This was a special night. Eleven of the twelve there with Jesus knew it was special because this was the Seder meal, the preparation for the celebration of the Passover, a highlight of the religious year. Jesus and Judas knew it would be special for another reason — this would be the night of betrayal. Nothing would be the same for that close-knit group ever again.

Prior to the meal, Jesus must have been thinking about what he would say so his disciples would remember all that they had said and done together in the preceding three years. So Jesus took this simple meal placed before them and made it so each time they gathered and retold the story they would never forget.

Now, some 2,000 years have passed. Why we gather at the table has lost much of its understanding, and often we end up i…