His disciples beholding him weep were amazed. At last Peter ventured to say, "Master, why grievest thou so sorely?" Jesus answered, "My Peter, the fate of this unhappy city goes to my heart." Then said John, "Lord, tell us what shall this fate be?" Jesus answered and said unto them, "The days will come when her enemies will make a trench about her walls and close her in on every side, and lay her even with the ground. She and her children within her walls will be dashed to the earth, and not one stone will be left upon another." Andrew, giving expression to the general consternation, asked, "Wherefore shall the city have so sad a doom?" Jesus said, "Because she hath not known the day of her visitation. Alas! she who hath slain the prophets will kill the Messiah himself." Then spoke all the disciples together, "What a terrible deed!" James, the elder, said, "God forbid that the city of Jehovah should bring such a curse upon herself." And John with pleading voice added, "Dearest master, for the sake of the holy city and the temple, I beg of thee go not thither, so that the opportunity may be wanting to those evil men to do the worst." "Or," said Peter, "go thither and display thyself in all thy majesty, so that the good may rejoice and the evil tremble." "Yes," cried all the twelve eagerly, "do that." Philip said, "Strike down thine enemies!" and all added earnestly, "And set up the kingdom of God among men!" Jesus answered, "Children, that which you desire shall come to pass in due time, but my ways are appointed to me by my father, and thus saith the Lord, 'My thoughts are not as your thoughts, and my ways are not as your ways.'" Then, as if to cut short a useless discussion, he said, "Peter!" Peter replied, "What wilt thou, Lord?" and the Lord continued, "It is now the first day of unleavened bread, in which the law commands that we should eat the Passover; you, both Peter and John, go forward and prepare the Passover that we may eat it in the evening." Peter and John, who stood the one on the left and the other on the right, asked, "Where wilt thou, Lord, that we prepare the Passover?" Jesus said, "When you come into the city there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water, follow ye him and wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the good man of the house, 'The master says, Where is the guest-chamber that I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' and he will show you a large upper chamber furnished and prepared; there make ready the Passover." "Thy blessing, O best of masters!" said Peter. He and John knelt on either side of their Lord, Jesus placed his right hand on the head of John and his left hand on the head of Peter, exclaiming, "God's blessing be with you!" Peter and John having departed, Jesus said to the others, "Accompany me for the last time to the house of my Father."