The Gospel of Matthew Quotes
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Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. (Matthew 26:20-22, KJV)
Context
This line is spoken by Jesus of Nazareth in Matthew 26:20-22.
This verse takes place during Jesus' Last Supper. It's a pretty famous moment in the Bible, so we're gonna guess you've heard of it. Or at least seen the painting. But did you know that in the scene right before this, Judas Iscariot was plotting with the religious authorities to turn Jesus over to be killed? He gets thirty pieces of silver for his trouble. And, later, a lifetime in Hell. Well, at least according to Dante.
So it's pretty fitting that one of the first things Jesus says during the meal with his disciples is that someone sitting at the table with him is gonna betray him. How does Jesus know? Well, it's possible that he's heard it through the rumor mill in Jerusalem. It's no shock that the religious authorities have it in for him. But the other disciples do seem pretty darn surprised. Surely, not one of their inner circle would turn in J.C.?
Everyone is blind to Judas' true intentions. Everyone except Jesus that is. This verse just goes to emphasize his direct connection to God. Jesus knows exactly what is about to go down. He understands that he's going to die and that one of his friends will be the one to turn on him. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but Jesus never strays from God's plan for him. This guy is super loyal. Unlike some people we could name—cough! Judas! cough!
Where you've heard it
This is a pretty famous line from the gospels and you'll often hear it quoted in connection with—what else?—epic betrayals. Take that, traitors!
Additional Notable References:
- During an episode of Angel, the main character predicts, "This may come out a little pretentious, but one of you will betray me." Then Spike tries to volunteer.
- While eating his last supper in History of the World: Part I, Jesus predicts that someone will betray him and all the disciples start wondering who it could be while a waiter yells out "Judas!... Do you want a beverage?"
- In Jesus Christ Superstar, J.C. is pretty darned ticked when he sings the line, "One of you denies me, one of you betrays me."
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Angel is kind of right. If you're calling out your enemies with fancy predictions over dinner, you are pretty darn pretentious.