John pondered for several minutes, and when he replied there was more joy than dejection in his voice. “Before the food was served, I remember Jesus rising from the table, removing his robe, and wrapping a large towel around his body. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash our feet and dry them with the towel. All of us were too shocked to say anything except Peter, who asked him why he was washing our feet, and Jesus replied that we would understand later. Peter then stood and said, ‘You will not wash my feet!’ because he knew that none of us deserved such special treatment from our Lord. Jesus replied that in that case Peter could have no part of him, and Peter, having been chastised, sat and allowed our Lord to bathe away his dust.”

“Did Jesus explain his unusual behavior?”

“He did. After he had finished he returned to his place and told us that if he, whom we called Lord and master, could wash our feet, we could also wash each other’s, and what he had done was an example that he hoped we would never forget. Then he shocked us even more by telling us that we were not all clean and that one of us would betray him.”

“What happened next?”

“There was great consternation and shouting in this room, and many were heard asking, ‘Is it me, Lord?’ I was sitting to the right of Jesus, and I saw Peter motioning to me from his place here on this side of the table to ask Jesus who it was. I placed my head on his breast and whispered, ‘Lord, who is it?’ and he replied in my ear, ‘He it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it.’ Then he dipped the bread, wrapped around a small piece of lamb, into the dish and handed it to Judas, who was sitting on his left.”

“Had anyone else heard what Jesus had said to you?”

“No one. Then he spoke to Judas in a voice that all could hear and said, ‘Whatever you must do, do it quickly,’ and soon Judas had gone out into the night.”

“Did anyone else connect the departure of Judas with the betrayal that Jesus had mentioned?”

“I do not believe so. Judas was always having to run off on errands for Jesus or one of us since he was the keeper of the common purse. We continued with our meal but with little enjoyment, since each was now looking at the other with dark suspicions.”

“What other memories do you have of that supper?”

John’s face brightened again. “As you know, Matthias, we Jews have Ten Commandments which our forefather, Moses, received directly from God. Jesus, that night, gave us another, one far more difficult to obey than all the other ten together and yet one so powerful that if we all could live by it none of the others would be necessary.”