John
13:21-30 (NIV), After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and
testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me."
22 His
disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23
One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon
Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he
means."
25
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"
26
Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread
when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he
gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread,
Satan entered into him.
"What
you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him, 28 but no one at the
meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the
money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast,
or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he
went out. And it was night.
NOTE: Jesus knew
that Judas would betray him and yet he was still troubled in spirit. It
bothered him to lose one, even if it was the prophesied son of destruction
(John 17:12). Jesus loved the disciples, good and evil. He did not want to lose
any of them. The disciples show a healthy concern over Jesus' revelation and in
the other gospels individuals show a concern that it is not them (Matt 26:22;
Mark 14:19). Apparently, Peter either did not think it was himself or wanted to
know if it was, as he motions for John to find out. It appears that Jesus makes
it clear to John but not to the others as they are all unaware as to why Judas
leaves. What would they have done? What could they have done? It was God's will
for Jesus to die for the sins of the world. To have stopped the process would
have stopped God's plan of salvation. But they did not know that. Satan's
apparent victory was actually his greatest defeat. A certain amount of
introspection is healthy. Too much is not. Like everything in life, there is
balance. David prays that God would search him and make known to him his sin
(Ps 139). So we too need those times of introspection and review to examine our
lives, repent, and rededicate ourselves to God's service. So far, in this
private time with Jesus, he has emphasized service (humility), and
introspection. It is a good way to start time with God in humility and
introspection.
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