ey. Bullinger even thinks that he must have been a man re- markable for wisdom, prudence, economy, and faithfulness.
The supposition of some, that Jesus told Judas to " buy the things needed against the feast," shows clearly that our Lord did not work miracles in order to procure the necessaries re- quired by Himself and His disciples. Christians must buy and sell like other people, and must manage their money affairs with prudence and economy. It shows how little the disciples realized that their Master's death was close at hand.
The supposition of others, that Jesus told Judas to "give something to the poor," shows plainly what was our Lord's cus- tom in the matter of almsgiving. He sanctified and adorned the practice of caring for the poor by His own example. This passage, and Gal. ii, 10, deserve careful consideration. It may be doubted whether the English Poor Law has not tended to shut up English almsgiving far more than is right before God.
Let us mark the snares which attend the possession, finger- Ing, and handling of money. The man who has care of the money in our Lord's little company of followers, is the very man who makes shipwreck of his soul forever, through the love of money, " Give me neither poverty nor riches," should be a Christian's frequent prayer. (Prov. xxx, 8,)
Bullinger points out that the possession of money is evidently not in itself sinful and wicked, and argues from the verse that the Romish mendicant friars, and others who made a merit of self-imposed poverty, are under a complete delusion. It is not the having, but the misusing money which is sinful.
80. — [He then. ..receimd... sop. ..immediately out.] The hasty de parture of Judas as soon as our Lord had given him the mor- sel, and spoken the remarkable words already commented on, may easily be explained. He saw at once that our Lord knew all his plot, and dreaded exposure. His conscience condemned him, and he dared no longer sit in our Lord's company. He at any rate understood what our Lord meant, if nobody else did. He felt himself detected and discovered, and for very shama got up and went away.
It is curious and noteworthy that John, at all events, must have known Judas to be the traitor, and yet he seems to have said nothing.
It seems very difficult to me to explain this part of the his- tory of this memorable evening, unless we admit that Judas Iscariot received tlie Lord's Supper with the other Apostles, — From this point to the seizure of our Lord in the garden, the narrative flows on without break or interruption, and I cannot see any place at which the Lord's Supper can come in. I there- fore hold strongly that Judas was actually a communicant, — The subject is very fully discussed by Gerhard, who takes this view, and confirms it by quotations from Cyprian, Jerome An-
JOHN, CHAP. Xni.
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gustine, Clirjsostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, Tlieodoret, Eutliy- inius, Aquinas, FeruSjToletus, Bellarmine, Jansenius, Baronius, Maldonatus, Calvin, Beza, Martyr, Bucer, and Whittaker. After all tlie expression of Luke xxii. 21 appears to me unanswerable.
[And it icns night.'] This emphatic little sentence of course is not inserted without a meaning ; but why, we are left to con- jecture.
Perhaps it was meant to show us that Judas purposely waited till darkness, to accomplish his deed of darkness. " This is your hour, and the power of darkness." (Luke xxii. 53.)
Perhaps it was meant to show that Judas slunk off at a time when nobody could see where he went, follow him, or observe his movements.
Perhaps it was meant to show that the time was hastening on, and that our Lord had reason to say, " That thou doest, do quickly."
Perhaps it was only meant to mark the precise time when our Lord delivered the exquisite address of the next three chapters. St. John loves to mark time and places in his nar- rative.
One thing, at any rate, is very clear. The expression shows that the first Lord's Supper was not celebrated by day, but by night. The objections to an evening sacrament commonly made by certain persons, are really so untenable in the face of this passage, that one marvels how men of common sense can make them.