LAST SUPPER—one of the apostles
On the day of the Passover, some members from our group of 12 went ahead to Jerusalem to rent a room where we could come together to celebrate the Passover. We were full of excitement for how wonderful to be in Jerusalem for Passover. We were also apprehensive because it was becoming dangerous for Jesus and for us, his disciples. Jesus was touching the hearts and lives of so many people, and his following increased daily. His message of justice for the poor and oppressed was radical and too threatening to those in power. So, we came to Jerusalem both elated and fearful.
In fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah, Jesus chose to ride a donkey into Jerusalem. You saw the reaction of the people who greeted him with palms, praise, and cheers. This shocked and angered many of the chief priests. They misunderstood Jesus’s purpose—he was not claiming to be the king of the Jews, but to be a new kind of king as described by Zechariah, a king who is righteous and serves and saves the oppressed. Jesus had already alienated many chief priests and elders—was this entry into Jerusalem the breaking point? I don’t know.
That evening, we 12 apostles and Jesus gathered for the Passover meal. Jesus began by saying he had longed to share this Passover with us before he suffered. As is the custom in the Passover meal, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks and then he looked at each one of us and said take the wine and share it among yourselves. He said from that time on he would not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. I tell you our hearts pounded at these words, although we were not fully aware of the meaning.
Jesus then took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave bread to each of us, saying the bread was his body which would be given up for us all, and we should do this in memory of him.
At the end of our Passover meal, Jesus took a cup of wine, raised it up and said the cup was a new covenant in his blood, which would be shed for us all.
We sat silent for a long time; we felt such a sense of reverence, such closeness, such love; we somehow knew we were in a profound moment, but it would be some time before we fully comprehended this importance of this Passover meal.
As we sat there peaceful and reflective, Jesus startled us. He said that one of us would betray him. We asked who among us would do such a thing! We were all saying not I, not I. Peter shouted above the rest of us exclaiming though others might fall away from Jesus, he never would. Jesus said: “Peter, before the cock crows tonight, you will deny me three times.” Again, Jesus said one of us at the table would indeed betray him. Sadly, we bickered among ourselves about who would betray Jesus and who among us was the greatest. Jesus had to remind us that one is not greater than the other and that he was with us as one who serves and that was what we were to do. It was rather a sad way to end this special Passover. Over the years, I have wondered how our unseemly behavior made Jesus feel.
Jesus left with Peter, James, and John to go to Mt Olives to pray.
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