Love to the Uttermost: Expositions of John XIII.-XXI.Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton)
Religion
Love to the Uttermost: Expositions of John XIII.-XXI.
Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton)
Bible. John -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
When He had given thanks, the Lord passed round the first cup; then
followed the washing of the disciples' feet, in the midst of which He
looked sorrowfully toward Judas, exclaiming, "Ye are clean, but not
all"; for He knew from the first who would betray Him. It was with a
strange blending of awe and wonder that the little group saw the dark
cloud of anguish gather and rest on the beloved face when, on resuming
His place, He was troubled in the spirit, and testified, and said,
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me." The
disciples looked at one another, doubting of whom He spoke, and Peter
beckoned to John to ask. But Judas knew. And when He went on to say,
"The Son of Man goeth, even as it is written of Him; but woe unto that
man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! good were it for that man
if he had not been born"--again Judas' heart smote him. It may be that
he asked himself whether he might not even now draw back.
For three years he had played his part so well that, in spite of his
constant pilfering from the bag which held the slender resources of the
little band, no one suspected him. His fellow-disciples might contend
for the first places at the table, but all felt that Judas, at any
rate, had a prescriptive right to sit near Jesus. All round, in
sorrowful tones, the question passed, "Lord, is it I?" Each, conscious
of the unfathomed evil of his own nature, thought himself more likely
to be the traitor than that the admirable Judas should do the deed. It
was terrible to know that the Shepherd should be smitten, and the flock
scattered; but more, that the Master would be betrayed by the inner
circle of His friends! But there seemed no reason for challenging His
announcement, backed as it was by a quotation from a familiar Psalm,
"He that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, the same shall betray
Me." From these words also it was evident that the traitor must be one
of two or three; for only these could reach the common dish in which
Jesus dipped His food.
It became, therefore, more and more clear to Judas, that the Master
knew perfectly well all that had transpired, and he said to himself,
"If He knows so much, it is almost certain that He knows all."
Therefore, partly to disarm any suspicions that might be suggested to
the others if he did not take up their question, partly because he felt
that probably there was nothing to be gained by maintaining his
disguise before Jesus, and being withal feverishly anxious to know how
much of his plan was discovered, he asked, adopting the colder title
Rabbi, rather than that of Lord, as employed by the others, "Rabbi, is
it I?" Probably the question was asked under his breath, and that
Jesus replied in the same tone, "Thou hast said."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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