John Calvin Commentary John 13:22

"The disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake." — John 13:22 (ASV)

The disciples, therefore, looked on one another. Those who are not conscious of any crime are made uneasy by what Christ has said; Judas alone is so hardened by his malice that he remains unmoved. The disciples held Christ's authority in such great esteem that they were fully convinced he said nothing without a good reason. Satan, however, had expelled all reverence from Judas's heart, so that his heart was harder than a rock, rejecting every admonition.

And though Christ appears somewhat unkind in inflicting this torture for a time on the innocent, yet since this kind of anxiety was beneficial to them, Christ did them no harm. It is fitting that when God's children hear the sentence pronounced on the ungodly, they too should feel uneasy, so that they may sift themselves and guard against hypocrisy, for this gives them an opportunity to examine themselves and their lives.

This passage shows that we should sometimes reprove the ungodly in such a way that we do not immediately point the finger at them, until God, by His own hand, drags them out into the light. For it often happens that there are hidden sicknesses in the Church, which we are not free to conceal; and yet their wickedness is not yet so mature that it can be openly exposed. In such cases, we should take this middle path.