The title of this post is derived from an old saying.

The older I get (I’m now 68), the more I realize how much meaning is packed into even the seemingly small details in the Holy Bible. And, in this case, it’s not only the words themselves, but also the sequence of the events that they describe.

Today’s lesson starts with John 13:2-7.

The text starts with a notation that The Last Supper had just ended. That event was the beginning of the sacrament of Holy Communion. And, as we will see, “timing is everything”.

Immediately after the foot-washing, various disciples asked Jesus who would betray Him, even asking it it would be themselves. There is a profound lesson there. They had spent three years with Jesus and with each other. They had learned much about God, about life in this world, and about themselves. And yet, they were unsure whether they would betray Him. Think about that “timing”.

Now, let’s see how the discussion ended.

On the surface, this might seem small. But, it is huge.

First of all, Jesus definitively answered the question about who would betray Him. And, by so doing, He also fulfilled a prediction in Scripture. (Psalm 41:9)

So, not only did Jesus know “a few minutes before” Judas betrayed Him, but also the pre-incarnate Jesus knew hundreds of years before that night. Timing…. “But wait, there’s more….”

Judas received the bread after The Last Supper. In other words, Judas got “a little extra” food that the other disciples did not get — just as he got “a little extra” from the money bag that he had been entrusted with. (John 12:5, cf.) Timing….

Of course, it goes even deeper than that — soul deep. It was not merely that Judas was greedy, but also that his greed became the doorway to the even greater sin of betrayal. Notice in John 13:27 (quoted above, red highlighting) that “Satan entered him” at that point. Prior to that point, Judas heart had “inclined toward Satan”. But at this point, Satan “entered” Judas and took over completely. Timing….

There is even more to this detail. See 1st Corinthians 11:29, below.

By taking the bread after The Last Supper had ended, and while contemplating betrayal, Judas “ate judgement upon himself” by rendering the forgiving power of Holy Communion worthless to himself. Judas mocked “the bread that comes down from Heaven” (Jesus, the Son of God), and God is not mocked. Thus, by mocking the forgiveness of Jesus, greedy Judas allowed Satan to enter himself.

You might think that the lesson would end here, but there is even more!

Some people try to use the two passages above as “proof” that the Holy Bible contradicts itself. But, it does not. Judas received a triple punishment for betraying Jesus! Matthew 27:5 says that Judas “hanged himself”, while Acts 1:18 says that Judas “fell headlong” and then “all his intestines spilled out”. Scoffers think of this as “either/or”, and thus a contradiction. But, in reality, it was both. Timing….

Judas hanged himself from a tree at the top of a cliff. (The tree is still there. See below.) But then, the tree branch broke. Thus, rather than a quick and painless death from the snapping of the spinal cord, Judas “fell headlong” — meaning that he could see that he was about to smack face-first into the rocky ground below! And then, when he hit the ground, “all his intestines spilled out” — an extremely painful condition. (My guess is that Judas was pierced by the broken tree branch lying next to him, thus paralleling the impalement of evil Haman on the Persian “gallows” [actually a very tall impalement stake] in the Book of Esther.) If my guess is correct, then Judas was lying there on the rocky ground, still alive, with his intestines exposed to the sunlight. It must have literally “burned like Hell”. God made sure that Judas was punished thoroughly! Split-second timing and sequence.

So, what is the application of this lesson? Take a little time to think about what happened to Judas the next time that you are tempted to “take a little extra” when closing the cash register at work, “take a little extra” sex from your neighbor’s spouse, “take a little extra” political power that the Constitution does not authorize, etc. etc.