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Gospel Reading for April 15, 2025 – John 13: 21-33, 36-38
SO EASY
Tuesday of Holy Week
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.” 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. So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Now none of those reclining 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.”
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Jesus was deeply troubled. Was it because of his impending suffering and death, or was it because of pity for Judas who was to betray him? The scene is almost unrealistic. Jesus identifies his soon to be betrayer, but no one tries to stop Judas. Judas himself, after taking the morsel from Jesus, left at once. Jesus also did not stop him but even told him to do it quickly. Some of us may think that since Jesus’ passion and death was bound to happen, someone had to be the betrayer, and alas for Judas he had to be the one. In Matthew 26: 24, Jesus says: “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
But, when we come to think of it, it was SO EASY for Judas to be the betrayer because of his love for money (John 12: 5-6). With Jesus, he was going to make 30 pieces of silver. It is the same with us. It will be so easy for the devil to use us when our ways are already evil. There will be no effort on his part.
We can also learn from Peter, who was overly confident he would lay down his life for Jesus. We can never be overly confident to be loyal to Jesus, but we can ask the Spirit to help strengthen us during times like this.
Lord Jesus, forgive us for the times we betrayed you; for the times we chose the enemy instead of you!
