17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. 18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. 19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? 20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. 21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. (Mark 14:17-21 KJV)
The Passover with the Disciples
Christ’s discourse with his disciples during the Passover likely included the usual talk about Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and the protection of the firstborn. They were enjoying their time together until Christ told them something that mixed trembling with their joy.
They were enjoying the company of their Master, but he told them they would soon lose him: “The Son of Man is betrayed” (Mark 14:21). They knew what that meant—he had told them before: betrayal would be followed by crucifixion and death. This was determined by God and foretold in the Old Testament, and nothing written can fail.
They were enjoying each other’s company, but Christ dampened their joy by saying, “One of you who eats with me will betray me” (Mark 14:18). He said this, if possible, to trouble Judas’ conscience and call him to repentance. But, as far as we know, Judas was the least affected. The rest were.
The reaction of the disciples after hearing that one of them would betray their Master Jesus was this: First, they began to be sorrowful. The fear of sinning again often dampens our joy, even during spiritual feasts. These were the bitter herbs accompanying this Passover.
Second, they began to suspect themselves. Each one said, “Is it I?” They are to be commended for their humility and charity; they were more suspicious of themselves than of each other. Charity hopes the best (1 Corinthians 13:5-7), and we usually know more evil about ourselves than others. They also trusted Christ’s words more than their own hearts. They did not say, “It’s not me,” but, “Lord, is it I? Show us if there is any wickedness in us, and help us root it out.”
In response to the disciples’ reaction to the news about the betrayal, first, Christ said something to ease them: “It is not you, nor you. It is the one who dips with me in the dish—the enemy is Judas.”
Second, he said something that should have made Judas deeply troubled: “Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed; it would have been better for him if he had never been born” (Mark 14:21). Judas may have thought that since Christ said he must be betrayed, then the act was inevitable and God wouldn’t hold the betrayer accountable, like the objector in Romans 9:19. But Christ made clear this was no excuse: though the Son of Man goes as written, the one who betrays him is still guilty. God’s plan to permit human sin and bring good from it doesn’t force people to sin or reduce their responsibility. Though Christ was handed over by God’s plan (Acts 2:23), it was still by wicked hands he was crucified.