In Jerusalem, Jesus was a stranger.  There he felt a wall of resistance he could not penetrate.  At every step he met with obstinate scepticism.  The arrogance of the priests made the courts of the Temple disagreeable to him, and his criticisms naturally exasperated the sacerdotal caste.  Imagine a reformer going, in our own time, to preach the overthrow of Islamism round the Mosque of Omar!  His teaching in this new world was greatly modified; he had to become controversialist, jurist, theologian, though when alone with his disciples his gentle and irresistible genius inspired him with accents full of tenderness.

APPROACHING THE CRISIS

Jesus spent the autumn and part of the winter in Jerusalem.  In the new year he undertook a journey to the banks of the Jordan, the district he had visited when he followed the school of John.  After this pilgrimage he returned to Bethany, a place he especially loved, and where he knew a family whose friendship had a great charm for him.  In impure and depressing Jerusalem, Jesus was no longer himself.  His mission weighed him down, and he let himself be carried away by the torrent.  The contrast between his ever-increasing exaltation and the indifference of the Jews became wider day by day.  At the same time the public authorities began to be bitter against him.  In February, or early in March, the council of the chief priests asked clearly the question “Can Jesus and Judaism exist together?” The High Priest was Joseph Kaiapha, but beside and behind him we always see another man, Hanan, his father-in-law.  He had been High Priest, and in reality kept all the authority of the office.  During fifty years the pontificate remained in his family almost without interruption.  The family spirit was haughty, bold, and cruel.  It was Hanan, his family, and the party he represented, who really put Jesus to death.  After the death of Jesus was decided, he escaped for a short time by withdrawing to an obscure town, Ephron, and letting the storm pass over; but when the feast of the Passover drew nigh, he set out to see for the last time the unbelieving city.  His followers all believed that the Kingdom of God was about to be realised there.  As to Jesus, he grew confirmed in the conviction that he was about to die, but that his death would save the world.

During these last days a deep sadness appears to have filled the soul of Jesus, which was generally so joyous and serene.  The enormous weight of the mission he had accepted bore cruelly upon him.  All these inward troubles were evidently a sealed chapter to his disciples.  His divine nature, however, soon gained the supremacy, and henceforth we behold him entirely himself and with his character unclouded.  Each moment of this period is solemn, and counts more than whole ages in the history of humanity.  A lofty feeling of love, of concord, of charity, and of mutual deference, animated the memories cherished of these last hours.