And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.
The inquiry began after Jesus announced that one of His own disciples would betray Him, declaring that the hand of His betrayer was with Him on the table and pronouncing woe upon that man. In response the disciples began to ask and dispute among themselves which of them it was that would do this thing. This occurred on the last evening Jesus spent with them, after the last Passover supper, as they were preparing to share the Passover and to establish the ordinance of foot washing. At that same time they were also disputing over who should be accounted greatest, comparing their own abilities and qualifications for advancing the kingdom.
Their questioning arose not from suspicion of one another but from searching their own hearts in fear and self-distrust, each wondering whether he himself might prove to be the betrayer. The very fact that they inquired among themselves in this way shows that they did not suspect Judas. The record stands as one that those who are full of assurance and self-confidence that their course is right should study carefully. It warns against presumptuous self-confidence such as Peter's, which led to his fall, and teaches the need for strong, persevering faith and entire trust in Christ as Leader, for strength lies not in what poor finite beings suppose they can do but in what Christ will do for them.
The inquiry began after Jesus announced that one of His own disciples would betray Him, declaring that the hand of His betrayer was with Him on the table and pronouncing woe upon that man. In response the disciples began to ask and dispute among themselves which of them it was that would do this thing. This occurred on the last evening Jesus spent with them, after the last Passover supper, as they were preparing to share the Passover and to establish the ordinance of foot washing. At that same time they were also disputing over who should be accounted greatest, comparing their own abilities and qualifications for advancing the kingdom.
Their questioning arose not from suspicion of one another but from searching their own hearts in fear and self-distrust, each wondering whether he himself might prove to be the betrayer. The very fact that they inquired among themselves in this way shows that they did not suspect Judas. The record stands as one that those who are full of assurance and self-confidence that their course is right should study carefully. It warns against presumptuous self-confidence such as Peter's, which led to his fall, and teaches the need for strong, persevering faith and entire trust in Christ as Leader, for strength lies not in what poor finite beings suppose they can do but in what Christ will do for them.