John 13:22 Commentary and Bible Study

By saying this, Christ revealed to the disciples the need for heart searching. They went on looking at each other. Though they did not know it was Judas yet, this revelation about a betrayer casts them into tremendous searching of heart. The Greek tense goes on – then the disciples went on looking on one another. It was not over in a moment; they no doubt went on searching their hearts. Matthew 26:22 tells us, ‘And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?’ Each one asked, ‘Could it be me? I feel I love the Lord, I am bound to him, but is it possible I could be so wretched that I could be the betrayer?’ They were really worried. Of course, Judas asked the same, but he is such a hypocrite he knew it was himself – he asks in hypocrisy.This is very interesting because the Lord is about to inaugurate the Lord’s Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11:27 we read, ‘Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, [without examining himself] eateth and drinketh damnation,’ – the discipline of God – ‘to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.’ ‘Let a man examine himself’ before coming to the Lord’s Supper. Where did the apostle Paul get that from? When you read Matthew, Mark and Luke, you do not read any instruction that the people had to examine themselves. Well of course, it comes from the Gospel of John because right in front of the Lord’s Supper, the Lord causes each one to ask himself – Lord, is it I? There is the self-examination. They were called to the very deepest self-examination, right before the inauguration of the first Lord’s Supper. Right before the first Lord’s Supper, the disciples were brought by a shock to not only examine themselves but pledge themselves.