Jesus could endure the cold. Judas breathed softly; he had not been
heard! Then, so gently that Judas was not even startled, a voice
sounded. Jesus was praying.

"Heavenly Father, I have proclaimed thy gospel to the disciples whom
thou hast given me. They have believed thy word. They know that my
message comes from thee; they believe that thou didst send me.

"Bless them. Heavenly Father. I am going to leave them; they must stay
in the world. Keep them by thy power, holy Father. I have given them thy
Word, and the world hates them because they belong to thee. I do not ask
thee to take them out of the world; protect them from the evil one.
Consecrate them by thy truth; thy Word is truth. As thou hast sent me
into the world, so I have sent them into the world."

Judas stood like a statue; the Master was praying for him! Jesus had not
finished.

"I do not pray only for my disciples. Heavenly Father. I pray for all
who believe in me: make them all one together! Help them to be one as we
are one--I in them and thou in me. O Father in heaven, just and
merciful, the world has not known thee, but I have; and my followers
know that I have come from thee. Give them the love which has bound thee
to me and me to them."

The prayer ended. How terribly calm Jesus was! He was so sure that God
was right there! With an effort Judas controlled a mad desire to flee
and instead walked quietly away. But when he was out of earshot he broke
into a run. Not knowing where he was going, he ran until his breath came
in gasps. He found himself among houses. It was Bethany, empty and bare
in the night, but here where people lived he felt secure from the
terror of the Garden where Jesus was talking with God.

Dreading to go back to the Hill of Olives, Judas slumped down on a bench
beside the town well. He remembered the day he had first heard Jesus
preach in Jerusalem. What mysterious power had compelled him to follow
this strange Rabbi? Since then he himself had often preached the gospel
of the Kingdom which he had learned from Jesus.

Judas pressed his fists against his temples. Never, never could he
escape this man from Nazareth! God was in him! Every memory of his life
with Jesus rose up and condemned Judas for his bargain with the priests.
He could never keep it! He would go back to Jesus and confess his great
sin! He stood up shivering. It was the cold of the night, he told
himself. He took a few faltering steps toward Gethsemane and s