The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-24

To THE EprroR OF TIE suN-Sr: I am
interested In the question raised BY your cor
respondent about the troachery OF Judas and
have theory to PROFOUND. II 10 pure n.y.
pothesi-. but II seems to cover many Of the
difficulties.
First, as to the preliminary facts: The con-
sriracy against Jesus was limited In numbers
and To a class. II was confined N the priests
md the High Church rarty. The people Mt
lorRe did not share In il. In Mark II IL dis
tinctly recorded that ''the chief priests and
sctibea sought how they might take him by
craft and put him 10 death. but they said Not
on the fast day lest there be an uproar Of the
people" Again II would seem that this CO.
terie were also appreheneive az the Galileans.
with whom Jesus still maintnln sI a certain
measure OF popularity and who would almost
certainly rally tn his help as against tho ex-
t-pme wing OF the Judeans.
Still again. remember the remarkable pre-
cautions Jesus seemed to have adopted all
through tha Passion Week. He stopped for lodp-
ing at Bethany In the miist OF friends sur
rounded by the guard Of the dsclplps He
went UP To Jerusalem only In the daytime
when the crowd was small. AMI returned each
evening to his shelter. In selecting that PLACE
for the last supper He reverted to strange.
roundabout methods which would seem ed
guards set In Gcthsemane. Remem Der that not
until at the very supper did Judas reach dec's-
ion. and he left hastily to com plote his treach-
cry. Now. out OF all these does not this
emerge "a a simple. yet sufficient explanations
The need OF the consrirators was opportunity
TO catch jesus n'one. or Mt least away from he
crowd and the large holy Of his friends. His
betrayal must coma from within the circle OF
his sunrd-h"nce the need Of Judas. But this
was also the precise need Of tho traitor.
Now. we understand In part that secrecy In
arranging for the supper. Jesus did not even
tell Peter or John whore the upper room was.
30 far as He might Jesus seemed to have ex-
hnusted tho precautionary measures.
Perhaps some word was droprri at the table
about G"thsemnne; perhaps that was not the
frat time that Jesus had spent night vigils NJ
prayer In the garden OF the olive grove Ger
tain'y Judas Nnpw that the party must return
70 Bethany that way and mayhap he relied
upon that occurring again. But he could not
leave the SUPPER without permission. His 60
ing would have been suspicious. Had not Je-
sus Himself said: what thou does, do
quickly" There was the opportunity and Ju-
das closed with Il.
One Is quite lost In thinking what might
have been u the disciples had watched a. Je-
aus hade them In the garden again and again
the marching column. with their Torches and
arms, and given alarm. Jesus would have
escaped.
Then one wonders why after all these pre-
cautions Jesus himself Esve the opportunity
IN permitting Judas to go and va the word.
But what II then "a always the temptation was
Judas's opportunity 10 conquer In the last
great struggle his besettin2 Gin. and through
that victory rise into higher manhood will
believe II and see In It again the token o,
Jesuss love- He would help that poor wretch
to bring things to a crisis and by Ia very trust
WOO him to the supreme effort
He failed then. Judas abused tho trust and
sank. the victim OF his horrid sin. But he need
not. II was sure suicide.
So the story takes on not merely intelligibil-
ity hut naturalness and tremendous signin-
cameo. q. @. BALDWIN. in.
NORTH ScrTvArr. Mass. Dec. 10.