“What you are going to do, do quickly.”
These are pretty disturbing words from Jesus. Satan himself has just entered into Judas and Jesus doesn’t say, “Come out of him!” or any of the things He ever said to demons. There was a time and a place for casting out evil and liberating individuals, but now the Father wanted Him to liberate people in a different way. If it was hard for Jesus to keep it together as He washed their feet, it must have been 100x more difficult when Satan was now there at the table, in their midst.
Even a bigger deal than His words, Jesus’ actions are amazing.
v. 30 “So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. “
To share bread with someone was fellowship, communion. Communion was a precious thing. To share in a piece of bread with someone else was fellowship, acceptance, and peace. That’s why the Pharisees got so mad about Jesus BREAKING BREAD with sinners and tax collectors. It was like wearing the same gang colors, or wearing orange in Lexington.
Jesus, in all of His trust in the Father and compassion towards Judas, is not affected by the ultimate leader of all enemies sitting with Him at the table. He knows what is to be done, and He knows that it must come via betrayal by a friend.
Grace that forgives the betrayer, the weak kneed soon to run followers, the soldiers with the whips, nails, and hammers, and us in our all too real humanity is still beyond what we have comprehended to this very day.
‘How high, how wide, and how deep is the love of Christ?’ I think we only begin to understand. How can we fail to ‘Love God…and our neighbor as our self.’ in response to such love? What will it be like when we no longer see ‘through a dark glass?’ I can hardly wait! “What a Savior!”
It is also interesting to me that, according to the Gospel of John, it is when Judas receives the bread from Jesus that Satan enters him. The entire relationship of Jesus, Judas, Satan, Judas’ remorse and/or fear of hatred leading to suicide raises issues for me that I do not expect to have answered this side of Jordan. peace