The Life of Jesus

Stay awake, and pray that you will not be put to the test -- the spirit indeed is eager, but human nature is weak."

A second time he went off and prayed. "My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, let what you want be done."

Again he returned and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy.

Leaving them again, he went off and prayed a third time, saying the same words.

Then he came to the talmidim and said, "For now, go on sleeping, take your rest. . . . Look! The time has come for the Son of Man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Get up! Let's go! Here comes my betrayer!"

While Yeshua was still speaking, Y'hudah (one of the Twelve!) came, and with him a large crowd carrying swords and clubs, from the head cohanim and elders of the people.

The betrayer had arranged to give them a signal: "The man I kiss is the one you want -- grab him!"

He went straight up to Yeshua, said, "Shalom, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

Yeshua said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then they moved forward, laid hold of Yeshua and arrested him.

At that, one of the men with Yeshua reached for his sword, drew it out and struck at the servant of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his ear.

Yeshua said to him, "Put your sword back where it belongs, for everyone who uses the sword will die by the sword.

Don't you know that I can ask my Father, and he will instantly provide more than a dozen armies of angels to help me?

But if I did that, how could the passages in the Tanakh be fulfilled that say it has to happen this way?"

Then Yeshua addressed the crowd: "So you came out to take me with swords and clubs, the way you would the leader of a rebellion? Every day I sat in the Temple court, teaching; and you didn't seize me then.

But all this has happened so that what the prophets wrote may be fulfilled." Then the talmidim all deserted him and ran away.

Those who had seized Yeshua led him off to Kayafa the cohen hagadol, where the Torah-teachers and elders were assembled.

Kefa followed him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the cohen hagadol; then he went inside and sat down with the guards to see what the outcome would be.

The head cohanim and the whole Sanhedrin looked for some false evidence against Yeshua, so that they might put him to death.

But they didn't find any, even though many liars came forward to give testimony. At last, however, two people came forward and said,

"This man said, `I can tear down God's Temple and build it again in three days.'"

The cohen hagadol stood up and said, "Have you nothing to say to the accusation these men are making?"

Yeshua remained silent. The cohen hagadol said to him, "I put you under oath! By the living God, tell us if you are the Mashiach, the Son of God!"

Yeshua said to him, "The words are your own. But I tell you that one day you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of HaG'vurah and coming on the clouds of heaven."

At this, the cohen hagadol tore his robes. "Blasphemy!" he said. "Why do we still need witnesses? You heard him blaspheme!