There is something deeply tragic about this verse. Judas receives the sop from the hand of Jesus and immediately walks out into the darkness. The sop was simply dipped bread, but in this moment it became the final exposure of Judas’ heart.
Jesus had shown Judas love, patience, mercy, and opportunity after opportunity to repent. Judas had heard the preaching of Christ, seen the miracles of Christ, walked beside the Son of God, and yet his heart remained unchanged.
What a reminder that being close to spiritual things does not automatically make someone spiritual. Judas was near Jesus physically, but far from Him spiritually.
Notice the wording: “and it was night.”
Yes, it was physically nighttime, but John is also showing us something spiritually. Judas stepped away from the Light of the World and entered darkness completely.
When a person continually rejects truth, darkness always follows (Psalm 41:9, John 3:19-20, Luke 22:3).
Source Coverage: John 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.
There is something deeply tragic about this verse. Judas receives the sop from the hand of Jesus and immediately walks out into the darkness. The sop was simply dipped bread, but in this moment it became the final exposure of Judas’ heart.
Jesus had shown Judas love, patience, mercy, and opportunity after opportunity to repent. Judas had heard the preaching of Christ, seen the miracles of Christ, walked beside the Son of God, and yet his heart remained unchanged.
What a reminder that being close to spiritual things does not automatically make someone spiritual. Judas was near Jesus physically, but far from Him spiritually.
Notice the wording: “and it was night.”
Yes, it was physically nighttime, but John is also showing us something spiritually. Judas stepped away from the Light of the World and entered darkness completely.
When a person continually rejects truth, darkness always follows (Psalm 41:9, John 3:19-20, Luke 22:3).
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.