him by their love. Mary's ointment poured upon
the tired feet of Jesus before his death was better than the spices of
Nicodemus piled about his body in the grave.

CHAPTER XIII.

JESUS' FAREWELL TO HIS FRIENDS.

"What meaneth it that we should weep
More for our joys than for our fears,--
That we should sometimes smile at grief,
And look at pleasure's show through tears?

Alas! but homesick children we,
Who would, but cannot, play the while
We dream of nobler heritage,
Our Father's house, our Father's smile."

At last the end came. The end comes for every earthly friendship. The
sweetest life together of loved ones must have its last walk, its last
talk, its last hand-clasp, when one goes, and the other stays. One of
every two friends must stand by the other's grave, and drop tears all
the hotter because they are shed alone.

The friendship of Jesus with his disciples was very sweet; it was the
sweetest friendship this world ever knew, for never was there any other
heart with such capacity for loving and for kindling love as the heart
of Jesus. But even this holy friendship in its earthly duration was
but for a time. Jesus' hour came at last. To-morrow he was going back
to his Father.

Very tender was the farewell. The place chosen for it was the upper
room--almost certainly in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark.
So full is the narrative of the evangelists that we can follow it
through its minutest details. In the afternoon two of the closest
friends of Jesus came quietly into the city from Bethany to find a
room, and prepare for the Passover. All was done with the utmost
secrecy. No inquiry was made for a room; but a man appeared at a
certain point, bearing a pitcher of water,--a most unusual
occurrence,--and the messengers silently followed him, and thus were
led to the house in which was the guest-chamber which Jesus and his
friends were to use. There the two disciples made the preparations
necessary for the Passover.

Toward the evening Jesus and the other apostles came, and found their
way to the upper room. First there was the Passover feast, observed
after the manner of the Jews. Then followed the institution of the new
memorial--the Lord's Supper. This brought the Master and his disciples
together in very sacred closeness. Judas, the one discordant element
in the communion, had gone out, and all who remained were of one mind
and one heart. The