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Humble Hero
Until this step, Judas had not gone beyond the possibility of
repentance. But when he left his Lord and his fellow disciples, he
had passed the boundary line. Jesus had left nothing undone that
could be done to save Judas. After he had twice agreed to betray
his Lord, Jesus still gave him opportunity to repent. By reading
the secret plan in the traitor’s heart, Christ gave Judas the final,
convincing evidence of His divinity. This was the last call to repent.
From the sacred supper, Judas went out to complete the work of
betrayal.
In pronouncing the woe on Judas, Christ also had a merciful
purpose toward His disciples. “I tell you before it comes,” He said,
“that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.” If
Jesus had remained silent, the disciples might have thought that their
Master did not have divine foresight and had been surprised. A year
before, Jesus had told the disciples that He had chosen twelve, and
that one was a devil. Now His words to Judas would strengthen the
faith of Christ’s true followers during His humiliation. When Judas
would come to his dreadful end, they would remember the woe that
Jesus had pronounced on the betrayer.
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And the Savior had still another purpose. He gave the disciples
something to consider regarding the patience and mercy of God
toward those who have committed some of the worst wrongs. The
betrayer was privileged to unite with Christ in partaking of the Lord’s
Supper. This example is for us. When we suppose someone to be
in error and sin, we should not divorce ourselves from him, leave
him to suffer temptation, or drive him onto Satan’s battleground.
It was because the disciples made mistakes and were faulty that
Christ washed their feet, and in this way He brought all but one to
repentance.
Christ’s Example Forbids Exclusiveness
It is true that open sin excludes the guilty at the Lord’s Supper.
See
1 Corinthians 5:11
. But beyond this none are to judge. Who
can read the heart or distinguish weeds from wheat? “Let a man
examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the
cup.” “Whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.