John 13:18-30

Context

The Announcement of Jesus’ Betrayal

13:18 “What I am saying does not refer to all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture,¹ ‘The one who eats my bread² has turned against me.’³ 13:19 I am telling you this now,⁴ before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe⁵ that I am he.⁶ 13:20 I tell you the solemn truth,⁷ whoever accepts⁸ the one I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”⁹

13:21 When he had said these things, Jesus was greatly distressed¹⁰ in spirit, and testified,¹¹ “I tell you the solemn truth,¹² one of you will betray me.”¹³ 13:22 The disciples began to look at one another, worried and perplexed¹⁴ to know which of them he was talking about. 13:23 One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved,¹⁵ was at the table¹⁶ to the right of Jesus in a place of honor.¹⁷ 13:24 So Simon Peter¹⁸ gestured to this disciple¹⁹ to ask Jesus²⁰ who it was he was referring to.²¹ 13:25 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved²² leaned back against Jesus’ chest and asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 13:26 Jesus replied,²³ “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread²⁴ after I have dipped it in the dish.”²⁵ Then he dipped the piece of bread in the dish²⁶ and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son. 13:27 And after Judas²⁷ took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him.²⁸ Jesus said to him,²⁹ “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 13:28 (Now none of those present at the table³⁰ understood³¹ why Jesus³² said this to Judas.³³ 13:29 Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him to buy whatever they needed for the feast,³⁴ or to give something to the poor.)³⁵ 13:30 Judas³⁶ took the piece of bread and went out immediately. (Now it was night.)³⁷

[13:18] ¹tn Grk “But so that the scripture may be fulfilled.”

[13:18] ²tn Or “The one who shares my food.”

[13:18] ³tn Or “has become my enemy”; Grk “has lifted up his heel against me.” The phrase “to lift up one’s heel against someone” reads literally in the Hebrew of Ps 41 “has made his heel great against me.” There have been numerous interpretations of this phrase, but most likely it is an idiom meaning “has given me a great fall,” “has taken cruel advantage of me,” or “has walked out on me.” Whatever the exact meaning of the idiom, it clearly speaks of betrayal by a close associate. See E. F. F. Bishop, “‘He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me’ – Jn xiii.18 (Ps xli.9),” ExpTim 70 (1958-59): 331-33.

[13:19] ⁴tn Or (perhaps) “I am certainly telling you this.” According to BDF §12.3 ἀπ᾿ ἄρτι (ap’ arti) should be read as ἀπαρτί (aparti), meaning “exactly, certainly.”

[13:19] ⁵tn Grk “so that you may believe.”

[13:19] ⁶tn Grk “that I am.” R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:555) argues for a nonpredicated ἐγώ εἰμι (egw eimi) here, but this is far from certain.

[13:20] ⁷tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[13:20] ⁸tn Or “receives,” and so throughout this verse.

[13:20] ⁹sn The one who sent me refers to God.

[13:21] ¹⁰tn Or “greatly troubled.”

[13:21] ¹¹tn Grk “and testified and said.”

[13:21] ¹²tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[13:21] ¹³tn Or “will hand me over.”

[13:22] ¹⁴tn Grk “uncertain,” “at a loss.” Here two terms, “worried and perplexed,” were used to convey the single idea of the Greek verb ἀπορέω (aporew).

[13:23] ¹⁵sn Here for the first time the one Jesus loved, the ‘beloved disciple,’ is introduced. This individual also is mentioned in 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, and 21:20. Some have suggested that this disciple is to be identified with Lazarus, since the Fourth Gospel specifically states that Jesus loved him (11:3, 5, 36). From the terminology alone this is a possibility; the author is certainly capable of using language in this way to indicate connections. But there is nothing else to indicate that Lazarus was present at the last supper; Mark 14:17 seems to indicate it was only the twelve who were with Jesus at this time, and there is no indication in the Fourth Gospel to the contrary. Nor does it appear that Lazarus ever stood so close to Jesus as the later references in chaps. 19, 20 and 21 seem to indicate. When this is coupled with the omission of all references to John son of Zebedee from the Fourth Gospel, it seems far more likely that the references to the beloved disciple should be understood as references to him.

[13:23] ¹⁶tn Grk “was reclining.” This reflects the normal 1st century practice of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.

[13:23] ¹⁷tn Grk “was reclining in the bosom (or “lap”) of Jesus” (according to both L&N 17.25 and BDAG 65 s.v. ἀνάκειμαι 2 an idiom for taking the place of honor at a meal, but note the similar expression in John 1:18). Whether this position or the position to the left of Jesus should be regarded as the position of second highest honor (next to the host, in this case Jesus, who was in the position of highest honor) is debated. F. Prat, “Les places d’honneur chez les Juifs contemporains du Christ” (RSR 15 [1925]: 512-22), who argued that the table arrangement was that of the Roman triclinium (a U-shaped table with Jesus and two other disciples at the bottom of the U), considered the position to the left of Jesus to be the one of second highest honor. Thus the present translation renders this “a position of honor” without specifying which one (since both of the two disciples to the right and to the left of Jesus would be in positions of honor). Other translations differ as to how they handle the phrase ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ (en tw kolpw tou Ihsou; “leaning on Jesus’ bosom,” KJV; “lying close to the breast of Jesus,” RSV; “reclining on Jesus’ breast,” NASB; “reclining next to him,” NIV, NRSV) but the symbolic significance of the beloved disciple’s position seems clear. He is close to Jesus and in an honored position. The phrase as an idiom for a place of honor at a feast is attested in the Epistles of Pliny (the Younger) 4.22.4, an approximate contemporary of Paul.

[13:24] ¹⁸sn It is not clear where Simon Peter was seated. If he were on Jesus’ other side, it is difficult to see why he would not have asked the question himself. It would also have been difficult to beckon to the beloved disciple, on Jesus’ right, from such a position. So apparently Peter was seated somewhere else. It is entirely possible that Judas was seated to Jesus’ left. Matt 26:25 seems to indicate that Jesus could speak to him without being overheard by the rest of the group. Judas is evidently in a position where Jesus can hand him the morsel of food (13:26).

[13:24] ¹⁹tn Grk “to this one”; the referent (the beloved disciple) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:24] ²⁰tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:24] ²¹sn That is, who would betray him (v. 21).

[13:25] ²²tn Grk “he”; the referent (the disciple Jesus loved) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:26] ²³tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[13:26] ²⁴sn The piece of bread was a broken-off piece of bread (not merely a crumb).

[13:26] ²⁵tn Grk “after I have dipped it.” The words “in the dish” are not in the Greek text, but the presence of a bowl or dish is implied.

[13:26] ²⁶tn The words “in the dish” are not in the Greek text, but the presence of a bowl or dish is implied.

[13:27] ²⁷tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:27] ²⁸tn Grk “into that one”; the pronoun “he” is more natural English style here.

[13:27] ²⁹tn Grk “Then Jesus said to him.”

[13:28] ³⁰tn Grk “reclining at the table.” The phrase reclining at the table reflects the normal practice in 1st century Near Eastern culture of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.

[13:28] ³¹tn Or “knew.”

[13:28] ³²tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:28] ³³tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:29] ³⁴tn Grk “telling him, ‘Buy whatever we need for the feast.’” The first clause is direct discourse and the second clause indirect discourse. For smoothness of English style, the first clause has been converted to indirect discourse to parallel the second (the meaning is left unchanged).

[13:29] ³⁵sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[13:30] ³⁶tn Grk “That one”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:30] ³⁷sn Now it was night is a parenthetical note by the author. The comment is more than just a time indicator, however. With the departure of Judas to set in motion the betrayal, arrest, trials, crucifixion, and death of Jesus, daytime is over and night has come (see John 9:5; 11:9-10; 12:35-36). Judas had become one of those who walked by night and stumbled, because the light was not in him (11:10).