John 13:27

27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus said to him, "The thing that you will do -- do it quickly."

John 13:27 Meaning and Commentary

John 13:27

And after the sop, Satan entered into him
After he had taken and eaten the sop, or crust of bread, by which he was pointed out to be the betrayer, "Satan entered into him"; possessed his body, and filled his mind, and stirred him up more eagerly to pursue with rigour his wicked design. The Jews have a saying ^F12, that

``no man commits a transgression, until (twjv xwr wb onkn) , "a spirit of madness enters into him".''

Such an evil spirit entered into Judas, which pushed him on to commit this horrid iniquity:

then said Jesus to him, that thou doest, do quickly;
this he said, not as approving his wicked design, and exhorting him to it as a laudable action, but rather as deriding him, having nothing to care about, or fear from him; or as upbraiding him with his perfidy and wickedness, and signifying that he should take no methods to prevent him, though he fully knew what was in his heart to do; and it seems also to express the willingness of Christ, and his eager and hearty desire to suffer and die for his people, in order to obtain salvation for them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 T. Bab. Sota, fol. 3. 1. Tzeror Hammor, fol. 112. 1. & 117. 3.

John 13:27 In-Context

25 That follower leaned closer to Jesus and asked, "Lord, who is it?"

26 Jesus answered, "I will dip this bread into the dish. The man I give it to is the man who will turn against me." So Jesus took a piece of bread, dipped it, and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus said to him, "The thing that you will do -- do it quickly."

28 No one at the table understood why Jesus said this to Judas.

29 Since he was the one who kept the money box, some of the followers thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the feast or to give something to the poor.