Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 26:25

"And Judas, who betrayed him, answered and said, Is it I, Rabbi? He saith unto him, Thou hast said." — Matthew 26:25 (ASV)

This exchange magnifies Judas’s effrontery. Doubtless Judas felt he had to speak up; silence at this stage might have given him away to the others. In contrast to the other disciples (v.22), he uses “Rabbi,” a title for a respected teacher. As in v.22, the form of the question anticipates a negative answer, but the expected answer bears no necessary relation to the real answer. Jesus’ response is affirmative but depends somewhat on spoken intonation for its full force. It could be taken to mean “You have said it, not I” (cf. NIV note); yet in fact it is enough of an affirmative to give Judas a jolt without removing all ambiguity from the ears of the other disciples.