War Club Tells the Good Story 14

PLOT TO KILL HIM

1It was now only two days before the traditional yearly Passover and Bread Without Yeast festival would be celebrated. The head holy men and the scroll keepers were scheming together about ways to have him captured and killed.

2“We should not do it during the festival,” they decided, “for that might create an uprising among the people.”

PREPARING FOR HIS BURIAL

3Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was in the village of House of Figs (Bethany), in the home of Hearing Man (Simon), who had a skin disease. He was leaning back, sitting on the floor at the table, when a woman with a pottery jar full of costly, sweet-smelling ointment came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), broke the pottery jar, and poured the ointment over his head.

4Some of his followers, who saw this, became angry and said to each other, “Why waste this costly ointment?#14:4 Worth almost a year’s wages 5It could have been traded for food and goods to give to the poor.”

So they spoke harshly to her.

6“Let her be!” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) spoke up. “Why are you troubling her? She has done a good thing for me! 7You can help the poor anytime, for they will always be among you, but I will not. 8This is her gift to me, to prepare me for my burial. 9I speak from my heart, when the good story is told all over the world, her story will also be told as a memorial.”

THE BETRAYAL BEGINS

10It was then that Speaks Well Of (Judas), also known as Village Man (Iscariot), who was one of the twelve, left there and went to the head holy men to betray Creator Sets Free (Jesus) into their hands. 11When they heard this, it pleased them, so they promised to pay him well. So Speaks Well Of (Judas) began to look for the right time to betray him.

PREPARATION FOR THE CEREMONIAL MEAL

12It was now the first day of Bread Without Yeast. This was when the ceremonial lamb would be killed and eaten.

“Where do you want us to go to prepare the ceremonial meal?” his followers asked their Wisdomkeeper.

13“Go into the village,” he instructed two of his followers, “and there you will meet a man carrying a water pouch. Follow him 14into whatever lodging-house he enters, and say to the headman of the lodging-house, ‘Our Wisdomkeeper asks: Where is the room where I can eat the ceremonial meal with my followers?’ 15He will then show you a large upper room that will be set up and ready for you. There you can prepare the ceremonial meal for us.”

16They did as he said and found everything just as he told them, so they prepared the room for the ceremonial meal.

THE CEREMONIAL MEAL BEGINS

17When the sun was setting, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his twelve followers went to the room that had been prepared, 18and they all sat down around the table.

“I speak from my heart,” he said during the meal, “One of you who eats with me now will betray me.”

19Their hearts fell to the ground, and one by one they said to him, “I am not the one, am I?”

20“It is one of the twelve, the one who has just dipped his bread into the bowl with me,” he said to all. 21“The True Human Being must walk the path chosen for him, as written in the Sacred Teachings, but it will not go well for the one who betrays him. It would be better if he had never been born.”

A NEW PEACE TREATY

22During the meal Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took some of the frybread and gave thanks to the Great Spirit. He then broke it into pieces and gave some to each of his followers.

“This is my body,” he told them. “Take it and eat it.”

23He then took a cup of wine, gave thanks to the Great Spirit, and passed the cup to all, who then drank from it.

24“This is my lifeblood of the peace treaty, poured out on behalf of many people,” he said to them. 25“I speak from my heart, I will not drink from the fruit of the vine again until the day when I will drink it with you in a fresh and new way, as we walk Creator’s good road together.”

ALL OF YOU WILL TURN AWAY

26They all sang a traditional song and then left to walk to Olive Mountain.

27“All of you will turn away from me,” he told them as they walked along. “It was written in the Sacred Teachings, ‘Attack the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.’#14:27 Zechariah 13:7 28But when I return from the world of the dead, I will go on ahead of you to Circle of Nations (Galilee).”

29Then Stands on the Rock (Peter) spoke out, “Even if they all turn away from you, I will not!”

30“I speak from my heart,” he said back to him. “This very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

31“No!” Stands on the Rock (Peter) cried out fiercely. “Even if I must die with you, I will never turn away!”

And all the others said the same thing.

THE GARDEN WHERE HE PRAYED

32Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his followers came to the place called Where the Olives Are Crushed (Gethsemane), a garden with many olive trees.

“Sit here,” he told his followers, “while I go over there and pray.”

33He then took with him Stands on the Rock (Peter), He Takes Over (James), and He Shows Goodwill (John) to a place not far from the others. There he became deeply troubled and full of sorrow.

34“My heart is full of sorrow to the point of death,” he said to his three followers who were with him. “Stay here and watch over me.”

35He went a little ways from them, dropped his face to the ground, and prayed that, if possible, he would be spared from this time of suffering.

36“Abba, Honored Father,” he cried out, “nothing is too hard for you. Take this bitter cup of suffering away from me. But I want only your way, not mine.”

37He then returned and found his followers sleeping.

“One Who Hears (Simon),” he said to Stands on the Rock (Peter), using his family name. “Are you asleep? Could you not stay awake with me for even one hour? 38Stay awake and pray so that you will be able to face the fiery trial ahead of you. The human body is weak, but the spirit is strong.”

39Once again he went from them and prayed the same words. 40He returned and again found his followers sleeping, for their eyes were heavy, and they had no answer for him.

41After praying again, he returned a third time and woke them up from their sleep.

“Do you still sleep? Have you rested enough?” he said to them. “Wake up! The time is upon us! The True Human Being has been betrayed into the hands of the ones with bad hearts. 42Rise up! We must go! Look! The one who has turned against me is here!”

BETRAYED WITH A KISS

43Right then, while Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was speaking, a crowd of people stormed into the garden. Speaks Well Of (Judas), one of the twelve, was leading the way. Along with the betrayer came the large crowd, sent from the head holy men and elders of the tribal council, carrying clubs and long knives.

44The betrayer had given them a sign, “Take hold of the one I greet with a kiss and arrest him, for he will be the one.”

45Speaks Well Of (Judas), also known as Village Man (Iscariot), when he arrived, walked right up to Creator Sets Free (Jesus). “Wisdomkeeper!” he said, and then kissed him.

46They moved in and took hold of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to arrest him. 47But then one of his followers, who had drawn his long knife from its sheath, struck and cut off the ear of the servant of the chief holy man.

48Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then turned to the ones who had come to take him and said, “Why do you treat me as if I were a thief by coming with clubs and long knives to take me away? 49Did I not sit with you every day in the sacred lodge? Why did you not take me then? But now the words of the prophets have come true and found their full meaning.”

50Then all his followers left him and ran away. 51A young man dressed only in an undercloth trailed from behind. The people tried to grab hold of him, 52but his undergarments tore away, and the young man ran away naked into the night.

QUESTIONED BY THE CHIEF HOLY MAN

53The ones who had arrested Creator Sets Free (Jesus) dragged him away and brought him to the chief holy man. The scroll keepers and elders of the Grand Council had gathered there to question him.

54Stands on the Rock (Peter) followed from a safe distance and went right into the courtyard of the chief holy man. He then sat down next to the lodge guards and warmed himself by the fire.

55The head holy men and the Grand Council kept trying to find someone who would speak against Creator Sets Free (Jesus) so they could put him to death, 56but found none who could agree, even though many came forward and spoke lies against him.

57Then some false witnesses came forward and said, 58“We heard him say, ‘I will tear down this sacred lodge made with hands and in three days I will build another not made with hands.’”

59But even about this they could not keep their stories straight.

60The chief holy man stood before all in the center of the room.

“Have you nothing to say to these accusations?” he said to Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

61But he just stood there silently and gave no answer.

“Are you the Chosen One,” the chief holy man asked him, “the Son of the One Who Is Blessed?”

The room became silent, and when he spoke, every eye and ear were fixed on Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

62“I am,” he answered, “and you will see the True Human Being sitting at the right hand of the Power when he comes riding the clouds of the spirit-world above!”

63The chief holy man tore his regalia and turned to the council.

“Why do we even need witnesses?” he said to them. 64“You have heard him speak against the Great Spirit with your own ears! What does the council have to say?”

The decision was agreed on by all—death.

65Some began to spit on him. They covered his face and struck him, saying, “Prophesy!” Then the lodge guards took him and struck him with the backs of their hands.

STANDS ON THE ROCK DENIES HIM

66Below the house, outside in the courtyard, one of the servant women of the chief holy man 67saw Stands on the Rock (Peter) warming himself by the fire.

She looked closely at him and said, “You were also with Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth)!”

68“I do not know him or what you are saying!” he said to her, and as he moved away toward the outside of the courtyard, a rooster crowed.

69The servant woman, seeing him walk away, said to some of the men there, “He is one of them!”

70But again he denied it.

After a while, some others who were standing by said to him, “You must be one of his followers. You talk like someone from Circle of Nations (Galilee).”

71Stands on the Rock (Peter) cursed, made a sacred oath, and said, “I do not know this man you are talking about.”

72Right then a rooster crowed for the second time. Stands on the Rock (Peter) remembered what Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had told him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Then Stands on the Rock (Peter) broke down and wept.

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