And all the Shaliachim spoke similarly. Yeshua said, "When I sent you out without bag of food and shoes, did you need anything?" They said, "Not a thing." "But now," He said, "He who has a bag let him take it and also food. He who has no sword let him sell his tallit and buy one. For I tell you, this which is written: 'He was counted among the transgressors,' must yet be accomplished in Me. Yet, the things concerning Me do have a finish." They said, "Adonai, look, here are two swords." Yeshua said, "Dayenu [It is enough]."