ept
bitterly.

CHAPTER XII

THE CRUCIFIXION AND THE RESURRECTION

When the morning came, the priests met once more with all the chief
Jews, and said Jesus must die. But the Jews could not put anyone to
death. The Romans would not allow it. So they took Jesus to the Roman
governor, whose name was Pontius Pilate.

When Judas saw that the priests had made up their minds to kill Jesus,
he began to feel very unhappy. He did not care for the money now. He
came to the Temple, and brought it back to the priest, and said, 'It
was very wrong of me to give Jesus up to you. He had done nothing
wrong.' But their hearts were as hard as stone. They said to Judas,
'What is that to us? See thou to that.' Then Judas had no hope left.
He flung the thirty pieces of silver down in the Court of the Priests,
and went and hung himself. But oh! what a pity that he did not go to
Jesus and ask Jesus to forgive him, instead of going to the priests!
Jesus is a good, kind, loving Master. When we do wrong, if we are very
sorry, like Peter, and will come and ask Jesus, He will forgive us. For

'THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, GOD'S SON, CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN.'

Pilate took Jesus inside his splendid palace, away from the Jews, and
asked Him, 'Art thou a King then?'

'Yes,' Jesus said, 'but My kingdom is not of this world. I came into
this world to teach people the truth. That is the reason I was born.'

'What is truth?' said Pilate. But he did not wait for an answer. He
went out again to the Jews.

When the Jews saw Pilate again, they began to tell him lies which they
had been making up about Jesus. And Jesus stood by and said nothing.
Presently Pilate said to Jesus, 'See what a number of things they are
saying against you. Have you nothing to say?'

But Jesus did not answer one single word, and Pilate was greatly
surprised. He felt sure that the quiet prisoner was right and that the
Jews were wrong; and he said to the priests and to the people, 'I find
in Him no fault at all.'

It was the custom for Pilate at Passover time to set free from prison
any one prisoner the people liked to ask for. So Pilate said to the
crowd, 'Shall I let Jesus go?' Then the priests told the people what
to say, and they shouted, 'Not this man, but Barabbas.'

Pilate wanted very much to let Jesus go, and he said, 'What shall I do
then with Jesus?'

The crowd shouted, 'Let Him be crucified! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!'

'Why,' said