Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 13:27-30

"And after the sop, then entered Satan into him. Jesus therefore saith unto him, What thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus said unto him, Buy what things we have need of for the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. He then having received the sop went out straightway: and it was night." — John 13:27-30 (ASV)

1. We now see the betrayal itself, after it was predicted.

   First, we see that Judas was allowed to do what was predicted; and second, how it was done: he therefore having received the morsel, went out immediately.

   John does three things regarding the first point: first, he gives the words of our Lord, allowing Judas to act; second, he mentions that the meaning of these words was not clear; and third, he states how the apostles understood them.

2. Our Lord’s words were: what you do, do quickly. This is not a command or advice, since sin cannot be commanded or advised, because the command of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes (Psalms 19:8). It is, rather, a permission.

   As we have seen, the devil had put it into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus, and he had already made arrangements with the chief priests. Yet he could not carry this out unless Christ himself gave permission, because no one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of myself (John 10:18); he was offered because it was his own will (Isaiah 53:7).

   These words also reprimand the evil act of betrayal and imply that while Christ was conferring benefits on him, Judas was planning his death: but now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you (Psalms 50:21).

   As Augustine says, they are also the words of one who eagerly desires to carry out the work of our redemption. Still, Christ was not commanding the crime, but predicting it. He was not so much seeking the ruin of the one who betrayed him as he was hurrying to become the salvation of believers: I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! (Luke 12:50).

3. What our Lord said was not clear to the disciples. John says, now no one at the table knew for what purpose he said this to him. We can understand from this that the words of Christ are so profound and so above human understanding that we can understand no more of them than what he reveals: it is the glory of God to conceal the word (Proverbs 25:2).

4. A question arises here. Since our Lord had indicated to John who the traitor was, saying, it is he to whom I will give this bread when I have dipped it (John 13:26), and then he gave it to Judas, the disciples seem to have been exceedingly dull not to have understood what he had just said.

   I answer that our Lord said this privately to John in order not to reveal the betrayer. The reason for this was that Peter loved Christ so fiercely that had he been certain that Judas was about to betray him, he would have quickly killed him.

5. Since John himself was one of those at the dinner, why did he say, no one at the table knew for what purpose he said this to him?

   I answer that it is usual for one who is good and without evil to believe that others also are without evil. Now John was extremely good and would never consider becoming a betrayer. Thus he never suspected that another disciple would commit such a great crime.

6. Now the Evangelist tells us what the disciples, ignorant of the real reason Jesus was speaking, thought he meant: some of the disciples thought, because Judas had the money bag, that Jesus had said to him.

   Here we should note that the Lord God of heaven, who feeds all living things, had a money bag, not to own the things of earth, but to save the offerings of believers and so provide for his own necessities and the needs of others. This money bag was in the care of Judas.

   As Augustine says, this teaches us that the Church can have and reserve money for its immediate needs.

   It also teaches us that the Church’s money should be used for only two things. First, for what pertains to divine worship; for we read, buy those things which we have need of for the feast, that is, what we can use to worship God on the festival day: bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house (Malachi 3:10). Second, its money can be used to help the poor, so he adds, or that he should give something to the poor.

7. One might argue against this that Matthew says, do not be anxious about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). Augustine answered this and said that our Lord did not command the saints not to keep the money or other goods of one day for the next. Rather, he said, do not be anxious about tomorrow. This means that we should not be preaching or doing other religious services in order to provide a future for ourselves; nor should we omit acting in a virtuous way because of fear of the future. Thus it is clear that when our Lord said do not be anxious about tomorrow, he was forbidding two things. First, we are not to do good to secure our future; second, we are not to omit doing good because we fear a future poverty.

   Chrysostom explains this clearly when he says: do not be anxious about tomorrow, that is, do not anticipate today the cares of the next day; the troubles of today are enough.

8. Some might also wonder why our Lord had a money bag, since he told his disciples, carry no money bag, no bag, no sandals (Luke 10:4). In what way, therefore, could he himself have a money bag?

   According to Chrysostom, our Lord possessed a money bag to provide for those in need and to teach us that no matter how poor and crucified to the world we may be, we should be concerned for the poor, according to he has distributed freely, he has given to the poor (Psalms 112:9). Or, we could say that when he told them to take nothing on the way, he was referring to individual preachers and apostles, who should carry nothing when they went to preach. But it did not refer to the entire group which would need something for themselves and for the poor.

9. Next, John shows that what was predicted came about: he therefore having received the morsel, went out immediately.

   First, he mentions the action which was done; second, the time when it was done.

10. What was done was done quickly, because having received the morsel, he immediately went out.

    Note that, as Origen says, the Evangelist does not say that Judas ate the morsel, but that he received it. This can be understood in two ways. First, it could be that Judas was so troubled about obeying the Teacher that when he received the morsel, he did not eat it, but perhaps left it on the table and without delay went out to complete his betrayal. The reason for this could be that the devil did not allow Judas to eat the bread. For the devil, who had already entered into the heart of Judas, feared that if Judas ate the bread, the devil would have to leave, since he could not be in the same place as Jesus: what accord has Christ with Belial? (2 Corinthians 6:15); you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons (1 Corinthians 10:21).

    Taken the other way, we could think that Judas ate the bread he received. Then the meaning is, having received the morsel, not only in his hand, but even eating it, he immediately went out. He thus made use of a good thing in a bad way. This is exactly what someone does who unworthily eats the bread of the Lord, or drinks from his chalice: he eats and drinks to his own damage and adds to his sin. So the bread Jesus gave to Judas became a source of harm: for after the bread entered into him so did Satan.

11. The time is described as one of darkness: and it was night. He mentions this for two reasons. First, to emphasize the malice of Judas. It had grown in his heart to such a degree that even the inconvenience of the hour did not cause him to wait until the morning: the murderer rises in the dark... and in the night he is as a thief (Job 24:14).

    In the second place, he wants to show his state of mind. It was night, because the mind of Judas the traitor was dark, without divine light. If a man walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if he walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him (John 11:9–10).