Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I
give this piece of bread when I have
dipped it in the dish." St. John
13:26
He
was a friend, one whom Jesus had trusted.
He had been with all of them for a long time, now. They had wandered together over so many dusty
roads and talked of everything in the world. He had seen the miracles and heard
those thrilling talks. He had left
everything else behind, devoted himself to this man Jesus, the promised
Messiah. They had all done that—it was
what bound them together. A ragtag
bunch, drawn from all sorts of directions—but they had this in common. They had all committed their futures to him
And
this night, they kept the Passover together.
It was a family meal, a celebration that bound together people who
depended on each other. Still today, to
be invited by a Jewish family to celebrate the Passover with them is a great
honor, a sign of deep and respected friendship.
They would, of course, celebrate it together. They had all left their own families behind,
back in Galilee. They only had each
other