¹¹ For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

A second question arising from this verse is this: if Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him, why didn’t He stop the betrayal. Jesus could have revealed the plot to the other eleven, and their loyalty to Christ might have kicked in. After all, Peter later was quick with the sword to defend Jesus before the arresting mob (John 18:10)—might he have used it on Judas? At the very least, Jesus could have shamed Judas by confronting him publically.

But Jesus’ knowledge of the future extended beyond Judas’ actions . He had come for the purpose of dying for the sins of the world, so He could not stop Judas without stopping the entire process. Just like He could not respond to the taunt, “Save yourself and come down from the cross” (Mark 15:30) without undermining the greater purpose of saving the world.

But wasn’t there a way other than treachery? Was not Judas included in the beginning of the Upper Room event, where “… having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (13:1)? Certainly the God of the universe could have devised another way. But could it be He wanted to both show us the extent of Jesus’ love to the entire world, even to one who would betray Him, and also warn us that following Christ outwardly can hide a bent heart? But Judas rejected that love and suffered the consequences that even Christ’s love could not alter, since in fact, that love was rejected.

A third question arises. Why did Jesus choose Judas in the first place, if He knew him to ultimately be a betrayer? In fact, John does not shy away from making this fact absolutely clear. Jesus had already warned the twelve, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” (John 6:70). This falls in the purview of the doctrine of election, which we will encounter again in John 15:16. His foreknowledge and election are inescapably intertwined, and pondering these things will stretch the deepest thinking about God. It does not admit to superficial formulations or pat answers. Make no mistake, Jesus chose Judas, knowing that Judas would betray Him. However, Judas would be held fully responsible for his actions. God operates in dimensions beyond us, and it makes sense that there are some things too difficult for us to reconcile, this being one of them. But John, using simple language, certainly taxes our comprehension. Yet, at the same time, we sense the superiority of a God who does all things well, though they are hard to understand.

Lord, help me trust You in those complexities of Your ways that stretch my comprehension. You are infinitely good and wise, You make no mistakes.