Betrayal of Judas
On the fourth day after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus Christ said to His disciples: “You know that in two days there will be Easter, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
On this day, in our opinion it was Wednesday, - the high priests, scribes and elders of the people gathered at the high priest Caiaphas and consulted among themselves how they could destroy Jesus Christ. At this council, they decided to take Jesus Christ by cunning and kill Him, but not on a holiday (then a lot of people gather), so as not to cause disturbance among the people.
One of the twelve apostles of Christ, Judas Iscariot, was very greedy for money; and the teaching of Christ did not correct his soul. He came to the high priests and said: “What will you give me if I betray Him to you?”
They were delighted and offered him thirty pieces of silver.
From that time on, Judas looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus Christ not in front of the people.
26 , 1-5 and 14-16; from Mark, ch. 14 , 1-2 and 10-11; from Luke, ch. 22 , 1-6.
last supper
On the fifth day after the Lord entered Jerusalem, which means, in our opinion, on Thursday (and on Friday evening the Passover lamb was to be buried), the disciples asked Jesus Christ: “Where do you tell us to prepare the Passover for You?”
Jesus Christ said to them: “Go to the city of Jerusalem; there you will meet a man carrying a jug of water; follow him into the house and tell the owner: The Teacher says: Where is the upper room (room) in which I would celebrate the Passover with My disciples? He will show you have a large, furnished upper room; there you will prepare the Passover."
Having said this, the Savior sent two of His disciples, Peter and John. They went, and everything was fulfilled as the Savior said; and prepared Easter.
In the evening of that day, Jesus Christ, knowing that He would be betrayed that night, came with His twelve apostles to the prepared upper room. When everyone reclined at the table, Jesus Christ said: “I greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering, because, I tell you, I will no longer eat it until it is accomplished in the Kingdom of God.” Then he stood up, took off his outer clothing, girded himself with a towel, poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and wipe them with the towel with which he girded.
Washing the feet
Having washed the feet of the disciples, Jesus Christ put on His clothes and, lying down again, said to them: “Do you know what I have done to you? Behold, you call Me Teacher and Lord, and you call me correctly. So, if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet you, then you should do the same. I have given you an example, so that you should do the same as I did to you."
By this example, the Lord showed not only His love for His disciples, but also taught them humility, that is, not to consider it a humiliation for themselves to serve anyone, even a person inferior to themselves.
After eating the Old Testament Jewish Passover, Jesus Christ established the sacrament of Holy Communion at this supper. That is why it is called the “Last Supper.”
Jesus Christ took the bread, blessed it, broke it into pieces and, giving it to the disciples, said: " Take, eat; This is My Body, broken for you for the remission of sins", (i.e., for your sake he is given over to suffering and death, for the forgiveness of sins). Then he took a cup of grape wine, blessed it, thanking God the Father for all His mercies to the human race, and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Drink from it, all of you, this is My Blood of the New Testament, shed for you for the remission of sins.”
These words mean that, under the guise of bread and wine, the Savior taught His disciples that very Body and that very Blood, which the next day after that He gave over to suffering and death for our sins. How bread and wine became the Body and Blood of the Lord is a mystery incomprehensible even to angels, which is why it is called sacrament.
Having given communion to the apostles, the Lord gave the commandment to always perform this sacrament, He said: " do this in remembrance of Me". This sacrament is being performed with us now and will be performed until the end of the century during the divine service called Liturgy or become poor.
During the Last Supper, the Savior announced to the apostles that one of them would betray Him. They were very saddened by this and in bewilderment, looking at each other, in fear, began to ask one after another: “Am I not, Lord?” Judas also asked: “Isn’t it me, Rabbi?” The Savior quietly said to him: “you”; but no one heard it. John reclined next to the Savior. Peter signaled to him to ask who the Lord was talking about. John, falling to the Savior’s chest, quietly said: “Lord, who is this?” Jesus Christ answered just as quietly: “the one to whom I dip a piece of bread and give it.” And, dipping a piece of bread in solilo (in a dish with salt), He gave it to Judas Iscariot, saying: “Whatever you are doing, do it quickly.” But no one understood why the Savior told him this. And since Judas had a box of money, the disciples thought that Jesus Christ was sending him to buy something for the holiday or to give alms to the poor. Judas, having accepted the piece, immediately left. It was already night.
Jesus Christ, continuing to talk with His disciples, said: “Children, I will not be with you long now. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love among each other. And there is no greater love than this, that someone lay down his life (give his life) for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you."
During this conversation, Jesus Christ predicted to the disciples that they would all be offended because of Him that night - they would all run away, leaving Him alone.
The Apostle Peter said: “Even if everyone is offended because of You, I will never be offended.”
Then the Savior said to him: “Truly I tell you, this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times and say that you do not know Me.”
But Peter began to assure even more, saying: “Even though I had to die with You, I will not deny You.”
All the other apostles said the same thing. But still the Savior’s words saddened them.
Comforting them, the Lord said: “Let not your heart be troubled (i.e., do not grieve), believe in God (the Father) and believe in Me (the Son of God).
The Savior promised His disciples to send from His Father another Comforter and Teacher, instead of Himself - Holy Spirit. He said, “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, because He abides with you and will be in you ( this means that the Holy Spirit will abide with all true believers in Jesus Christ - in the Church of Christ). A little while longer and the world will no longer see Me; but you will see Me; because I live (i.e. I am life; and death is not can defeat Me), and you will live. But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have said to you.” "The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, which comes from the Father, He will testify of Me; and you also will testify, because you were with Me from the beginning" (John. 15 , 26-27).
Jesus Christ also predicted to His disciples that they would have to endure a lot of evil and troubles from people because they believe in Him. “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer (be strong),” said the Savior; “I have conquered the world” (i.e., I have conquered evil in the world).
Jesus Christ ended His conversation with a prayer for His disciples and for all who will believe in Him, so that the Heavenly Father will preserve them all in firm faith, in love and in unanimity ( in unity) among themselves.
When the Lord finished the supper, while still talking, He stood up with His eleven disciples and, singing psalms, went beyond the Kidron stream, to the Mount of Olives, to the Garden of Gethsemane.
NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 26 , 17-35; from Mark, ch. 14 , 12-31; from Luke, ch. 22 , 7-39; from John, ch. 13 ; Ch. 14 ; Ch. 15 ; Ch. 16 ; Ch. 17 ; Ch. 18 , 1.
Jesus Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and taking Him into custody
Entering the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ said to His disciples: “Sit here while I pray!”
Prayer for the Cup
He himself, taking Peter, James and John with him, entered the depths of the garden; and began to grieve and yearn. Then he says to them: “My soul is grieved to death; stay here and watch with Me.” And, moving away from them a little, He knelt down, fell to the ground, prayed and said: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass (pass by) Me (that is, the upcoming suffering); however, let it not be as I want, but like you."
Having prayed like this, Jesus Christ returns to the three disciples and sees that they are sleeping. He says to them: “Could you not watch with Me for one hour? Watch and pray, so as not to fall into temptation.” And he went away and prayed, saying the same words.
Then he returns to the disciples again, and again finds them sleeping; their eyes grew heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him.
Jesus Christ left them and prayed for the third time with the same words. An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. His anguish and mental anguish were so great and his prayer so fervent that drops of bloody sweat fell from His face to the ground.
Having finished the prayer, the Savior stood up, approached the sleeping disciples and said: “Are you still sleeping? It is over. The hour has come; and the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us go; behold, he who betrays Me has come near.”
At this time, Judas, the traitor, came into the garden with a crowd of people who walked with lanterns, stakes and swords; these were soldiers and ministers sent by the high priests and Pharisees to capture Jesus Christ. Judas agreed with them: “Whoever I kiss, take him.”
Approaching Jesus Christ, Judas said: “Rejoice, Rabbi (Teacher)!” And kissed Him.
Jesus Christ said to him: “Friend! Why have you come? Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” These words of the Savior were the last call to repentance for Judas.
Then Jesus Christ, knowing everything that would happen to Him, approached the crowd and said: “Who are you looking for?”
From the crowd they answered: “Jesus the Nazarene.”
The Savior tells them: “It is I.”
At these words, the warriors and servants stepped back in fear and fell to the ground. When they recovered from their fear and stood up, in confusion they tried to seize the disciples of Christ.
The Savior said again: “Who are you looking for?”
They said, "Jesus the Nazarene."
“I told you it was I,” answered the Savior. “So if you are looking for Me, leave them (the disciples), let them go.”
The soldiers and servants approached and surrounded Jesus Christ. The apostles wanted to protect their Teacher. Peter, having a sword with him, drew it and struck with it a servant of the high priest named Malchus, and cut off his right ear.
But Jesus Christ said to Peter: “Put the sword in its sheath; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword (i.e., whoever lifts the sword against another will himself perish by the sword). Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, "So that He would send many angels to protect Me? Should I not drink the cup (of suffering) that the Father gave Me (for the salvation of people)?"
Kiss of Judas
Having said this, Jesus Christ, touching Malchus’ ear, healed him, and voluntarily gave Himself into the hands of His enemies.
In the crowd of servants there were also Jewish leaders. Jesus Christ, addressing them, said: “It was as if you came out against a thief with swords and stakes to take Me; I was in the temple every day, sat there with you and taught, and you did not take Me then. But now is your time and power darkness."
The soldiers, having bound the Savior, led Him to the high priests. Then the apostles, leaving the Savior, fled in fear. Only two of them, John and Peter, followed Him from afar.
NOTE: See Gospel; from Matthew, ch. 26 , 36-56; from Mark, ch. 14 , 32-52; from Luke, ch. 22 , 40-53; from John, ch. 18 , 1-12.
The Trial of Jesus Christ by the High Priests
First, the soldiers brought the bound Jesus Christ to the old high priest Anna, who by that time was no longer serving in the temple and was living in retirement.
This high priest questioned Jesus Christ about His teaching and His disciples in order to find some guilt in Him.
The Savior answered him: “I spoke openly to the world: I always taught in the synagogues and in the temple, where Jews always gather, and I said nothing in secret. Why are you asking Me? Ask those who heard what I told them; now they know what I mean.” said".
One servant of the high priest, standing close, hit the Savior on the cheek and said: “Is this how you answer the high priest?”
The Lord, turning to him, said to this: “If I said something bad, show me what is bad; and if it’s good, then why are you beating Me?”
After the interrogation, the high priest Annas sent the bound Jesus Christ through the courtyard to his son-in-law, the high priest Caiaphas.
Caiaphas was serving as high priest that year. He gave advice to the Sanhedrin: to kill Jesus Christ, saying: “You know nothing and will not think that it is better for us that one person should die for the people than that the whole people should perish.”
St. Apostle John, pointing to the importance of holy orders, explains that despite his criminal plan, the high priest Caiaphas involuntarily prophesies about the Savior that He must suffer for the redemption of people. That's why the Apostle John says: " this is him(Caiaphas) did not speak on his own, but being high priest that year, he predicted that Jesus would die for the people". And then he adds: " and not only for the people(i.e. for the Jews, since Caiaphas spoke only about the Jewish people), but so that the scattered children of God(i.e. pagans) put together". (John. 11 , 49-52).
Many members of the Sanhedrin gathered at the High Priest Caiaphas that night (the Sanhedrin, as the supreme court, according to the law, had to meet in the temple and certainly during the day). The elders and scribes of the Jews also came. All of them had already agreed in advance to condemn Jesus Christ to death. But for this they needed to find some kind of guilt worthy of death. And since no guilt could be found in Him, they looked for false witnesses who would tell lies against Jesus Christ. Many such false witnesses came. But they could not say anything for which they could condemn Jesus Christ. At the end, two came forward with the following false testimony: “We heard Him say: I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will erect another, not made with hands.” But even such testimony was not sufficient to put Him to death. Jesus Christ did not respond to all these false testimonies.
The high priest Caiaphas stood up and asked Him: “Why don’t you answer anything when they testify against you?
Jesus Christ was silent.
Caiaphas asked Him again: “I adjure You by the living God, tell us, Are You the Christ, the Son of God?”
Jesus Christ answered this question and said: “Yes, I am, and even I say to you: from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power of God and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Then Caiaphas tore his clothes (as a sign of indignation and horror) and said: “What more witnesses do we need? Behold, now you have heard His blasphemy (i.e., that He, being a man, calls Himself the Son of God)? What do you think? "
Mockery of the Savior in the courtyard of the high priest
After this, Jesus Christ was taken into custody until dawn. Some began to spit in His face. The people who held Him mocked Him and beat Him. Others, covering His face, struck Him on the cheeks and asked mockingly: “Prophesy to us, Christ, who struck You?” The Lord endured all these insults meekly in silence.
NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 26 , 57-68; Ch. 27 , 1; from Mark, ch. 14 , 53-65; Ch. 15 , 1; from Luke, ch. 22 , 54, 63-71; from John, ch. 18 , 12-14, 19-24.
Denial of the Apostle Peter
When Jesus Christ was taken to trial before the high priests, the Apostle John, as someone familiar to the high priest, entered the courtyard, and Peter remained outside the gate. Then John, having told the servant-maid, brought Peter into the courtyard.
The maid, seeing Peter, said to him: “Are you not one of the disciples of this Man (Jesus Christ)?”
Peter answered: “No.”
The night was cold. The servants lit a fire in the yard and warmed themselves. Peter also warmed himself by the fire with them.
Soon another maid, seeing Peter warming himself, said to the servants: “And this one was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
But Peter again denied, saying that he did not know this Man.
After some time, the servants standing in the courtyard again began to say to Peter: “As if you were also with Him, for your speech also convicts you: you are a Galilean.” Immediately a relative of the same Malchus whose ear Peter cut off came up and said: “Didn’t I see you with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane?”
Peter began to swear and swear: “I don’t know this Man about whom you speak.”
At this time the rooster crowed, and Peter remembered the words of the Savior: “before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” At that moment the Lord, who was among the guards in the courtyard, turned towards Peter and looked at him. The gaze of the Lord penetrated the heart of Peter; shame and repentance took possession of him and, leaving the yard, he wept bitterly about his grave sin.
From that moment on, Peter never forgot his fall. Saint Clement, a disciple of Peter, says that throughout the rest of his life, Peter, at the midnight crow of the rooster, knelt down and, shedding tears, repented of his renunciation, although the Lord Himself, soon after His resurrection, forgave him. An ancient legend has been preserved that the eyes of the Apostle Peter were red from frequent and bitter crying.
NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 26 , 69-75; from Mark, ch. 14 , 66-72; from Luke, ch. 22 , 55-62; from John, ch. 18 , 15-18, 25-27.
Death of Judas
It's Friday morning. Immediately the high priests with the elders and scribes and the entire Sanhedrin held a meeting. They brought the Lord Jesus Christ and again condemned Him to death because He called Himself Christ, the Son of God.
When Judas the traitor learned that Jesus Christ was condemned to death, he realized the horror of his act. He, perhaps, did not expect such a sentence, or believed that Christ would not allow this, or would get rid of his enemies miraculously. Judas realized what his love of money had brought him to. A painful remorse took possession of his soul. He went to the high priests and elders and returned the thirty pieces of silver to them, saying: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (i.e., betraying an innocent Man to death).
They told him; “what does it matter to us; see for yourself” (that is, be responsible for your own affairs).
But Judas did not want to humbly repent in prayer and tears before the merciful God. The cold of despair and despondency enveloped his soul. He threw the silver pieces in the temple in front of the priests and left. Then he went and hanged himself (i.e., hanged himself).
The high priests, taking the silver coins, said: “It is not permissible to put this money in the church treasury, because this is the price of blood.”
Judas throws the pieces of silver
After consulting with each other, they used this money to buy land from one potter for the burial of wanderers. From then until this day, that land (cemetery) is called, in Hebrew, Akeldama, which means: land of blood.
Thus the prediction of the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, who said: “And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One who was valued, Whom the children of Israel valued, and gave them for the potter’s land.”
NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 27 , 3-10.
Jesus Christ on trial before Pilate
The high priests and Jewish leaders, having condemned Jesus Christ to death, themselves could not carry out their sentence without the approval of the head of the country - the Roman ruler (hegemon or praetor) in Judea. At this time the Roman governor in Judea was Pontius Pilate.
On the occasion of the Easter holiday, Pilate was in Jerusalem and lived not far from the temple, in praetoria, that is, in the house of the chief judge, the praetor. An open area (stone platform) was built in front of the praetorium, which was called lyphostroton, and in Hebrew gawwafa.
Early in the morning, that same Friday, the high priests and Jewish leaders brought the bound Jesus Christ to trial before Pilate, so that he would confirm the death sentence over Jesus. But they themselves did not enter the praetorium, so as not to be defiled before Easter by entering the house of a pagan.
Pilate went out to them at the lyphostroton and, seeing the members of the Sanhedrin, asked them: “What do you accuse this Man of?”
They answered: “If He had not been a villain, we would not have betrayed Him to you.”
Pilate said to them: “Take him and judge him according to your law.”
They told him: “We are not allowed to put anyone to death.” And they began to accuse the Savior, saying: “He corrupts the people, forbids giving tribute to Caesar, and calls Himself Christ the King.”
Pilate asked Jesus Christ: “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus Christ answered: “You say” (which means: “Yes, I am the King”).
When the high priests and elders accused the Savior, He did not answer.
Pilate said to Him: “You don’t answer anything? You see how many accusations there are against You.”
But the Savior did not answer anything to this either, so Pilate marveled.
After this, Pilate entered the praetorium and, calling Jesus, asked Him again: “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus Christ said to him: “Are you saying this on your own, or have others told you about Me?” (i.e., do you think so yourself or not?)
"Am I a Jew?" - Pilate answered, “Your people and the chief priests handed You over to me; what did You do?”
Jesus Christ said: “My kingdom is not of this world; if My kingdom were of this world, then My servants (subjects) would fight for Me, so that I would not be betrayed to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
"So You are the King?" - asked Pilate.
Jesus Christ answered: “You say that I am a King. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth; everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”
From these words, Pilate saw that standing before him was a preacher of truth, a teacher of the people, and not a rebel against the power of the Romans.
Pilate said to Him: “What is truth?” And, without waiting for an answer, he went out to the Jews at the lyphostroton and announced: “I do not find any guilt in this Man.”
The chief priests and elders insisted, saying that He was disturbing the people by teaching throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee.
Pilate, hearing about Galilee, asked: “Is He a Galilean?”
And having learned that Jesus Christ was from Galilee, he ordered to take Him to trial before the Galilean king Herod, who, on the occasion of Easter, was also in Jerusalem. Pilate was glad to get rid of this unpleasant trial.
27 , 2, 11-14; from Mark, ch. 15 , 1-5; from Luke, ch. 15 , 1-7; from John, ch. 18 , 28-38.
Jesus Christ at the trial of King Herod
King Herod Antipas of Galilee, who executed John the Baptist, heard a lot about Jesus Christ and had long wanted to see Him. When Jesus Christ was brought to him, he was very happy, hoping to see some miracle from Him. Herod asked Him many questions, but the Lord did not answer him. The chief priests and scribes stood and vigorously accused Him.
Then Herod, together with his soldiers, having mocked and mocked Him, dressed the Savior in light clothes, as a sign of His innocence, and sent him back to Pilate.
From that day on, Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, but before they were at enmity with each other.
NOTE: See the Gospel of Luke, ch. 23 , 8 12.
The final trial of Jesus Christ by Pilate
When the Lord Jesus Christ was again brought to Pilate, many people, rulers and elders, had already gathered at the praetorium.
Pilate, having called the high priests, rulers and people, said to them: “You brought this Man to me as one who corrupts the people; and so I examined him in your presence, and did not find Him guilty of anything of which you accuse Him. I sent Him to Herod, and Herod also found nothing in Him worthy of death. So, it’s better, I’ll punish Him and let Him go."
It was the custom of the Jews to release one prisoner, chosen by the people, for the Passover holiday. Pilate, taking this opportunity, said to the people: “You have a custom that I release one prisoner to you for Easter; do you want me to release you the King of the Jews?” Pilate was sure that the people would ask Jesus, because he knew that the leaders betrayed Jesus Christ out of envy and malice.
While Pilate was sitting in the judgment seat, his wife sent him to say: “Do not do anything to that righteous man, because now in a dream I have suffered a lot for Him.”
Meanwhile, the high priests and elders taught the people to ask for the release of Barabbas. Barabbas was a robber who was put in prison with his accomplices for causing outrage and murder in the city. Then the people, taught by the elders, began to shout: “Release Barabbas to us!”
Flagellation of Jesus Christ
Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, went out and, raising his voice, said: “Whom do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?”
Everyone shouted: “Not Him, but Barabbas!”
Then Pilate asked them: “What do you want me to do with Jesus, who is called Christ?”
They shouted: “Let him be crucified!”
Pilate again said to them: “What evil did He do? I did not find anything worthy of death in Him. So, having punished Him, I will let him go.”
But they shouted even more loudly: “Crucify Him! May He be crucified!”
Then Pilate, thinking of arousing compassion for Christ among the people, ordered the soldiers to beat Him. The soldiers took Jesus Christ into the courtyard and, having undressed Him, beat Him severely. Then they put it on Him purple(a short red robe without sleeves, fastened on the right shoulder) and, having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head, and gave Him a cane in His right hand, instead of a royal scepter. And they began to mock Him. They knelt down, bowed to Him and said: “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on Him and, taking a reed, beat Him on His head and face.
After this, Pilate went out to the Jews and said: “Here, I am bringing Him out to you, so that you know that I do not find any guilt in Him.”
Then Jesus Christ came out wearing a crown of thorns and a scarlet robe.
Pilate brings the Savior to the Jews
and says “Here is a man!”
Pilate said to them: “Here is a man!” With these words, Pilate seemed to want to say: “look how He is tormented and mocked,” thinking that the Jews would take pity on Him. But these were not the enemies of Christ.
When the high priests and ministers saw Jesus Christ, they shouted: “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
"Crucify, crucify Him!"
Pilate says to them: “Take Him and crucify Him, but I find no guilt in Him.”
The Jews answered him: “We have a law, and according to our law He must die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”
Hearing such words, Pilate became even more frightened. He entered the praetorium with Jesus Christ and asked Him: “Where are you from?”
But the Savior did not give him an answer.
Pilate says to Him: “Do you not answer me? Do you not know that I have the power to crucify You and the power to release You?”
Then Jesus Christ answered him: “You would not have had any power over Me if it had not been given to you from above; therefore, the greater sin is on the one who betrayed Me to you.”
After this answer, Pilate became even more willing to free Jesus Christ.
But the Jews shouted: “If you let Him go, you are not a friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself a king is an enemy of Caesar.”
Pilate, having heard such words, decided it was better to put an innocent Man to death than to expose himself to the royal disfavor.
Then Pilate brought Jesus Christ out, sat down on the seat of judgment, which was on the lyphostroton, and said to the Jews: “Behold your King!”
But they shouted: “Take him, take him and crucify him!”
Pilate says to them: “Shall I crucify your king?”
The high priests answered: “We have no king except Caesar.”
Pilate, seeing that nothing was helping, and the confusion was increasing, took water, washed his hands in front of the people and said: “I am not guilty of shedding the blood of this Righteous One; see you” (i.e., let this guilt fall on you).
Pilate washes his hands
Answering him, all the Jewish people said in one voice: “His blood be on us and on our children.” So the Jews themselves accepted responsibility for the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on themselves and even on their descendants.
Then Pilate released the robber Barabbas to them, and handed Jesus Christ over to them to be crucified.
Liberation of the Robber Barrabas
NOTE: See in Gospel: Matt., ch. 27 , 15-26; from Mark, ch. 15 , 6-15; from Luke, ch. 23 , 13-25; from John, ch. 18 , 39-40; Ch. 19 , 1-16
[Contents]The page was generated in 0.07 seconds!
Judas Iscariot is the same traitor because of whom Jesus Christ was crucified. Few people doubt the very fact of betrayal, but its cause is still the subject of debate.
Was Judas' betrayal a consequence of his love of money? Or was it destined by Heaven itself? Theologians are still looking for answers to these questions.
There was a sin, because Judas not only committed treason, but denied the Lord, selling him for 30 pieces of silver because of his own greed. This sin is considered one of the most terrible. We have collected all seven deadly sins in one article so that during Holy Week everyone can take care of their soul.
Speaking about the sin of love of money, the church does not want its parishioners to experience trouble. It is God who should ask for financial well-being if you find yourself in a difficult situation. But it is important not to fall into obscurantism and not to commit unseemly acts for the sake of money. People who have gone through poverty talk about this and much more, and are convinced by their own example of the power of prayer.
Self-interest or the machinations of the devil
So, Judas renounced Christ, but why he did this is not completely clear to anyone except himself and God. None of the disciples of Jesus Christ and Jesus himself during his lifetime knew why Judas did this. According to the scripture, he betrayed his teacher and God because he was possessed by greed and evil or by a demon and the devil. By yielding to him, Judas succumbed to temptation and sinned against his faith.
According to Matthew, Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, which in those days was a fortune that could be used to buy a house. This testimony, however, is disputed because it is found only in the Gospel of Matthew.
Kiss of Judas
According to the Bible, Judas agreed with the high priests and elders that he would kiss the one who called himself Jesus. Thus this gesture became conventional sign for the guards who captured Christ. Today, the “kiss of Judas” is the most famous symbol of betrayal.
What happened afterwards to Judas is also not entirely known. According to the disciples, he hanged himself, committing the third sin - suicide. There are also non-biblical versions that Judas lived a long life and died of a terrible disease. But in any tale, his life is very sad, and its end is joyless.
Lent dedicated to the death of Jesus and his suffering. Holy Week reflects all the events leading up to the death of Christ and his Resurrection. That is why righteous people try to lead a modest and humble lifestyle throughout Lent. It is through prayers that we become closer to God during Holy Week. You can find out the texts of the best prayers for Lent in our other article.
Heaven's Plan
None of the living people can even imagine whether the death of Jesus was the plan of our Heavenly Father or whether it was a coincidence of circumstances. Of course, only God himself can know about this, and in this world we are not destined to know what motivated Judas.
It is known that the plan of heaven was to save people from sin. Moreover, Jesus himself said that he would reveal himself to the world the second time when people were mired in sin and unbelief. This suggests that Judas could sell his soul to the devil, but Heaven still needed his betrayal.
His subsequent repentance also begs the question. After all, if he sold his Teacher and got what he wanted, where did this belated noble impulse come from? And if he was motivated by the devil, then why did Judas hang himself? It is not yet possible to answer these questions, and we can only care about the purity of our souls.
In view of the events of the Passion of Christ, by Easter the clergy recommend that everyone undergo the sacrament of communion in order to meet the bright time in spiritual purity. Only strong faith and true love, the purest manifestation of which will be the atonement of sins.
It is best to confess on Maundy Thursday. Preparation for confession should take place in reading prayers and fasting. The church's advice will tell you how to confess correctly and what not to do before this sacrament. Be happy, believe in God and don't forget to press the buttons and
27.04.2016 08:16
Every believer has heard about mortal sins. However, it is not always clear that...
Passionate Week is passing, on the threshold of Maundy Thursday, no matter what day of the week you take, significant events took place in the life of Jesus Christ in each one, which brought him closer to death.
Maundy Thursday became a turning point, because it was on this day after the Last Supper that Jesus, the son of God, was betrayed by one of his disciples and taken into custody.
Back on Wednesday, the high priests and scribes gathered in the house of Caiaphas and decided on how to kill Jesus Christ, but in such a way as not to provoke the anger of the people, because the great holiday of Easter was approaching. On this day, one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, came to them and offered to betray his teacher, and for this he was offered 30 pieces of silver.
Maundy Thursday began with Jesus giving the task to his apostles Peter and Paul to find a room and prepare it for the celebration of Easter, the 1rre website reports. The upper room on Mount Zion was not chosen by chance, because Jesus told Peter and Paul that on the way they would meet a man carrying a pitcher and they should follow him, he would lead him to the house and the owner would show him where they could have the supper.
Towards evening, Jesus appeared in the upper room on Mount Zion along with his disciples.
The Betrayal of Jesus Christ The Last Supper: how the supper went and how it ended
The Last Supper began with Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and drying them with a towel, which showed the essence of deep humility. Of course, the students were outraged, how is it possible for a teacher to wash his students’ feet. At this moment, Jesus first hinted to his disciples about the traitor.
During the supper, Jesus repeatedly hinted and addressed his betrayer, but no one understood what he meant. Only the Apostle John knew who the traitor was, since Jesus told him.
And Jesus turned to Judas and said: “Whatever you are doing, do it quickly.” After his words, Judas stood up and left, and the disciples thought that he had gone out to give alms to the poor.
During the supper, the Sacrament of the Eucharist, communion, was established. Jesus gave everyone bread to eat and said that it was his flesh, gave everyone wine to drink and said that it was his blood.
At the end of the supper, Jesus went with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane and told them that they would all betray him, and the Apostle Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crowed. And so it happened.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed and then said that the son of God was being delivered into the hands of sinners. At this time, Judas entered the garden with soldiers armed with swords. Judas approached Jesus and kissed him to give a sign to the soldiers who should be arrested. All of Jesus' disciples fled, afraid of the armed men, and only Peter and John followed him at a distance.
First, Jesus was brought to trial before the high priest Annas, then to Caiaphas; the excited crowd demanded that he be executed by crucifixion. No one could understand what Jesus was guilty of, why he was being tried, but the excited crowd, bribed by false witnesses, demanded death.
Jesus spent the rest of the night in the common courtyard, where everyone mocked him, spat on him, hit him in the face, and he endured all the suffering without complaint. So Friday came, and again the high priests gathered at Caiaphas and condemned Jesus to death.
Every Wednesday of the year, the Church remembers a very sad day in Sacred history - the betrayal of God by man, the betrayal of Christ by Judas and the Jewish elders.
This memory becomes especially piercing and terrifying on the Great Wednesday of Holy Week, when all of us, Orthodox Christians, have the opportunity to come into contact with the Passion of Christ, performed by the God-Man for the salvation of each of us.
It must be said that Judas’ betrayal was not something out of the ordinary. Throughout the entire sacred history of the Old and New Testaments and to this day, starting from the holy forefather Adam, humanity continues to betray and crucify Christ. Let us remember the fall of the first people in paradise, the casting of the golden calf under Mount Sinai, the reluctance of the ancient Jews to enter the Promised Land, for which they were punished by forty years of wandering in the desert, and many other examples from the Old Testament. Let us remember the beginning of the 20th century - in Holy Rus' thousands of clergy, monks and believers were executed, a huge number of churches were destroyed.
Why is this happening? What's the point? Why does a person turn away from God, stubbornly endure punishments and disasters, but persistently continue to walk the road to hell?
Let's try to answer these questions using the example of Great Wednesday.
So, Judas Iscariot, the Jewish high priests Annas and Caiaphas, the elders of the Jewish people - scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, princes...
What is the essence of the fall of the holy forefathers Adam and Eve? In a nutshell, the first people transgressed God's commandment and loved earthly things more than heavenly things. Man, created by the Lord for communion with God, for ascending into the mountain, where the Angels want to penetrate, turned away from this highest task and from this amazing gift of unity with God. He decided to fall to the level of animals and live only to satisfy the base instincts, deepened by him and turned into passions. The greatest tragedy occurred, which by the grace of God was transformed into a drama with a happy ending. The man betrayed his Lord.
Judas Iscariot and the Jewish high priests and elders were not original in this sense. They followed the same path.
A precise definition of the character of Judas is given by the holy Apostle and Evangelist John: “Then one of His disciples, Judas Simon Iscariot, who wanted to betray Him, said: Why not sell this ointment for three hundred denarii and give it to the poor? He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief” (John 12:4-6).
Judas sided with our Lord Jesus Christ because he thought, typical of a Jew of that time, something like this: “Jesus is the Messiah. He came to become the earthly king of the Jews. He will free us Jews from Roman rule. He will overthrow the hated Roman emperor, and himself will become the Jewish emperor of the whole world. The Jews will dominate all nations. Prosper and prosper. Of course, in an earthly sense. Therefore, I must be closer to Him so that I can get a fatter piece - some weighty ministerial portfolio, which will give me, Judas, the opportunity to earn good money, and therefore also to prosper and prosper.” This is why Judas followed Christ.
But in the process of communicating with the Savior, he realized that the Lord had exactly the opposite plans. And His Kingdom is not of this world. He came to restore to man the lost communication with his Creator, to reconcile him with the Heavenly Father and to open again the doors to heaven.
But Judas wanted to live comfortably here. And as soon as he realized the conflict of interests, he betrayed Christ, defecting to the stronger camp, as it seemed to him then, and earning a little extra money from it. Thirty pieces of silver in those days was quite a lot of money. Judas wanted to ensure a comfortable old age for himself. But it was not there. After the kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane, the most terrible sin that a person could commit - betrayal of God - made itself felt. He began to destroy his soul, bringing terrible torment. And the earthly comfort he had suffered through in his cozy estate, bought for thirty pieces of silver, turned into the most painful mental hell. Look! He succeeded in everything he planned. But he goes and hangs himself - voluntarily, by free will, tormented by his conscience. Because his soul committed a grave sin. But despair did not allow him to repent, humble himself, fall at the feet of Christ Crucified, and mourn his sin. Pride pushed him to an even worse sin - suicide.
Indeed, in essence, the holy chief apostle Peter committed a sin not much less than the sin of Judas. He swore to God that in times of trial he would not deny Him, but three times in front of the people he betrayed Christ. Only Peter did not despair; on the contrary, he humbly began to beg for forgiveness. And all his life, even after the Savior restored him to apostolic dignity, Peter’s eyes were red from tears. He contritely begged for his sin.
Approximately the same “sin of Peter” was committed by the other apostles, who fled in despondency, despair and fear after the arrest of the Savior. They also grieved and lamented over their transgression, but not to the point of despair, but to salvation, casting the sin of apostasy before the Lord and asking Him for forgiveness.
Anna and Caiaphas, and other Jewish elders were “spiritual relatives” of Judas Iscariot. Having gathered on the Wednesday before Easter for a council on the topic “What to do with Jesus the Galilean?” – they knew perfectly well who He was. Because such a prophet has never appeared in Israel who resurrected the half-decayed corpse of Lazarus or gave sight to a man who, almost like the holy righteous blessed Matrona of Moscow, had practically no eyes from birth.
Annas, Caiaphas and others were literate and knowledgeable in Holy Scripture people. At the Sanhedrin meeting early Friday morning, they knew exactly who stood before them. But they deliberately committed this truly horrific sin: condemnation to execution and murder of God.
Why did this happen? The answer is simple: Christ was not God for them. Just as the God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses was not God for them. Their god was the womb, namely power and money. For these two gods they were ready to go to eternal destruction and destroy thousands of other human souls. The elders saw the Savior as a political competitor and began to fear for their “chairs,” for their cozy, comfortable positions. For them, the Jewish leaders were ready to do anything, even to destroy their own souls for the sake of another decade in power.
And this despite the fact that after some forty years, for the sin of apostasy - for THEIR PERSONAL SIN - Jerusalem, desired by them, will be burned to the ground. Thousands of Jews will die, the rest will be scattered throughout the world, and the temple will not only be destroyed, but even the land where it stood will be plowed under.
In the end - a bitter fact - the result of history. Judas wanted earthly prosperity, but committed suicide. Annas, Caiaphas and their comrades wanted about the same thing, but their work ended in disaster for the whole people. For almost three centuries, the city of Jerusalem did not exist on planet Earth. In its place was the pagan settlement of Aelia Capitolina. Until the 4th century, when faith in Christ became the state religion of many nations united by the Roman Empire, and God again gave grace to the Holy City, and Jerusalem rose from the ruins. Thanks to the fact that humanity has returned to the true God again.
The question is: what did the betrayal of God bring to these aforementioned educated and talented people? There is only one answer: nothing good.
Because, of course, Great Wednesday is a lesson for all of us. Each of us has a “potential charge” of Judas - our own “petty passion,” as Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky wrote, which we should not indulge, waiting until it turns into King Kong and tears us apart from the inside. We must fight it painfully hard, but still fight it. God's help. To fall, repent, get up and move on, but not down, but up, expecting that during our hard work and wandering across the earth’s sea, Christ will appear to us, like the Galilean fishermen-apostles, on the shore and say: “Come, have lunch.” (John 21:12).
And He will definitely appear. There is no doubt about this.
Let us remember what our Lord Jesus Christ said to the myrrh-bearing women after His Resurrection: “Rejoice!” And a little later, “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 28:9,10).
This is the greatness and immense happiness of Easter. Death, the devil, sin became unimportant and powerless.
The main thing is that, with God's help, we learn to look not only down, but also up and a little inside - into our hearts, because that is where, according to the Savior, there is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Priest Andrey Chizhenko
About the betrayal of Judas Iscariot - Archimandrite Sylvester (Stoichev) Professor of the KDA.
It's Holy Week. Every day some gospel event is remembered. On Maundy Thursday the Gospel is read, which tells about a number of events: the Farewell Conversation, the Last Supper, the Betrayal of Judas...
Judas. Apostle and traitor. A figure that evokes deep indignation, even disgust, and at the same time tragic.
The Scriptures say nothing about his calling. He is simply an apostle, so to speak, without a background... It is said that “he had a money box with him and carried what was put in it” (John 12:6).
Basically, the name of Judas is mentioned in the narrative of the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Judas: thief, hypocrite, traitor. And yet he was with the Lord for all 3.5 years, and was among the 12... What did he expect from Christ? What did you want from Him? Why did you follow Him?
We will not understand this if we consider Judas separately from the 12. I dare to suggest that Judas’s aspirations were the same as those of the other apostles. I mean, expectations of glory and triumph. After all, if you read the Gospels, these expectations of the 12, disputes about primacy, about position, about the desire to sit on the right and on the left, did not leave the apostles until the last days of Christ’s life. Christ is already “coming to his free death,” but among the apostles, no, no, disputes will break out about honor, about place, about primacy.
And in this sense, Judas, although Scripture does not speak of his participation in these disputes, worries about the same things: about glory, about place, about reward... John the Theologian says that Judas was a thief (John 12:6). Apparently, as the keeper of the ark with money, Judas sometimes rewarded himself. St. Innocent of Kherson, with his conscience, wrote with eloquence that this ark became for Judas a kind of ark of the covenant. Just not with God, but with the devil. Because the reliquary of coins symbolized everything that Judas really wanted.
Three and a half years is actually a considerable period of time, and given the constant wandering and associated hardships, these years were difficult to endure, and the expected triumph never came... If you try to understand the psychology of Judas’s act, then, first of all, you should answer the question Did Judas believe in the Messiahship of Christ? And the answer will be positive. Otherwise, following Christ and becoming one of the elect loses its meaning. If Judas had not believed in the Messiahship of Christ, he would not have followed Him.
Some characters have this “get it all at once” personality trait. Otherwise, doubt, disappointment, and anger begin. Judas was one of those characters... Therefore, although he followed Christ and walked with Him for three and a half years, he finally began to doubt. Doubt, the lack of what was expected - this is the main leitmotif of Judas’ actions.
Theologians and biblical scholars of various faiths have expressed all sorts of points of view on Judas' motivation. Conventionally, two main answers can be distinguished:
1. Judas, having first believed in Christ, then becomes disappointed and stops believing. And he is driven by hatred of Christ. The desire to receive satisfaction for the years spent, the effort, for unfulfilled expectations and dreams. That is, in essence, Judas simply wants to take revenge on the One with whom he associates the collapse of his hopes. And getting 30 pieces of silver in this terrible scheme of betrayal is far from the main thing (30 pieces of silver is not such a big amount). 30 pieces of silver is only a small compensation for 3.5 years... But the main thing is to take revenge on the hated.
2. Judas does not give up hope for the reign of Christ. He continues to believe that He can defeat all enemies. After all, Christ performed miracles, which Judas witnessed. Therefore, Judas is looking for opportunities to provoke Christ to appear in power and glory. That is, Judas creates a provocative situation in which, as he expected, Christ would be forced to show all His power, and thus the triumph of Christ and his disciples would occur. Thus, Judas sought to get what he wanted with the help of a kind of forced march. This point of view on Judas’s motivation was held by the famous pre-revolutionary publicist Archpriest. Pavel Alfeev. Also mentions this opinion in his book " Last days earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ" St. Innocent of Kherson.
Judas is a traitor. Judas is a hypocrite. He decided to betray Christ, but at the same time he is present as if nothing had happened at the Last Supper. And when Christ tells his disciples that one of them will betray Him, along with the other excited apostles, Judas asks, “Is it not I?” God?"
The question arises: why did the enemies of Christ need Judas? Couldn't they have found and arrested Him themselves? In answering this, we should remember the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. Christ is greeted by crowds. The Day of the Last Supper and the following days are the days of preparation and the holiday of the Old Testament Passover itself. That is, the time when Jerusalem is crowded with visitors. Many of whom saw and heard Christ in other places in Palestine. That is, the high priests and their supporters were afraid of social unrest if they decided to arrest Christ in front of the people. Therefore, they needed a convenient time and a convenient place. Judas showed them both.
However, why did Judas go himself with the enemies of Christ? Did they really not know what Christ looked like? And they couldn't arrest him? Judas could well have gotten by with a tip, so to speak: He will be dressed in such and such a thing at such and such a time?
After all, criminals, as a rule, prefer not to light up. Judas could have taken his 30 pieces of silver and gone home. But no... I think the answer to these perplexities must be sought in the peculiar psychology of those who feel strong hatred for someone and a desire to harm. The key point here is not even the harm itself, but a kind of triumph! Like, look and understand who did this to you! Know who the source of your trouble is! It is for the sake of this momentary rejoicing over the humiliated that Judas wants to personally betray (in the sense of hand over) Jesus to his enemies.
Judas repented. And he hanged himself. Why is that? Judas repented, but did not repent... That is, he realized that he had killed an innocent person, but at the same time he did not correct his way of thinking (repentance). We can say that Judas acts like an atheist. He can admit his wrong, his crime, but he cannot repent, because he does not believe in a merciful God, in a forgiving God, in a restorative God. For him, behind repentance is despair, from which there is no way out. It can be assumed that Judas did not expect such an action as repentance. He was sure that nothing would happen to him.
To illustrate this idea, we can cite Smerdyakov from The Brothers Karamazov. Dostoevsky perfectly showed the effect of this unexpected effect on the murderer. Smerdyakov did not believe in God. And I didn’t believe in conscience. He thought that once he killed old Karamazov, there would be no torment in the trailer (how can something that does not exist torment?). But then it turned out that something was gnawing at him and tormenting him. But Smerdyakov still did not believe in God. So there is only one way out of torment - hang yourself. Both Judas and Smerdyakov did just that: they hanged themselves.
Archimandrite Sylvester (Stoichev)
Orthodox Life
Viewed (52) times
