Condemned

INNOCENT

After they ate together, it was night. They all left the room and went outside of the city. Jesus went to a garden there to pray.

After Jesus had prayed for a while, a crowd came up. They carried swords and sticks. Judas was leading them. He came to Jesus and kissed him. He did this so that the crowd would know whom to arrest.

Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Why have you come to arrest me at night carrying swords and sticks? Every day I was with you in the Temple. And you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour. This is when darkness rules.”

So the crowd arrested him. They took him to the leaders of the Jews who had gathered. And the leaders said, “Tell us now! Are you the Son of God?”

Jesus said, “You are right to say that I am.”

So the leaders of the Jews decided that Jesus must die. But they could not kill him. They did not have the authority to do that.

So they brought Jesus to the leader that was appointed by Rome. He welcomed them. Then he asked Jesus many questions. When he finished, he told the Jews, “This man is innocent. He has done nothing to deserve death.’

But the leaders and the crowd with them insisted. They said, “Kill him! Kill him!”

Now the leader from Rome wanted to let Jesus go free. But the crowd kept shouting, “Kill him! Kill him!”

So he agreed to put Jesus to death.