Jesus didn’t return to the temple on Wednesday of Passion Week. He probably spent time with his friends somewhere on the Mount of Olives. Ironically, this quiet day gave the Jewish leaders an opportunity to finalize their plans to kill him.

Judas slipped away from Jesus and the other disciples and went into the city to meet with the chief priests. They agreed to pay him thirty pieces of silver and he promised to hand Jesus over to them, secretly, under the cover of darkness. This suited their needs; they had worried that people would riot if they saw Jesus arrested in public.

The only clue we have about why Judas turned against Jesus is found in Luke 22:3-4.

“Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.” Luke 22:3-6

Ever since his defeat in the wilderness three years earlier, Satan had been looking for another chance to go after Jesus.

“When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” Luke 4:13

Now the opportune time had come. Satan had the cooperation of people with the power to kill Jesus, as well as the help of an insider, Judas Iscariot.

Preparing for the Last Supper

It seems that Jesus had been preparing for this last meal with his disciples for a while. He already knew where they could eat together, perhaps because a friend had offered the room earlier. Jesus knew that if his disciples went into the city at a certain time, they would find a servant fetching water for the home and if they followed him they would be able to ask the owner about the room.

“The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.” Mark 14:16

How did Jesus know all of these details about this home? Maybe his Father gave him divine insight, or perhaps he had visited there before and was friends with the owner. He knew the rhythms of the household and was able to predict where the servant would be when his disciples went into Jerusalem.

Jesus probably went to Jerusalem a hundred times during his life. He, his father, and his brothers went there to attend religious festivals three times a year. It’s quite possible the family had friends in Jerusalem who were glad to share their home  with Jesus.

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

“It was just before the Passover Festival Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” John 13:1

When people are dying they really want to have their loved ones beside them. They almost never ask to see their bank statement one more time, and they don’t usually care about their cars, clothes, house, or other belongings. They want the comfort of people who love them and they want the warmth of their touch.

Jesus wanted that, so he wrapped a towel around his waist and went among his disciples, washing their feet. He touched them tenderly and humbly served them. When he came to Judas he might have sensed that the devil had already entered him. Perhaps betrayal made Judas’s body tense and maybe he averted his eyes. Nevertheless, Jesus poured water over the feet of Judas and wiped them with the towel just as he did for the other disciples.

He moved on to Peter who characteristically questioned what Jesus was doing. He refused this kindness on Jesus’ part until Jesus said,

“You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand . . . Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” John 13:7-8

Peter then wanted to be doused from head to toe, but Jesus told him that wasn’t necessary. This foot washing was symbolic of the relationship he already had with his disciples. Because of their faith in Jesus their souls had been cleansed from sin, but from time to time they would need to get rid of the sins that clung to them from day to day.

Jesus Sets an Example

Jesus had created a new model for the disciples to follow. He blessed his friends with humble service, loving touch, and genuine concern for their wellbeing. He approached them as individuals and he cared for their individual needs.

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13:14-17

Jesus realized that while he had washed the feet of everyone in the circle, not all of them were clean. Judas had clean feet, but his heart was still filled with sin and darkness.

Communion — Jesus’ Body and Blood

In John 6:50-58 Jesus boldly called himself the bread of life and said that unless people ate his flesh and drank his blood they had no life in them. At the last supper he said it again, this time holding actual bread and wine in his hands to illustrate what he meant.

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take it; this is my body.’

“Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,’ He said. to them.” Mark 14:22-24

Under the Mosaic Law the flesh of an animal sacrificed for sins became food for the priests and the family and friends of the one who sacrificed it. Its blood was drained and caught in a basin before being splashed against the sides of the altar of sacrifice. The bodies and the blood of animals were given for the benefit of sinners, to atone for their sins.

The day after this last supper Jesus laid down his life to atone for the sins of the world. Anyone who wanted his sacrifice to apply to them could simply repent of their sins and claim what Jesus had done for them. Then they could demonstrate their choice by eating the bread and drinking the wine of communion.

Jesus Identifies His Betrayer

“While they were reclining at the table eating, [Jesus] said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me – one who is eating with me.’

“They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, ‘Surely you don’t mean me?’

‘It is one of the Twelve,’ he replied, ‘one who dips bread into the bowl with me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.’ ” Mark 14:18-21

The disciples were alarmed to hear that Jesus’ betrayer was at the table with them. They each began to explain why it couldn’t possibly be them – they were too good, too loyal to be the betrayer. It escalated into a contest of one-upmanship until Jesus put a stop to it.

“‘The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.’” Luke 22:26-27

Jesus had explicitly told his disciples that his betrayer was seated near enough to him to dip bread in the same bowl with him, but the other eleven couldn’t figure out who he meant. Their eyes were blinded to what was going on right in front of them. Peter said to John, “Ask him which one he means,” (John 13:24) and when Jesus answered they still didn’t understand.

“Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

“So Jesus told him, ‘What you are about to do, do quickly.’ But no one at the table understood why Jesus said this to him . . . As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.” John 13:26-30

Jesus Loved Judas

Jesus grieved for Judas. He let Judas go, but he wished for Judas’s sake that he had never been born rather than betray the Son of God.

“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” John 13:1

And, as terrible as they were, the things that were about to happen to Jesus were all part of the great plan of salvation he had agreed to from the start.