Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 13:30

"He then having received the sop went out straightway: and it was night." — John 13:30 (ASV)

The repetition of the phrase “As soon as Judas had taken the bread” (cf. v.27) indicates that Satan’s control of Judas and Judas’s departure from the group must have been simultaneous. As Judas left, it was dark outside. John’s comment about “night” corresponds to Jesus’ statement when Judas betrayed him: “This is your hour—when darkness reigns” . It also heightens the implication that Jesus’ life was one of conflict. The opposition of darkness and light is announced in the Prologue (1:5) and is illustrated by the growing hostility between Jesus and his enemies. As the conflict becomes more marked, Jesus said it reflected the contrast between what he had seen with his Father and what they had heard from their father (8:38, 42–44). John notes the continuing progress of the spiritual conflict in 13:27; 14:30; 17:15.