John 13:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."

NIV: As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, "What you are about to do, do quickly."

NASB: After this, Satan then entered him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, 'What you are doing, do it quickly.'

CSB: After Judas ate the piece of bread, Satan entered him. So Jesus told him, "What you’re doing, do quickly."

NLT: When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, 'Hurry and do what you’re going to do.'

KJV: And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

NKJV: Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

This verse, understood in full context, is both tragic and terrifying. Judas has already made plans to turn Jesus over to His enemies (Matthew 26:14–16). All the same, Jesus has shown Judas friendship—even washing his feet (John 13:2–5) and sharing food (John 13:26). Given all Judas has seen and learned, it's heartbreaking to think he'd even consider something so vile.

That, in turn, adds to the terror of this moment. Like anyone else, Judas has lived with the options provided by a free will. But he's either ignored or resisted the truth for the entire time he's followed Jesus. He's opened himself to Satanic temptation and influence (John 13:2). Ultimately—horrifyingly—Judas has put himself in a position to be controlled by Satan entirely (Luke 22:3). Scripture indicates that those who resist God can expect sudden and irrevocable destruction (Proverbs 29:1). In this moment, Judas loses control of what he says and does—but he does so explicitly because of the sins and decisions he's already made.

Jesus became emotional when referring to this betrayal (John 13:21). He knows that in this moment Judas has, by his own choice, unquestionably crossed the point of no return (Mark 14:18–21).

The Greek phrasing Jesus uses in His statement to Judas / Satan is similar to the English phrase "hurry up." That might be another allusion to Jesus operating according to God's divine timetable (John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23). Or, it might be Jesus implying something to the effect of "let's get this over with" (Luke 12:50; Matthew 26:36–39).

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.