“In very truth I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” Jesus looked about the room at the twelve disciples gathered around the table. His eyes did not pause on any one person, and he ignored the cries of protest from several. Jesus stood at one end of the narrow table, six of his followers on either side, all staring at him, almost all surprised by his pronouncement. All but one. The man who sat to Jesus’s right was silent, his face impassive. It was early evening, the last rays of the sun cutting across the room through the high windows set in the brick wall. The room where they were dining was built along the side of an inn at the base of the Mount of Olives. The smell of the meal permeated the air. The sounds of the family that ran the inn echoed into the room, mixing with the noise of passersby in the street outside heading home for their own late meals. It was Passover and there were many more people in Jerusalem than normal. Jesus leaned forward, the slight movement causing all to fall silent.
