John 13:22

13:18-30 Our Lord had often spoken of his own sufferings and death, without such trouble of spirit as he now discovered when he spake of Judas. The sins of Christians are the grief of Christ. We are not to confine our attention to Judas. The prophecy of his treachery may apply to all who partake of God's mercies, and meet them with ingratitude. See the infidel, who only looks at the Scriptures with a desire to do away their authority and destroy their influence; the hypocrite, who professes to believe the Scriptures, but will not govern himself by them; and the apostate, who turns aside from Christ for a thing of naught. Thus mankind, supported by God's providence, after eating bread with Him, lift up the heel against Him! Judas went out as one weary of Jesus and his apostles. Those whose deeds are evil, love darkness rather than light.

Then the disciples looked one to another,.... As persons surprised and astonished, and as scarce crediting what was said; not having had the least suspicion of anyone among them, that could be guilty of such an action; and expressing by their looks their detestation of, and indignation at so horrible an iniquity; or they looked one to another, to observe if they could, whether the countenance of anyone would discover who the person was: doubting of whom he spake; not being able to conceive and imagine, who the person was he had in view; from whence it appears, that Judas, to this time, had behaved outwardly as well as any of the other disciples; he had given no occasion, by his conduct, to suspect him more than any other: upon this broad intimation, or rather strong protestation which Christ made, that one of them should betray him, their eyes were not turned to him directly and particularly, but to one another.

22. the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake—Further intensely interesting particulars are given in the other Gospels: (1) "They were exceeding sorrowful" (Mt 26:22). (2) "They began to inquire among themselves which of them it was that should do this thing" (Lu 22:23). (3) "They began to say unto Him one by one, Is it I, and another, Is it I?" (Mr 14:19). Generous, simple hearts! They abhorred the thought, but, instead of putting it on others, each was only anxious to purge himself and know if he could be the wretch. Their putting it at once to Jesus Himself, as knowing doubtless who was to do it, was the best, as it certainly was the most spontaneous and artless evidence of their innocence. (4) Jesus, apparently while this questioning was going on, added, "The Son of man goeth as it is written of Him, but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born" (Mt 26:24). (5) "Judas," last of all, "answered and said, Lord, is it I?" evidently feeling that when all were saying this, if he held his peace, that of itself would draw suspicion upon him. To prevent this the question is wrung out of him, but perhaps, amidst the stir and excitement at the table, in a half-suppressed tone as we are inclined to think the answer also was—"Thou hast said" (Mt 26:25), or possibly by little more than a sign; for from Joh 13:28 it is evident that till the moment when he went out, he was not openly discovered.

It seemeth they had no suspicion of Judas, but our Saviour telling them that it was one of them, they begin to look about one upon another, rather suspecting themselves than Judas. There may be a great deal of villany, and the greatest villany, in the hearts of professors, in whose conversation appeareth nothing that may give a just suspicion to others; and the true disciples of Christ will have so much candour anti brotherly love, that they will not rashly judge and censure their brethren.

22 . looked one on another ] ‘Began to enquire among themselves’ ( Luke 22:23 ). The other two Evangelists say that all began to say to Him ‘Is it I?’ They neither doubt the statement, nor ask ‘Is it he? ’ Each thinks it is as credible of himself as of any of the others. Judas asks, either to dissemble, or to see whether he really was known ( Matthew 26:25 ). John 13:22

(22) Then the disciples looked one on another. —Comp. Matthew 26:22 et seq., and the parallel in Mark 14:19 and Luke 22:23 . St. Matthew and St. Mark both state that they expressed their doubt in words, and St. Luke’s narrative implies this questioning, but as addressed to one another, not to our Lord (“And they began to inquire among themselves”). St. John remembers the look of astonishment, and the way in which each tried to read the countenance of his brother as they all heard the words, which asserted that there was a traitor in their midst. He was nearest to our Lord, and knew what others may not have known, how Peter beckoned to him, and how he put the question to our Lord. This is the moment which has been caught in Leonardo da Vinci’s famous masterpiece in the refectory of the Dominican Fathers at Milan. The painting itself has almost passed away, but perhaps no work of art is so widely known. The three Apostles mentioned in the text are all on the right of our Lord. John is nearest to Him, and leaning towards Peter, who stretches behind Judas to speak to “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Judas, clutching the bag and upsetting the salt, declaring in every feature of that wondrous face, which cost Da Vinci a whole year’s study in the lowest quarter of the city, that he is the traitor, is on the right hand of John, and between him and Peter.

This verse can have no better comment than a study of this great picture, accompanied by the chapter in Lanzi’s Storia Pittorica or Mrs. Jameson’s Sacred and Legendary Art, would provide, and Englishmen have a noble copy of it in their own National Gallery. (See the Sacred and Legendary Art, Ed. 3, 1857, vol. i., p. 209.)

And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money —Matthew alone records the precise sum, because a remarkable and complicated prophecy, which he was afterwards to refer to, was fulfilled by it. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him —or, as more fully given in Luke (Luke 22:6), "And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray Him unto them in the absence of the multitude." That he should avoid an "uproar" or "riot" among the people, which probably was made an essential condition by the Jewish authorities, was thus assented to by the traitor; into whom, says Luke (Luke 22:3), "Satan entered," to put him upon this hellish deed. Mr 14:12-26. P REPARATION FOR , AND L AST C ELEBRATION OF , THE P ASSOVER —A NNOUNCEMENT OF THE T RAITOR —I NSTITUTION OF THE S UPPER. ( = Matthew 26:17-30; Luke 22:7-23, 39; John 13:21-30). See on Luke 22:7-23; Luke 22:39; and see on John 13:10, 11; John 13:18, 19; John 13:21-30. Mr 14:27-31. T HE D ESERTION OF J ESUS BY H IS D ISCIPLES AND THE F ALL OF P ETER , F ORETOLD. ( = Matthew 26:31-35; Luke 22:31-38; John 13:36-38). See on Luke 22:31-46. Mr 14:32-42. T HE A GONY IN THE G ARDEN. ( = Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46). See on Luke 22:39-46. Mr 14:43-52. B ETRAYAL AND A PPREHENSION OF J ESUS —F LIGHT OF H IS D ISCIPLES. ( = Matthew 26:47-56; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-12). See on John 18:1-12. Mr 14:53-72. J ESUS A RRAIGNED BEFORE THE S ANHEDRIM , C ONDEMNED TO D IE , AND S HAMEFULLY E NTREATED —T HE F ALL OF P ETER.