There were thirteeen people sitting around the table of the Last Supper. Most of them had probably been involved in preparing for the meal. Obviously several of them took part in the painful discussion that followed Jesus' revelation that he would be betrayed yet the spotlight is on Jesus and Judas. Our attention is directed to the dramatic interchange that takes place between them.

Jesus is the Servant of the Servant Song presented to us in the first reading. He is, as he would clearly indicate to Pilate later that night, no political threat to anyone of good will with the true well being of others in mind. He is the one supremely willing to offer himself up for the temporal and eternal well being of his fellow men and women.

Judas? It is not so easy to say what motivated him to betray Jesus. Different writers have different suggestions. In his commentary on Matthew William Barclay suggests that Judas may have been a member of a militantly anti Roman group who became disillusioned by Jesus' "failure" to support a revolt against Rome. His admiration for Jesus may have turned to hatred. He may have been trying to force Jesus' hand. Maybe, after all, the reason for his betraying Jesus was solely greed and avarice. Whatever the reason, Barclay comments that we can certainly say that Judas did not allow Jesus to change him for the better.