Church Fathers Commentary Luke 22:21-23

"But behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. For the Son of man indeed goeth, as it hath been determined: but woe unto that man through whom he is betrayed! And they began to question among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing." — Luke 22:21-23 (ASV)

St. Augustine of Hippo: When our Lord had given the cup to His disciples, He again spoke of His betrayer, saying, But, behold, the hand of him that betrays me...

Theophylact of Ohrid: He said this not only to show that He knew all things, but also to declare His own special goodness to us, in that He left nothing undone that was His to do. For He gives us an example that we should be engaged in reclaiming sinners, even to the very end. Moreover, He said it to point out the baseness of the traitor, who was not ashamed to be His guest.

St. John Chrysostom: Yet even though he partook of the mystery, he was not converted. Indeed, his wickedness is made all the more awful, both because he came to the mystery while polluted by such a design, and because, upon coming, he was not made better by fear, gratitude, or respect.

The Venerable Bede: And yet our Lord does not specifically point him out, lest being so plainly exposed, he might only become more shameless. Instead, He directs the accusation toward all twelve so that the guilty one might be turned to repentance. He also proclaims his punishment, so that the man whom shame had not swayed might be brought to repentance by the sentence pronounced against him. Hence it follows, And truly the Son of man goes...

Theophylact of Ohrid: This was not because He was unable to save Himself, but because He Himself determined to suffer death for the salvation of humanity.

St. John Chrysostom: Because Judas acted with an evil purpose in the events recorded about him, Christ adds, Woe to that man by whom he is betrayed. This was so that no one might consider Judas guiltless, as if he were merely an instrument of the divine plan.

The Venerable Bede: But woe also to that person who, following the example of Judas, comes unworthily to the Lord's Table and betrays the Son—not to the Jews, but to sinners, that is, to his own sinful members. Although the eleven Apostles knew they were plotting nothing against their Lord, they still asked about a sin of which they were not conscious, because they trusted their Master more than themselves and feared their own weaknesses.

St. Basil the Great: For just as with bodily diseases, there are many which the affected person is not aware of, and they trust the opinion of their physicians rather than their own lack of symptoms; so also with diseases of the soul, even if a person is not conscious of sin in himself, he ought to trust those who are able to have more knowledge of his sins.