Chapter 68 James the Brother of the Lord: The Last Supper

The memory of that night has visited me a thousand times; I now know that it will visit me a thousand times again. The earth will forget the furrows plowed in its breast, women will forget the pain and joy of childbirth, but I will not forget that night. We were all outside the walls of Jerusalem that afternoon when Jesus said, "Let's go into the city now and have dinner at the inn." It was late when we got to the hotel and we were hungry.The owner greeted us and led us upstairs. Jesus made us sit around the table, but he himself stood, looking around. He said to the shopkeeper, "Bring me a basin, a jug of water, and a cloth towel."

He turned his eyes to us again and said kindly: "Take off your shoes f" We didn't understand his intention, but we all took off our shoes obediently. The owner brought basins and jugs.Jesus said, "Now I will wash your feet. I will wash your feet from the dust of the old road and give them freedom to walk on the new road." We all felt uneasy and ashamed. Simon Peter stood up and said, "How can I ask my Lord to wash my feet?" Jesus replied: "I wash your feet to let you know that the one who serves people will be the greatest of all." He looked around and said, "The Son of Man who chose you to be brothers, whose feet were rubbed with Arabian medicine yesterday and dried by a woman's hair, now wants to wash your feet."

So he took the basin and the jug, and knelt down to wash our feet, starting with Judas Iscariot. Then he sat down with us at the table, his face like dawn rising on a battlefield after a night of bloody fighting. The owner and his wife brought the food and wine. Although I was hungry before Jesus knelt and washed my feet, now I have no appetite.There seems to be a fire burning in my throat, but I don't want to drown it with wine. Then Jesus handed us a loaf and said, "Perhaps we will never share bread together again. Let us eat this bread to remember our days in Galilee." He poured the wine from the jug into the woods, took a sip, and handed it to us, saying, "Drink this wine in remembrance of the thirst we both experienced together and in the hope of drinking new wine. When I am far from you When you go, when you meet here or elsewhere, you should eat the bread as you do now, pour the wine and drink; then look around, and you may see me sitting at your table."

After speaking, he began to share fish and chicken for us, just like a bird feeding its chicks. We ate little but were full.We are slightly stained with wine, and feel that this cup seems to be a gap between this place and that hometown. Jesus said again, "Before we leave the table, let us rise up and sing the joyous hymn of Galilee." So we stood up and sang together, and he sang loudest, and every word he sang lingered. He glanced at each of our faces and said, "Now I will say goodbye to you, let us go beyond this wall and go to Gethsemane." John the son of Zebedee asked, "Lord, why are you saying goodbye to us tonight?"

Jesus replied, "Don't be troubled by this. I say goodbye to you only to dry my Father's hair. There is a place for you in the house. If you need me, I will come back to you. Yours Wherever the spirit seeks, I will present it." "Don't forget: thirst leads to wine, hunger leads to marriage." "In remembrance you will find the Son of Man, for remembrance is the source of bliss and the way to fatherlessness." John added, "If you really want to leave us, how can we be in a good mood? Why do you talk about separation?" Jesus replied, "The hunted stag knows the hunter's bow before it feels the arrow in its breast; the river knows the sea before it reaches its shore. The Son of Man has traveled the journey of all."

"Before other almond trees burst into bud in the sun, my roots shall reach the heart of another field." At this time Simon Peter said: "Lord, don't leave us now and deprive us of the joy you have brought us. We would like to accompany you to the ends of the earth." Jesus patted Simon Peter on the shoulder and said to him with a smile: "Who knows if you will deny me before this night is over? Will you leave me before I leave you?" Then suddenly he said, "Let's go now." He took us out of the hotel.But when we reached the city gate, Judas the Carlu was no longer there.We passed through the valley of Jehanam.Jesus walked far ahead, and we followed closely next to each other.

When he came to an olive grove, he stopped and turned to us and said, "Let's rest here for an hour." Although it is sunny spring, it is still chilly at night.The mulberry trees were putting out their young leaves, the apple trees were in bloom, and the woods were fragrant. We each found a tree and lay down nearby. I wrapped my clothes and lay down under a pine tree. Jesus paced alone in the olive grove, and I watched him while others were asleep. He would stop suddenly and then continue to walk back and forth, stopping and going several times. Later, I saw him raise his head towards the air, raise his hands, and stretch them to the east and west sides.

He once said once before: "Heaven, earth, and hell are made of men." Now that I think of his words, I see that he who walks in the olive grove is a man made in heaven.I thought the womb of the earth was not a beginning and a source, but a chariot, a respite, a moment of astonishment.In the valley of Jehannam, which lay between him and the "Holy City," I saw hell. While he stood, I lay wrapped on the ground and listened to his voice.But he didn't speak to us, I only heard him say "Father" a few times. After a while, he lowered his arms and stood still in my field of vision like a cypress tree.

Finally, he came up to us again and said, "Wake up, wake up, my hour has come, the whole world is armed against us." "Just now, I heard the voice of my Father. If I cannot see you again, remember: the conqueror finds peace only when he is conquered." When we stood up and gathered around him, his face was like a starry sky in the desert. He kissed each of us on the cheek, and as he kissed me I felt his lips heat up like a child's hand in heat. Suddenly, we heard a noise from a distance, and it seemed that there were many people coming.When the noise got closer, I saw a group of people hurrying towards with lanterns and sticks in their hands.

When they came to the hedge, Jesus went forward to them.It turned out that Judas Iscariot was leading them. Roman soldiers held paddles and spears, and Jerusalemites held clubs and pickaxes. Judas came up to Jesus, kissed him, and told the soldiers, "This is the man." Jesus said to Judas, "Judas, you have been patient with me. You could have done this yesterday." Then he turned to the soldiers and said, "Catch me now, but your cage should be big enough for these wings." Then, shouting loudly, they threw themselves upon him and seized him. And we all ran away in terror.I fled alone into the olive grove, terrified and filled with fear.

For the remaining two or three hours of the night, I ran and hid here and there.At dawn, I found myself in a small village near Jericho. Why did I leave him?I have no idea.But what makes me sad is that I did leave him.I am a coward who runs away from his enemies. I was distraught and ashamed.When I returned to Jerusalem, he was imprisoned and had no friends to speak to him. He was nailed to the cross, and his blood fertilized the new surface of the earth. I am still alive, living by the honey of his sweet life.