John 13:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.

NIV: But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him.

NASB: Now none of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him.

CSB: None of those reclining at the table knew why he said this to him.

NLT: None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant.

KJV: Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.

NKJV: But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him.

John has described a scene with many interacting elements. Jesus and the disciples are reclining to eat a meal together, during which Jesus makes an emotional prediction that one of these men will betray Him (John 13:21). That inspired confusion and various efforts to find out which one was the culprit (John 13:23–25; Matthew 26:22–23). Amid that hubbub, Jesus explains a specific sign, indicating Judas (John 13:26). He then tells the Satan-possessed man to hurry to accomplish his treachery (John 13:27).

Based on the reactions of the disciples—including this verse—it's clear none of the other men put these pieces together until after the fact. The following verse proves that when Judas leaves, it's assumed he's on an errand (John 13:29). This is especially important to remember when reading about Jesus predicting Peter's denial (John 13:38). In that moment, it's easy to assume that most of the disciples thought Peter, not Judas, was the most likely suspect.

Matthew provides additional details about the conversation between Jesus and Judas. Those, like the information given by John, are fragments of a complete picture none of these men saw at the time (Matthew 26:23–25).

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.