Killing Jesus: A History

devotion.
    Judas expressed revulsion at such a waste of money. Passover, in particular, is a time when it is customary to give money to the poor. This time he was not alone in his disgust. Several other disciples joined in before Jesus put an end to the discussion.
    “Leave her alone,” Jesus ordered the disciples. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them anytime you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.”
    Once again, Jesus’s words were bewildering. He allowed himself to be anointed like the Christ, and yet he was predicting his death.
    Now, Judas boldly walks back into Jerusalem. The night air smells of wood smoke from the many campfires. Passover starts on the night of the first full moon after the spring equinox, which will be Friday evening.
    Judas picks his way carefully down the bumpy dirt road. His march could be an act of stupidity—he knows this—for he is intent on going directly to the palace of Caiaphas, the most powerful man in the Jewish world. Judas believes that he has an offer of great value that will interest the leader of the Sanhedrin.
    Judas is a known disciple of Jesus, however, and this strategy could very well lead to his arrest. Even if nothing like that happens, Judas is uncertain if an exalted religious leader such as Caiaphas will meet with an unwashed follower of Jesus.
    Making his way from the valley and through Jerusalem’s gates, Judas navigates the crowded streets to the expensive neighborhoods of the Upper City. He finds the home of Caiaphas and tells the guards his business. Much to his relief, Judas is not arrested. Instead, he is warmly welcomed into the spacious palace and led to a lavish room where the high priest is meeting with the other priests and elders.
    The conversation immediately turns to Jesus.
    “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” Judas asks.
    If the high priests are surprised by Judas’s behavior, they don’t show it. They have set aside their normal arrogance. Their goal is to manipulate Judas into doing whatever it takes to arrange Jesus’s arrest.
    “Thirty silver coins,” comes the reply.
    This is 120 denarii, the equivalent of four months’ wages.
    Judas has lived the hand-to-mouth existence of Jesus’s disciples for two long years, rarely having more than a few extra coins in his purse, and very little in the way of luxury. Now the chief priest is offering him a lucrative bounty to select a time and place, far from the Temple courts, to arrest Jesus.
    Judas is a schemer. He has plotted the odds so that they are in his favor. He knows that if he takes the money, one of two things will happen: Jesus will be arrested and then declare himself to be the Christ. If the Nazarene truly is the Messiah, then he will have no problem saving himself from Caiaphas and the high priests.
    However, if Jesus is not the Christ, he will die.
    Either way, Judas’s life will be spared.
    Judas and Caiaphas make the deal. The traitorous disciple promises to begin searching immediately for a place to hand over Jesus. This will mean working closely with the Temple guards to arrange the arrest. He will have to slip away from Jesus and the other disciples to alert his new allies of Jesus’s whereabouts. That may be difficult.
    Thirty silver coins are counted out before Judas’s eyes. They clang off one another as they fall into his purse. The traitor is paid in advance.
    Judas walks alone back to Bethany. Robbers may be lurking on the roads. Judas wonders how he will explain his absence to Jesus and the others—and where he will hide such a large and noisy bounty.
    But it will all work out. For Judas truly believes that he is smarter than his compatriots and deserving of reward in this life.
    If Jesus is God, that will soon be known.
    The next few hours will tell the tale.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
    LOWER CITY OF JERUSALEM
THURSDAY, APRIL 4, A.D. 30
NIGHT
    Jesus has so much to do in a very short period of time. He must at last define his life to the disciples. As the final hours to Passover approach, Jesus plans to organize a last meal with his followers before saying good-bye, for they have been eyewitnesses to his legacy. And he must trust them to pass it on.
    But although these things are vitally important, there is something holding him back: the terrifying prospect