Forty-seventh Sunday.

THE EVENING OF THE BETRAYAL.

FIRST READING.

"Jesusknew that his hour was come."—John 13:1.

THE chief priests grew more fierce and bitter when they saw how all men listened to the Lord Jesus. They could do nothing to Him by day, because the people would have risen up to defend Him; so they tried how to find Him alone and at night, to take Him secretly.

Now, one of the twelve apostles, named Judas Iscariot, was too fond of money, and used to take for himself what was trusted to him to take care of. So he went on from bad to worse, till at last he did the dreadful thing of promising the chief priests that he would show them to some lonely place, where they could take his Lord and Master prisoner; and then they were to pay him for this wickedness with thirty pieces of silver.

Judas settled all this, and then he went back to our Lord and the other eleven apostles just as usual, thinking they did not know; but our Lord did know very well. But He bade the apostles get ready the supper that was eaten the night before the Passover, in a large upper room that was lent to them for it, and there He sat down to eat with them.

QUESTIONS.

1. What feast was being kept at Jerusalem? 2. Why were the priests and Pharisees angry? 3. What did they want to do? 4. Why did they not take Him in the Temple? 5. Where did they want to take him? 6. Who said He would show them the way? 7. What did they promise to Judas Iscariot? 8. Who was he? 9. Then how came he to be so wicked? 10. Where did our Lord go to eat His Last Supper? 11. Who were eating with Him?

JESUS WASHING HIS DISCIPLES FEET.—John 13:2-5.

SECOND READING.

"This do in remembrance of me."—Luke 22:19.

WHEN our Lord and His apostles were eating the Supper together, He was very sorrowful, and said, "One of you shall betray me." The apostles were grieved, and each said, "Lord, is it I?" And He said, "He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me."

And then, as the custom was, He dipped His piece of breadin the dish in the middle of the table, and gave it to Judas. Then the wicked man presently got up and went away.

CHRIST ENTERING JERUSALEM.

And as they were still in the upper room, our Lord took bread and broke it, and gave a piece to each of His apostles, and said, "Take, eat: this is My Body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." And He took a Cup of wine, and said, "This Cup is the new testament in My Blood: This do, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."

THE LAST SUPPER.—Matt. 26:26-28.

And that was the beginning of what we call the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, "For as often as ye do eat of this Bread, and drink this Cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come."

QUESTIONS.

1. Who were eating together? 2. When was it? 3. Why was our Lord sorrowful? 4. What did He say one of them would do? 5. What did they all ask? 6. Who did He say it would be? 7. What did He dip then? 8. To whom did He give it? 9. Who went away? 10. What holy Sacrament did He appoint? 11. What did He take? 12. What did He say of the bread? 13.What did He then take? 14. What did He say of the wine? 15. What is the outward sign of the Lord's Supper? 16. What is the inward grace? 17. What does it show forth?

JESUS IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE.—Matt. 26:38, 39.

THIRD READING.

"Not as I will, but as Thou wilt."—Matt. 26:39.

SUPPER being over, and night coming on, our Lord went out with His disciples to a garden, full of olive trees, called Gethsemane, where He often used to pray. He told them again on the way that they would soon all be afraid, and leave Him; but Peter could not think so, and said boldly that if everybody fell from Him, he never would. ButJesusanswered, "Verily, I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice."

Then He went on to the garden, taking only Peter, James, and John into it with Him, and telling them to watch while He went apart to pray. They were heavy and sorrowful, and couldnot keep awake; but while He was praying, He was in the greatest trouble and grief that ever anyone felt.

He knelt and prayed in an agony, till His sweat was as great drops of blood falling down to the ground. For He was feeling the sorrow for all the sin of all the world—the sorrow that belongs to you and me.

The disciples heard Him say, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt." He came to them more than once, and called them, as if He longed for them to comfort Him; but still they fell asleep again, though He said, "What, could ye not watch with me one hour? The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

QUESTIONS.

1. Where did our Lord go then? 2. What was the garden full of? 3. What did He say the apostles would all do? 4. Who thought He never could leave Him? 5. What did our Lord tell Peter? 6. Whom did He take into the garden? 7. What were they to do? 8. What great grief did He suffer? 9. Why did He suffer such agony? 10. What did he pray? 11. What could not the disciples do? 12. What did He say at last? 13. What was their flesh? 14. Was He angry? 15. But was He not much grieved that they did not comfort Him?

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