August 26, 2023

A Deadly Gesture

“Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.’ So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.” John 13:26 (NASB)

            I was in a meeting when the leader said something that was pretty shocking. He said, “I am angry this morning. Someone in here has done something wrong, and you know who you are!” Everyone looked down, trying to imagine if it might have been them. I searched my mind to determine if even might have been me. If it were, I could not imagine what I had done. No one knew, except the person who was guilty, and the leader. Everyone after the meeting probably wondered what was going on, but they did not voice it. This is the same scenario that happened to the disciples. They had someone who was not genuine in their midst with pure motive or bad judgment, and the Master called them out.

             “Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” “The regular sop of the Paschal supper consisted of the following things wrapped together: flesh of the Paschal lamb, a piece of unleavened bread, and bitter herbs.”[1] “In addition to the menu, is an interesting Jewish custom common to the meal time with guests of honor. MacArthur explains, “The host at a feast (whose role was filled by Jesus) would dip into a common bowl and pull out a particularly tasty bit and pass it to a guest as a special mark of honor or friendship. Because Jesus passed it so easily to Judas, it has been suggested that he was seated near the Lord in a place of honor. Jesus was demonstrating a final gesture of His love for Judas even though he would betray Him.”[2] “So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas.” Even when Jesus knew Judas was about to betray Him, Jesus still offered another chance for Judas to change course. “Here the piece of bread is offered to Judas and accepted. Its acceptance without any intention to change his course of action underlines the extent of Judas’ disloyalty and in the context of the cosmic battle that is being played out can be seen as the point at which Satan entered into him.”[3] Another author says, “Jesus was reaching out to Judas. He was saying, ‘Judas, here is my friendship. Here is restoration. Judas, here is my heart. All you have to do is take it, old friend. Will you?’ But the door had slammed shut. Judas, as Matthew records, replied, ‘Surely not I, Rabbi?’ Jesus responded: ‘Yes, it is you’ (Matthew 26:25).”[4] Judas suddenly was aware Jesus knew his plot, but his conscience was undeterred. As Judas was convicted of his sin, his will to continue forward was an act of rebellion, and treachery. The disciples, however, were completely clueless to what was happening. “Surely, it could not be Judas! He was in charge of the purse for the disciples! Surely Jesus would not have picked him if He knew Judas was a thief?” But often the one who is guilty looks the most innocent. This is how they remain concealed for as long as they do.

            This passage of scripture comes to mind: “There is a way which seems right to a person, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). Judas killed himself after committing the act of treason. His willingness to be used by Satan will, lead him to his death, on earth and eternity.

[1] Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 233). Charles Scribner’s Sons.

[2] (MacArthur, John, 1997), 1612.

[3] Lincoln, A. T. (2005). The Gospel according to Saint John (p. 379). Continuum.

[4] Hughes, R. K. (1999). John: that you may believe (p. 323). Crossway Books.