“I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he. Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”

After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus 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. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some 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. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. (John 13:18–30)

Jesus always knew who it was that would betray him. He always knew that he was going to die. On the night that it was all going to happen, he gave his disciples all the details.

Did the disciples finally grasp how events were about to unfold? Apparently not. The dipping of the piece of bread and the offering of it to Judas was ordinarily a gesture of honor. What Jesus dipped the bread into is impossible to say. It might have been olive oil, a meat sauce, or even a bit of the wine, since all those were available as part of the meal. Jesus’ point was to identify the betrayer for John. But after Judas scurried away, John wrote that none of them knew why he’d left.

John and the disciples were not unusually dense. It is simply hard to communicate new ideas. After the events, the disciples understood that Judas was not the friend they had imagined, though they would always remain shocked by the betrayal. Some things just never make any sense.

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