17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”
19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”
20 “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Horsham: 27th October 2025
We don’t know whether the disciples all arrived together, or whether they came from different places. Somehow, they all came together in the Upper Room. We’ve seen before that there’s a hint of intrigue and espionage about the moments leading up to this meal. Two disciples had been sent ahead to prepare the meal.
It’s easy to imagine that Judas had to meet his handler before coming to the meal, to take instructions and finalise his plan to lead them to Jesus. Maybe others had things to do and turned up in two’s and three’s.
Matthew and Luke both use the words, ‘Jesus took his place at the table.’ Once everyone was assembled, Jesus, and his closest friends, recline on the floor and prepare to eat. The meal begins. Everyone is eating. Friends don’t eat in silence.
There is ritual to this meal. There are moments of silence and reflection. Yet in between, when they are actually eating, there is chatter, perhaps laughter.
When Jesus speaks, everyone else goes quiet. Jesus is the rabbi. He is to be listened to.
These guys are already anxious. Jesus has been telling them that he will die in Jerusalem. ‘One of you will betray me..’ Now they’re really distressed. Their distress would be tinged with anger and panic.
They become defensive. ‘Not me, surely?’ they cry out to anyone who will listen. Our view of this room tends to be informed by artworks showing only Jesus and the twelve, but this is a big room. I believe there were more than the twelve in the room at the time, because Jesus clarifies that the betrayer is not someone hiding at the back. It is ‘one of the twelve who is dipping bread into the bowl with me.’ It’s pretty clear, he means that the traitor is reclining at the table. The betrayer is hiding in plain sight.
Some people think that Judas was probably sitting to the left of Jesus. Matthew tells us that Judas turned to Jesus and said, ‘Surely not I, Rabbi?’ In my mind I see Judas next to the reclining Jesus and whispering these words in his ear. Jesus turns and looks directly at him. Eye to eye with the betrayer. Jesus knows. In that moment, Judas knows that Jesus knows.
Are his eyes on Judas when he utters these words,
‘Woe to the one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.’
An hour or so earlier, Jesus had washed the feet of all his disciples, including Judas (John 13: 3-11). Now, as he passes a piece of bread to Judas he says, ‘Do quickly what you are going to do.’ (John 13:27). The other disciples have no idea what Jesus meant. They assume that Jesus is sending Judas on an innocent errand. Judas leaves the room.
Everything is happening quickly. Everything is happening exactly as Jesus had expected. It is all happening exactly as God has planned.
End Piece
‘Jesus could have stopped Judas. All he had to do was tell the other eleven what judas was planning, and Judas would never have left that room alive.’ (Barclay, Loc 6741)
When you look at all four gospels, this is an extraordinary story. It is rich in intrigue and tension. I’ve noticed with renewed clarity how, even at this late stage, Jesus could have changed direction. He could easily have pointed the finger at Judas. He could easily have stepped back from the path to the cross. But he didn’t.
I’m not sure how I feel about Judas. It seems that it was Judas who approached the Jewish leaders and offered to work for them. At this point, he has already committed to betray Jesus. He has already accepted money to deliver him. Judas is firmly in the grasp of the authorities. When his eyes meet Jesus – when Jesus tells him to go and do what he has to do – was his anger was boiling over with the readiness to betray Christ, or was he already a broken man, trapped by his own decisions to work with the authorities. Maybe even now he was trying to provoke Jesus to demonstrate his power – to call down angels from heaven and demonstrate that he was above the authority of the Chief Priests. Whatever his motivation, Judas had made his own decisions. And now he had to live with them.
Judas has made his decision to betray Jesus. He is committed. He is on a hook from which he cannot wriggle free.
Whatever happens next, Judas is fighting for his life.
And finally..
One more lesson from these verses. Jesus knew all about Judas. He knew what he had done, and he knew what was in his mind.
The disciples, Judas’ closest friends, those who have worked and walked with him for three years, had no idea.
There may be things we succeed in hiding from other people, but we cannot hide them from Jesus Christ.