Today’s Scripture:
“After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’” — John 13:21 (ESV)
Reflection
In today’s passage, Jesus reveals his betrayer. Continuing from yesterday’s passage, Jesus says that not everyone at the table is blessed, and that someone who Jesus ate bread with will lift his heel against Jesus. Jesus also says that whoever receives the ones he has sent have received him, and whoever receives him will receive him who sent Jesus. The fact of Judas’s betrayal troubled Jesus’s spirit, and he told the disciples of the betrayal. The disciples were all confused and Peter nudged “one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved” (aka John) to ask what Jesus meant by this. Jesus told John specifically that he would give the dipped morsel of bread to his betrayer, and Jesus gave the bread to Judas. After Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him and Jesus told him to go do what he had to do. The other disciples thought Jesus was talking about buying something for them, but John knew that Jesus was talking about Judas’s betrayal.
I find it really funny how John refers to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” He uses third person and not even his own name. He’s pretty cool for that.
Jesus dipped a morsel of bread and gave it to Judas. Culturally, this was an action of great honor and love from the host to someone else, but it’s hard to see why Jesus would give this bread to someone who would betray him. Of course, one reason is so that he could identify his betrayer to John, but I think Jesus was actually doing a gesture of love and honor to Judas as well. Jesus is not one to hold grudges against people. In fact, he forgives us of all the sins that we do. Jesus gave Judas a chance to repent and Jesus’s love was shown in this scene. As we know, Judas didn’t repent, but Jesus showed love to him.
I want to apply this to our lives. There are always people who wrong us and think bad things about us, but Jesus calls us to love our enemies and do good to people who don’t do good to us. Jesus showed us an example of his love in today’s passage. It’s so hard to show love to our enemies, but if Jesus can do it, he can give us strength to do it as well. Even if they sin against you again, Jesus says in Matthew 18:22 to forgive them not seven, but seventy-seven times. I pray that Jesus gives me the strength to do this.