Sunday, November 8, 2020
John 13:18-30
“Deceptive Disciple”
Service Orientation: Proximity does not directly correlate with integrity. While Judas was close to Jesus in proximity, his betrayal revealed him to be an eternity away.
Memory Verse for the Week: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10
Background Information:
- (v.18) The words, “turned against” in the NIV2011, literally reads, “has lifted up his heel against” in the Greek. Lifting the heel to expose the underside of one’s foot was a very offensive gesture because of all the stuff that was associated as being on the bottom of one’s foot in those days. And this gesture is still offensive in several cultures around the world to this day. (Pastor Dave)
- The psalm Jesus quoted was’ attributed to David, who lamented the defection of a trusted confidant (Ps 41:9). A parallel occurs in Psalm 55:12-14. Quite probably it referred originally to Ahithophel, who had been David’s counselor and diplomatic advisor but deserted him in Absalom’s rebellion (2 Sam 15:12; 16:15-23; 17:4, 14, 23). Again this is an example of prophecy by parallelism (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 138)
- It is significant that our Lord employed a phrase from Psalm 41:9, for it is generally agreed that Psalm 41 refers to the traitor Ahithophel, who hung himself after he betrayed his master, David. Judas would have the same end. Jesus was saying, “Men, there is an Ahithophel in our fellowship.” (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 293)
- Dipping a piece of bread in the dish and passing it to someone was a sign of special friendship. That was the sign Jesus employed to tell the beloved disciple not only that it was Judas who was going to do the awful deed, but what the deepest dimension of that deed would be. (N.T. Wright, John for Everyone: Part 2, 52)
- By the time Jesus and the apostles went to Jerusalem for the Passover in the last year of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Judas’ s spiritual disenfranchisement was complete. At some point in those final few days, his disillusionment turned to hate, and hate mixed with greed finally turned to treachery. Judas probably convinced himself that Jesus had stolen his life—robbed him of three years of money-making potential. That sort of thinking ate away at him until finally he became the monster who betrayed Christ. (John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men, 188)
- John’s comment “And it was night” heightens the implication that Jesus’ life was one of conflict. The opposition of darkness and light is announced in the Prologue (1:5) and is illustrated by the growing hostility between Jesus and his enemies. As the conflict becomes more marked, Jesus says it reflects the contrast between what he had seen with his Father and what they had heard from theirs. When they protested, he declared plainly that God was his Father and that the devil was their father (8:38, 42-44). John notes the progress of the spiritual conflict in 13:27; 14:30; 17:15. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 140)
The question to be answered is . . .
What warning does this text hold for those who claim to follow Jesus?
Answer…
How close one thinks they are to Jesus makes little difference if their faith is not ultimately based in reality and there is a fundamental change in heart.
The word for the day is… faith
What can we learn about faith today from the account of Judas?
- Proximity can have little bearing on one’s eternity; a change of heart must ultimately take place.
(Ez. 11:19; Ps. 24:3-4; Prov. 4:23; Jer. 17:9; Mark 7:21-23; Rom. 2:29; 2 Cor. 5:17; 7:10)
The life of Judas reminds us that it is possible to be near Christ and associate with Him closely (but superficially) and yet become utterly hardened in sin. (John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men, 182)
A “familiar friend” became a familiar fiend. How this exposes the error of those who suppose that all that fallen man needs is example and instruction. Judas enjoyed both, yet was not his evil heart moved. For three years had he been not only in the closest possible contact, but in the nearest intimacy with the Savior. His had been a favored place in the innermost circle of the Twelve. Not only had he listened to the daily preaching of Christ as He taught the people, not only had he witnessed most, at least, of His wondrous miracles, but he had also gazed upon the perfections of Christ in His private life. And yet, after all this, Judas was unmoved and unchanged. Nothing could more forcefully demonstrate our Lord’s utterance, “Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God”! So near to Christ, yet unsaved! What a challenge for every heart! (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 734)
- Faith without truth and substance can easily crumble under pressure.
(Ps. 145:18; Prov. 12:22; John 14:6; 1 Cor. 3:11-13; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; 2 Tim. 2:19; Jam. 1:12)
We must not overrate knowledge. It is altogether valueless unless it produces results in our conduct, and influences our lives, and moves our wills. In fact, knowledge without practice does not raise us above the level of the devil. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 235)
You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. (C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed, 22)
But it is not obedience alone that our Lord will have, but obedience to the truth, that is, to the Light of the World, truth beheld and known. (George MacDonald, “The Child in the Midst”)
- Judas’ actions, while foretold, were uncoerced. God can and will use evil to accomplish ultimate good.
(Gen. 50:20; Josh. 24:15; Ps. 41:9; Pr. 16:9; Acts 1:16, 20; 1 Cor. 10:13; Ja. 1:13-16)
From the very beginning, Jesus knew what Judas would do (John 6:64), but He did not compel him to do it. Judas was exposed to the same spiritual privileges as the other disciples, yet they did him no good. The same sun that melts the ice only hardens the clay. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 278)
Judas did what he did willingly, without any coercion. Satan could not force him to betray Jesus. But Satan through some means suggested the plot, tempted Judas to do this thing, and planted the very seed of treachery in his heart. Judas’s heart was so hostile to the truth and so filled with evil that Judas became a willing instrument of Satan himself. (John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men, 190)
Conclusion… How should we ground our faith in light of this?
A. Look to Jesus; grounding your faith in him alone, as revealed in God’s Word alone.
(Ps. 119:105; Mat. 4:4; John 3:16; Rom. 5:1, 10:17; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Heb. 4:12)
Judas had a fatal misconception of who the Messiah would be. Many Jews expected a military or political deliverer who would expel the oppressors and bring peace to Israel. Few were open to having their picture of the Savior clarified. How well does your view of Jesus match the man who takes shape in the Gospels? From what sources have you developed your view of Christ? Does your picture limit him? To what degree does your view of Jesus put him under your control? (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 277)
There is something about the Truth, as God revealed it, that connects it to God as a source of all life and power. God loves His Word. He is partial to His Word. He honors His Word with His presence and power. (John Piper, Pierced by the Word)
B. Love like Jesus; loving your enemies with more than just lip-service.
(Pr. 10:12; Mat. 5:44; Rom. 12:20-21; Gal. 5:6; 1 Thes. 5:15; 1 Pet. 2:12; 1 John 3:18; 4:19)
PIt was the custom for the host at a banquet to take a piece of bread, dip it in the sauce, and present it to the guest of honor. The Lord makes Judas His guest of honor by this gesture. He is extending to him the token of friendship. Judas is at the crossroads. Christ keeps the door open to Judas up to the very last. Even in the garden Jesus will say, “Friend, wherefore art thou—still keeping the door open for Judas. (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, John, 233)
We ought never to think it beneath us to show kindness to the lowest of men. We ought never to hold our hand because the objects of our kindness are ungrateful or unworthy. Such was not the mind of Him who washed the feet of Judas Iscariot as well as Peter. He who in these matters cannot stoop to follow Christ’s example gives little evidence of possessing true love or true humility. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 234-235)
C. Live like Jesus; faithful and focused on the bigger picture of the Kingdom.
(Ps. 145:13; Mat. 6:33; Luke 12:32; John 18:36; Rom. 12:2; Phil. 2:3-8; Col. 1:13-14)
Judas reminds us that no matter how sinful a person may be, no matter what treachery he or she may attempt against God, the purpose of God cannot be thwarted. Even the worst act of treachery works toward the fulfillment of the divine plan. God’s sovereign plan cannot be overthrown even by the most cunning schemes of those who hate Him. (John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men, 182)
Seek first the kingdom of wealth and you’ll worry over every dollar. Seek first the kingdom of health and you’ll sweat every blemish and bump. Seek first the kingdom of popularity, and you’ll relive every conflict. Seek first the kingdom of safety, and you’ll jump at every crack of the twig. But seek first His kingdom and you will find it. On that, we can depend and never worry. (Max Lucado, Fearless, 51)
Worship Point…
Genuine worship can only happen when it’s rooted in reality and comes from a heart that is truly transformed.
(Pro. 21:2; Ez. 36:26; Mat. 5:8; 15:9; John 4:23-24; Col. 3:16; Heb. 12:28; 1 Pet. 1:3-5)
When you recognize God as Creator, you will admire Him. When you recognize His wisdom, you will learn from Him. When you discover His strength, you will rely on Him. But only when He saves you will you worship Him. (Max Lucado, In The Eye of the Storm, 186)
It’s not uncommon for us to “feel” accepted and loved by God when we’re engaged in worship. But if that feeling isn’t rooted in the gospel, it will be an elusive sensation. It’s not enough to sing songs about God’s love that produce warm feelings in our hearts. We need to glory in the reality of Jesus Christ, beaten and bruised for our transgressions, giving up his life in our place on the cross. There will never be a greater proof or demonstration of God’s love. (Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters, 75)
Gospel Application…
Jesus extends an offer of salvation and true freedom to anyone who will turn and trust him; even those who might otherwise betray him.
We are all quite capable of the worst sin. If we think otherwise, we are deluded and have no real idea how much we owe to the grace of God. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 334)
God never sent a man to hell unless that man first of all sent himself there. You see, God ratifies human decision; God seconds the motion. When a man says that he accepts Christ, God says, “I second it; I receive you.” When a man says that he rejects Christ, as Judas did here, God says, “I second the motion.” (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, John, 233)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- From what sources have you developed your view of Jesus? Might your picture limit him in some way? Might your view of Jesus put him under your control and/or influence in some way?
- Judas is an example of someone “close” to Jesus, yet infinitely far. What are some things that illustrate the difference?
- What are some ways you can work to ground your faith in Jesus so as not to be tempted to “betray” him when things get tough?
- Judas was a traitor, yet Jesus washed his feet. How does this serve as an example to us in terms of how we treat others?
Quotes to note…
God ordained the events by which Christ would die, and yet Judas carried out his evil deed by his own choice, unfettered and uncoerced by any external force. Both things are true. The perfect will of God and the wicked purposes of Judas concurred to bring about Christ’s death. Judas did it for evil, but God meant it for good (cf. Genesis 50:20). (John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men, 186)
Judas had been one of the twelve whom the Lord had sent forth to preach the Gospel and to work miraculous signs in His name (Matthew 10). Would then all that he had done as an apostle be discredited, when his real character became known? This important question here receives answer from our Lord: “He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me.” The Lord knew how apt His people are to despise the work done if the worker proves to be unworthy; therefore does He teach us to look beyond the instrument to the One who sent him. The Lord has the right to appoint whom He pleases. If, then, the message is from God’s Word, reject it not because the messenger proves a fraud. What matters it to me whether the postman be black or white, pleasant or unpleasant, so long as he hands me the right letter? (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 731)
It is love that is the true evidence that we belong to Jesus Christ. The church leader Tertullian (AD 155–220) quoted the pagans as saying of the Christians, “See how they love one another?” And how do we evidence that love? By doing what Jesus did: laying down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16). (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 279)
He that allows Satan to sow wicked thoughts will soon find within his heart a crop of wicked habits. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 239)
Their failure to single out Judas should not disturb us. Betrayers, it seems, have a knack for fitting in, for appearing to belong. But the disciples’ confusion raised another possibility. Could each one see the possibility of betrayal in another? Could each one imagine himself as the betrayer of his Lord? One wonders. (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 169)
If we can be deceived into thinking that we cannot sin in this direction or that, Satan has gotten us well prepared for that very sin. Was it not so with Peter just a little later? (J.C. Macaulay, Expository Commentary on John, 167)
Further Quotes to note…
The tension between divine sovereignty and human choice is manifest in Judas’s calling, just as it is manifest in the calling of the other apostles. They had all chosen Jesus, but He chose them first (John 15:16). Judas had likewise chosen to follow Jesus. And yet he had also been chosen by Jesus, but not for redemption. His role of betrayal was ordained before the foundation of the world and even prophesied in the Old Testament. (MacArthur, John F.. Twelve Ordinary Men (p. 184). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.)
Judas was ordinary in every way, just like the others. It is significant that when Jesus predicted one of them would betray Him, no one pointed the finger of suspicion at Judas (Matthew 26:22-23). He was so expert in his hypocrisy that no one seemed to distrust him. But Jesus knew his heart from the beginning (John 6:64). (MacArthur, John F.. Twelve Ordinary Men (p. 183). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.)
Having already taken money to betray Christ, Judas came back, blended into the group, and pretended nothing unusual had happened. John says it was the devil who put it in the heart of Judas to betray Jesus (v. 2). That is no surprise. Again, Judas did what he did willingly, without any coercion. Satan could not force him to betray Jesus. But Satan through some means suggested the plot, tempted Judas to do this thing, and planted the very seed of treachery in his heart. Judas’s heart was so hostile to the truth and so filled with evil that Judas became a willing instrument of Satan himself. It was at this very point that Jesus gave the apostles a lesson in humility by washing their feet. He washed the feet of all twelve, which means He even washed the feet of Judas. (MacArthur, John F.. Twelve Ordinary Men (p. 190). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.)
It is not unusual to hear people expressing sympathy for Judas. They feel he was given an unfair deal in his lifetime and has had an unfair press ever since. ‘After all,’ they say, ‘if Jesus had to die, somebody had to betray him. So why blame Judas? He was but the tool of providence, the victim of predestination.’ Well, the biblical narrative certainly indicates that Jesus foreknew the identity of his betrayer>’ and referred to him as ‘doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled’i-‘ It is also true that Judas did what he did only after Satan first ‘prompted’ him and then actually ‘entered into him’.16 . Nevertheless, none of this exonerates Judas. He must be held responsible for what he did, having no doubt plotted it for some time previously. The fact that his betrayal was foretold in the Scriptures does not mean that he was not a free agent, any more than the Old Testament predictions of the death of Jesus mean that he did not die voluntarily. (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, 55)
It is a great blessing to be able to see the truth, and to have the courage to stand by it. But unless you go farther than to join the church even, and attend its ordinances, you can never be saved. Judas went to perdition from the bosom of the Master and the company of the Apostles. The road to hell is just as direct from the Church as it is from the world. (B.T. Roberts, Holiness Teachings, 73)
21 Jesus was not surprised that Judas would betray him. He had announced it to the disciples at least a year earlier (John 6:70). Nevertheless, it still weighed heavily on his mind (13: 18) (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 139)
Among the sorrows contributing to the agony of the Cross was the voluntary and selfish defection of Judas. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 139)
“Bread” in this context does not mean the modern spongy loaf used in most Western nations. It was probably a piece of flat bread, somewhat leathery in consistency, which could be used to scoop bits of meat taken from the pot in which they were cooked. For the host to select such a tidbit from the main dish and give it to a guest would be a mark of courtesy and esteem. The disciples, seeing this, would conclude only that Jesus regarded Judas as a friend he had confidence in. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 140)
27a “Satan entered into him.” This moment was Judas’s last opportunity to renounce his treachery. If the other disciples were ignorant of Judas’s intentions, he could change the course of his action without explanation, and none but Jesus would be the wiser. Once Judas left the room to seal his bargain with the priests, he would pass the point of no return. His yielding to selfish impulse opened the way to satanic control. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 140)
By calling their attention to the fulfillment of Psalm 41 He showed them that He was the Person there marked out; that He was a true Prophet, announcing the certain accomplishment of David’s prediction before it came to pass; and that He was the great “I am” who “searcheth the hearts and trieth the reins of the children of men,” being fully acquainted with their secret thoughts and most carefully concealed designs. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 730)
Our passage opens with a solemn word identifying the Savior’s betrayer. This betrayer had been plainly announced in Old Testament prophecy: “He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me” (Ps. 41:9). “A man’s foes,” said the Lord, “are they of his own household” (Matthew 10:36), and fearfully was this verified in His own case.
It is important to note that Judas was not a true believer; he was a hypocrite. He had never believed in Jesus (John 6:64–71), he had not been bathed all over (John 13:10–11), and he had not been among the chosen ones whom the Father gave to the Son (John 13:18; 17:12). How close a person can come to salvation and yet be lost forever! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 278)
The Scripture Jesus quoted was Psalm 41:9—“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” When David wrote the psalm, he was probably referring to his counselor Ahithophel, who turned traitor and joined Absalom’s rebellion (see 2 Sam. 15—17). It is significant that both Judas and Ahithophel committed suicide by hanging themselves (2 Sam. 17:23; Matt. 27:3–10; Acts 1:18). (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 278)
In spite of all our Lord’s warning about unbelief, Judas persisted in his rejection. Jesus even washed Judas’s feet! Yet his hard heart did not yield. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 278)
Even though Satan had entered Judas, it was Jesus who was in charge. He lived on the timetable given to Him by the Father, and He wanted to fulfill what was written in the Word. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 278)
John’s little phrase “and it was night” carries a tremendous impact when you remember that light and darkness are important spiritual images in his gospel. Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12), but Judas rejected Jesus and went out into darkness, and for Judas, it is still night! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 278)
It was after Judas’s departure that He instituted the Lord’s Supper, something that Judas as an unbeliever certainly could not share. Judas was out in the night, controlled by the prince of darkness, Satan, but Jesus was in the light, sharing love and truth with His beloved disciples. What a contrast! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 279)
What did it mean for Jesus to glorify the Father? He tells us in His prayer, “I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4). This is the way all of us glorify God, by faithfully doing what He calls us to do. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 279)
The word love is used only twelve times in John 1—12, but in John 13—21 it is used forty-four times! It is a key word in Christ’s farewell sermon to His disciples, as well as a burden in His high priestly prayer (John 17:26). (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 279)
Love would take on a new meaning and power because of the death of Christ on the cross (John 15:13). With the coming of the Holy Spirit, love would have a new power in their lives. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 279)
Christians must never be ashamed of doing anything that Christ has done. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 234)
To know what we ought to be, believe, and do, and yet to be unaffected by our knowledge, only adds to our guilt in the sight of God. To know that Christians should be humble and loving, while we continue proud and selfish, will only sink us deeper in the pit, unless we awake and repent. Practice, in short, is the very life of religion. “To him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 235)
Satan knows truth, but has no will to obey it and is miserable. He that would be happy in Christ’s service must not only know, but do. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 235).
The whole length and breadth and depth of our Master’s troubles during His earthly ministry are far beyond the conception of most people. His death and suffering on the cross were only the heading up and completion of His sorrows. But all throughout His life – partly from the general unbelief of the Jews – partly from the special hatred of the Pharisees and Sadducees – partly from the weakness and infirmity of His few followers – He must have been in a peculiar degree “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 238)
But the trouble before us was a singular and exceptional one. It was the bitter sorrow of seeing a chosen Apostle deliberately becoming an apostate, a backslider, and an ungrateful traitor. That it was a foreseen sorrow from the beginning we need not doubt; but sorrow is not less acute because long foreseen. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 238)
Passages like these should make us see the amazing love of Christ to sinners. How many cups of sorrow He drained to the dregs in working out our salvation beside the mighty cup of bearing our sins. They show us how little reason we have for complaining when friends fail us, and men disappoint us. If we share our Master’s lot, we have no cause to be surprised. Above all, they show us the perfect suitableness of Christ to be our Savior. He can sympathize with us. He has suffered Himself and can feel for those who are ill used and forsaken. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 238)
Strong as [Satan] is, he has no power to do us harm, if we cry to the stronger One in heaven and use the means which He has appointed. It is a standing principle of Christianity and will ever be found true. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 239)
- What thou doest, do quickly – This is not a permission, much less a command. It is only as if he had said, If thou art determined to do it, why dost thou delay? Hereby showing Judas, that he could not be hid, and expressing his own readiness to suffer. (John Wesley, Wesley’s Notes on the Bible, 175)
So shocking was this prospect, and so unsettling would it be for Jesus’ followers even after His resurrection, that the disciples needed clearly to be forewarned. Otherwise, who could come to faith in Jesus after learning that one of His own disciples had rejected Him? But through His predictive power, Jesus converted the scandal of betrayal into yet another proof of His divine sonship. (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 168)
Sin, when carefully distinguished from ignorance and accident, reveals itself for what it is: the knowledgeable and intentional rejection of the good God who has graciously created and sustained the whole world. What word other than betrayal conveys the character of sin? Through what other avenue than betrayal should Jesus have been led to the cross? (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 169)
The treachery of Judas, which will precipitate Jesus’ death, will shatter this small group. So Jesus warns them that, however overwhelming the darkness of defeat will become, they can still believe, because He will always be the “I AM” (v. 19). (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 223)
Jesus is “troubled” in the depths of his being. He has “lost” Judas and is painfully aware of His destiny. Jesus now is facing Satan in the presence of death. Earlier He has spoken generally of the betrayer. Now He becomes specific, “One of you will betray me” (v. 21). It is a solemn, frightening moment. There are only twelve possibilities. A shiver of perplexed fear runs through the little group as they “look at one another” (v. 22). (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 224)
Here John, the writer of the Gospel, emerges as one “whom Jesus loved” although his name is never mentioned. He is “leaning on Jesus’ bosom ” on the couch in the common eating arrangement of that day. As the Son is in the Father’s bosom, so the faithful disciple is in the bosom of the Son, a sure “place.” (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 224)
The figure of David as the sufferer in Psalm 41 is seen as a pattern, or type, of Jesus (cf. Carson 1991:470). The psalm describes betrayal by a close friend. Lifting up the foot to expose the sole is an especially offensive gesture even today in the Middle East. Not only does the betrayal by Judas not cast doubts on Jesus’ identity, it actually affirms that he is a fulfillment of the Davidic type. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 333)
Thus the betrayal story itself bears witness to Jesus in three ways, namely, through his preternatural knowledge of his disciples, through the witness of Scripture and through his own prediction. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 333)
The betrayal is all the more horrendous coming after the footwashing in which the depth of Jesus’ divine love is revealed. Once again we see Jesus deeply agitated as he bears witness: I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me (v. 21). He has been agitated with anger at death (11:33) and in anguish over his own coming death, which will mean separation from his Father for the first time (12:27). In both cases love causes the disturbance—the love for his friends at Lazarus’s tomb and the love for his Father. Here also his anguish is caused by great love—the love he has for his disciples, including his betrayer. In his anguish we see revealed the effects of our sin on the heart of God, from the first rebellion in the Garden right up to the most recent sin you and I have committed today . All sin is a rejection of God’s great love. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 334)
It is very ironic that this gesture of friendship—the sharing of bread—is the point of decision to betray, an irony matched only by the use of a kiss to accomplish the betrayal itself (not mentioned by John; cf. Mt 26:49 par. Mk 14:45 par. Lk 22:47-48). (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 337)
A priest working in the villages outside Cambridge reports that when sheep are taken off to be killed, they know instinctively that the slaughterhouse is a bad place. They can smell or sense something which warns of danger. The lorry carrying them will stop, the gangplank will be put down, but they will refuse to move. The slaughterhouse operators have devised a way of getting round the problem. They keep a sheep on the premises, who is used to the place and doesn’t mind it any more. They take it up the plank on to the lorry, and then it walks down again quite happily. The other sheep, seeing one of their own leading the way, will follow. The slaughterhouse workers call this sheep ‘Judas’. (N.T. Wright, John for Everyone: Part 2, 50)
The present passage places side by side the two disciples who, in this gospel, are at the opposite extremes. Here we have ‘the beloved disciple’, the one who many still think was John himself, the writer of the gospel. The picture we get is of a young lad, perhaps the youngest of them all. If he was indeed John the son of Zebedee, he may have been a cousin of Jesus on his mother’s side. He may not yet have been twenty. (N.T. Wright, John for Everyone: Part 2, 51)
The beloved disciple was reclining close beside Jesus. He could whisper to him, and hear what was whispered back. It is one of the great pictures of friendship in all literature. And it is side by side with one of the greatest pictures of friendship betrayed. When, so soon after that marvelous moment of the foot-washing, Jesus came out with the shocking statement that one of them was going to betray him, nobody had any idea who he was talking about. The medieval paintings of the Last Supper get it wrong: they tend to show Judas as a very obvious traitor, with his clothes, his face, his money-bag and his body language all telling us that he’s the one. But the eleven others around the table didn’t know. Judas was simply one of them. Jesus had washed his feet, too. That in itself is worth pondering deeply. Even when Jesus spoke cryptically to him, and he went out, the others didn’t understand what was happening. (N.T. Wright, John for Everyone: Part 2, 51)
The word ‘satan’ in Hebrew means ‘accuser’; it’s a legal term for someone who brings a prosecution, a charge, against someone else. What we are now to witness is Judas being used by the forces of darkness to bring a charge against Jesus, the messenger of the light. The confrontation between light and darkness, which has been hanging over the gospel story ever since the Prologue (1:5), is coming to its climax. And Judas has been willingly enlisted among the forces of darkness. The end of verse 30 is one of John’s master-touches as a storyteller. The door opens on to the dark night, in every sense and at every level, and Judas disappears into it. (N.T. Wright, John for Everyone: Part 2, 52)
As in 12:27, so here in 13:21, Jesus is troubled in spirit. There is no shame in spirit-trouble; it’s what you get when you’re a footwasher, a generous-love person, open to deep friendship and to the serious wounds that only friends can give. But John, in describing the entry of ‘the satan’ into Judas, knows that even the satanic purpose is held firmly within the overarching purposes of love, of liberation. The light will go on shining in the darkness, and the darkness will not master it. (N.T. Wright, John for Everyone: Part 2, 53)
I knew a preacher who had become an unbeliever. A man who drove me to the train said to me, “Dr. McGee, I am puzzled. I was saved under the ministry of that man. I know I am saved and I know I am a child of God but I am puzzled. How can you explain it?” I showed this man this very text and told him that even Judas had gone out preaching and had won converts, not because he was Judas, but because he had given the message. God will bless His Word. We are saved by hearing the Word. (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, John, 232)
This betrayal was not an unexpected event, for Jesus had known from the beginning that one of the men he chose would betray him (6:70-71). (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 274)
Jesus drew from Psalm 41 because it describes how one of David’s friends turned against him: “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9 NIV). This may have referred to the story of David’s trusted companion, Ahithophel, who betrayed David and then went and hanged himself (see 2 Samuel 16:20—17:3, 23). Judas, who had been with Jesus and was a trusted companion (Judas was keeper of the money), would betray Jesus and then hang himself. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 275)
Ironically, a host offering a piece of bread to a guest was a sign of friendship. Jesus’ act of friendship was his identification of the betrayer. Later, in the Garden, Judas would identify Jesus to the guards with another sign of friendship—a kiss (Luke 22:47-48). (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 277)
“After the sop Satan” (John 13:27a) . Strange association! That sop was more than a sign of identification to John. It was a mark of special honor and favor to him who received it; to Judas it was a last, powerful call back from the way of destruction which he was following, and a last tender invitation to a life of blessed, loving communion with the Lord. Surely there must have been a convulsion of emotion in the heart of Judas in that moment; till Satan, afraid that he was about to lose the instrument which he had so cunningly prepared for this very hour, entered into him a tidal wave of evil, destroying the last vestige of finer feeling in the already so hardened son of perdition. (J.C. Macaulay, Expository Commentary on John, 168)