The Last Supper and the Arrest of Jesus

Muslims deny the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. Most of the interpreters of the Qur'an agree that another person was crucified instead of Him. This theory is quite acceptable to Muslims, especially since the cross symbolizes the helplessness, rejection and weakness of the Christian Jesus. They believe that Jesus must have either crushed His enemies or escaped arrest and execution. God could not allow Christ to be arrested and crucified and had to intervene miraculously to save His prophet. The origin of this point of view in Islam is explained by the presence of various heresies of that time and their penetration into the regions of Arabia. In the time of Muhammad, the areas of trade routes to Syria, Egypt, and Persia served as a refuge for all kinds of heretical sects, zealously persecuted by the Byzantine Church. Such heretics of early Christianity as Basilides, Cerinthus, Carpocrates, as well as the heresies of Docetism and Manichaeism, taught about the "happy deliverance" of Jesus Christ from crucifixion: by replacing Him with another person (Manichaeism, Basilides, Carpocrates), by separating the spiritual and carnal essence of Jesus, the "theory of illusion", etc. Muhammad met with some of these false teachers in Bosra, which is reflected in the Sunnah, from whom he borrowed his ideas about Christianity. It hardly needs to be said that, as in the case of the Muslim understanding of the Trinity, all this has nothing to do with the actual teaching of the Church.

To find out what really happened to Jesus in Jerusalem, you can only read the book of Injil (Gospels). Let us return to the story of Jesus, who, after being baptized by John (Yahya), began to preach the coming Kingdom of God throughout Palestine and went to Jerusalem in fulfillment of the prophecies. The entrance of Jesus, whom the Christian Church celebrates with a special holiday, celebrates the entrance of Jesus. Hardened in their sins, most of the children of Israel did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Even though God gave special signs regarding Jesus. Here is what is said about all these memorable events in the Qur'an: "Behold, Allah will say: "O Jesus, son of Miriam! Remember My mercy to you, how I have strengthened you with the Holy Spirit. You have spoken to people in the cradle and adults. And behold, I taught you the Scriptures, wisdom, the Torah, the Gospel, and behold, you made of clay the likeness of birds with My permission, and blew on them, and they became birds with My permission. You healed the blind and the leper with My permission, and you brought the dead with My permission. And behold, I kept the children of Israel from thee, when thou camest unto them with clear signs. And those who did not believe among them said, "This is only obvious sorcery!" (5:110-112).

Fearing to lose their influence among the people, the priests and scribes set out to kill Him. When Jesus learned of this plot, he gathered the apostles in the house. According to the Injil (Gospel), after partaking of the Old Testament Passover (a special dish established in honor of the flight of the Jews led by Moses from Egypt), Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion at this supper. this is My Body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins" (that is, for you it is given over to suffering and death, for the forgiveness of sins). Then he took the cup, blessed it, thanking God for all His mercies to the human race, and, giving it to the apostles, said: "Drink from it, all of you, this is My Blood of the New Covenant (that is, the new covenant of God with people, in contrast to the Old, Moses), which is shed for you for the remission of sins." These words mean that under the guise of bread and wine, the Savior gave His disciples the same Body and the same Blood that the next day after that He gave to suffer and die for our sins.

During this meal, known to Christians as the Last Supper, the Savior announced to the Apostles that one of them would betray Him. It was Judas Iscariot. Having dipped a piece of bread in a dish with salt, Jesus handed it to the betrayer, saying: "What you do, do quickly." He went out and, coming to the Jewish priests - who were looking for Jesus to kill - revealed to them the location of the Savior for a reward of thirty silver coins.

Muslims mistakenly reject the death and resurrection of Jesus. However, here are the words of the Qur'an itself: "O Jesus, will I take you away and lift you up to me, I will remove you from those who disbelieve, and I will exalt your followers over those who do not believe in the Day of Judgment?" (3:53). No matter how hard Muslim theologians try to obscure this phrase, asserting, like the scholar Ibn Kathir, that the expression "I will kill You" supposedly implies a dream, but it is obvious that this is nothing more than an attempt to cast a shadow on the wattle. The Qur'an clearly says that Jesus will be killed by those who do not believe in Him. This verse of the Qur'an unequivocally affirms the divinity of Christ. Indeed, the expression "those who disbelieved" cannot be applied to the faith of the Jews in God, since they had been such since the time of Moses (Moses). That is, we can only talk about the fact that they did not believe in Jesus, that He is the Son of God. Which is confirmed by the Gospel. Thus, the main accusation that was brought against Jesus by the Jewish high priest at the trial was precisely that He called Himself the Son of the Most High.

As for the Ascension of Jesus, recognized by Muslims, this event is also an indisputable fact for Christians. It is also important that this verse of the Qur'an separately stipulates that, unlike the Jews who gave Him up to death, those who believe in the Son of God, that is, Christians, will be "exalted over those who do not believe" in Him. And this fully coincides with the statement of the Injil (Gospel): "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him" (John 3:36). And in another place: "He who believes in Him shall not be condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the Only-begotten Son of God" (John 3:28).

The huge "Golden Gate" in the eastern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem, through which Jesus, betrayed by Judas and bound, was led to the unrighteous trial of the high priest Caiaphas and the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, has not been functioning for many centuries. And here's why. According to Jewish tradition, it is through them that the Messiah – the Messiah – should enter the city, whom the Jews continue to stubbornly wait, rejecting the true Son of God. After conquering Jerusalem, the Turks learned about this legend and, fearing that the "Jewish Messiah" would expel them from the city, in 1536 they laid the Golden Gate with stones. So they have been standing for many centuries - walled up, crowned with a powerful crenellated tower at the top. No one can enter or leave through the largest but dormant gate of Jerusalem. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Ezekiel in al-Taurat (Old Testament, Bible): "This gate will be shut, it will not be opened, and no man will enter in it; for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered in by them, and they will be shut up" (Ezekiel 44:2). When Jesus first walked through the Golden Gate of Jerusalem overlooking the Mount of Olives, crowds greeted him with joyful shouts of "Hosanna (Salvation) in the Highest"! "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Now, at night, illuminated only by the flickering light of the guards' torches, there were no palm leaves or clothes spread on the ground.

The Qur'an says nothing about the most important and most tragic events in the history of mankind. Therefore, let us turn to the Injil (Bible). At night, the traitor Judas led armed soldiers and Pharisees to the Garden of Gethsemane, located between the Mount of Olives and the Golden Gate of Jerusalem. There was the Savior with the Apostles. In order not to miss Jesus, Judas told the Jewish leaders that whomever he kissed, they were looking for. Approaching the Saviour, Judas said: "Rejoice, Rabbi (Teacher)!" And he kissed Him. The soldiers immediately pounced on Christ and, having tied Him up, led Him to the authorities.

Among the Jews, the serving high priest for this year was Caiaphas, the same one who at a meeting of the Sanhedrin (the supreme religious court of the Jews) had previously advised to kill Jesus. Caiaphas asked Him: "I adjure Thee by the living God, tell us, are Thou the Christ, the Son of God?" To this Jesus gave an answer that leaves no doubt for anyone in the world: "Yes, I am, and I even say to you, From henceforth you will see the Son of Man. Who sits at the right hand of the power of God, and who comes on the clouds of heaven" (Matt. 26:63-64). Then Caiaphas tore his garments as a sign of indignation and terror and exclaimed: "What more witnesses have we to do? Now, now you've heard His blasphemy. What do you think? And they with one voice said in reply: "Guilty of death."

In 1994, an event occurred that debunked speculation about the alleged "unreality" of the events set forth in the Injil (Gospel) - then the burial with the ashes of the High Priest Joseph Caiaphas was discovered. A caterpillar tractor working in the area of the "Mount of Evil Counsel" south of Jerusalem (where, according to tradition, Caiaphas and his henchmen plotted to destroy Jesus) fell into the family tomb of this high priest. The ceramic ossuary of Caiaphas is now in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, on display dedicated to early Christianity. The ashes of Caiaphas are reburied near the city. Caiaphas, who became high priest with the support of the Romans, was not popular, almost all members of his family were exterminated by the Zealots during the years of the Jewish revolt against the Romans.