Morsel Dipping

Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, "Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant. One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus' side. So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus' chest and said to him, "Master, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it. (my emphasis).

So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him (my emphasis).  So, Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." Now none of those relining at table realized why he said this to him. Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him, "Buy what we need for the feast," or to give something to the poor. So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.

When he had left, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, 'Where I go you cannot come,' so now I say it to you."

Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later." Peter said to him, "Master, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times." (John 13:21-33, 36-38)

"So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him."  Did this really happen, or is it simply a compelling story from the Jewish imagination based on Jewish scripture?  I suspect the latter.

Consider that in 2 Samuel, the story of Ahitophel was told.  It’s a fascinating story very few of us know because who among us have read any part of 2 Samuel?  Ahitophel was one of King David’s closest advisers.  They were so close that they often shared a table and broke bread together. At one point, Ahitophel betrayed David and was caught. In response to his betrayal being discovered, Ahitophel hanged himself.  Sounds a bit like Judas.

Ahithophel had said to Absalom (David’s son): “Let me choose twelve thousand men and be off in pursuit of David tonight. If I come upon him when he is weary and discouraged, I shall cause him panic, and all the people with him will flee, and I shall strike down the king alone. Then I can bring back the rest of the people to you, as a bride returns to her husband. It is the death of only one man you are seeking; then all the people will be at peace.” This plan sounded good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel. (2 Samuel 17:1-4)

Absalom, David’s son, planned to overthrow his father and take over his father’s kingdom.  Ahithophel, whom David had trusted, allied himself with Absalom.  Satan entered Ahithophel and, perhaps Absalom as well.

Finally, consider Psalm 41:9 used by John in his Judas story regarding scriptures being fulfilled. This was a psalm of David bemoaning the betrayal by Ahithophel: “…All those who hate me whisper together against me; they imagine the worst about me: ‘He has had ruin poured over him; that one lying down will never rise again.’ Even my trusted friend, who ate my bread, has raised his heel against me” (my emphasis).

An understanding of Hebrew Scriptures goes a long way to help us appreciate the authors of the Gospels using the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) to make sense of the Christ.

Deacon David Pierce