Calvary Road Baptist Church
“THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SOP”
John 13.18-30
My wife and I celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary Friday by spending most of the day walking through the Getty Center Museum in Brentwood and then walking through the Pierce Brothers Mortuary and Cemetery in Westwood. The cemetery visit was to take a look at where Mel Torme, Burt Lancaster, Don Knotts, Peter Falk, Merv Griffin, and Walter Mathau were buried, and to see if Roy Orbison’s family had bothered to put a marker on his grave yet. The Getty visit was to enjoy great works of art in a world-class museum, soak up superb weather in great surroundings, and eat a wonderful meal with my honey at their cafe.
Wifey and I chatted a bit about what we would do on our forty-fifth anniversary, relaxed on a very leisurely day, and generally enjoyed each other’s company at a much slower pace than our days are usually spent. While we were at the Getty, I was reminded once more how frequently well-intentioned artists display their genius on canvas while projecting their culture back 1,500 to 2,000 years. Folks, we do the same in our day.
One portrait in particular amusingly showed a young David, before he became king, receiving Goliath’s sword from the high priest, Ahimelech, First Samuel 21.8-9. Don’t get me wrong. The painting wonderfully displays the artist’s skill and eye for detail. But his work pictured David decked out with helmet and breastplate like a sixteenth-century A. D. Swiss guard at the Vatican rather than a tenth century B. C. Israelite on the run from his king.
When reading God’s Word, it is important to recognize that while Scripture wonderfully records timeless truths for our benefit, it often does so in a cultural setting that is so different from our own that caution must be exercised so we don’t lose sight of valuable lessons that can be learned. We run that kind of risk with the passage considered today, which is John 13.18-30:
18 I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
19 Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
25 He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.
29 For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.
Many of you already realize that the Passover meal in the Upper Room would not have been eaten by men sitting abreast on chairs, like da Vinci’s famous Last Supper painting.[1] The men in the Upper Room were reclining on their left sides, eating with their right hands, heads toward the table, with their feet outward. This explains not only the Lord’s washing of their feet but also John (to the immediate right of the Savior) easily lying on the Savior’s breast, verses 23 and 25.
What you may not realize, however, is the significance to those men of that day and in that culture, of the sop. Let me read a few lines to you from Fred H. Wight’s Manners and Customs of Bible Lands, published by Moody Press. I think it will shed some light on the matter:
Oriental customs of eating must be kept in mind in order to understand the meaning of the words and action of Jesus, in relation to Judas Iscariot at the last supper. Mark’s account reads:
Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish (Mark 14:18-20).
Some have supposed that Judas was in the position where he would be dipping at the same time with Jesus into the dish, and that he was thus singled out as the betrayer. But this could hardly be, since the other disciples did not discover who the betrayer was from these words of Jesus. Since they all had been eating from the same large dish, these words of Jesus, “he that dippeth with me in the dish,” did not identify any one of them. All of them, as well as Judas, had been dipping into the dish with Jesus. Jesus was simply informing them that one of them now eating with him would become his betrayer.
Again, Christ’s giving of the “sop” to Judas was in accordance with certain Eastern custom still observed in modern times. John reports what was done and said:
He then lying on Jesus’ breast said unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot (John 13:25, 26).
What is meant by the “sop”? It is the most tasty morsel of food being served at the feast. It may be served in the “bread spoon,” but is more often picked up by the host with his thumb and finger, and handed directly to one of the guests. But why is a sop given to one of the guests? A native and resident of Bible lands says that certain villagers there have this custom of giving the sop today, and he describes the purpose of the act thus:
It is with them a mark of special respect for the master of the feast to hand to a guest portions of what is before him, or to insist on putting morsels or sops into his mouth with his own hand. I have had this done to me several times, when the intention was certainly to honor and manifest good will.
The meaning of what Christ did then was most certainly to extend love and friendship to the very one who was going to betray him. The act has been described as if the Lord were saying to the traitor:
Judas, my disciple, I have infinite pity for you. You have proved false, you have forsaken me in your heart; but I will not treat you as an enemy, for I have come not to destroy, but to fulfill. Here is my sop of friendship, and “that thou doest do quickly.”[2]
Wight continues,
In the lands of the East, when a host accepts a man to be his guest he thereby agrees at whatever the cost to defend his guest from all possible enemies during the time of his entertainment. Dr. Cyrus Hamlin, an American missionary in the East, was entertained by a governor. The host took a piece of roast mutton and handed it to the missionary, saying as he did so, “Now do you know what I have done?” In answering his own question he went on to say: “By that act I have pledged you every drop of my blood, that while you are in my territory no evil shall come to you. For that space of time we are brothers.” The Psalmist felt utterly secure, though he had enemies close by him, when he knew that God was his host. “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies” (Psa. 23:5).
Among Eastern nations it is considered a terrible sin indeed for anybody who has accepted hospitality from a host to turn against him in the doing of an evil deed. This feeling goes back to very ancient times and is often alluded to by various writers. The prophet Obadiah refers to this sin: “The men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee ... They that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee” (Obad. 7). The Psalmist David speaks of this terrible evil, “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me” (Psa. 41:9). And the Lord Jesus quotes this very passage from the Psalms as having its fulfillment in the treachery of Judas the betrayer, who ate at the same table with Him (John 13:18).[3]
Cultural values change over time. Sometimes things that are terrible now were not terrible back in the day. As well, sometimes things that were horrible back in the day are of no appreciable significance in our day. With a better understanding of the cultural setting in which our text is found, consider four aspects of this account recorded for us by the Apostle John:
First, THE IMPORTANT SCRIPTURE
18 I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
19 Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
Please recognize that my reference to important Scripture has to do with the Old Testament passage referred to by the Lord Jesus Christ, when He said, “but that the scripture may be fulfilled.” As mentioned before, when I read from Wight’s book, this is a reference to Psalm 41.9. Related to that particular passage, notice the four particulars our Lord wanted His men to understand:
First, He narrows the scope of His comments so they will later realize if they were too distracted to understand at the time He spoke these words, that He was remarking about Judas Iscariot. That is verse 18:
“I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.”
The first phrase of the verse, “I speak not of you all,” protected those eleven men who did not betray their Lord from misapplying His comments and feeling guilty about matters they were innocent about. They would have enough to feel badly about over the next twelve hours, and the Lord as a result of this protected them from needless grief. They would have enough grief without this. The next phrase, “I know whom I have chosen,” is a reminder that nothing was taking the Savior by surprise. When He chose those twelve men to be His apostles, He knew very well that one of them would betray Him. How this comment should comfort us, that our Savior is never caught unawares. The verse concludes with “but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me,” to inform the knowledgeable student of God’s Word precisely what was unfolding. The King of the Jews, the Messiah of Israel, who had already fulfilled so many Old Testament predictions, was preparing to experience yet another fulfillment of prophecy, one that in their culture was exceptionally despicable, as we just have been made aware.
Second, take a close look at verse 19 again:
“Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.”
Though it is not frequently pointed out by commentators, this verse contains one of our Lord’s very significant “I am” statements, á¼gá½½ eá¼´mi. It is at the end of the verse, a bit concealed with the italicized word he that is not found in the Greek text. The point of this verse is to remind His eleven men ahead of time (with Judas still there, remember), that when everything comes to light and his betrayal is exposed, they will know that their Lord knew ahead of time, that it was part of His perfect plan for our redemption, and that they will believe that “I am,” á¼gá½½ eá¼´mi, the self-existant One, the LORD who spoke to Moses from the burning bush, Exodus 3.14.
Third, the first of two “verily, verily” statements is in two parts in verse 20:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.”
With the words “Verily, verily, I say unto you,” with “verily” translating this announcement word á¼€má½´n, meaning “so be it,” the Lord Jesus Christ notifies the men in the Upper Room of an extremely important announcement. It is more significant than a sergeant walking into a barracks and saying to his soldiers, “Men, listen up.”
“He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me,”
envisions four personalities. In your thinking, consider God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Gospel minister sent by the Savior, and the person who is receptive to the message and ministry of the Gospel minister. That’s four personalities referred to in these two phrases.
Phrase #1 is “He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me.” The Lord Jesus Christ asserts that the person who is receptive to the ministry and message of the Gospel minister sent by the Savior is receptive to the Savior, Himself. Let me read it again: “He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me.” Three individuals referred to in that phrase.
Phrase #2 is “and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” This phrase shows, in turn, that the person who is receptive to the Lord Jesus Christ is receptive to God the Father. Do you see this astonishing spiritual linkage? There is, the Lord Jesus Christ tells us, a spiritual connection between the person who receives the Gospel minister sent by Christ, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and also God the Father.
The Lord is not claiming that the relationship of the Gospel minister to Christ is the same as the relationship Christ has with God the Father, but that there is something there. With Judas Iscariot, the breakdown occurs between the Savior and the one chosen to be an apostle, who ended up betraying the Savior, verse 21. But the breakdown can also occur when the sinner is unreceptive to the Gospel minister sent by the Savior.
Would you please consider how it is, in this verse, that the connection of the Father to the Son, the Son to the Gospel minister, and the Gospel minister to the sinner in need of salvation is supposed to take place when the sinner is unreceptive to the Gospel minister’s message and ministry? It is very difficult to be unreceptive to me without being unreceptive to my message. I sure wish unsaved parents would realize how their attitudes toward a Gospel minister influence their children’s receptivity to the Gospel message.
Verse 21:
“When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.”
In verse 20, the Savior brought to their attention the linkage between God the Father, the Savior, the Gospel minister sent by the Savior, and the person who is hopefully receptive to the Gospel minister. Verse 21 is where our Lord makes the painful announcement to the eleven while the betrayer is still in the Upper Room. The first half of verse 21 reveals the Lord Jesus Christ’s agitation:
“When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified.”
Our Lord took Judas Iscariot’s betrayal to heart. He truly loved that wicked man, and He showed it by this reaction, as well as by what He does momentarily. This reminds me of a mother or a father who has tough decisions to make regarding beloved but sinning child, leaving them troubled in spirit as the Savior is shown to be here. Then comes the heartbreaking announcement:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.”
This is an important announcement, as seen by “verily, verily.” But the eleven had to be told. One of the reasons they had to be told by the Savior, rather than learning of it themselves, was the crucial matter of framing Judas Iscariot’s behavior as betrayal. The spiritual leader must be the first one out with the bad news so he can properly frame wicked conduct, label it as wicked conduct. It is negligent to leave wickedness unlabeled, so wrongdoers are left to show their sin in a good light by twisting the truth and warping people’s memories of what actually happened.
Next, THE IMPORTANT SEARCH
22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
25 He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
May I beg your indulgence to suggest that these men are engaged in searching for the identity of the betrayer in two realms?
What John writes in verses 22-25 is the most obvious realm of their search. Notice that the disciples are searching externally. They are looking at one another, looking for clues as to the identity of the betrayer. John points out that they doubted, not what the Savior said, but of whom He was saying it. Interestingly, the most aggressive of the apostles, Simon Peter, urges the youngest of the apostles, John, to ask the Lord who this betrayer might be. Apparently reclined next to the Lord, he likely rolled back, his head coming to rest on the Savior’s breast, and inquired, “Lord, who is it?”
But while those men were engaged in an external inquiry, both looking around and asking who this betrayer might be, they were also no doubt engaged in an unreported but very natural internal inquiry. Who among them had not failed the Savior time and again throughout their three-year course of training? What is discipleship if it does not involve struggle, failure, recovery, and renewed effort? Therefore, while they were looking about and inquiring of one another who it might be, there can be little doubt that they were also wondering, “Is it me? Does the Master know about a betrayal that I will act out that I do not yet know about myself?”
Third, THE IMPORTANT SIGN
Verse 26 begins,
“Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it.”
We know from Wight’s book that in all likelihood, all thirteen men at the table would reach to a large bowl or platter and retrieve food to eat during the meal. As was typical at Passover meals, there was much good cheer, except for their astonishment when the Lord startled them by washing their feet and then when He announced the presence of a betrayer.
For most of the afternoon and into the evening, they had been eating and talking, talking and eating, and possibly laughing and reminiscing. Hands were constantly reaching and withdrawing, reaching and withdrawing, so no one would have paid any attention to any one man’s hand.
The careful observer, however, would have been able to discern who the betrayer was. It was the only man at the table to whom the Lord Jesus Christ gave the morsel of honor, the sop taken by the host to give to his special guest. Though the Savior did that, no one noticed the important sign.
Finally, THE IMPORTANT SEQUENCE
26 ... And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.
29 For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.
Let me rehearse the discreet events that unfolded:
First, the Savior gave the sop to Judas Iscariot, thereby showing him love, showing him honor as a favored guest, and signifying to anyone who had been attentive to notice, that he was the betrayer.
Next, after that wicked man received his Host’s gracious gift of the sop, Satan entered him.
Third, the Lord Jesus said to him, “That thou doest, do quickly.”
Fourth, the eleven other men heard what the Savior said but misunderstood what the Savior meant, and some of them drew a completely erroneous conclusion.
Finally, Judas Iscariot, the son of perdition, left immediately after he received the sop. John here gives us a time stamp. It was night.
Four concluding comments about this tragic sequence of events:
First, the Savior clearly loved him, as He showed him. He honored Judas Iscariot with the sop. As well, the Lord did not engage in rumor-mongering. He rightly told His men there would be betrayal, but He did not disclose the betrayer. There was a reason for withholding that information.
Next, the Lord Jesus Christ confronted Judas Iscariot with his wicked scheme. He confronted him when He told all present of the impending betrayal, He confronted him when He gave him the sop, and He finally confronted him when He said, “That thou doest, do quickly.” Our Lord is direct.
Third, Satan was the master schemer behind all this, as he always is when opposition is mounted against God and His Christ. The battlefield is in the human mind, and the master deceiver has thousands of years’ experience with multiplied thousands of dupes who succumb to his tricks, with each individual fully responsible for disloyalty to the Son of God.
Finally, notice that Judas Iscariot could have chosen to stop at any time, but he did not. No one forced him. No one coerced him. He acted out the depravity of his own greedy soul and fulfilled a prediction that had been made a thousand years earlier.
What conclusions can be drawn from this portion of Scripture that records the tragic events of that betrayal so long ago? Let me, in a sense, work backward, if I may.
First, spiritual leaders must take the initiative properly to frame the sinful deeds of others. A spiritual leader cannot allow a bad actor to paint himself or herself in a good light to confuse the naive. The Savior was absolutely right to frame Judas Iscariot’s choice as a betrayal. In like manner, a mother or father, or a pastor, cannot allow sexual sin to be described as love, cannot allow stealing to be described as a mistake, cannot allow lying to be described as “my version of the events,” cannot allow rebellion to be described as a difference of opinion, or any other description the wicked may conjure up to show themselves in a good light so they can justify their sins at a later time. The Savior showed His love for the eleven by using the word “betray,” for a betrayal it most certainly was.
Second, notice the place of Satan in Judas Iscariot’s wicked scheme. Though the Word of God does not always show the involvement of Satan in acts of rebellion, or words of deceit, or attitudes of arrogance and pride, he or his are always there when such sins are evident. Make no mistake about that. He is the master deceiver. He is the father of lies. He is the originator of pride and rebellion. His existence is wrapped up in opposing the plan and purpose of God, God’s Son, God’s Spirit, and God’s people. Yet he has already lost his long war against God.
Third, notice the Savior’s attitude toward this one who was conspiring to sell him out for thirty pieces of silver, and who would point Him out for arrest to those whose goal was His crucifixion on a cruel Roman cross. He spoke tenderly to him, even while speaking directly at the end. He showed Judas Iscariot love and honor by giving him the sop instead of giving the morsel to someone else in the room. And, most telling to me, notice that He did not call Judas Iscariot out by name in front of the others. Why would He do that? I speak as a man, understand. Judas Iscariot had, at every step in the sequence that unfolded, every opportunity to stop what he was planning to do, to cease from the conspiracy he was hatching, and fall down before his Lord and cry, “Oh, Lord. I have been so wrong. Please forgive me.” Had he done that, the Savior would have forgiven him on the spot.
What Judas Iscariot should have done, you can still do, my friend. Often we feel, once we have started in a certain direction like we are compelled to continue, like we have to finish what we have started. Not true. At any time, you can turn from your sins to trust Christ as your Savior. I urge you to do what Judas Iscariot should have done 2,000 years ago. Drop what you are doing and trust Jesus Christ now.
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[1] https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=DaVinci+Last+Supper+Original&FORM=RESTAB
[2] Fred H. Wight, Manners And Customs Of Bible Lands, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1953), pages 66-68.
[3] Ibid., page 78.
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