| GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE |
| Once it became clear that many of the common people were deeply influenced by Jesus' teaching and wanted to know more, the chief Jewish priests and scribes grew alarmed. Then they received news that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead and was starting to attract even more followers. So they called a meeting of their council, the Sanhedrin, at the palace of the high priest, Caiaphas. |
| At the council meeting, which took place on the Wednesday before the Feast of Passover, the Jewish religious leaders expressed their concerns. If Jesus continued to work miracles and attract more followers, the Romans would see Jesus as a threat to their authority. They would have to invade Jerusalem and destroy both the nation and the Jewish holy places. |
| Caiaphas proposed a grim solution. "It is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed" (Jn 11:50). So in order to save Jerusalem, the council members decided to execute Jesus. They issued an order that anyone who knew Jesus' whereabouts should let them know immediately so that they could arrest him. |
| News of the order apparently spread quickly. Soon one of Jesus' own Apostles, Judas Iscariot, the treasurer for the group, went to the priests. He quietly agreed to lead them to Jesus for a payment of only 30 pieces of silver, thus setting the stage for Jesus' arrest, trial, and Crucifixion. |
| Ancient Outlook: In the New Testament times 30 pieces of silver was considered a meager sum. |
| Judas Iscariot was one of 12 men chosen by Jesus to be part of the select group called the Apostles. Judas was assigned to look after the group's money, but according to the Gospel of John, he occasionally stole from these funds and used the money for himself. |
| Little is known about Judas' background or what he was like before he met Jesus. Some historians think his home was the town of Kerioth, a word that sounds like "Iscariot." If so, Judas would have been an outsider because Kerioth was located in southern Israel and the other Apostles were from the north, where Jesus grew up. Judas may also have been a member of the Sicarii, a groupof men who plotted against the Roman leadership and hid daggers in their clothing to kill their enemies. |
| If judas was a member of the Sicarii, he may have been disappointed by Jesus' failure to lead a war against Rome. Perhaps Judas felt that Jesus would miraculously free himself if arrested and finally use his power against Rome. Or perhaps he only wanted more money. Whatever the reason, Judas went to the Jewish leaders who were plotting to arrest Jesus and agreed to betray his teacher for a mere 30 silver coins. |
| After the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus shared with his Apostles, Judas slipped away. A short time later he led an armed patrol to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he knew Jesus would be, and identified Jesus by kissing him on the cheek. Jesus was then arrested, tried, and crucified. Realizing what he had done, Judas tried to return the 30 pieces of silver and then hanged himself in despair. |
| Today many visitors come to this garden, the place where Jesus prayed the night before he died. Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the peaceful sanctuary of Gethsemane, a garden east of the bustling city of Jerusalem on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. Judas knew that his master frequently went to this safe haven to pray alone or to talk quietly with his disciples. |
| Like other gardens in ancient times, Gethsemane was undoubtedly considered a place of special beauty and spiritual retreat. It was both a cool refuge from the searing noonday heat of Palestine and a dark, peaceful nighttime sanctuary. |
| Because the name Gethsemane means "olive press," it's safe to assume that the garden was primarily an olive orchard with presses for crushing olives to make oil. Gethsemane was probably a fairly large garden, with young saplings, mature fruit bearing trees, and ancient trees with thick, gnarled limbs that offered protection to the people who wandered, worked, or prayed beneath. It may have been under such an ancient tree, witness to centuries of history, that Jesus knelt and prayed as he awaited his betrayer. |
| Today, various Christian denominations take care of four places that might have been the Garden of Gethsemane, each restored to look like the one described in the Bible. In the garden next to the Church of the Agony, there are some very old, twisted olive trees that may have been there in Jesus' time. |
| Did you know? Because Jesus knelt in agonized prayer in Gethsemane, his early followers started the Christian custom of kneeling to pray. |
| Copyright:Grolier Enterprises MCMXCVII Grolier Family Bible Cards TM Location: http://www.oocities.org/gacbloomington/thebetrayal.html Updated: 10/25/2001 |
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