The Last Paschal Supper
1. AND at evening the Master cometh into the house, and there are gathered with him the Twelve and their fellows; Peter and Jacob and Thomas and John and Simon and Matthew and Andrew and Nathanael and James and Thaddeus and Jude and Philip and their companions and there was also Judas Iscariote (who by men was numbered with the twelve) till the time when he should be manifested.
2. And they were all clad in garments of white linen, pure and clear, for linen is the righteousness (of the saints); and each had the colour of his tribe. But the Master was clad in his pure white robe, over all, without seam or spot.
3. And there arose contention among them as to which of them should be esteemed the greatest, wherefore he said unto them,
He that is greatest among you let him be as he that doth serve.
4. And Iesus said,
With desire have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. And to institute the Memorial (of my Oblation) for the service and salvation of all. For behold the hour cometh when the Son (of man) shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.
5. And one of the twelve said unto him,
Lord, is it I ?
And he answered,
He to whom I give the sop the same is he.
6. And Iscariot said unto him,
Master, behold the unleaven bread, the mingled wine and the oil and the herbs, but where is the lamb that Moses commanded?
(for Judas had bought the lamb, but Iesus had forbidden that it should be killed).
7. And John spake in the Spirit, saying,
Behold the Lamb of God (the good Shepherd) which giveth his life for the sheep.
And Judas was troubled at these words, for he knew that he should betray him. But again Judas said,
Master, is it not written in the law that a lamb must be slain for the passover within the gates?
8. And Iesus answered,
If I am lifted up on the cross then indeed shall the lamb be slain; but woe unto him by whom it is delivered into the hands of the slayers; it were better of him had he not been born.
9. Verily I say unto you, for this end have I come into the world, that I may put away all blood offerings and the eating of the flesh (of the beasts and the birds) that are slain by men.
10. In the beginning, God gave to all, the fruits (of the trees and the seeds, and the herbs) for food; but those who loved themselves more than God, or their fellows, corrupted their ways, and brought diseases into their bodies, and filled the earth with lust and violence.
11. Not by shedding innocent blood, therefore, but by living a righteous life, shall ye find the Peace (of God). Ye call me the Christ (of God) and ye say well, for I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
12. Walk ye in the Way, and ye shall find God.
Seek ye the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.
Live in the Life, and ye shall see no death.
All things are alive in God, and the Spirit (of God) filleth all things.
13. Keep ye the commandments. Love thy God with all thy heart, and love thy neighbour [as] thyself. On these hang all the law and the prophets. And the sum of the law is this—Do not ye unto others as ye would not that others should do unto you. Do ye unto others, as ye would that others should do unto you.
14. Blessed are they who keep this law, for God is manifested in all creatures. All creatures live in God, and God is hid in them.
15. After these things, Iesus dipped the sop and gave it to Judas Iscariot, saying,
What thou doest, do quickly.
He then, having received the sop, went out immediately, and it was light.
16. And when Judas Iscariot had gone out, Iesus said,
Now is the Son (of man) glorified among his twelve, and God is glorified in him. And verily I say unto you, they who receive you receive me, and they who receive me receive the Father-Mother (Who sent me) and ye who have been faithful unto the truth shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
17. And one said unto him,
Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom unto Israel?
And Iesus said,
My kingdom is not of this world, neither are all Israel which are called Israel.
18. They in every nation who defile not themselves with cruelty, who do righteousness, love mercy, and reverence all the works of God, who give succour to all that are weak and oppressed—the same are the Israel of God.
LECTION 75. 1. -Jacob is the same as James -called "the great." Nathanael is Bartholomew. There is no proof that Jude was the same with Thaddeus, as is alleged by some. The number at first seems to have been twelve exclusive, or thirteen (to the world's eye) including Iudas Iscariot, till he should manifest his falsity by his treachery, when he went out directly before the holy supper, leaving Iesus with the twelve -the complete number of Apostleship, which, being even, admitted of no one among them being "Master," save Iesus, who was over them.
v. 2. -Whether the appearance of the Master and his disciples in symbolic festal garb may not have been seen only by the spiritual eye of some of the disciples or not, the lesson is the same. Reverence and love of beauty and order are to be seen in God's House -symbols of the glorious garments of that Being Who is the Eternal Mystery and Beauty manifest in all things.
vv. 15, 16. -That Twelve is the complete number of the Apostleship and that Iesus sat down "with his twelve" at the holy supper before his crucifixion, seems evident from the received gospels, and still more so, from the fragments lately brought to light. Iudas Iscariot appears then to have been among the twelve but not of them, therefore before the Eucharistic rite is celebrated "he goes out." If there were any ill omen at all about the number thirteen it would therefore be thirteen as the number of Apostles present, exclusive of the Master and Head. But to thirteen, inclusive of the presiding host, no ill omen could attach, but the reverse.