Last time, we ended with verse 17 where Jesus tells His disciples that they are blessed if they do what He has taught them by word and deed. But then He adds another revelation. Throughout His ministry He has told them many times that He is going to end up captured by His enemies and then crucified. And we are told that the disciples could not understand what He was saying… maybe they were assuming that He was using some sort of figurative language. After all, who would want to crucify the Messiah? Now He tells them, it’s about to happen.

He told the disciples that they will be blessed… but not all:

John 13:18-19 I speak not of you all. I know those whom I have chosen; but that the scripture might be fulfilled, He that eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me. I tell you [it] now before it happens, that when it happens, ye may believe that I am [he].

He quotes Psalm 41:9 and tells them that that is going to happen to Him. In other words, He is certifying that that prophecy is about Him and tells them plainly that the fact that it is about to be fulfilled is to be for them a sign that He is who He said He is: The I AM. All this is in keeping with the way the Lord speaks through Isaiah when He challenges the false gods:

Isaiah 41:21-23 “Present your case,” says the LORD. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King. “Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.”

You see? God declares there that prophesying the future is His exclusive power.  No other god has the power to affect the future or even know it. But God the Father does.

And then Jesus adds:

John 13:20 Verily, verily, I say to you, He who receives whomsoever I shall send receives me; and he that receives me receives him who has sent me.

Why does Jesus say this now? It is not a break in His train of thought. It follows directly from what He has just said, because in citing that Psalm, in saying it is imminent, He has declared to them that all the prophecies about the betrayal, capture, and execution of the Messiah are indeed imminent. He is not going to be with them anymore… not in this world. BUT that is not going to stop His mission.

Because they, His friends, His true disciples, will be able to continue it.

That may seem unthinkable to them in a few hours when their world is shattered, when the shepherd is struck, and they are all scattered in panic. But they will continue it: They will go and spread the gospel.

How do we know?

Because He has just told them that people will have the chance to decide whether to receive them or not…

…and whoever receives them will be just as blessed as they are because in receiving them, they receive the one who sent them (Jesus) and whoever receives Jesus receives the one who sent Him: The Father.

John 13:21 Having said these things, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, Verily, verily, I say to you, that one of you shall deliver me up.

John 13:22-25 The disciples therefore looked one on another, doubting of whom he spoke. Now there was at table one of his disciples in the bosom of Jesus, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter makes a sign therefore to him to ask who it might be of whom he spoke. But he, leaning on the breast of Jesus, says to him, Lord, who is it?

This is a family scene; they are gathered for dinner… with John, the youngest, sitting right next to Jesus. And from there he can whisper to Jesus, “Who is it?”

And Jesus answers him by repeating that same prophecy of Psalm 41:9… and then He fulfils it:

John 13:26 Jesus answers, He it is to whom I, after I have dipped the morsel, give it. And having dipped the morsel, he gives it to Judas [son] of Simon, Iscariote.

No one heard John ask the question, or Jesus’ answer. This will be confirmed in a moment…

Some Commentators say that doing this at a meal was a way of honoring that person, either indicating he is a close member of the family or that he is an honored guest. Or this could have been just part of the normal course of the Passover meal where Jesus was already in the process of handing such morsels around and it just turned out it was Judas Iscariot’s turn, and Jesus takes the opportunity – just then – to show John how the prophecy was being fulfilled.

We don’t really know if there was a special meaning to that action… except for the fact that it happened precisely at that moment, in response to John’s whispered question, and in fulfilment of the prophecy. 

What is striking is what Judas’ reaction was:

John 13:27a And, after the morsel, then entered Satan into him.

What will it take to keep me from Jesus?

How could this happen? Why did this happen? There is only one answer: Judas was not truly born again. Yes, he followed Jesus as one of his disciples for three years. Yes, he heard all His teachings, he saw all His miracles, and yet he did not really believe on Him. We know this because Jesus already told us that not all of them were clean!

It really seems baffling, almost impossible… 

He was not an outside observer. He was an insider, an active participant. In fact, remember when Jesus sent the twelve out, two by two, to preach the gospel on their own? He gave them authority and power to do miracles in His name… Luke 9:10-11 And having called together the twelve, he gave them power and authority over all demons, and to heal diseases, and sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick… Didn’t Judas experience all that?

We know they must have experienced the supernatural power of God because the 72 that he sent afterwards, the same way, reported it on their return: Luke 10:17 And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us through thy name.

After all that, how could Judas not believe?

But it is more shocking still.

Yes, we know Judas was not perfect. Remember when Mary of Bethany broke the jar of perfume to anoint Jesus at that dinner in the home of Simon the leper? We know that some of the disciples complained that that was a waste of money that could have been given to the poor.  But John adds the detail that it was Judas who complained first: John 12:4-6 One of his disciples therefore, Judas [son] of Simon, Iscariote, who was about to deliver him up, says, Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? But he said this, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag, and carried what was put into [it].

So, we know he wasn’t perfect… but who of us is?

And, yes, we know it is worse than that because immediately after that event we are told: Matthew 26:14-15 Then one of the twelve, he who was called Judas Iscariote, went to the chief priests and said, What are ye willing to give me, and *I* will deliver him up to you? And they appointed to him thirty pieces of silver.

And yes, it is worse than that because in Luke’s telling of that same scene, he tells us that the devil entered into Judas at that moment. In other words that was the tipping point for him, when he succumbed to the temptation and decided to betray Jesus.

 So, yes, Judas fell…

But that is not the point; because, if we are honest, we have fallen too.

The point is that here, at the Passover meal, Jesus is clearly and explicitly giving him one more chance to repent. Jesus could have exposed Him before all the disciples. Can you imagine what they would have done?

For sure, we can imagine that Peter would have done whatever it took to protect Jesus…

But no, Jesus didn’t put Judas in any danger. Instead He clearly spelled out to him that he knew what was going on: From the point that Jesus said “not all are clean”, followed immediately by quoting from Psalm 41, Jesus was speaking directly to Judas. He made that clear when He declared that this was all happening so that the scripture might be fulfilled.

Remember, He wasn’t just reminding them of the Psalm, He was telling them this is happening right now. Although He quoted specifically one verse, that one verse would have been enough for them all to recall the whole Psalm; especially that section that says:

Psalm 41:5 Mine enemies wish me evil: “When will he die, and his name perish?”

Judas knows who those enemies are: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Herodians.

Psalm 41:6 And if one come to see [me], he speaketh falsehood; his heart gathereth wickedness to itself: he goeth abroad, he telleth [it].

Judas knows he is the one being false; he knows he has allowed wickedness in his heart and that that is why he went “abroad” and conspired with the enemies.

Psalm 41:7 All that hate me whisper together against me; against me do they devise my hurt.

And so Jesus is telling Judas that there will be consequences: “What do you think is going to happen?” This truth will not hit Judas until the end: when he sees all the beatings they give Jesus and sees him condemned to be crucified. But what did he expect? They devised His hurt! The Psalmist said so…

Psalm 41:8 A thing of Belial cleaveth fast unto him; and now that he is laid down, he will rise up no more.

And so Jesus (in the Psalmist’s voice) adds: “Satan has gotten a hold on you… can’t you feel it? You have surrendered your life to him. And this will be your final undoing.”

Psalm 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I confided, who did eat of my bread, hath lifted up [his] heel against me.

And so, Jesus finishes with what He said was proof that He was who He said He was: “I knew you would do this; I knew all along. I even wrote it in my Word there for you to read, for you to know, to warn you ahead of time. And now I am telling you again.”

Down to the very last second, Jesus is giving Judas the chance to repent. He shows him that he has not gotten away with anything, that He knows Judas has chosen to be the traitor and shows him that he has been discovered… not by man but by God. And yet Jesus will not reveal him before the rest of the disciples and put him in danger… or coerce him into repenting.

Why?

Because there is still a chance; one on one, face to face with Jesus, that he will repent. He has one more chance… just like we all do.

And one on one, face to face, as he receives that morsel from the hand of Jesus, looking into His eyes, knowing full well in his heart that he is the one fulfilling that prophecy of betrayal, Judas still chooses that path.

That is scary.

John 13:27b-30 Jesus therefore says to him, What thou doest, do quickly. But none of those at table knew why he said this to him; for some supposed, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus was saying to him, Buy the things of which we have need for the feast; or that he should give something to the poor.

Having therefore received the morsel, he went out immediately; and it was night.