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20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me." 22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?" 23 He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." 25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" He said to him, "You have said it." ~ Matthew 26:20-25
Today, we continue our study of Matthew 26 where the Lord Jesus and His disciples have prepared to eat the final legitimate Passover meal together. From this point on, all believers in the Lord Jesus will remember His death on the cross through the Lord's Supper. Before today's account we have been learning lessons about worship from Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. True worship is defined by that which defines us most. The type of worship that Mary displayed at Simon's house was the result of a heart transformed by going deeper into an intimate and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament God had prophesied the Lord Jesus would be handed over to the Jews to be crucified as the Lamb of God. Before time began, God determined that the Lamb, the One foreshadowed in the Old Testament by all those sacrifices, would be slain for you and me on the Passover and at the place of the skull. In fact, most biblical scholars believe the Lord Jesus was crucified where Abraham put his son, Isaac, on the altar.
In v.20-21 of today's passage we read, "20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as they were eating, He said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.'"
Due to rebellious man's sin we have all been condemned in our sinfulness. From our conception, there was no hope to be found for us. God had to do something. So, He prepared a plan of salvation, a way for us to be reconciled back to Him through someone in His inner circle. The Lord Jesus agreed before He created this world to be the One to reconcile sinful man back to the holy God of the Bible. In like manner, someone from the inner circle of the Lord Jesus would offer his services to betray the Lord Jesus. This was prophesied in Zechariah 11:12-13. It was not determined by God that Judas would betray the Lord. No, Judas made that decision for a mere 30 pieces of silver, according to Exodus 21:32. Interestingly was the amount of a common slave. The Lord Jesus was always aware of the powers of darkness. He knew that the devil was positioning Judas to betray Him. And yet, according to John 13:2, He loved the disciples, even Judas, til the end.
In v.22 of today's passage we read, "And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, 'Lord, is it I?'"
In response to the warning of the Lord that one of them would betray Him, the disciples were extremely bothered by these words of the Lord Jesus. They were bothered because they knew they were capable of betraying Him. Even though I have trusted in the Lord Jesus as my Savior, it does not mean that I am in the clear regarding sin. We all could do the worst things and like the disciples we do well to admit it. The other eleven disciples did not know that Judas had already made the deal with the Jewish religious leaders to betray the Lord. Soon, Judas would be revealed as the one who betrayed Him. His betrayal would set forth a series of events that would culminate in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.
In v.23-24 of today's passage we read, "23 He answered and said, 'He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.'"
In those days, meals were served in community bowls from which everyone ate. So, all of the disciples would have dipped their hands in the bowls. This caused all of them to further consider if they were the one who would betray the Lord Jesus. Even though Judas would be revealed as the one who betrayed the Lord Jesus, in the end, the other eleven abandoned Him. When the disciples asked, "Lord is it I?" At that point Judas knew that he was the one, but he didn’t admit to it. God’s plan to provide sinful man His salvation would not be stopped. Even though God allowed Judas’ sin to accomplish part of His plan, Judas could have been forgiven of his betrayal. We do know Judas committed suicide but we do not know if his brokenness led him to confession and repentance. It is possible that we may see him in heaven but only if he acknowledged the Lord Jesus as his Savior.
We should not be surprised to find that someone could follow the Lord Jesus and hear His teachings and witness His miracles and then betray Him. But, this is what Judas did. When he decided the Lord Jesus was not going to overthrow the Romans and set up His political kingdom then and there, Judas went to the Jewish religious leaders to betray the Lord Jesus. And, he was motivated by money. In fact, Judas agreed to betray the Lord for 30 pieces of silver. According to Exodus 21, the price of a slave. According to Luke's gospel when Judas made this decision, it was on the heels of Satan entering him. God didn't make Judas betray the Lord Jesus, but He knew that Judas would make that choice. God makes no one sin, otherwise He would be guilty of sin. No, God knew in advance what Judas would do and He told us in advance of the deed that would be done.
In v.25 of today's passage we read, "Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, 'Rabbi, is it I?' He said to him, 'You have said it.'"
Judas' address to the Lord Jesus reveals why he betrayed Him. Instead of calling the Lord Jesus "Lord," as the others did, Judas called Him "Rabbi." For Judas, the Lord Jesus existed for him, instead of Judas existing for the Lord Jesus. It is clear Judas was never a Christian in the first place. It is the earlier words of the Lord Jesus in John 6:64-65 that grants us further understanding. "'But there are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. 65 And He was saying, 'For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father.'"
In the Upper Room, according to Luke's gospel, the disciples argued among themselves who was the greatest. Then, without a word the Lord Jesus arose, took off His outer clothing, and, kneeled in front of each disciple in turn, including Judas. He washed their feet and dried them with a towel. The disciples were shocked, stunned, and embarrassed. They didn't know what to make of this. Only absolute humility can generate absolute love. Love's nature is to be selfless and giving. Christ's love and His humility are inseparable. He could not have been so consumed with a passion for serving others, even His betrayer, if He had been primarily concerned with Himself. No, He loved them all til the end, even Judas.
