Church Fathers Commentary Mark 14:17-21

"And when it was evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they sat and were eating, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you shall betray me, [even] he that eateth with me. They began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? And he said unto them, [It is] one of the twelve, he that dippeth with me in the dish. For the Son of man goeth, even as it is written of him: but woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had not been born." — Mark 14:17-21 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: The Lord, who had foretold His Passion, also prophesied about the traitor to give him an opportunity for repentance, so that, understanding his thoughts were known, he might repent. For this reason it is said, And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.

St. John Chrysostom: Here it is evident that He did not expose him openly to everyone, lest He make him more shameless. At the same time, He did not remain completely silent, lest, thinking he had not been discovered, he should boldly hasten to betray Him.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But how could they eat while reclining, when the law ordered that they should eat the Passover standing upright? It is probable that they had first fulfilled the legal Passover and then reclined, at which point He began to give them His own Passover.

Pseudo-Jerome: The evening of the day points to the evening of the world, for the last, who are the first to receive the penny of eternal life, come at about the eleventh hour. All the disciples, then, are moved by the Lord, so that there is a harmony among them like a harp, with all the well-tuned strings answering in accord. For the text continues: And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto Him one by one, Is it I?

One of them, however, unstrung and steeped in the love of money, said, Is it I, Lord?, as Matthew testifies.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The other disciples, however, began to be saddened by the Lord's word; for although they were free from this particular sin, they trusted Him who knows all hearts more than they trusted themselves.

The text continues: And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.

The Venerable Bede: This refers to Judas, who, while the others were sad and held back their hands, put his hand forward with his Master into the dish. And because He had said before, One of you shall betray me, and yet the traitor persists in his evil, He now accuses him more openly, yet without revealing his name.

Pseudo-Jerome: Again, He says, One out of the twelve, as if to say he is separate from them, for the wolf carries away from the flock the sheep he has taken, and the sheep that leaves the fold is vulnerable to the wolf’s bite. But Judas does not withdraw from his treacherous design, though pointed at again and again. Therefore his punishment is foretold, so that the death pronounced upon him might correct him, since shame could not overcome him. Therefore, the text continues: The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of Him.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The word used here, goeth, shows that the death of Christ was not forced, but voluntary.

Pseudo-Jerome: But because many do good, in the way that Judas did, without it profiting them, the text continues: Woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

The Venerable Bede: Woe, also, to that man, today and forever, who comes to the Lord's table with an evil intent. For he, after the example of Judas, betrays the Lord—not, in fact, to Jewish sinners, but to his own sinning members.

The text continues: Good were it for that man if he had never been born.

Pseudo-Jerome: That is, it would have been better for him to have remained hidden in his mother’s innermost womb, for it is better for a man not to exist than to exist only for torments.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For with respect to the purpose for which he was created, it would have been good for him to have been born, had he not become the betrayer, since God created him for good works. But after he had fallen into such dreadful wickedness, it would have been better for him never to have been born.