Luke 22:23 Meaning and Explanation
“And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →A room full of men who had followed Jesus for years cannot pick out the traitor among them. That single fact carries weight for anyone who assumes betrayal looks obvious from the outside. Luke records the searching that follows the announcement, and he places it immediately before an argument of a very different kind.
After Jesus says the hand of his betrayer is on the table, the apostles start questioning one another about which of them could do such a thing. None of them can name him.
The Context of Luke 22:23
The scene is the passover meal on the night before the crucifixion. Verses 14 through 20 record Jesus taking bread and cup, giving thanks, and speaking of his body given and of the new testament in his blood. Verse 21 states plainly that the hand of his betrayer is with him at the table, and verse 22 declares both the determined path of the Son of man and the woe resting on the man who hands him over. Verse 23 gives the reaction of the apostles. Verse 24 turns at once to a dispute over which of them ought to be accounted greatest.
What Does Luke 22:23 Mean?
Luke writes that they 'began to enquire,' a phrase describing a discussion getting under way with no resolution in sight. The searching happens 'among themselves,' circulating from man to man around the table. Its object is a person, 'which of them it was,' so the group is examining its own membership. The deed goes unnamed, called only 'this thing,' as though the proper word for it would not come. Notice also what the verse withholds. Luke gives no answer here, no pointing finger, and no confession. The meal continues with the identity of the betrayer still concealed inside the circle of the twelve.
Placement carries the meaning. Jesus has just given bread and cup with words about his body and blood, and the very next thing recorded is a table where sin is present and undetected. Scripture had prepared readers for such a scene. The psalms of David lament the trusted friend who shared bread and then turned, and the prophets describe covenants broken by people who kept eating together. Verse 24 then exposes something further. The men who could not find the betrayer had no trouble ranking themselves, and Jesus answers that argument by describing himself as the one who serves. Searching and self-promotion sit side by side in a single paragraph.
The questioning in this verse became a permanent part of Christian practice at the Lord's table. Paul instructs the Corinthians to examine themselves before eating the bread and drinking the cup, which is the same motion Luke describes here. The inability of the apostles to spot the traitor keeps that examination honest, since it removes the option of scanning the room and settling on somebody else. Jesus knew who it was and still held the meal out to the whole table. Such patience toward a man who had already arranged to hand him over says a great deal about the one whose body was given.
Luke 22:23 in the Original Language
syzeteo (συζητέω), 'enquire' -- to search something out together by discussion. The word carries the sense of questioning back and forth within a group that has not yet arrived at an answer.
Bible Verses Related to Luke 22:23
“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.”
- Psalm 41:9
“And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?”
- Matthew 26:22
“Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.”
- John 13:22
“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”
- 1 Corinthians 11:28
Where Luke 22:23 Echoes in Scripture
1 Corinthians 11:28 carries this moment forward into the life of the church. Paul tells the Corinthians that a person is to examine himself and so eat of that bread and drink of that cup, writing to a congregation whose gatherings had become disorderly and divided. The instruction assumes what Luke records, that holding a place at the table settles nothing by itself. The question the apostles put to each other becomes a question every participant is invited to put to himself.
How to Apply Luke 22:23 Today
The instinct this verse commends is inward inquiry. Before a meal, before a meeting, before a hard conversation, it is worth asking what we are actually carrying into the room. Most betrayals of trust begin small and stay hidden for a while, in a private resentment, a quiet arrangement, or a habit of saying one thing here and another thing there. Naming those early keeps them from growing. The apostles went around the table looking at one another; the more useful direction is the one Paul later recommends, a long look at ourselves that leaves the judging of others alone.
Reflection & Prayer
If I asked honestly what I might be hiding as I come to the Lord's table, what would come to mind first? A prayer: Lord Jesus, you shared bread with a man who had already betrayed you, and you offer it to me knowing everything. Search me. Bring hidden things into the light while they are still small, and keep my heart loyal to you.