John 13:18-30
13:18 a I am not saying these things to all of you: The subject of Judas’s betrayal enters the story for the third time (13:2 b, 11 c). The matter weighed heavily on Jesus (13:21 d).• I know the ones I have chosen: The statement does not imply that Jesus chose only the eleven and that Judas was an outcast. Jesus chose Judas and gave him every opportunity to believe. He realized that Judas had embraced the darkness rather than the light (6:70 e).
• The one who eats my food has turned against me (literally has lifted his heel against me): Eating together was a cultural symbol of personal intimacy, which made Judas’s betrayal all the more treacherous.
13:19 f Judas’s betrayal did not take Jesus unaware, and it should not shock his disciples when it happens.
• that I Am the Messiah: Literally that I am. By using the phrase “I am,” Jesus clearly equated himself with the God of the Old Testament. See Exod 3:14 g.
13:21 h For the third time in the Gospel of John, Jesus was deeply troubled (Greek tarassō; see 11:33 i; 12:27 j). The personal betrayal of Judas brought Jesus profound grief.
13:23 k The disciple Jesus loved appears at the cross (19:26-27 l), at the tomb (20:2-9 m), and at the resurrection (21:1 n, 20-23 o). He is the author of this Gospel (21:24-25 p). Some scholars believe that Lazarus was in fact the disciple whom Jesus loved (see 11:3 q, 5 r, 36 s), but the person referred to here was among the twelve apostles and is usually identified as the apostle John.
• was sitting next to Jesus at the table: Literally was reclining on Jesus’ bosom. They were probably reclining at a triclinium, a U-shaped table with couches. Guests reclined on the couches, while the center provided access to servers. The diners supported their bodies by their left elbows while using their right hands for eating. Feet were extended away from the table (cp. Luke 7:38 t).
13:25 u Peter told “the disciple Jesus loved” (13:23 v), who was sitting next to Jesus, to ask the betrayer’s identity. As he reclined next to Jesus, he leaned over to Jesus and spoke privately.
13:26 w Meals included flat bread, which diners would dip into a common bowl. When Jesus gave a morsel to Judas (cp. Ruth 2:14 x), the disciples might have thought Jesus was honoring him. They did not understand what was occurring. They even thought that Judas’s departure (John 13:29 y) fulfilled an official duty for the feast! But Jesus was signaling to Judas that he understood Judas’s plan and was not taken by surprise. Jesus’ knowledge is profound and complete (see 1:48 z; 2:25 aa).
13:27 ab When Satan entered into Judas (see Luke 22:3 ac), Judas became an example of what happens to those who are consumed by the darkness. Satan uses such people as pawns in a wider struggle against the light.
• Hurry and do what you’re going to do: In issuing this command, Jesus once again showed that he was in control, not human beings or Satan (see study note on John 7:30).
Summary for John 13:28-29: 13:28-29 ad None of the others suspected that something odd was happening. Passover evening was one of the only nights when the city gates were left open. The night was spent in prayer and meditation, money was given to the poor, and provisions were always needed for this complex meal.
13:30 ae out into the night: Judas’s departure was emblematic: The darkness had swallowed him completely (see study note on 13:2; cp. 3:19 af). Jesus, the light of the world, is the antithesis of the night.
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