John 13:26 - Exposition

Jesus ( then ) answered —"then," οὖν , is introduced by the modern editors, as well as βάψω for βάψας — He it is for whom I shall dip the sop (or, morsel ) , and give it him ; so ( καὶ ἐμβάψας is exchanged, on very strong authority, into βάψας οὖν , and ἐπιδώσω into δώσω ) when he had dipped the sop, he taketh and giveth it to Judas the son of Simon, the Iscariot . The ψωμίον was the morsel of meat or bread dipped into the charoseth, a mead of wine and fruit used at the Paschal meal. The usage is illustrated by the LXX . version of Ruth 2:14 and Job 31:17 . In the New Testament ψωμίζω is used for distribution of food, Romans 12:20 ; 1 Corinthians 13:3 . The act of Jesus was almost contemporaneous with the "Thou sayest it" of the synoptists It was twofold in meaning, explaining to John what he wished to know fur Peter's sake, and giving Judas one more gracious chance to repent and believe in the Divinity of love rather than that of display, power, and pomp. Judas had been dipping his hand into the same dish with his Master, eating his bread. Instead of resenting such effrontery the blessed Lord gave him in pity the last opportunity to escape, he puts the morsel sopped in the acid wine, the bread of fellowship, into his very lips, and the miscreant received it. The name of Judas, and of his father, and of the place cursed by being his birthplace, are once more introduced at length (cf. John 6:71 ).