John 13:18 - Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

I am not speaking about all of you;
In this phrase, Jesus is addressing His disciples during the Last Supper. He makes a distinction, indicating that His forthcoming statement does not apply to every one of them. This highlights the presence of a betrayer among the group, setting the stage for the revelation of Judas Iscariot's betrayal. The context is crucial as it occurs during a private and intimate moment, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.

I know whom I have chosen.
Here, Jesus asserts His divine knowledge and authority in choosing His disciples. This choice is not merely about selection for ministry but also encompasses the foreknowledge of their actions and destinies. Theologically, this reflects the doctrine of divine election, where God’s choices are purposeful and sovereign. It also reassures the faithful disciples of their secure place in His plan.

But this is to fulfill the Scripture:
Jesus often referenced Old Testament prophecies to demonstrate that His life and mission were in accordance with God’s predetermined plan. This phrase underscores the fulfillment of prophecy, a common theme in the Gospels, which serves to authenticate Jesus' messianic identity and the divine orchestration of events.

‘The one who shares My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’
This is a direct reference to Psalm 41:9, where David laments betrayal by a close friend. In the cultural context, sharing bread was a sign of fellowship and trust, making the act of betrayal even more poignant. The phrase "lifted up his heel" suggests an act of treachery and hostility. By applying this scripture to Judas, Jesus identifies Himself with the suffering servant motif and foreshadows His impending betrayal, linking His experience to the broader narrative of redemptive history.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Jesus Christ
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is speaking to His disciples during the Last Supper. He is aware of His impending betrayal and is preparing His disciples for what is to come.

2. The Disciples
The group of Jesus' closest followers, present with Him at the Last Supper. Jesus indicates that not all of them are chosen in the sense of being faithful.

3. Judas Iscariot
Although not named in this specific verse, Judas is the disciple who will betray Jesus. The verse alludes to his betrayal by referencing the one who "has lifted up his heel against Me."

4. The Last Supper
The setting of this passage, where Jesus shares a final meal with His disciples before His crucifixion. It is a time of intimate teaching and revelation.

5. Scripture Fulfillment
Jesus refers to the fulfillment of Scripture, specifically Psalm 41:9, which speaks of betrayal by a close friend.

Teaching Points

Divine Foreknowledge and Sovereignty
Jesus' awareness of His betrayal demonstrates His divine foreknowledge and control over the events leading to His crucifixion. Believers can trust in God's sovereignty even in difficult circumstances.

The Pain of Betrayal
Jesus experienced the deep pain of betrayal by a close friend, reminding us that He understands our own experiences of betrayal and hurt.

The Importance of Scripture
Jesus' reference to Scripture emphasizes its importance and reliability. Believers are encouraged to study and rely on Scripture for guidance and understanding.

Faithfulness and Choice
Jesus' statement about knowing whom He has chosen highlights the importance of faithfulness. Believers are called to examine their own faithfulness to Christ.

Warning Against Hypocrisy
Judas' betrayal serves as a warning against hypocrisy and the danger of outwardly following Christ while harboring unfaithfulness in the heart.

(18) I speak not of you all.--The thought of their blessedness brings back again the dark thought that there is one present who will not do these things, and who cannot therefore be blessed.

I know whom I have chosen.--Comp. Note on John 6:70. The pronoun is strongly emphatic. "I (for My part) know whom I have chosen." (See next verse.)

But that the scripture may be fulfilled.--Comp. Note on John 12:38. There is an ellipsis after "but," which is most simply filled up by some such phrase as "all this was done;" "but all this was done that the Scripture . . ." (Comp. John 19:36 and Matthew 26:56.) Others would make the connection to be, "But I have chosen them that the Scripture . . ."

He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.--Comp. especially Note on the quotation in John 2:18, from Psalms 61. The present words are a free rendering of the Greek (LXX.) of Psalm 41:9; but the LXX. follow the Hebrew more literally, and read, "hath made great his heel." This is here interpreted to mean, "lifted up his heel," which the Bible version of the Psalm gives, with the literal rendering magnified in the margin. The Prayer Book version follows the Vulgate in reading "hath laid great wait for Me." . . .

Verses 18-30. - 2. The exclusion of the faithless disciple. This paragraph draws the circle of his cleansed ones, of those who accept him as Master and Lord in the fullest sense, more closely (at) out him. But the proceeding is tragic in the extreme; one of the twelve chosen as apostles is a traitor in disguise. The foot-washing has been an awful insufficiency in his case. He must depart before the greatest depth of the Master's love and truth can be revealed. Verse 18. - I speak net concerning you all. There is one who, though he knows these things, will not do them, is now indisposed to see any Divineness in the act and spirit of love which I am laying down as a fundamental law of my kingdom. I know whom (or, the individuals whom) I chose for apostles - (in John 6. the same statement is made with less definiteness, "Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you," etc.?) Judas among them - but. It is difficult to follow this construction, and to decide on the antithesis to this disjunctive.

(1) We may add, this has happened (τοῦτο γέγονεν) - i.e. this choice has been overruled, and so in its issues corresponded with the Divine purpose (ἵνα) - so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He that eateth my bread or, bread with me, hath lifted his heel against me;

(2) we may take the ἵνα πληρωθῇ as a parenthesis, and link the ἀλλ with the quotation, "He that eateth," etc.; or

(3) we may, with Meyer, suppose that ἐξελεξάμην αὐτοῦς, "I chose them," is mentally involved here: "I chose them, and Judas among them (ἵνα), in order that the Scripture," etc. This connection would suggest a destiny and purpose which Christ knowingly corresponded with, harmonizing his plan with the Divine and prophetic program. Emphasis must be laid upon the ἐκλέγεσθαι. It refers to Christ's choice of apostles, not to the eternal election to salvation. This interpretation corresponds more closely with the text, though it savors of a fatalism foreign to the Scripture. There is, however, a true sense in which the evil-disposed man is so placed that, if he will sin, he must sin along certain well-defined lines. The forty-first psalm, from which the quotation is made, is not strictly Messianic; it is descriptive of the ideal Sufferer, the holy but outraged man, whose melancholy condition is sure to be characterized by treachery among his familiar friends. Christ implies that, if he were to fulfill this portraiture, then this bitter dreg would be put into his cup; and so he humanly made this choice, i.e. he took steps which in their tenderness of love might have saved Judas from the worst, but which were really part of a Divine plan which would vindicate his own foresight and the method of Divine government. A full understanding of the formula in Matthew and John, ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθ῀ι, will save us from putting into these words a hopeless fatalism. Notice that the LXX. reads this passage differently, and is not so closely allied to the Hebrew: "He that eateth my leaves hath magnified against me his surreptitious despite, his tricky antagonism." Great beauty is given to the passage by the R.T. you instead of μετ ἐμοῦ, for it suggests the idea that Christ was the real Host of the twelve, the Father and Provider of his family. Christ must be regarded as the Father and Host of the entire group of guests, and the treacherous treatment of a host throughout the East is regarded as a sign of peculiar obduracy. Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

I am not speaking
λέγω (legō)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

about
περὶ (peri)
Preposition
Strong's 4012: From the base of peran; properly, through, i.e. Around; figuratively with respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time.

all
πάντων (pantōn)
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

of you;
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

I
ἐγὼ (egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

know
οἶδα (oida)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1492: To know, remember, appreciate.

whom
τίνας (tinas)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

I have chosen.
ἐξελεξάμην (exelexamēn)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1586: To pick out for myself, choose, elect, select. Middle voice from ek and lego; to select.

But
ἀλλ’ (all’)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

this is to
ἵνα (hina)
Conjunction
Strong's 2443: In order that, so that. Probably from the same as the former part of heautou; in order that.

fulfill
πληρωθῇ (plērōthē)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4137: From pleres; to make replete, i.e. to cram, level up, or to furnish, satisfy, execute, finish, verify, etc.

the
ἡ (hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Scripture:
γραφὴ (graphē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1124: (a) a writing, (b) a passage of scripture; plur: the scriptures. A document, i.e. Holy Writ.

‘The [one who]
Ὁ (Ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

eats
τρώγων (trōgōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5176: To eat, partake of a meal.

bread
ἄρτον (arton)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 740: Bread, a loaf, food. From airo; bread or a loaf.

with Me
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

has lifted up
ἐπῆρεν (epēren)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1869: To raise, lift up. From epi and airo; to raise up.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

heel
πτέρναν (pternan)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4418: The heel. Of uncertain derivation; the heel.

against
ἐπ’ (ep’)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

Me.?
ἐμὲ (eme)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

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