Matthew, Chapter 26

- ה ח ש -

Judas Iscariot Meets with the Priests Who Want Jesus Arrested 

17Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 19And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. 20Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 23And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said..” (Matthew 26:17-25)

Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples, offers to lead the priests to his master, who has caused a commotion amongst the people. Judas already displayed poor behavior when he got angry at the woman in Bethany for “wasting” precious oil by anointing Jesus. He represents selfishness, materialism, and arrogance. His path to the dark side is paved. Jesus knows all this and invites everyone to join him for his Last Supper. The Apostles try to guess who will be the one to hand him over to the authorities. Judas turns to Jesus and asks if it is he. He has already given up on his beliefs and true self. Though Jesus knows that Judas will indeed be the one to betray him, he replies: “You have said it yourself” (Matthew 26:25). Jesus continues to maintain admirable composure. He lets his faith guide him and does not give in to human weaknesses.

Higher consciousness is achieved through study, which is motivated by curiosity; curiosity is where the process begins.