John 13:21
After Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit and testified, "Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me."
After Jesus had said this
This phrase sets the context for the verse, indicating a continuation from previous teachings and actions. The preceding verses describe Jesus washing the disciples' feet and teaching them about servanthood and love. The Greek word for "said" is "eipon," which implies a declaration or proclamation. This highlights the importance of Jesus' words as authoritative and significant, setting the stage for the gravity of the upcoming revelation.

He was troubled in spirit
The Greek word for "troubled" is "tarassō," which conveys a deep emotional disturbance or agitation. This phrase reveals the humanity of Jesus, showing that He experienced profound emotional turmoil. The "spirit" here refers to His inner being, emphasizing that this was not just a superficial concern but a deep, spiritual anguish. This moment underscores the weight of the impending betrayal and the sorrow it brought to Jesus, who was fully aware of the suffering He was about to endure.

and testified
The word "testified" comes from the Greek "martyreō," meaning to bear witness or give evidence. This term is often used in legal contexts, suggesting that Jesus is making a solemn declaration. His testimony is not just a prediction but a profound truth that He is revealing to His disciples. This act of testifying also fulfills His role as the ultimate witness to God's truth, even in the face of betrayal.

Truly, truly, I tell you
The repetition of "truly" (Greek "amēn, amēn") is a formula used by Jesus to emphasize the certainty and importance of His statement. It is a solemn affirmation that what follows is of utmost significance. In the Jewish tradition, "amēn" is a strong affirmation of truth, and its double use here underscores the gravity of the message. Jesus is preparing His disciples for a shocking revelation, ensuring they understand the seriousness of His words.

one of you will betray Me
This phrase is the heart of the verse, revealing the impending betrayal by one of Jesus' own disciples. The Greek word for "betray" is "paradidōmi," which means to hand over or deliver up. This betrayal is not just a personal affront but a fulfillment of scriptural prophecy and a pivotal moment in the salvation narrative. The phrase "one of you" highlights the intimate setting and the shocking nature of the betrayal, as it comes from within His closest circle. This moment serves as a profound reminder of human frailty and the cost of redemption, as Jesus willingly faces betrayal to fulfill His mission.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is the Son of God, who is fully aware of the impending betrayal by one of His disciples. His troubled spirit reflects His humanity and the emotional weight of the betrayal.

2. The Disciples
The twelve men chosen by Jesus to follow Him and learn from His teachings. They are present at the Last Supper, unaware of who among them will betray Jesus.

3. The Last Supper
This event takes place in the upper room in Jerusalem, where Jesus shares a final meal with His disciples before His crucifixion. It is a significant moment of teaching and revelation.

4. Judas Iscariot
Although not named in this specific verse, Judas is the disciple who will ultimately betray Jesus. His actions fulfill the prophecy and set the stage for the events leading to the crucifixion.

5. Jerusalem
The city where these events unfold, Jerusalem is central to the Jewish faith and the location of significant events in Jesus' ministry, including His crucifixion and resurrection.
Teaching Points
The Humanity of Jesus
Jesus' troubled spirit reminds us of His full humanity. He experienced emotions like sorrow and distress, which can comfort us in our own struggles.

The Reality of Betrayal
Betrayal is a painful reality that even Jesus faced. We can find solace in knowing that Jesus understands our pain and offers us His presence and peace.

Prophecy and Fulfillment
The betrayal of Jesus was foretold in Scripture, demonstrating God's sovereignty and the fulfillment of His redemptive plan through Christ.

Self-Examination
The disciples' questioning of who would betray Jesus encourages us to examine our own hearts and motives, ensuring our loyalty and faithfulness to Christ.

Forgiveness and Redemption
Despite the betrayal, Jesus' mission was to offer forgiveness and redemption. We are called to extend grace and forgiveness to others, even in the face of betrayal.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jesus' troubled spirit in John 13:21 reflect His humanity, and how can this understanding impact our relationship with Him during times of personal distress?

2. In what ways does the prophecy of betrayal in Psalm 41:9 enhance our understanding of God's sovereignty and the fulfillment of His plan in the New Testament?

3. How can the disciples' reaction to Jesus' announcement of betrayal serve as a model for self-examination in our own spiritual lives?

4. Considering the accounts of the Last Supper in the Gospels, what insights can we gain about the nature of true discipleship and loyalty to Christ?

5. How can we apply the principles of forgiveness and redemption, as demonstrated by Jesus, in our relationships with others who may have wronged us?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 41:9
This verse prophetically speaks of betrayal by a close friend, which is fulfilled in Judas' betrayal of Jesus.

Matthew 26:21-25
This passage parallels John 13:21, providing additional context and details about the betrayal during the Last Supper.

Mark 14:18-21
Another account of the Last Supper, emphasizing the sorrow and gravity of the moment when Jesus announces the betrayal.

Luke 22:21-23
Luke's account of the Last Supper, highlighting the disciples' confusion and questioning about who the betrayer might be.

Acts 1:16-20
Peter references the betrayal of Judas as a fulfillment of Scripture, showing the continuity of God's plan despite human actions.
A Disciple and Yet a TraitorJ.R. Thomson John 13:21
A Four-Fold Theme for ThoughtD. Thomas, D. D.John 13:18-30
A Last AppealT. Whitelaw, D. D.John 13:18-30
A Specially Loved DiscipleS. S. TimesJohn 13:18-30
A Title that was Better than a NameJohn 13:18-30
Can We Now Lean on Jesus' BosomBp. Stevens.John 13:18-30
Christianity not Responsible for the Words or Deeds of its ProfessorsH. C. Trumbull, D. D.John 13:18-30
Christ's Special Affection for St. JohnJohn Milne.John 13:18-30
Familiarity with ChristD. Thomas, D. D., S. S. Times., W. Denton, M. A.John 13:18-30
Horror of Treachery NaturalC. J. Brown, M. A., S. S. Tinges.John 13:18-30
IngratitudeJ. Brown, D. D.John 13:18-30
Jesus and the TraitorJ. Jowett, M. A.John 13:18-30
Judas, John, and PeterMonday ClubJohn 13:18-30
Leaning on Jesus' BosomJ. Morgan.John 13:18-30
Lying on Jesus' BreastG. J. Brown, D. D.John 13:18-30
Nearness to JesusT. Thomas.John 13:18-30
The Apostacy of JudasBaptist Noel.John 13:18-30
The Beloved DiscipleT. Summerfield, M. A.John 13:18-30
The Conspicuousness of ApostatesC. H. Spurgeon.John 13:18-30
The Dramatic Interest of the ActMonday ClubJohn 13:18-30
The Final StepJ. A. Froude.John 13:18-30
The History of Judas in Relation to the Divine DealingsG. T. Keeble.John 13:18-30
The Practical Uses of Christ's TroublesBp. Wordsworth.John 13:18-30
The Sacred BreastE. M. Golburn, D. D.John 13:18-30
The Saviour's TroubleBp. Ryle.John 13:18-30
The Sin and Folly of the Crime of JudasC. Stanford, D. D.John 13:18-30
The Successive Steps by Which the Traitor Reached the Climax of His GuiltC. Ross.John 13:18-30
The Sufferings of the Soul of JesusH. Kollock, D. D.John 13:18-30
The Timid Encouraged to CommunionJ. N. Norton, D. D., Bp. Ryle.John 13:18-30
Titled Believers; the Disciple Whom Jesus LovedC. H. Spurgeon.John 13:18-30
Warnings as to the Conduct of the TraitorC. Ross., D. Thomas, D. D.John 13:18-30
Why Did Christ Choose JudasW. J. Dawson.John 13:18-30
Why Jesus Roved JohnF. W. Robertson, M. A.John 13:18-30
Jesus and the TraitorB. Thomas John 13:21-30
People
Jesus, Judas, Peter, Simon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Betray, Certainly, Deep, Deliver, Earnestness, Saying, Solemn, Speaking, Spirit, Spoken, Testified, Testify, Thus, Troubled, Truly, Truth, Verily, Witness
Dictionary of Bible Themes
John 13:21

     1424   predictions
     2021   Christ, faithfulness
     2054   Christ, mind of
     5063   spirit, nature of
     5436   pain
     5559   stress
     5564   suffering, of Christ
     5970   unhappiness

John 13:18-30

     2570   Christ, suffering

John 13:21-26

     2045   Christ, knowledge of

John 13:21-27

     5798   betrayal
     8729   enemies, of Christ

Library
December 16 Morning
Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.--JOHN 13:1. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.--Greater
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

May 16 Morning
A servant of Jesus Christ.--ROM. 1:1. Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.--If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.--Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.--Being made free from sin, and become servants
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

July 10 Morning
The disciple is not above his master.--MATT. 10:24. Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.--If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep your's also.--I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

July 4 Morning
Leaning on Jesus' bosom.--JOHN 13:23. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.--They brought young children to him, that he should touch them. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.--Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.--A high Priest . . . touched with the feeling
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

July 28 Morning
Walk in love.--EPH. 5:2. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.--Above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.--Love covereth all sins. When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.--Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again.--Rejoice not when thine enemy
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

September 4 Evening
What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.--JOHN 13:7. Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. When I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.--Whom the Lord
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

October 21 Evening
The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.--JOHN 13:16,17. There was . . . a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief,
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

August 30. "Happy are Ye if Ye do Them" (John xiii. 17).
"Happy are ye if ye do them" (John xiii. 17). You little know the rest that comes from the yielded will, the surrendered choice, the abandoned world, the meek and lowly heart that lets the world go by, and knows that it shall inherit the earth which it has refused! You little know the relish that it gives to the blessing to hunger and thirst after righteousness, and to be filled with a satisfaction that worldly delight cannot afford, and then to rise to the higher blessedness of the merciful, the
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Love of the Departing Christ
'... When Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.'--JOHN xiii. 1. The latter half of St. John's Gospel, which begins with these words, is the Holy of Holies of the New Testament. Nowhere else do the blended lights of our Lord's superhuman dignity and human tenderness shine with such lambent brightness. Nowhere else is His speech at once so simple and so deep. Nowhere else have
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'Is it I?'
'And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him, Lord, is it I? 25. Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.'-MATT. xxvi. 22, 25. 'He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto Him, Lord, who is it?'--JOHN xiii. 25. The genius of many great painters has portrayed the Lord's Supper, but the reality of it was very different from their imaginings. We have to picture to ourselves some low table, probably a mere tray
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Dismissal of Judas
'... Then said Jesus unto Judas, That thou doest, do quickly.'--JOHN xiii. 27. When our Lord gave the morsel, dipped in the dish, to Judas, only John knew the significance of the act. But if we supplement the narrative here with that given by Matthew, we shall find that, accompanying the gift of the sop, was a brief dialogue in which the betrayer, with unabashed front, hypocritically said, 'Lord! Is it I?' and heard the solemn, sad answer, 'Thou sayest!' Two things, then, appealed to him at the moment:
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Cannot and Can
'Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek Me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go ye cannot come; so now I say to you.'--JOHN xiii. 33. The preceding context shows how large and black the Cross loomed before Jesus now, and how radiant the glory beyond shone out to Him. But it was only for a moment that either of these two absorbed His thoughts; and with wonderful self-forgetfulness and self-command, He turned away at once from the consideration of how the near future
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Seeking Jesus
'... Ye shall seek Me.'--JOHN xiii. 33. In the former sermon on this verse I pointed out that it, in its fullness, applies only to the brief period between the crucifixion and the resurrection, but that, partly by contrast and partly by analogy, it suggests permanent relations between Christ and His disciples. These relations were mainly--as I pointed out then--two: there was that one expressed by the subsequent words of the verse, 'Whither I go, ye cannot come'--a brief 'cannot,' soon to be changed
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Rash Vow
'Jesus answered him, Wilt them lay down thy life for My sake? Verily, verily I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied Me thrice.'--JOHN xiii. 38. In the last sermon I partly considered the dialogue of which this is the concluding portion, and found that it consisted of an audacious question: 'Why cannot I follow Thee now?' which really meant a contradiction of our Lord; of a rash vow; 'I will lay down my life for Thy sake'--and of a sad forecast: 'The cock shall not crow till
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Servant-Master
'Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that He poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded.'--JOHN xiii. 3-5. It has been suggested that the dispute as to 'which was the greatest,' which broke the sanctities of the upper chamber, was connected with
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Glory of the Cross
'Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God he glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him.'--JOHN xiii. 31, 32. There is something very weird and awful in the brief note of time with which the Evangelist sends Judas on his dark errand. 'He ... went immediately out, and it was night.' Into the darkness that dark soul went. That hour was 'the power of darkness,' the very keystone of
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'As I have Loved'
'A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another: as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.'--JOHN xiii. 34, 35. Wishes from dying lips are sacred. They sink deep into memories and mould faithful lives. The sense of impending separation had added an unwonted tenderness to our Lord's address, and He had designated His disciples by the fond name of 'little children.' The same sense here gives
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Quo Vadis?
'Peter said unto Him, Lord, why cannot I follow Thee now! I will lay down my life for Thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for My sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied Me thrice.'--JOHN xiii. 37, 38. Peter's main characteristics are all in operation here; his eagerness to be in the front, his habit of blurting out his thoughts and feelings, his passionate love for his Master, and withal his inability to understand Him, and his self-confident
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

October the Twentieth the Lord as the Servant
"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He came forth from God, and goeth to God...." --JOHN xiii. 1-20. And how shall we expect the sentence to finish? What shall be the issue of so vast a consciousness? "He took a towel, and girded Himself ... and began to wash the disciples' feet." So a mighty consciousness expresses itself in lowly service. In our ignorance we should have assumed that divinity would have moved only in planetary orbits, and would have
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

25TH DAY. Heavenly Illumination.
"He is Faithful that Promised." "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter."--JOHN xiii. 7. Heavenly Illumination. As the natural sun sometimes sinks in clouds, so, occasionally, the Christian who has a bright rising, and a brighter meridian, sets in gloom. It is not always "light" at his evening-time; but this we know, that when the day of immortality breaks, the last vestige of earth's shadows will for ever flee away. To the closing hour of time, Providence may be to him
John Ross Macduff—The Faithful Promiser

Love is the Touchstone by which the Reality of Truth is Perceived...
1. Love is the touchstone by which the reality of truth is perceived, and by it shall all men know that ye are My disciples (John xiii.35). I also make use of the sword of justice, so that at first sight some are inclined to think that, like Solomon, I intend to finish My work without mercy (1 Kings iii.16-28), but My object, like his, is to apply the touchstone of love which will bring out the truth, and show that you are the children of that God of Love who gave His life to save yours. You ought
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

The Paschal Meal. Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet.
(Thursday Evening of the Beginning of Friday.) ^D John XIII. 1-20. ^d 1 Now before the feast of the passover, Jesus knowing that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto his Father, having loved his own that were in the world, he loved them unto the end. [Since the second century a great dispute has been carried on as to the apparent discrepancy between John and the synoptists in their statements concerning the passover. The synoptists, as we have seen in the previous section,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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