personal touch, of presence, of lips, of hands. Something seems to go
_through_ the personal touch from heart to heart. The spirit-currents
find their connection so. Jesus gave the tender personal touch that
evening, the closest yet. His hands touched their feet, but He was not
thinking most about their feet. He was reaching higher up. His hands
reached past their feet for their hearts.

And they felt it so. Their hearts understood, if their heads didn't yet.
Judas felt those hands reaching to touch his heart. And he had to set
himself afresh to resist that touch. John felt it, and _remained
steady_. Peter felt it and came back with flooded eyes. The fleeing nine
felt that touch and yielded to it as they penitently returned. Love
won. That personal touch did it.

But Jesus feels Judas' heart hardening as He touches his feet, and the
gentle word already spoken availed not.[109] Now His great heart is
sorely troubled for Judas.[110] He tries once again to reach his heart
and stay his wayward feet. He reaches for his feet through his heart
this time. They're all together about the table again. Quietly, but with
tactful indirectness, Jesus lets Judas know that _He_ knows. He says,
"One of you is planning to betray Me."

The men stare one at another in questioning astonishment. Peter touches
John's arm and with eye and word quietly asks him to find out. John
reclining next to Jesus asks the question in undertone. And as quietly
Jesus makes reply. Then the last appeal is made to Judas in the last
delicate touch of special personal attention. Judas' unchanged spirit
makes wordless answer. The hardening of the purpose is a further opening
of a downward door and that door is quickly used by the evil one.

And Judas rises abruptly with jaw set and eye tense, and goes out into
the blackest night the clouds ever shut in. So the first tremendous part
of the evening's drama is now done. The wooing of Judas has been intense
and tender clean up to the last moment, _and_ resisted. Now that chapter
is done. Another corner is passed. The extremes have--parted. One man
has gone out. Eleven stay in, and in staying come closer.

Believe--Love--Obey.

The atmosphere clears now. That black cloud shifts. The pressure is
relieved. The air changes. Breathing is easier. Jesus did His best to
keep Judas in by trying to have him turn something--some one--out. But
the something that held the some one is kept within, so the man goes
out.