Few will deny that the descent of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2) was the commencement of the Church of God, builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Most will admit that 1 Cor. 11:23-34 contains an entirely new revelation as to the Lord’s Supper for the Church of God, given to the Apostle Paul, because the truth of the Church was first revealed to him. None can refuse the truth that 1 Cor. 10:17, and ch. 5:11, effectually exclude such as Judas from the Lord’s Table; seeing, that on the one hand to members of the body only (those whose bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost) belongs the one loaf; and on the other, communion with a “covetous” man, if “called a brother,” is carefully guarded against and forbidden.
But even to those who assent to these facts it will not be without interest to inquire whether the traitor was really at the table when the Lord gave the bread and the cup to His disciples in. remembrance of Him.
Matt. 26:17-25 gives us the account of the celebration of the Paschal Feast, the announcement of the fact that the traitor was there, and the Lord’s assent to the question of Judas, indicating that he was the guilty one. Mark 14:12-21 substantiates this, omitting the latter clause. John 13:1-30 confirms it, adding the fact, which the others omit, that Judas goes out immediately on receiving the sop, and omitting (in character with his gospel) what Matthew and Mark mention, the new supper in remembrance of Him. In their gospels it clearly comes in after the departure of Judas (Matt. 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26).
Now let us turn to Luke 22, and here v. 21 presents an apparent, but not an insuperable difficulty.
It is now generally admitted that Mark and John alone preserve the historic order, the order of time—Matthew grouping events together to present a dispensational, while Luke does so to give a moral picture. Let us read vv. 19, 20, parenthetically (and in this those who have arranged the paragraphs have assisted us), and the difficulty vanishes; v. 21 Connects itself with v. 18, the order of time becomes the same as that of the other Evangelists, and Judas is found to have no place at the last supper, though his “ hand was “ on the table “ when the Passover was being celebrated.
The Late D. T. G.
[These remarks of one who has “gone before” will be read with interest by many, as an inquiry in measure into the question at head of paper, and often proposed. They are not dogmatic, nor are they put forth as such. Ed. W. of T.]