Have you ever had a close friend of yours turn against you for no good reason?  It really hurts, doesn’t it?  King David had that experience and he comments on it in Psalm 41:9 where he says “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.”  In the east, to eat bread with someone was a sign of friendship and loyalty.  In 2 Samuel 9, verses 7 and 13, King David granted to Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, the privilege of eating at his table.  Going back to Psalm 41:9, it appears that David is talking about Ahithophel, his trusted counsellor who, in 2 Samuel 16 and 17, conspired with David’s son, Absalom, to have David murdered, but David found out about it.  In chapter 13 of John’s gospel, Jesus is in a similar situation.  He had just washed His disciples’ feet and they were about to eat the Passover meal together when Jesus quotes verse 9 of Psalm 41.  Jesus’ heart is filled with sorrow at that moment, and He is communicating that sorrow to His disciples, including Judas, whom He has just referred to as His “close friend”.

I.  JESUS PREDICTS HIS BETRAYAL (verses 18-21)

We see a change of emphasis in verse 18 of John chapter 13, from the topic of humility to Jesus’ prediction that one of them would betray Him.  Jesus says, “I know the ones I have chosen”, that is “chosen to apostleship”.  Jesus didn’t make any mistakes when He chose His disciples.  He prayed all night before He chose them, yet all the while He knew the prophecy that one of them would betray Him, would “lift up his heal” to do violence to Jesus.  That description gives me a picture in my mind of a horse lifting its hoof to kick someone.  In verse 19 Jesus says that He is going to tell them what will happen to Him so that when it does occur, “you may believe that I am.”  Some translations add the word “he” but that word is not in the Greek text.  The phrase “I am” is one of the Old Testament names for God and Jesus has used that phrase several times to refer to Himself.  Then Jesus gives them a word of encouragement in verse 20, reminding them that they are His ambassadors, just as He represents the Father.

Now in verse 21, Jesus gets very direct with them.  Have you ever watched a mystery movie that had a scene in which there were several people in a room, and the detective looks around at each one of them and says, “the murderer is in this room?”  The scene is very similar here in verse 21 where Jesus says, “One of you will betray me.”  By saying those words, Jesus may have been giving His betrayer an opportunity to abandon his evil plan.  The word “betray” is the translation of a Greek word that means “to deliver up” or to deliver over someone to imprisonment and death.

II.  THE DISCIPLES’ RESPONSE (verses 22-25)

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