One of you will betray me ...

And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

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A few verses back we learned that Judas, offended at Jesus' rebuke, went to the chief priests and set his betrayal in motion. Exhibiting a great cowardice he goes behind Jesus' back supposing that he will take the Son of God by surprise. I wonder what was going on in his head when he heard the words "one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me". Could Judas have been so deceived by Satan that he did not know he was the one?

As the disciples begin to question themselves asking "Is it I?" the Lord repeats the revelation saying that it is one of the twelve. These simple men could not fathom betraying the one who they walked with for three years - perhaps even Judas did not see his acts in a bad light? Yet in just a few days the weight of his actions would come down on him and, in a hopeless act, he would commit suicide. It would have been better if he was never born.

Help me to always stay true to you Lord Jesus. Cleanse me of any hint of betrayal.