He Who Shared My Bread

“I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’

“I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

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. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. John 13:18-30 NIV

Jesus had stated earlier that the disciples were clean, “but not all of you.” He said again: “I am not referring to all of you..”

Jesus Christ is God. His essence is the same as that of the Father. His omniscience knows the end from the beginning. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He knew from the time He accepted Judas as a disciple that Judas would not believe in Him as Savior, and would betray Him. This is difficult for us to grasp, but we can learn a great deal from both the situation and the personalities involved. Jesus knew everything about the men He had chosen, and that one was a traitor.

Quoting Psalm 41:9: “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.” 

Jesus announced that from here on, He would prepare them ahead of time for what was coming, so they would understand His deity (“I Am who I Am”). Only omniscience knows the future.

Apparently Judas was the only other one in the room who knew who He was talking about. That’s because Judas was the subject. Speaking this truth to His men was troubling for Jesus. He is also human, and Judas had been with them for these three years. Also, it meant the time of His atonement was almost here. This was what Jesus came to do, willingly, for fallen humanity, and He always knew it would not be easy. The men with Him, and we, could not possibly understand His anguish at this time.

Like small children, the men started to question Him about it. Uh-Oh. What does He mean? Who can it be? Surely it is not I? Interestingly, they didn’t immediately suspect Judas. This means Judas had all of them hoodwinked. It is commonly believed that Judas, as a man, was a good man. No bad habits. A nice guy, who inspired others’ confidence. They allowed him to be their treasurer, if you please. No one suspected him of thievery until after this exposure. Jesus had apparently made no difference in His dealings with Judas during their ministry. He went on the evangelism tours and exercised the “gifts” Jesus had authorized in them, as far as we can know. It was not their own personal faith, but the authority of Jesus that made those gifts work, because they were representing Him. Furthermore, Jesus had just washed Judas’ feet along with the others. His grace knows no limits. It is the unbelief of the sinner that prevents his salvation.

Jesus took the sop, told them the one receiving it was the traitor, and presented the bread to Judas, who took it and was immediately emboldened by Satan.

“Do it quickly,” Jesus said, and Judas went out. The eleven were still dumbfounded. They thought, since Judas had the money, Jesus was sending him on a purchasing errand, or a benevolence mission.

Of the many lessons here, one stands out to me. You cannot tell by a person’s appearance or behavior pattern whether he is a believer or not. As we saw in Galatians 5, it is the Holy Spirit Who produces the fruit of love in the believer. It is entirely the work of the Spirit, not human good, that accomplishes God’s will and receives reward. A favorite Bible teacher of mine used to say “if an unbeliever can do it, it is not the Christian Way of Life.”  When we think that through, an unbeliever can do most of the overt things that are deemed by others to be divine production. The difference is, the unbeliever does not have eternal life and is not amassing eternal rewards. Whatever his motive, it is not to do God’s will.

Judas was a nice guy, but he was the embodiment of evil. His fellow disciples did not know that until he was exposed by Jesus, Who knows all. We don’t need to speculate about who is or is not real in the faith. We need to make certain our own faith is real, and the Lord will sort it all out at the proper time.

Judas took the bread and went out.

And it was night.

The Shepherd Trilogy

Psalms 22, 23 and 24 form a trilogy. In Psalm 22 the good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep (John 10:11); in Psalm 23 the great Shepherd, “brought again from the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant,” (Hebrews 13:20) tenderly cares for the sheep; in Psalm 24, the chief Shepherd appears as King of glory to own and reward the sheep (I Peter 5:4). –from the Scofield Reference Notes (1917 Edition).

All scripture quotes are from the New American Standard Bible.

We examined Psalm 22 in the April 7,2012 blogpost titled Doctrine of Expiation. Highlighting here, verses 1-2, 6-8, 14-18, The Good Shepherd. John 10:11 I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep, by His obedient life and His atoning death:

My God (Father), my God (Spirit), why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning….

I am a worm (crushed for its blood) and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people.

All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying,

“Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”….

I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint;

My heart is like wax; It is melted within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;

And You lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me;

They pierced my hands and my feet.  I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me;

They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.

It is important to note that when David wrote this prophetic cry of despair (1000 years before Christ), crucifixion was not practiced. It was a Roman form of execution, not Jewish, yet these verses graphically describe that terrible torture which was literally fulfilled in Jesus, as reported in Matthew 27.

Psalm 23 The Great Shepherd, risen and making daily provision for His sheep: Hebrews 13:20-21 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

David was a shepherd before he was king. He knew sheep. He knew their total dependence on the shepherd, for provision and protection. Because of his lifelong close fellowship with the Lord, he realized that God is to His people as the shepherd is to the sheep. This was a comforting analogy for David throughout his own life, and he has shared this comfort with us by this beautiful composition.

The shepherd provides everything for the sheep. They don’t have to forage for themselves. He gives them rest in lush vegetation. He finds them still waters to drink, because the rushing water frightens them. The comforts them in their times of distress. He leads them aright because of who he is (for His name’s sake), not because they deserve it. They can navigate the threatening terrain with confidence, knowing the shepherd is with them. His rod disciplines, His staff directs. That is comfort for the sheep. He provides perfect food for them even in the presence of predators. He cares for their physical cleanliness. He overflows the drinking trough for easy access. Goodness and lovingkindness (mercy) follow His sheep. He pursues them with His tenderness and blessings. The sheep of the Great Shepherd are assured of heavenly accommodations for all eternity.

Psalm 24 verses 1, 7-10 The Chief Shepherd returns at the second advent to claim and reward His sheep: I Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.

Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in! Who is the King of glory?

The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in!

Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.