Alluding to Psalm 41:9, Jesus identified His betrayer as one who “dipped his hand with Me in the bowl.” During the Passover there were times when, just like today, people sharing a meal would serve themselves food from the same containers, like dipping bread or a sprig into a cheese dip. Until now Jesus’ pronouncements of woe had been directed only at the religious hypocrites who opposed Him. But now He leveled this against one of His intimates, one of His hand-chosen disciples—better if that one had not been born!

Judas was not just a volunteer; Jesus had selected him along with the others, as He said to them earlier, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” (John 6:70). That’s odd. Why would Jesus have chosen one whom He knew would betray Him, and then say, it would have been good for that person not to have ever come into existence? This begs another question, “Why did God create people whom He knew would reject Christ?” At this point we touch on a wild vortex at the confluence of God’s purpose for all of creation: His sovereign foreknowledge, predestination, election – and the free, responsible choices inherent in humanity. None of us can escape difficult questions (not even atheists), nor can we fully comprehend the mystery of them. Our finite minds are simply too puny to figure it all out.

Though this may confound us, it should not cause worry to anyone. For believers in Christ, we rejoice that we are His. Those with hardened hearts have nothing to complain about for they do only as they choose, they are not coerced against their wills. Objections to the contrary are unconvincing, for one cannot legitimately use philosophical or theological reasoning to argue against his own choices. Such would be a self-defeating argument. In any case, atheists shouldn’t care because they don’t believe in God anyway.

When Judas asked his hypocritical question, mimicking the others, “Surely it is not I?” he added “Rabbi” instead of “Lord.” Jesus was not at all his master! The Lord responded by simply pointing out the sourness of those words in the betrayer’s mouth. And as we know from John 13, Judas did not wrestle with his conscience, but immediately left after this exposure in the eyes of Jesus.