He
answered them, “It is one of the twelve, he who dips with me in the dish. For the Son of Man goes, even as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”
Mark 14:20-21
Mark 14 [19.] They began to be sorrowful, and to ask him one by one, “Surely not I?” And another said, “Surely not I?”
Mark 14 [20.] He answered them, “It is one of the twelve, he who dips with me in the dish. For the Son of Man goes, even as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”
Mark 14 [22.] As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had blessed, he broke it, and gave to them, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body.”
Meaning:
The disciples had asked, one after another, “Surely not I?” (Mark 14:19). Jesus’ answer does not publicly name the traitor. Instead it stresses how close the betrayer is, declares that his own death fulfils Scripture, and gives a solemn warning to the one who would betray him. In these words God’s plan and human responsibility stand side by side.
- “It is one of the twelve, he who dips with me in the dish”
At the Passover meal small groups shared common bowls. Pieces of bread and bitter herbs were dipped into a sauce, so several people at the table were dipping into the same dish as Jesus. His words did not single anyone out to the others; they emphasised the intimacy of the betrayal. The traitor was not a stranger but a friend who shared his food.
This again echoes the psalm: “Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate bread with me, has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9).
- “For the Son of Man goes, even as it is written about him”
“Son of Man” was Jesus’ favourite title for himself. It recalls Daniel’s vision of “one like a son of man” who receives an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 7:13). Yet Jesus taught that this glorious figure must first suffer: “the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
“As it is written” points to prophecies such as the suffering Servant in Isaiah: “But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus was not a helpless victim of Judas’ plot. He was going the way the Scriptures had marked out for him. Luke records the same saying: “The Son of Man indeed goes, as it has been determined” (Luke 22:22).
- “But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!”
God’s purpose did not excuse Judas. He acted freely and was fully responsible for what he did. Peter later preached the same balance: Jesus was “delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God”, yet taken “by the hand of lawless men” (Acts 2:23). Jesus taught the same principle elsewhere: “For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!” (Matthew 18:7).
The word “woe” is not only a threat. It is also a cry of grief, like a lament at a funeral. Jesus mourned over the man who was about to destroy himself.
- “It would be better for that man if he had not been born”
These are among the most solemn words Jesus ever spoke. They show the terrible seriousness of rejecting and betraying the Son of God. Judas did feel remorse when he saw that Jesus was condemned (Matthew 27:3), but he did not turn back to the one who could forgive him, and his life ended in despair (Acts 1:18).
Even so, Jesus spoke these words while Judas still sat at the table. The warning was also an appeal. There was still time to turn back.
The Significance of Mark 14:20-21
- Scripture will be fulfilled
The events of the cross did not happen by accident. They were the outworking of God’s plan, foretold in the Scriptures, to save sinners through the death of his Son.
- We are responsible for our choices
God’s sovereignty never cancels human responsibility. Each person must answer for how he or she responds to Jesus.
- A warning is an act of mercy
Jesus warned Judas because he did not want him to perish. “The goodness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4), and while there is time, every warning is an invitation to come back.
Cross-References:
Luke 22:22: "The Son of Man indeed goes, as it has been determined, but woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!" Luke’s account of the same words.
Isaiah 53:5: "But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities." What was written about the Servant.
Matthew 18:7: "For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!" God’s plan and human responsibility.
Acts 2:23: "him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed;" Peter’s explanation of the cross.
Conclusion: Jesus answered the disciples by saying that the betrayer was one of the twelve, a friend who shared his dish. He declared that the Son of Man was going to his death just as the Scriptures had foretold, yet he pronounced a grieving woe on the man who would betray him, saying it would have been better for him never to have been born. God’s saving plan was certain, and Judas remained responsible for his choice.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible