PART 20 A

BETRAYAL AND ARREST

Yehudah Kir'yot knew that Yeshua often withdrew with His disciples to the garden, which was {eastward} beyond the brook Kidron. A mob and officers from the chief Kohanim, P'rushim and
Zakenim, were led there by Yehudah with lanterns, torches and weapons. Then he went ahead and came up to Yeshua and kissed Him, saying "Hello, Rabbi." For Yehudah had told the officers to arrest whomever he kissed; that one would be Yeshua. "Friend," Yeshua responded to him, "you have finished what you came to do." Yeshua knew all the things that would happen to Him. So, He went forward and said to the mob, "Who are you seeking?" "Yeshua HaNatzeret," they answered. "I AM," He said. They all fell backwards onto the ground. Then asked He them again, "Who are you seeking?" They said, "Yeshua HaNatzeret." Yeshua said, "I have told you that I AM. If you seek Me, let the others go on their way." Then Shimon Kefa drew his sword and struck Melekh the Kohen Gadol's servant, cutting off his right ear. "Put your sword back into the sheath!" commanded Yeshua. "For all who use the sword will die by the sword. Shall I not drink the cup which Avi has given to Me? Allow it to be. For don't you consider that I could request Avi and He would at this moment send Me more than twelve thousand messengers {from Heaven}! But then, how would the scriptures be fulfilled? Thus, it must be this way." Then Yeshua reached out and healed Melekh's ear. "Have you come out here to arrest Me like you would a robber, with swords and spears?" Yeshua said to the mob. "I was sitting every day in the Mikdash teaching and you didn't arrest Me, but this is the time for you and the power of darkness. All this is being done so that the scriptures of the Prophets are fulfilled." Then the disciples ran swiftly away and left Yeshua standing alone, except for one young man covered in a tallit. The mob with {leadership from} the captain of the officers arrested Yeshua and they took hold of the young man, but he got free and left the tallit as he ran away. So they tied Yeshua's hands and led Him away.

TRIAL BEFORE RELIGIOUS LEADERS

They took Him to Chanan and Chaiyafa, because Chanan was the father-in-law to Chaiyafa, who was the Kohen Gadol that year. {They shared the office of Kohen Gadol.} {Remember,} it was Chaiyafa, who counselled the leaders of the Yehudim, that it was best for one man to die for the people. With him were assembled the chief Kohanim, Zakenim and Soferim. It was early in the morning. From a distance Shimon Kefa followed Yeshua and also another disciple {Yochanan}, who was known to the Kohen Gadol, so he went in with Yeshua into the palace of the Kohen Gadol. Kefa stood outside by the door. Then the other disciple, who was known by the Kohen Gadol, spoke to the doorkeeper woman and he brought in Kefa. Then the doorkeeper woman said to Kefa, "Aren't you one of this man's disciples?" "I am not," he said {denying Yeshua the first time). The servants and officers who stood there made a fire of coals, because it was cold and they warmed themselves. So Kefa stood with them and warmed himself. The Kohen Gadol asked Yeshua about His disciples and His doctrine. Yeshua answered him, "I spoke openly to the world. I always was teaching in the synagogue and in the Mikdash; wherever our people are. I have not spoken secretly. Why ask Me? Ask those who heard Me, as to what I've said to them. They know what I said." Then one of the officers who stood there struck Yeshua with the palm of his hand saying, "Do you dare answer the Kohen Gadol that way?” "If I have spoken evil, then testify to that evil," Yeshua answered. "But if {I speak} correctly, why do you hit me?" Then the chief Kohenim and all the council sought for a witness against Yeshua {in order to find cause} to put him to death, but could not find any. Many gave a false witness against Him, but their reports did not agree. Some gave a false witness against Him, saying, "We heard him say, I will destroy this Mikdash which is made with hands and within three days I will build another one made without hands." But their testimony was inconsistent. The Kohen Gadol stood up among them and asked Yeshua, "Will you not answer this? What is it that these are saying against you?" But Yeshua kept silent. Again the Kohen Gadol asked Him, "Are you the Moshiach, the Son of the Blessed One?" "If I tell you, you will not trust Me. Also, if I ask you, you will not answer Me, nor free Me." Yeshua said. "I command You by the living Elohim! Are You or are You not the Moshiach?" he demanded. "I AM, as you have said and you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of Heaven." Yeshua answered. Then the Kohen Gadol tore his clothes and said {to the council}, "You have heard the blasphemy from His own mouth! What do you think?" The council answered, "What further witness do we need?" They all judged Him to be guilty of blasphemy and condemned Him to death. Some began to spit on Him. They covered His face and beat Him, then commanded Him, "Prophesy! You Moshiach! Which one of us struck you?" Then, as the officers took Him into custody, they hit Him with their hands.

KEFA'S DENIAL

One of the maids of the Kohen Gadol who saw Kefa warming himself, said to him, "You also were with Yeshua of Natzeret." He denied Him {the second time), saying, "I don't know or understand what you are saying." He went out into the porch and the rooster crowed. Another maid saw him and told those standing there, "This is one of them." A little later, those who standing there said to Kefa, "Surely you are one of them, for you are from the Galil. Your speech gives you away!" Then a relative of Melekh, whose ear Kefa had cut off, said, "Didn't I see you in the garden with him?" Then Kefa began to curse and swear, "I do not know this man you are talking about." {Denying Yeshua the third time.} The rooster crowed once again. Then Kefa remembered the word that Yeshua gave him, "Before the rooster crows three times, you will deny me three times." Thinking about what he had done, he went out and cried bitter tears.

YEHUDAH'S REMORSE

When Yehudah, who had betrayed Yeshua, saw that He had been condemned, he was sorry for himself. He brought the thirty pieces of silver to the chief Kohenim and Zakenim and said, "I have sinned, because I have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that to us? Take care of it yourself!" they replied. Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the Mikdash and departed and went and hanged himself. The chief Kohenim took the silver pieces and said, "It is not proper Torah to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood." So, they counselled to buy a potter's field with them to bury strangers in. Therefore that field is called to this day, Acheldahma, Field of Blood. Then what was spoken by the Prophet Yirmi'yahu was fulfilled which says, "They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price for which He was valued, whom those from the children of Yisrael had valued and gave them for the potter's field, as YHVH appointed me."

TRIAL BEFORE THE ROMANS

Then the chief Kohenim held a consultation with Zakenim, Soferim and the council and led Yeshua way bound to the judgement hall of Pilate {the Roman governor}. They themselves did not go into the judgment hall, for fear they would be defiled and they were attempting to continue to celebrate the Pesach Feast. Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" They answered him, "If he was not a criminal, we would not have brought him to you." Then Pilate said, "You take him and judge him according to your law." "According to your law we are not allowed to put any man to death," they replied. "We found this man corrupting our nation, forbidding giving taxes to Caesar and proclaiming that He is Moshiach, a king." Then Pilate entered into his palace and called Yeshua to him and asked, "Are you the King of the Yehudim?" Yeshua answered, "Do you ask this about Me because of your own knowledge or did someone tell it to you?" "Am I a Yehudah?" Pilate said. "Your own nation and the chief Kohenim have brought you to me. What have you done?" Yeshua answered, "My Kingdom is not from this world. If My Kingdom was from this world, then My servants would fight for Me and I would not be arrested by the leaders of the Yehudim, but as of now My Kingdom is not from here." "Are you a king then?" Pilate asked. Yeshua answered, "You say that I am a king. I was born for that end. But I came into the world for this reason: that I would testify to the Remembrance. Everyone who belongs to the remembrance hears My voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is the remembrance?" But Yeshua no longer answered Him. Pilate asked again, "Do You not hear how many charges they bring against You?" Yeshua spoke nothing. Not one word. So Pilate was amazed and he went out again to the leaders of the Yehudim and said, "I do not find He has committed any crime." They became more insistent, saying, "He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all the Yehudim, beginning from the Galil to this here."

TRIAL BEFORE HEROD

When Pilate heard 'the Galil,' he asked whether the man was from the Galil. As soon as he learned that Yeshua belonged in Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Yerushalayim at that time. Herod was very happy to see Yeshua. He had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he heard many things about Him and he hoped to see some miracle performed by Him. So Herod questioned Yeshua with many words, but Yeshua gave him no answer. The chief Kohenim and Soferim stood there and strongly accused Him. So Herod, along with his men of war, viewed Yeshua as nothing and mocked Him and arrayed Him in a majestic robe, then sent Him back to Pilate.