A Judas dozen of guys. Jesus was talking to the remnant of his disciples, the eleven that were left after Judas opted out of the group. “You are going to fall away,” Jesus told them. “Not us,” they said. “Not me,” Peter said. “Even if these wimps leave, I’m never leaving.” “Ah, dear friend Peter,” […]

“When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” When I was growing up, we always sang a hymn after communion. It was, after all, what Jesus and the disciples had done after the first communion. We never did, however, go to the Mount of Olives. The one seemed a […]

Sometimes the simplest acts are the best. Jesus takes bread and breaks it and says a few words. He does the same with a cup of wine. And these simple actions are repeated day after day, decade after decade, across the world, across denominational boundaries. Yes, we argue about what, exactly, happens with the bread […]

Jesus knew. Judas knew. They both knew who was going to turn Jesus over to the religious hierarchy when no crowds could interfere, no followers could protest, no believers could stop them. Judas knew because he had made the arrangements. Jesus knew because, well, he was Jesus. He knew who, he knew why, he knew […]

It was quiet celebration time. It was time to spend an evening remembering history. It was a time for a group of guys to think about centuries of history and years of shared life. It was Passover time. The disciples knew that they would spend the time together, they and Jesus. But they didn’t know […]