Tuesday of Holy Week – Gospel
21After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. 23One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining close to his heart;, 24Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 26Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot., 27After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” 28Now no one knew why he said this to him. 29Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
31When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
36Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.
Commentary on John 13:21-33,36-38
Today’s Gospel is a sad moment of a double betrayal. First, that of Judas. Judas is no outsider, but one of the inner circle of the Twelve.
Jesus announces solemnly:
Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.
The statement comes like a bombshell. For all their weaknesses, they cannot imagine any one of them planning such a thing. Peter asks the Beloved Disciple, who is closest to Jesus (in every sense of the word), to find out who it is and Jesus responds:
It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.
Jesus hands over the morsel, a symbol of sharing. It is probably part of the bitter herb, dipped in salt water, which was a feature of the Passover meal. Jesus hands it over to the one who will hand him over to those who wish to be rid of him. This is an act of friendship which makes the coming betrayal doubly treacherous. The bitterness of the morsel is also significant.
In that very moment, Judas knows he has made his fateful decision as Jesus tells him:
Do quickly what you are going to do.
None of the other disciples realised the significance of these words.
As soon as he has left, it is no wonder that the evangelist comments:
And it was night.
Yes indeed—it was a moment of utter darkness. This is a Gospel which constantly contrasts light and darkness. Yet at that very moment which sets the whole passion experience in motion, Jesus speaks of his being glorified and of God also being glorified.
To do this, Jesus is going to leave his disciples. He will leave them in death, but he will also leave them to return to the glory of his Father.
Peter, well-meaning but weak, swears that he will go all the way with Jesus, even to death. It is the second betrayal. Worse in some ways. At least Judas made no wild promises. What will save Peter will be the depth of his repentance and later conversion.
We too have betrayed Jesus and those around us so many times. We have broken bread with Jesus in the Eucharist, and then turned our back on him by the way we treat those around us. We have promised at Confession, with his help never to sin again, and then gone and done what we have just confessed.
Let us pray that we, like Peter, may weep bitterly for all the wrongs we have done and all the good left undone.
