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Planning and Plotting to Kill Jesus

¹ When Jesus was done talking, he said to his cowboys, ² "Passover is in a couple of days and it will be then that the Boss's Son will be double-crossed by one of his own and killed."

³ It was at this time that the big wigs of the church were meetin' at the high priest's house and ⁴ tryin' to come up with a plan to kill Jesus. ⁵ "We can't do anything durin' the Passover," they agreed, "or we will have a riot on our hands."

Jesus at Bethany

⁶ Meanwhile, Jesus was hangin' out in the town of Bethany with a fellow named Simon who used to have the bad skin rot. ⁷ While he was there, a woman came in with a jar of very expensive perfume and she used all of it on Jesus.

⁸ The cowboys couldn't believe she had wasted something so valuable by just pourin' it on Jesus. ⁹ "That could have been sold for a bunch of money and given to those who can't buy food or clothes!" they said.

¹⁰ But Jesus got on to them and said, "Wait a minute! Why are y'all criticizin' what this cowgirl has done for me? ¹¹ There will always be poor folks, but I won't always be here like I am now. ¹² She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for the grave. ¹³ I'm tellin' you the truth when I say this woman's deed here tonight will be remembered and taught wherever the good news is preached throughout this entire world."

Judas Double-Crosses Jesus

¹⁴ About this time, the dirty double-crosser, Judas Iscariot, one of the cowboys who rode for Jesus, went to the leaders in the church ¹⁵ and asked, "How much will you pay me to double-cross Jesus?" They handed him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ He then began lookin' for a way to ambush Jesus and turn him over to them.

The Last Supper

¹⁷ On the first day of the Feast of the Flatbread, the cowboys who rode for Jesus came up to him and asked, "Where are we supposed to make the biscuits for the Passover supper?"

¹⁸ "When you get to town," Jesus said, "you will see a certain fellow. Tell him, 'The Top Hand says, "My time is up and I will eat the Passover supper at your table with the cowboys who ride for me."'" ¹⁹ The cowboys did what they were told to do and made sup' where they were told to.

²⁰ After the sun had gone down, Jesus sat down at the table with all of his cowboys. ²¹ While they were eatin' he said, "Y'all listen up! One of you is a dirty double-crosser and will betray me."

²² The cowboys couldn't believe their ears and each one asked, "It ain't me, is it Lord?"

²³ He replied, "One of you who is sittin' at this table sharin' biscuits with me is the dirty rat. ²⁴ The Boss's Son must die as it was said long ago in the Good Book. But it's gonna be awfully terrible for the one who snitches him off. It would have been better if he'd never been born."

²⁵ Judas, the one who would do the dirty deed, also asked, "Do you think it's me?" Jesus told him, "You said it, I didn't."

²⁶ As they were eatin', Jesus took a biscuit and blessed it. Then he broke it into some pieces and handed a piece to each cowboy. He said, "Take this and eat it. It represents my body that will be broken for y'all and every other cowboy and cowgirl."

²⁷ Then Jesus took a coffee cup that had wine in it and blessed it. He passed it around the table for everyone to get a drink and said, "Y'all take a swig of this. ²⁸ It represents my blood that my Dad will use to make a new agreement with everyone who believes in me. My blood will be spilt in the dirt as a sacrifice so that the sins of many will be forgiven. ²⁹ I won't drink wine again until the day I drink it with y'all on my Father's spread."

³⁰ They sang a song about God and went to Olive Hill.

Peter Is Gonna Deny Jesus

³¹ As they rode over to Olive Hill, Jesus told them, "Tonight, all of y'all are gonna shuck out on me. The Good Book says, 'The Boss will slay the Trail Guide and the herd will scatter.' ³² But after I come back from the grave, I will meet y'all in Galilee."

³³ Pete said, "I don't care if everyone shucks out for the hills, I ain't leavin' you."

³⁴ "I'm tellin' you the truth, Pete," Jesus said. "Before the sun comes up, you will deny that you ever rode with me three times."

³⁵ Pete stood up and stomped his foot as he said, "Even if I have to die with you to prove it, I will never deny ridin' with you." And all of Jesus's crew made the same vow and waved their hats in the air.

Torture in the Garden

³⁶ Then Jesus and his boys rode over to a place called Gethsemane and he told 'em, "Y'all wait here while I go over yonder and talk to my Dad." ³⁷ He motioned for Pete, James, and John to go with him and Jesus began to get upset and troubled. ³⁸ Then Jesus told the three cowboys, "I feel as if I will be crushed by the pain and sorrow I'm feelin' right now. I'm worried that it might actually kill me. Y'all wait right here and take first watch while I go and talk to my Dad."

³⁹ Jesus rode a little further and then stepped off and laid face down in the dirt and said, "Daddy, please don't make me go through this cruel deed that is comin'. If it's possible, will you find another way? But if this is the only way and it is your will, then I'll do it."

⁴⁰ Jesus rode back over to where his boys were keepin' watch and found them fast asleep. "Could y'all not keep watch like I asked you to for even one hour?" he asked Pete. ⁴¹ "Say your prayers and keep watch so that you will not fall into temptation again. I know your hearts are willin' to ride with me no matter what, but your bodies are weaker'n pond water."

⁴² Jesus went away a second time and prayed, "Daddy, if there ain't another way to get this done except by me going through this dastardly deed, then so be it. I just want to please you."

⁴³ When Jesus went back to his boys, he found them asleep again. ⁴⁴ This time, he didn't say anything, but went back and prayed a third time, sayin' the exact same thing.

⁴⁵ He finally came back and woke them up by sayin' to them, "Are y'all still sleepin'? Get up, for the hour has come, and the Boss's Son has been double-crossed by one of his own cowboys into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Get up now! We will go meet them and not let them find us cowerin' in a garden. Here comes my betrayer now!"

Jesus Is Double-Crossed and Arrested

⁴⁷ While Jesus was sayin' this, Judas, one of the twelve cowboys who rode with Jesus, arrived at the garden. Following Judas was a posse of armed men, sent from the big wigs of the church. ⁴⁸ Judas told the posse to watch and he would give them a sign as to which man was Jesus. "The one I walk up and shake hands with is Jesus. He's the one to arrest." ⁴⁹ Judas walked straight up to Jesus and said, "How ya doin', boss!" and shook Jesus's hand.

⁵⁰ Jesus said, "Alright boys, y'all go ahead and do what you've come to do."

A few guys from the posse stepped forward and grabbed Jesus. ⁵¹ Right then, one of Jesus's cowboys pulled a knife out of his boot and cut off the ear of one of the men who had grabbed him.

⁵² "Put that knife away," Jesus said, "if you pull a knife you will die by the knife. ⁵³ If I wanted to defend myself, I could ask my Father to send twelve thousand winged riders to come and rescue me. ⁵⁴ But if I did this, how would the things that must be done be fulfilled?"

⁵⁵ Jesus turned to the posse and asked, "Am I the leader of some outlaw gang? Have I done any violence to anyone that warrants y'all comin' out here to arrest me with all these weapons? Every day I sat in the church teachin' everyone about God and you never arrested me there. ⁵⁶ But all of this must happen this way in order to fulfill what the great cowboys who rode for my Dad long ago had said would happen." Jesus watched as every one of his cowboys jumped on their horses and loped away in fear.

The Head Honcho of the Church Questions Jesus

⁵⁷ The posse took Jesus and stood him before Caiaphas, the church's head honcho, and many other big wigs. ⁵⁸ Pete had been followin' along like a Comanche warrior, at a distance and without bein' seen. He snuck in to the meetin' and sat down in the back to see what the outcome would be.

⁵⁹ This whole church institution was just lookin' for a way to lie about Jesus so they could sentence him to death. ⁶⁰ After many attempts and people lyin' on the stand, they couldn't find a reason.

Then two fellows walked in and ⁶¹ said, "This cowboy said, 'I will destroy the church and rebuild it in three days.'"

⁶² The head honcho stood up and asked Jesus, "Are you gonna answer these charges?

What have you got to say about yourself?" ⁶³ But Jesus kept his mouth closed.

The head honcho said, "I dare you to answer this one question, so help you God. Are you the Christ, the Boss's Son?"

⁶⁴ "Yup," Jesus said, "and I'm tellin' y'all right now that in the future you will see me sittin' right beside the Boss and ridin' back on the clouds of heaven."

⁶⁵ The head honcho broke into a fit of rage and spit flew from his mouth as he said, "He has called himself God! Why do we need more witnesses? Everyone in here just heard him. What do y'all think we should do now?"

⁶⁶ "String him up!" they yelled.

⁶⁷ Then all the people took turns spittin' on Jesus and hittin' him in the face. All the while they ⁶⁸ said, "If you're the Son of God, tell us who is hittin' you!"

Pete Denies Riding with Jesus

⁶⁹ Now Pete was still there and a young girl came up to him and said, "I know you!

You rode with Jesus didn't you?"

⁷⁰ Without skippin' a beat, Pete said, "I ain't got a clue what you're yakkin' about, ma'am."

⁷¹ Pete saddled up and as he rode out of the courtyard, another young lady recognized him and told everyone standin' there, "Hey look! There's one of Jesus's cowboys who rode with him right there."

⁷² Pete shook his head and hollered, "Why does everyone keep sayin' that? I ain't never seen that man before in my life."

⁷³ When things had settled down, some folks who were standin' close to Pete said, "We know you rode with Jesus. We can tell by your accent!"

⁷⁴ Then Pete started cussin' himself and everyone else and said, "I ain't never rode with no man named Jesus!"

Immediately, off in the distance, a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Then Pete remembered the words Jesus had spoken to him, "When you hear the cock crow, you will have denied ridin' with me three times." Pete loped away and wept like a child.