John 13:21-30

John 13:21-30 - Daily Devotion - 28 August 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 21 After Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit and testified, “Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”22 The disciples looked at one another, perplexed as to which of them He meant. 23 One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side. 24 So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus which one He was talking about. 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked, “Lord, who is it?”26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this morsel after I have dipped it.” Then He dipped the morsel and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. 27 And when Judas had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him.Then Jesus said to Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the table knew why Jesus had said this to him. 29 Since Judas kept the money bag, some thought that Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as he had received the morsel, Judas went out into the night.REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen SheadI found the whole bread-dipping thing confusing at first. How did the disciples not understand it was Judas? I think it’s that, when Jesus actually handed him the bread and spoke to him, he did it subtly so the others wouldn’t pick it up. He wanted them to know that his betrayal was part of God’s sovereign plan, but he didn’t want them to know who the betrayer was – not yet.Why not? Because they would have jumped on Judas and tied him to a chair to stop him! Jesus wouldn’t allow that. Even as his death drew closer – as the enormity of what he would suffer (God’s wrath on the whole world!) bore down on his truly-human mind and emotions – still Jesus resolutely directed events to take him to the cross. “What you are about to do, do quickly” (v. 27): he virtually pushed Judas “out into the night” (v. 30).Into the night. That isn’t a random detail. It symbolises what had happened to Judas’s heart. Judas had walked away from the Light of the world and into the darkness. It symbolises what verse 27 tells us: “when Judas had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him.”I wonder if you read that and thought, “It wasn’t Judas’s fault – Satan took control of him, so how could he resist?” It’s true that, at this point, Judas was not in control of his own steps. And yet the fault was entirely his. It wasn’t like he went from “eager disciple” to “slave of Satan” in a single moment. Long before this, he had taken to stealing from their communal funds (John 12:6). Before this night arrived, Satan had suggested to him the path of greed and betrayal (John 13:2), and he hadn’t resisted. No one walks away from Jesus innocently and against the grain of their own choices. Satan’s control is built on a hundred moments of deciding for the world instead of for Jesus.I’ve wrestled many times with the question: What will stop me from walking away from Jesus? And the Bible always brings me back to the same two answers. From my side, God calls me to strive against sin, the world, and the devil with all the energy he gives me. And at the same time, I know that ultimately, I will only continue in Christ because of God’s grace and sustaining power in me. So I trust him with my future, even while I strive.Pray now for his strength, and place your future in his hands. ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our Senior Minister.