was daylight, the council took Jesus
over to Pilate's palace.

When Judas Iscariot saw what was happening, he suddenly realized what
he had done. He came to the chief priests, and brought them back the
thirty pieces of silver they had given him for turning traitor. He
cried out:

"I have sinned! I betrayed a man who never did any wrong!"

The chief priests shrugged their shoulders.

"That's nothing to us," they said. "Take your money and go!"

But Judas threw the money down on the floor and ran out. He took a
rope, and found a tree, and hanged himself, for, after betraying
Jesus, he could not bear to live.

Meanwhile Jesus was standing before Pilate. The council had told
Pilate that Jesus was claiming to be the King of the Jews. They said
that he was stirring up the whole country against Caesar. They thought
that Pilate would put him to death for that, because the Romans would
be afraid that Jesus would lead a revolt against the Roman government.

Pilate said to Jesus,

"Well, are you the King of the Jews?"

Jesus answered simply,

"You have said it."

Then the priests and rulers burst out with all kinds of evil stories
about Jesus.

Pilate spoke to Jesus again, and said:

"Aren't you going to say anything? Listen to what they are saying
about you!"

But Jesus did not speak. Pilate was astonished. He could see that the
only reason the council had brought Jesus to him was that they were
jealous of Jesus and hated him.

By now a large crowd had gathered to watch the trial. Many of the
people in it had been Jesus' followers, but they followed him no
longer. When they saw Jesus being tried like a criminal they decided
that their priests and rulers had been right all along. They began to
talk against Jesus, among themselves.

Pilate wondered how he could let Jesus go. Suddenly he remembered a
Jewish custom: every Passover a prisoner was set free.

[Illustration]

Pilate said: "Every year at this time I set a prisoner free. Now you
can have your choice. You know we have a man named Barabbas in
jail--he's the fellow that started a rebellion a little while ago. We
were going to crucify him. And now here is Jesus. Which one shall I
let go? Barabbas the murderer or Jesus who is called the Christ?"

A great shout went up,

"Barabbas!"

Pilate did not know what to do now. He spoke again to the crowd,

"Well, what shall I do to Jesus who is called the Christ?"

Again there was a great shout:

"Cruci