Thursday, May 15, 2008

As Obvious as the Nose on Their Face


Okay, this story is one that I haven't gotten, and honestly still don't get. In John 13:18-30, Jesus tells the disciples that one of them is going to betray Him. John asks Him who it is. Jesus tells him that the betrayer is the one who Jesus hands the bread to. Jesus then hands the bread to Judas, tells him to go do what he has to do, and Judas leaves. But the disciples think he is going to do something good, not to betray Jesus. Why? Why don't they get something so obvious?

Maybe Judas was that trustworthy? Maybe they didn't think he would ever turn on Jesus. I don't know.

Maybe they couldn't imagine anyone turning against Jesus.

I've never understood this part of the last supper scene. Any ideas from anyone?

2 comments:

John said...

This brings up a couple of things for me.

Why the riddle? Why not just answer "Judas" instead of "the one I give the bread to". I know there's some deep meaning there - body/bread, blood/wine - theological stuff my simple mind doesn't usually even see, much less understand. I trust God to have written his word in the best way though.

The other thing is that it seems "predestined" that Judas be the fall guy. It seems circular in my mind. We have free will, yet God knows exactly what we will do before we do it. I can't understand that. My wife feels sorry for me.

Anonymous said...

Well looking at it from a childs mind, which I routinely get told I have, I'd say that God/Jesus "blinded" the diciples. I mean if you knew someone was going to betray your Lord, your teacher, your savior, wouldn't you try to stop them. It was the plan all along for it to go down the way it did. But this way Jesus could still show his "awsomeness" by predicting it, without giving away the secret. The arguement could also be used with Peter. Thrice you'll deny me? That was a personal, no riddles attached statement, but yet he still did it. Why?