John 13:21–30 - 21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” 22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. 23 There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” 25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. 29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor. 30 So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
What does today’s passage say?
In today's passage, while sharing the Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus became distressed and made a startling declaration that one of them would betray Him and hand Him over (v. 21). His words left the group stunned and confused. They exchanged worried glances, each wondering about the others. One of them sat especially near to Jesus at the table. Simon Peter signaled this close companion to find out who Jesus meant (vv. 22-26). To answer their question, Jesus said He the one who would betray Him would be the one that He gave a dipped morsel of bread to. When He handed the morsel to Judas, Satan entered into him. Jesus spoke quietly to Judas telling him to get it done quickly. Judas promptly stood up and left the gathering. Nobody else at the table grasped the true significance of this departure into the darkness (vv. 27-30).
How can I apply John 13:21-30 to my life?
The Last Supper brought one of the most heart-wrenching moments in Jesus's ministry. His shocking announcement about betrayal stunned the disciples into silence. What happened next teaches us vital truths about our own relationship with Jesus today. Though He knew Judas would betray Him, Jesus had invested three years in this man's life. He had given him the same chances as the other disciples to witness miracles, hear divine teaching, and experience God's love up close. The disciples' reactions that night mirror the different ways people respond to Jesus now. Some, like John, pressed in closer to Jesus when trouble came. Others, like Judas, let darkness take root in their hearts until they walked away completely. This passage pulls back the curtain on Jesus's perfect knowledge of human hearts and shows us why staying close to Him matters so much. His gracious treatment of Judas, even knowing what was coming, reveals both His boundless mercy and the serious danger of repeatedly turning away from His truth. Our daily choices to move toward or away from Jesus shape not just our eternal future but our present walk with God. Here are some basic principles from this passage that we should apply to our lives:
1. Trust Jesus's Perfect Knowledge of Human Hearts (v. 21): Jesus knew exactly what was in Judas's heart and what he would do, yet He still gave him opportunities to repent. Jesus has perfect knowledge of our hearts, minds, and even our deepest thoughts. Nothing is hidden from Him and because of this, we should stop pretending or trying to hide what is really going on from Him. When our attitudes or our thoughts turn dark, we should not run from Him or try to cover it up. He already knows what is going on; He understands our fears and our struggles better than we do. His complete awareness of our hearts and motives can make His love in our lives even more powerful as He cares for us even seeing all that is going on. Instead of having to hide in shame or pride, we can go to Him without fear of rejection or condemnation. He sees right past our temptations, fears , and failures to who we can be through the transforming work of His Holy Spirit in our lives. It should bring us tremendous comfort and hope that even though He knows our darkest thoughts, He still loves us perfectly. When others judge us, misjudge us, or misunderstand us, we can rest in the peace that comes from knowing that Jesus sees the truth. The fact is that His perfect knowledge of what is really going on in our lives means that He knows exactly what we need to get back on track and for spiritual healing and growth. We can completely trust His wisdom, His guidance, and His correction because we know that it comes from His perfect knowledge and understanding of who we are (1 Samuel 16:7, Psalm 139:1-4, Hebrews 4:13).
Food for Thought: What areas of your life have you been trying to keep hidden from Jesus? How does Jesus's perfect knowledge of your heart affect the way you pray to Him?
2. Draw Close to Jesus for Understanding (vv. 22-26): The disciples turned to Jesus in their confusion about His prediction of betrayal. When we draw close to Jesus, we open the door to better and deeper spiritual understanding in our lives. Today, this kind of closeness is achieved by spending time daily with Jesus through prayer, the study of His Word, and the consistent application of His will and His Word to our lives – obedience. The disciples who stayed close to Jesus gained special insights and understanding and grew spiritually that the crowds did not. Today, in the same way, those who spend time with Jesus through personal devotion and regularly exercise spiritual disciplines gain wisdom and grow in ways that casual believers do not. When confusion or uncertainty enter into our lives, every believer’s natural response should be to draw closer to Jesus, not pull away. This means we should be turning to Him in prayer, studying His Word, and then, letting His truth and His will shape our attitudes, our thoughts, and our actions. In the same way that the disciples found their answers by staying in the presence of Jesus, so we to find direction by staying connected to Him through prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and obedience. This kind of close fellowship with Jesus in every moment of our lives builds our trust and dependance on Him. It helps us to recognize His voice more clearly when He speaks to us through His Word or His Holy Spirit. And the fact is that the more time we spend with Jesus this way, the better we will understand His character, His ways, and His will for us. This means we have to be willing to be honest about our questions and doubts and that we have to be teachable and ready to receive His guidance (James 4:8, Philippians 3:10, Psalm 73:28).
Food for Thought: How much dedicated time do you spend drawing close to Jesus each day? What keeps you from spending more time developing your relationship with Jesus?
3. Understand the Consequences of Rejecting Jesus (vv. 27-30): After Judas took the bread from Jesus, Satan entered him and he left to betray Jesus. When we begin to walk away or separate ourselves from Jesus, it leads to spiritual darkness and brings devastating consequences into our lives. More often than not, this decision to turn away from Jesus does not happen in an instant. It develops through a series of small choices that pull us farther and farther from God’s truth and deeper into the enemies lies. Often, this starts when we begin to get our priorities wrong and begin putting other things ahead of Jesus in our lives – things like money, status, power, or even our personal desires. Every step we take makes the next one easier. And then, before we realize it, our hearts gradually become more and more hardened to His voice and His truth. The darkness that that we read about that entered Judas's life serves as a strong warning about the dangers of letting even a little sin take root in our hearts. The enemy is continually working to blind us to the truth about Jesus and our ever present need to depend on Him. The longer we stay away from Jesus and His truth, the more this spiritual blindness grows. But the good news is that that Jesus’s love knows no bounds and He keeps offering us opportunities to turn back to Him before it is too late. In that perfect love, He gives us clear warnings through His Word, through other believers, and through the conviction of His Holy Spirit. But the time to turn from our sin, to turn back to Jesus, is now because none of us knows how many more chances we will have. While His mercy knows no bounds, the day is coming when it will be too late. This choice determines not just our eternal destiny but also the quality and direction of our life right now. Walking away from Jesus means walking away from truth, light, and life itself (2 Corinthians 4:4, Hebrews 3:15, John 12:35-36).
Food for Thought: What things in your life compete with Jesus for first place? What steps can you take today to guard against drifting away from Jesus?
Each moment with Jesus offers us a choice that carries eternal weight. This passage reveals both the beauty of staying close to Jesus and the danger of pulling away from Him. When we accept that Jesus already knows everything in our hearts, we can stop pretending and come to Him honestly with our struggles and fears. His perfect knowledge of us brings freedom, not condemnation. The path to deeper understanding comes through staying close to Jesus - making time for prayer, studying His Word, and following His guidance. But this passage also shows the devastating results of repeatedly rejecting Jesus's truth. Small compromises can gradually harden our hearts until we find ourselves walking in darkness. Jesus offers every person the opportunity to experience His transforming love and truth. The decision to trust Him, draw near to Him, and remain faithful to Him changes everything - both for eternity and for today. Our response to Jesus determines whether we will walk in light or darkness, in truth or deception, in life or death.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that You would open my eyes to see the incredible blessing of Your perfect knowledge. Sometimes I foolishly try to hide things from You, acting as if You cannot see into the darkest corners of my heart. Lord, I know this only hurts me and blocks the healing You want to bring. Thank You that You know me completely yet love me anyway.
I pray for Your help to make our relationship the center of my life. So often I let busyness, distractions, and my own selfish pursuits crowd You out. I pray that You would break through these barriers, Father. Show me how to structure my days around time with You. When I feel confused or uncertain, let my first response be to run toward You, not away.
I pray that You would guard my heart against taking even tiny steps away from Your truth. When I feel tempted to drift, I pray that Your Spirit would warn me and give me a holy fear of wandering from Your presence and Your ways.
I pray that Your Word would continually shape my responses, my choices, and my priorities to match Your perfect will.
I pray these things in the most precious name of Jesus, Amen.
John 13:21 - When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”
With His Blessings,
Pastor Corby
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