The paschal meal: V. 17. And in the evening He cometh with the Twelve. V. 18. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with Me shall betray Me. V. 19. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto Him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?
In the evening, after the festival had actually begun, after sundown, Jesus came to the city with the remaining apostles, thus making the number of men in His company, Himself not included, twelve. Judas was brazen enough to keep up appearances to the last; he went with the rest as though nothing were wrong. And so the meal was begun and took its usual course. Compare Matt. 26, 20-26.
It was during the feast proper, after the singing of the first part of the Hallel (the praise psalms, 113-118) when they had received the bread and were partaking of the roasted lamb, that the Lord said, with deep emotion: Verily I say unto you that one of you will betray Me, one that is eating with Me; a reference to Ps. 41, 9.
This announcement caused the greatest consternation and sorrow in the circle of the disciples. The manner of Christ's announcement had emphasized the gravity of the offense:
And so they all, one after the other, put the worried or reproachful question: Surely it cannot be I? Even Judas, the traitor and hypocrite, coolly adds his voice to the general uproar.
But Jesus did not give them the satisfaction of hearing the name of the traitor. His loving Shepherd's heart was even then yearning for the poor, blinded sheep that had gone astray. It should not be for want of tender solicitude that Judas continued in his transgression.