John 13:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

NIV: 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, the son of Simon Iscariot.

NASB: Jesus then *answered, 'That man is the one for whom I shall dip the piece of bread and give it to him.' So when He had dipped the piece of bread, He *took and *gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

CSB: Jesus replied, "He’s the one I give the piece of bread to after I have dipped it." When he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son.

NLT: Jesus responded, 'It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.' And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.

KJV: Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

NKJV: Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

Jesus predicted that one of the men present at this last supper would betray Him (John 13:21–22). Peter signaled to John, who is directly to Jesus' right, to ask who this person is (John 13:23–24). As was custom, the men are reclining on their left sides around the food. That places John to the right of Jesus, facing away from Him. In order to ask his question, John must lean back (John 13:25). He can probably hear Jesus better than anyone else, but he's in an awkward position to see. That would explain why, so far as we can tell, neither John nor the others realize Jesus has identified Judas as the traitor.

Matthew, again, includes details which John does not feel the need to repeat (Matthew 26:22–23). While John refers to Judas taking this food and then leaving (John 13:27–30), Matthew indicates that Judas directly asks Jesus if the prediction is about him (Matthew 26:25). While Matthew indicates that Jesus gives Judas a direct answer, no one seems to respond. John, here, fills in what Matthew leaves out. In the emotion and hubbub of the moment, this exchange between Jesus and Judas is partly lost. Different disciples hear different things, but no one gets enough information to clearly understand.

Sharing food with someone carried an implication of friendship and peace in the ancient world. This is why phrases like "breaking bread" and such are used as expressions of cooperation. Though He knows what will happen, Jesus has recently washed Judas' feet (John 13:2–5). Here He shows one last expression of friendship to the man plotting His death (Matthew 26:14–16).

John 13:21–30 describes Jesus' awareness that Judas is a false believer. Rather than outing Judas as a traitor, Jesus simply mentions that one of the group will betray Him. That blunt statement confuses the disciples, who look at each other with suspicion. Jesus subtly identifies Judas in a comment made to John. This goes unrecognized until much later. Judas, however, knows exactly what the gesture means. At that moment, he is entirely under the control of Satan, and Jesus tells him to leave. The disciples assume Judas has been sent on a private errand.

Jesus meets with a smaller group, possibly only the twelve disciples, in a private setting. Before eating a meal, Jesus performs the work of a lowly servant, washing the feet of the disciples. He explains that this is an object lesson. Their Lord is willing to serve in humility, so they are obligated to do the same. Jesus also predicts His impending betrayal, subtly telling Judas to leave and complete His conspiracy. The disciples don't realize what's happened, however. Peter foolishly brags about his loyalty. Jesus responds with a cutting prediction: Peter will deny his relationship to Christ three times in the next few hours.

The first twelve chapters of the gospel of John describe the public ministry of Jesus. Starting in chapter 13, most of what John describes are the last private moments Jesus enjoys prior to His crucifixion. This begins with Jesus washing the disciples' feet, establishing both an example and a command for humble service. Jesus also predicts His impending betrayal and Peter's cowardly denials. Following chapters contain Jesus' last instructions to the disciples, including a rich collection of truths which are central to the Christian faith.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.