His calloused hand reached out to grab the strings of the tiny, velvet purse, but the man arrayed in jewels and precious stones wrenched it away from his grasp. “Wait, wait, wait, Judas. I can’t give you this silver without your WORD that you will bring this man, Jesus, to us. ”

Without hesitation, Judas’s cold eyes locked with his. “He will be yours. Don’t you worry. I told you the plan.”

Judas sauntered away with an air suffocating with confidence. The man watched Judas’s back disappear from the light cast by the torches in the yard.

Shaking his head, he couldn’t help but chuckle at the folly Judas possessed. A sickening smile spread across the man’s bearded face. Judas, who was once a follower of this so-called “Jesus,” was easily moved by the greed of a few silver coins. What a fool. The man chuckled. So much for that teacher, “son of man”, or whatever the people called him. Because after tonight, that imposter would no longer be a problem for him or his fellow religious leaders. Everything would go back to normal. The law was the standard and that is what they would follow. Not the teachings of this hypocrite.

Judas felt the eyes of the priest following his every movement until he was blanketed by the darkness of the overcast night sky. With his chin held high, each of Judas’s steps commenced a soft jingle from his side. The coins were secured underneath his tunic in between his waist rope and undergarments. This placement ensured safety from anyone looking to steal them.

He breathed in the cool, Jerusalem air. Soon the deed would be done. All he had to do was carry out his part.

The rhythmic sound of his steps broke the stillness of the evening. His mind rehearsed his course of action. He raised a finger for each stage of the betrayal process.

Step 1.Gather together the soldiers with their torches and weapons and travel to the garden of Gethsemane.

Step 2. Seek for Jesus of Nazareth.

Step 3. Kiss Jesus's cheek.

Step 4. Let the guards take him away.

Step 5. Walk away.

Kicking at a lone stone in the middle of the street, Judas circled toward the friend’s house where the other disciples and Jesus were staying. The door creaked under the pressure of his hand. He stifled the noise with his tunic. With no light helping guide Judas’s track to his pallet on the floor, he shuffled around, feeling the floor and ending up somewhere between Andrew and Matthew.

He rubbed his eyes. They were irritated from the salt and dirt swirling in the air during the day. He rolled over to his right side. Jesus was lying next to Peter and James. Tomorrow was the Passover, but for Jesus it was going to be the end of his ministry. Looking at Jesus, Judas felt a deep anger possess his heart.

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb would be sacrificed. All of the disciples and Jesus rose with sun as it peeked into the one lone window. Judas watched Jesus point to Peter and John, asking them to go prepare the Passover feast. After asking where they were to arrange the meal, Peter and John went swiftly into the city to do just as he asked.

Judas couldn’t help but listen to the voice of jealousy.“Figures. They always were the chosen ones.”

The hour had come when the disciples and Jesus all gathered around the table to share in the Passover meal. Jesus passed the cup and had everyone take a drink. Judas listened intently as his “teacher” explained that the cup was a symbol of his blood. Similarly, he took the bread and broke it, passed it around and declared that this was the symbol of his body being broken.

“This,” Jesus said, “is to be done in remembrance of me”.

The room held silence. It was either confusion or pride that tied the tongues of the disciples. The statement issued a somber silence, causing no one to speak for several moments.

So Jesus kept on speaking boldly, confidently.“But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”

Judas choked on his piece of bread. His heart began to race. Inside his thoughts ran rampant, “Betrayed! How did he know? Did he know? What if the plan was ruined!”Judas reached underneath his cloak and felt the velvet bag. Just feeling it in the palm of his hand gave him a renewed resolve. He had made his choice. To avoid being discovered, Judas mirrored the eleven other looks of anguish and utter shock. The other disciples wouldn’t suspect a thing. They never had.

After the feast ended, Judas slipped away from the disciples and Jesus. He had given some excuse that he wasn’t feeling well and needed to go away to lie down. The other disciples patted him on the shoulder or gave him a gruff hug as they wished him healing sleep.

“Utter fools”, Judas muttered.

On swift feet, Judas rushed to meet the armored men with flaming torches and steel weapons. This was it.

In marching formation, the soldiers followed Judas as he led them to the garden of Gethsemane. Step 1 was complete. The rest of the phases were to follow in similar fashion.

They finally crested the hill to the garden. Jesus was speaking to the disciples when the army of men stood in front of them. Judas wished to erase the sight of the other eleven disciples' horrified looks. It didn’t stop Judas from moving on to step 3. He stepped forward and kissed Jesus cheek.

Jesus looked into his eyes. His voice was strong and calm.“Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Judas immediately pulled away from Jesus as if he had pierced his heart.

The next moments would be emblazoned in his memory. The guards took Jesus away, leading him down the hill to go before the court, to face his trial.

The next morning, Judas went to the court where Jesus was put on trial. He should have been relieved, but there was a tightness in a chest. A heavy blanket of sorrow surrounded him. Thoughts of doubt crept in.

“What have I done?”His head pounded.

He watched as Jesus stood there being condemned. Judas couldn’t watch. Jesus had done nothing wrong! Judas grabbed the coins from its resting place. He would return the money to the religious leaders and end this whole thing.

Judas ran to meet the leaders in the courtyard with the purse dangling in his hand. With shortness of breath he managed to get out what he needed to say.

“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”He thrust the coins out to them, but they wouldn’t take it. The religious leader’s laughed in his face.

The man who gave him the money stepped forward. His smile was grim and evil. Every word that came out of his mouth was like the thrust of a sword to his spirit. “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”

Judas scattered the pieces of silver in front of their feet. He turned and bolted from the vile, crooked men.

The walls of his greed, his pride, his decision piled around him. “No. No. NO!” Regret stifled the air to his lungs. He was overcome with sorrow. “How could I have done this?” There was only one thing to do to take away the remorse, to run away from the guilt.

Tears streamed down his face as he ran his hands over the prickly rope. The branch was sturdy and would make the death quick. Wrapping the rope around tree, Judas slid his neck through the carefully knotted hole. Mentally he counted, “One…..two…..three”.

Writer's Disclosure: The account of Judas's betrayal is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Reading over the passages gave me insight into this story, but I have added interpretation based on what could have happened. Read with discretion knowing that details have been added not to take away from the validity of Scripture.