The Piece Of Bread

John 13:18-30

"I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.' Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me."
When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me." Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke.
Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke.
Then, leaning back on Jesus' breast, he said to Him, "Lord, who is it?"
Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it." And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly." But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, "Buy those things we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor.
Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.
[John 13:18-30 NKJV]

And it was night. A time of darkness. The last act in this drama begins to unfold. Everyone is set to fulfil their predestined purpose, something that Jesus knew, down to the finest detail. His betrayer is confirmed in these verses; not in a loud declaration, but quietly, gently and to the conscience.

When Jesus convicts us of a wrong, He does so in this same way. He does not humiliate or punish, He merely says to the inner man, “What you do, do quickly.” Do we realise that we betray Him when, having walked with Him, we decide to go our own way?

Consider the manner in which Jesus handles the situation — can we see through Jesus’ eyes in a given situation? Does He stand and point at Judas and publicly accuse him? Is Judas condemned before the other disciples? Does Jesus hinder Judas in any way? Jesus does none of these very human reactions. Instead, having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot. (The name means ‘praised man of the city’; maybe what we might call ‘a respected man about town’.)

Jesus feeds Judas with bread dipped in what? We don’t know, although some scholars have suggested it may be garum, a kind of fish sauce, and the act of sharing the bread dipped expresses at least a phileo, if not an agape love. The betrayer and the betrayed acknowledge the truth of what is happening.

Jesus fed and cared for the one who was the instrument to bring about His death; it is part of God’s plan, but shows us something transcending our daily experience — that even when we go our own way and hurt Him unto death, He will still love us and feed us. He will not deny us a piece of bread.

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A HOLY PROMISE: Oswald Chambers on Hope

Beware of trusting in your trust and see that you trust in the Lord, and you will never know you trust Him because you are taken up into His certainty.
[from ‘Not Knowing Whither’]

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“Jesus Loves Me” — Rosemary Siemens

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'Meditate on these things'

But unto you who revere and worshipfully fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings and His beams, and you shall go forth and gambol like calves [released] from the stall and leap for joy.
[Malachi 4:2 AMPC]