on tiptoe he reached over the
shoulder of Jesus and kissed him, saying, "Hail, Master."

[Illustration: "He reached over and kissed him."]

Jesus answered, "Friend, wherefore art thou come? Betrayest thou the
son of man with a kiss?" Then stepping forward to meet the armed band,
he faced them fearlessly and said, "Whom seek ye?"

A loud and angry shout went up from the soldiers: "Jesus of Nazareth!"

Jesus said, "I am he."

As he uttered these word the soldiers fell backward to the ground,
crying, "Woe unto us! What is this?"

The disciples exultantly cried, "One single word from him casts them to
the ground."

But Jesus said to the soldiers, "Fear not; arise."

As they regained their feet the disciples whispered eagerly to Jesus
saying, "Lord, cast them down so that they shall never rise again."

But Jesus a second time asked, "Whom seek ye?"

Again the crowd replied, "Jesus of Nazareth."

Then Jesus said, "I have already told you that I am he; if therefore,
ye seek me, let these go their way."

Selpha, the leader of the band, cried, "Seize him!" The soldiers
approached Jesus, Malchus and Balbus carrying in their hands a small
cord, and grasped him by the wrists in order to bind him.

Peter and Philip asked Jesus, saying, "Lord, shall we smite with the
sword?" Before Jesus replied, Peter's sword flashed from its sheath
and descended on the head of Malchus. The helmet turned the descending
blade, and instead of splitting his skull it only sliced off his ear.

"Alas!" cried Malchus, "I am wounded; my ear is off."

Then said Jesus to the disciples, "Suffer ye thus far," and reaching
forward to Malchus he said, "Be not troubled; thou shalt be healed."
And touching his ear, that moment it was made whole. Malchus felt his
ear with astonishment. His comrades satisfied themselves that the ear
was as the other and stood motionless, while Jesus turned to Peter and
said, "Put up thy sword into its sheath, for all they who take the
sword shall perish with the sword. The cup which the Father hath
given, shall I not drink it? Thinkest thou I cannot now pray to my
Father, and he would presently give me more than twelve legions of
angels? But how, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it
must be?" Then turning to the Pharisees he said, "Are ye come out as
against a thief with swords and staves to take me? I sat daily with ye
in the temple teaching, and ye took me not. But this is your hour a