John 13:26-30 26Jesus answered, “That one is he to whom I will dip this piece of bread and give to him.” Then after he had dipped the piece of bread, he took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27And after the piece of bread, then Satan entered into that one. Then Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28Now no one reclining at the table knew why he said this to him. 29For some thought, since Judas had the moneybag, that Jesus was speaking to him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or so that he should give something to the poor. 30Then, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
The beloved disciple, likely John, son of Zebedee, had leaned in close to Jesus and asked about who would betray him. This conversation seems to have been private, only between John and Jesus, because in a few moments, the other disciples did not know why Judas left (verse 29). It may be possible that only John knew of this response at that moment and later told the other disciples about it. Jesus took a piece of bread (psōmion, which was possibly a piece of unleavened bread) and dipped it in the ḥarōseṯ sauce, which was part of the Passover meal. It was typical for the host of a meal like this to give such a piece as a form of honor. The irony is evident in that Jesus honored all his disciples by washing their feet and then honored Judas by giving him a special piece of bread.
Something snapped in Judas when Jesus did this act of kindness to him. Judas’ heart was already full of bitterness, which was growing into the sin of rebellion. It is odd how an act of kindness can be interpreted in a hostile way by some people. What Judas did was in defiance, rejection, and rebellion against what he had experienced with Jesus. John records this as Satan entering Judas. Up to this point, Judas was only fighting temptation, with his thoughts torn about all that was happening. When he received the bread, he knew he had been found out and that Jesus knew his intentions. Although the text does not say specifically that he made his decision at that point, the implication is that this is what happened because, at that moment, he became filled with Satan and not the Holy Spirit. Hardening one’s heart against God opens the door for Satan to take control. At that moment, Judas made his decision, which was confirmed by Jesus, who told him to go and carry out his plan quickly. Judas is a sad example of what temptation and evil thinking can do if we do not seek God’s help and forgiveness.
The other disciples had no idea of what was going on, possibly because they did not hear the conversation between John, Jesus, and Judas. The group trusted Judas as the treasurer and thought he was only going out to buy something or give something to the poor. If this was indeed the Passover meal, it seems unlikely that Judas would need to go buy something, but the disciples were clueless and this seems like the best reason why the treasurer would all of a sudden leave the meal. Perhaps they were running short of something. Jesus was a surprising person, so one never knew what he might plan.
Verse 30 is sad and confirms that Judas was filled with Satan. The verb went out symbolized not only that Judas left the supper but also left Jesus’ presence. The next time they would meet would be with the kiss of betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane. John’s note that it was night is an unnecessary detail in the story, and so it stands out as an intentional addition. In the Bible, night represents darkness when people do sinful and secret things. Darkness has a negative connotation in John’s Gospel of the forces of evil and rebellion again God and Jesus as the Light of salvation from God. Another irony of this note is that the Passover came during the Passover when the full moon was bright. Even in the darkness of his soul, Judas could not escape even the shining light of the moon. It was not completely black, but the further he got from Jesus, the greater the darkness became.
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