Tuesday of Holy Week John 13:21-33

Daily Word Of God


Tuesday, 30th March 2010
Tuesday of Holy Week
John 13:21-33






John 13: 21 - 33, 36 - 38

21 When Jesus had thus spoken, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me."
22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.
23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus;
24 so Simon Peter beckoned to him and said, "Tell us who it is of whom he speaks."
25 So lying thus, close to the breast of Jesus, he said to him, "Lord, who is it?"
26 Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
27 Then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."
28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.
29 Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the feast"; or, that he should give something to the poor.
30 So, after receiving the morsel, he immediately went out; and it was night.
31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified;
32 if God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.
33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, `Where I am going you cannot come.'
36 Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "Where I am going you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow afterward."
37 Peter said to him, "Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."
38 Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times.







The Betrayal of Jesus at the last Supper.


Jesus pours wine into the common chalice for the third time.
He drinks and makes the others drink. He then intones, and the
others sing in chorus: «I love because the Lord hears the voice of
my prayer, because He turns His ear towards me. I will invoke Him
throughout my life. The throes of death had surrounded me» etc.
(Psalm 114, I think).



A moment's pause. He then resumes singing: «I had faith, that
is why I spoke. But I was deeply humiliated. And in my dismal


I said: "Every man is untruthful".» He looks fixedly at Judas.

My Jesus' voice, which is tired this evening, regains vigour when
He exclaims: «The death of holy people is precious in the eyes of
God» and «You have broken my chains. I will sacrifice a victim of
praise to You invoking the name of the Lord» etc. (Psalm 115).



Another short pause and He then resumes: «Praise the Lord, all
nations, praise Him, all peoples. Because His mercy has been

aserted upon us and the truth of the Lord lasts for ever.»



Another short pause and then a long hymn: «Sing praises to the
Lord because He is good, because His mercy lasts for ever...»

Judas of Kerioth sings so much out of tune, that twice Thomas
brings him back into tune with his powerful loud baritone voice
and stares at him. The others also look at him, because he is gener-
ally in tune, and I have had the impression that he is proud of his
voice as he is of everything else. But this evening! Certain sentences
upset him so much that he sings false notes, and certain glances of
Jesus underlining those sentences have the same effect. One of them
is: «It is better to confide in the Lord than to confide in man.»


Another one is: «When I was pushed, I staggered and was about to
fall. But the Lord supported me.» Another is: «I shall not die, I shall
live and narrate the deeds of the Lord.» And finally, these two, that
I am going to relate now, strangle the Traitor's voice in his throat:

«The stone rejected by the builders has become the corner-stone»
and «Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!»

When the psalm is over, while Jesus is cutting and handing the
lamb round again, Matthew asks Judas of Kerioth: «Are you not
feeling well?»



«No. Leave me alone. Don't worry about me.»


Matthew shrugs his shoulders.

John, who has heard, says: «The Master is not well either. What
is the matter with You, my Jesus? Your voice is weak, like the voice
of a sick person or of one who has wept much» and he embraces Him;
resting his head on Jesus'chest.



«He has only spoken a lot, as I have only walked a lot and got
cold» says Judas nervously. :



And Jesus, without replying to him, says to John: «YoU know Me
by now... and you know what makes Me tired...»



"The lamb is almost consumed. Jesus, Who has eaten very little,
and has only had a sip of wine at each chalice, but to compensate
for that, has drunk a lot of water, as if He were feverish, resumes
speaking: «I want you to understand My gesture of a short while
ago. I told you that the first is like the last, and that I am going
to give you a food that is not corporeal. I have given you a nourish-
ment of humility, for your spirits. You call Me: Master and Lord.
You are right, because so I am. So if I have washed your feet you
should wash each other's feet. I have given you an example, so that
you may do what I have done. I tell you solemnly: no servant is
greater than his master, no apostle is greater than He Who appointed
him. Try to understand these things. Then, if you understand them
and put them into practice, you will be blessed. But not all of you
will be blessed. I know you. I know whom I chose. I am not speak-
ing of everybody in the same way. But I say what is true. On the
other hand, what has been written concerning Me, is to be fulfilled:

"He who eats the bread with Me, rebels against Me". I am telling
you everything before it happens, that you may have no doubts
about Me. When everything has been accomplished, you will believe
even more that I am I. He who receives Me, receives Him Who sent
Me: the Holy Father Who is in Heaven; and he who receives those
whom I send, will receive Me. Because I am with the Father and
you are with Me... But now let us finish the rite.»



He pours more wine into the common chalice and before drink-
ing of it and letting the others drink, Hestands up, and everybody
stands up with Him, and He sings one of the previous psalms again:

«I had faith and that is why I spoke...» and then He sings a psalm
that never comes to an end. Beautiful... but eternal! I think I have
found it, by its beginning and its length, as psalm 118. They sing
it as follows. They sing one part in chorus. Then, in turns, one re
cites a couplet, and the others in chorus sing another part, and sc
forth till the end. No wonder they are thirsty at the end!



14 Jesus sits down. He does not lie down. He sits as we do. Am
He says: «Now that the old rite has been accomplished, I will
celebrate the new one. I have promised you a miracle of love. It is
time to work it. That is why I have longed for this Passover. From
now on this is the Victim that will be consumed in a perpetual rite
of love. My beloved friends, I have loved you throughout the whole
life of the Earth. I have loved you for the whole eternity, My chil-
dren. And I want to love you till the end. There is nothing greater
than this. Bear that in mind. I am going away. But we shall remain
for ever united through the miracle that I will now work.»



Jesus takes a loaf still entire and places it on the chalice that has
been filled. He blesses and offers both, He then breaks the bread
and takes thirteen morsels of it, and gives one to each apostle say-
ing: «Take this and eat it. This is My Body. Do this in remembrance
of Me, Who am going away.» He gives the chalice and says: «Take
this and drink it. This is My Blood. This is the chalice of the new
alliance in My Blood and through My Blood, that will be shed for
you, to remit your sins and give you the Life. Do this in remem-
brance of Me.»



Jesus is very sad. There is no smile, no trace of light, no colour
on His face. It is already an agonizing face. The apostles look at Him
utterly anguished,



Jesus stands up saying: «Do not move. I shall be back at once.»

He takes the thirteenth morsel of bread and the chalice, and He goes
out of the Supper-room.



«He is going to His Mother» whispers John.
And Judas Thaddeus says with a sigh: «Poor woman!»
Peter asks in a. very low voice: «Do you think She knows?»
«She knows everything. She has always been aware of
everything.»



They all speak in very" low voices, as if they were in front of a
corpse.



«But do you think that really...» asks Thomas, who does not want
to believe yet.

«And do you doubt it? It is His hour» replies James of Zebedee.
«May God grant us strength to be faithful» says the Zealot.
«0h! I...» says Peter who is about to speak. But John, who is on
the look-out, says: «Silence! He is here.»



Jesus comes back in. He has the empty chalice in His hands. Only
at its bottom there is a trace of wine, and in the light of the chan-
delier it looks just like blood.



Judas Iscariot, in front of whom is the chalice, looks at it as if
he were enchanted, then he averts his eyes. Jesus watches him and
shudders, and John, leaning as he is on His chest, feels it. «Why not
say so! You are shivering...» he exclaims.



«No. I am not shivering because I am feverish...16! have told you
everything, and I have given you everything. I could not have given
you anything else. I have given you Myself.»

He makes His usual kind gesture with His hands, which, previ-
ously joined, now separate and stretch out, while He bows His head
as if He wished to say: «Excuse Me if I cannot give you more. It is
so.»



«I have told you everything and I have given you everything. And
I repeat. The new rite has been accomplished. Do this in remem-
brance of Me. I have washed your feet to teach you to be humble.
and pure like your Master. Because I solemnly tell you that disci-
ples must be like their Master. Remember that, bear it in mind. Also
when you are in high offices, remember that. There is no disciple
greater than his Master. As I washed you, do the same to one
another. That is, love one another like brothers, helping and respect-
ing one another, setting an example to one another. And be pure,
to be worthy of eating the living Bread that descended from Heaven,
and have the strength, in yourselves and through It, to be My disci-
ples in the hostile world that will hate you because of My Name.
But one of you is not pure. One of you will betray Me. My Spirit
is deeply perturbed by that... The hand of him who will betray Me
is here with Me on this table, and neither My love, nor My Body
and Blood, nor My word make him mend his ways and repent. I
would forgive him going to My death also on his behalf.»



505

you may do what I have done. I tell you solemnly: no servant is
greater than his master, no apostle is greater than He Who appointed
him. Try to understand these things. Then, if you understand them
and put them into practice, you will be blessed. But not all of you
will be blessed. I know you. I know whom I chose. I am not speak-
ing of everybody in the same way. But I say what is true. On the
other hand, what has been written concerning Me, is to be fulfilled:

"He who eats the bread with Me, rebels against Me". I am telling
you everything before it happens, that you may have no doubts
about Me. When everything has been accomplished, you will believe
even more that I am I. He who receives Me, receives Him Who sent
Me: the Holy Father Who is in Heaven; and he who receives those
whom I send, will receive Me. Because I am with the Father and
you are with Me... But now let us finish the rite.»



He pours more wine into the common chalice and before drink-
ing of it and letting the others drink, Hestands up, and everybody
stands up with Him, and He sings one of the previous psalms again:

«I had faith and that is why I spoke...» and then He sings a psalm
that never comes to an end. Beautiful... but eternal! I think I have
found it, by its beginning and its length, as psalm 118. They sing
it as follows. They sing one part in chorus. Then, in turns, one re
cites a couplet, and the others in chorus sing another part, and sc
forth till the end. No wonder they are thirsty at the end!



14 Jesus sits down. He does not lie down. He sits as we do. Am
He says: «Now that the old rite has been accomplished, I will
celebrate the new one. I have promised you a miracle of love. It is
time to work it. That is why I have longed for this Passover. From
now on this is the Victim that will be consumed in a perpetual rite
of love. My beloved friends, I have loved you throughout the whole
life of the Earth. I have loved you for the whole eternity, My chil-
dren. And I want to love you till the end. There is nothing greater
than this. Bear that in mind. I am going away. But we shall remain
for ever united through the miracle that I will now work.»



Jesus takes a loaf still entire and places it on the chalice that has
been filled. He blesses and offers both, He then breaks the bread
and takes thirteen morsels of it, and gives one to each apostle say-
ing: «Take this and eat it. This is My Body. Do this in remembrance
of Me, Who am going away.» He gives the chalice and says: «Take
this and drink it. This is My Blood. This is the chalice of the new
alliance in My Blood and through My Blood, that will be shed for
you, to remit your sins and give you the Life. Do this in remem-
brance of Me.»



Jesus is very sad. There is no smile, no trace of light, no colour
on His face. It is already an agonizing face. The apostles look at Him
utterly anguished,



15 Jesus stands up saying: «Do not move. I shall be back at once.»



He takes the thirteenth morsel of bread and the chalice, and He goes
out of the Supper-room.


«He is going to His Mother» whispers John.
And Judas Thaddeus says with a sigh: «Poor woman!»


Peter asks in a. very low voice: «Do you think She knows?»
«She knows everything. She has always been aware of
everything.»

They all speak in very" low voices, as if they were in front of a
corpse.

«But do you think that really...» asks Thomas, who does not want
to believe yet.

«And do you doubt it? It is His hour» replies James of Zebedee.
«May God grant us strength to be faithful» says the Zealot.
«0h! I...» says Peter who is about to speak. But John, who is on
the look-out, says: «Silence! He is here.»



Jesus comes back in. He has the empty chalice in His hands. Only
at its bottom there is a trace of wine, and in the light of the chan-
delier it looks just like blood.



Judas Iscariot, in front of whom is the chalice, looks at it as if
he were enchanted, then he averts his eyes. Jesus watches him and
shudders, and John, leaning as he is on His chest, feels it. «Why not
say so! You are shivering...» he exclaims.



«No. I am not shivering because I am feverish...16! have told you
everything, and I have given you everything. I could not have given
you anything else. I have given you Myself.»



He makes His usual kind gesture with His hands, which, previ-
ously joined, now separate and stretch out, while He bows His head
as if He wished to say: «Excuse Me if I cannot give you more. It is
so.»



«I have told you everything and I have given you everything. And
I repeat. The new rite has been accomplished. Do this in remem-
brance of Me. I have washed your feet to teach you to be humble.
and pure like your Master. Because I solemnly tell you that disci-
ples must be like their Master. Remember that, bear it in mind. Also
when you are in high offices, remember that. There is no disciple
greater than his Master. As I washed you, do the same to one
another. That is, love one another like brothers, helping and respect-
ing one another, setting an example to one another. And be pure,
to be worthy of eating the living Bread that descended from Heaven,
and have the strength, in yourselves and through It, to be My disci-
ples in the hostile world that will hate you because of My Name.
But one of you is not pure. One of you will betray Me. My Spirit
is deeply perturbed by that... The hand of him who will betray Me
is here with Me on this table, and neither My love, nor My Body
and Blood, nor My word make him mend his ways and repent. I
would forgive him going to My death also on his behalf.»



The disciples cast terrified glances at one another. They scrutinise
one another suspiciously. Peter stares at the Iscariot in a revival!
of all his doubts. Judas Thaddeus in his turn jumps to his feet iot
look at the Iscariot above Matthew's body.



But the Iscariot is so sure of himself! In his turn he looks at
Matthew, as if he suspected him. He then looks fixedly at Jesus and
smiling he asks: «Is it I perhaps?» He seems to be the one who is
most certain of his honesty and to say so, not to let the conversa-
tion drop.



Jesus repeats His gesture saying: «You are saying so, Judas of
Simon, not I. You are saying so. I have not mentioned your name.
Why are you accusing yourself -Ask your internal wamer, your con-
science of a man, the conscience that God the Father gave you that!
you might behave as a man, and listen whether it accuses you. You
will be the first to know. But if it reassures you, why do you utter
a word and speak of a deed that is anathema even to mention or !
to think of as a joke?»



Jesus is speaking calmly. He seems to be supporting a proposed
thesis as a learned man may do with his pupils. The confusion is
great, but Jesus' calm appeases it.



But Peter, who is the most suspicious of Judas — perhaps
Thaddeus also is so, but he does not look so, disarmed as he is by
the Iscariot's easy manners — plucks John's sleeve, and when John,
who has pressed against Jesus upon hearing Him speak of betray-
al, turns round, he whispers to him: «Ask Him who it is.»

John takes his previous position again, he only raises his head
slightly, as if he wanted to kiss Jesus, and in the meantime he
whispers in His ear: «Master, who is it?»



And Jesus in a very low voice, kissing him, in His turn, on his
head, says: «It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread dipped
in the dish.»



And taking another entire loaf, not the remains of the one used
for the Eucharist, He detaches a large morsel, He dips it into the
lamb's sauce left in the tray, and says: «Take it, Judas. You like
this.»



«Thank You, Master. I do like it» and unaware of what that mor-
sel is, he eats it, while John, horrified, closes even his eyes not to
see the horrid smile of the Iscariot, as he bites the accusing bread
with his strong teeth.



«Well. Now that I have made you happy, go» says Jesus to Judas.
«Everything has been accomplished, here (He lays much stress on
the word). What is still left to be done elsewhere, do it quickly,
Judas of Simon.»



«I will obey You at once, Master. Then I will join You at Geths<
mane. You are going there, are You not? As usual?»

«Yes... I am going there... as usual.»



«What has he got to do?» asks Peter. «Is he going by himself?»

«I am not ababy» says Judas scoffingly, as he puts on his mantle.



«Let him go. He and I know what must be done» says Jesus.

«Yes, Master.» Peter is silent. Perhaps he thinks he has committed
a sin suspecting his companion. Resting his forehead on the palm
of his hand, he becomes pensive.



Jesus presses John to His heart and whispers again through his
hair: «Say nothing to Peter for the time being. It would be a use-
less scandal.»



«Goodbye, Master. Goodbye, friends» says Judas greeting them.

«Goodbye» replies Jesus.



And Peter says: «Goodbye, boy.»



John, his head almost on Jesus' lap, whispers: «Satan!» Jesus alone
hears him and sighs.


There are a few moments of dead silence. Jesus has lowered His
head, caressing John's fair hair mechanically.

Then He rouses Himself. He raises His head, He looks around,


and He smiles in such a way that encourages the disciples. He says:

«Let us leave the table and sit all close to one another, like many
children round their father.»



They take the couches that were behind the table (those of Jesus,
John, James, Peter, Simon, Andrew and His cousin James) and they
put them on the other side.



Jesus sits on His own, still between James and John. But when
He sees that Andrew is about to sit in the place left by the Iscariot,
He shouts: «No, not there.» An impulsive shout, that His great pru-
dence does not succeed in preventing. He then modifies His expres-
sion saying: «We do not need so much room. If we sit down, we can
stay only on these. They are enough. I want you to be very close
to Me.»