Mt 26:14-25
14One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand [Jesus] over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, 16and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.
17On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says, “My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.” ’ ” 19The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover.
20When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. 21And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” 23He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. 24The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” 25Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.”
While they were Eating: One of the intriguing questions about the Last Supper is: Did Judas participate in the Eucharist? Was Judas still at the cenacle when Jesus distributed his body and blood to his disciples, and did he receive that gift even if he had decided to betray Jesus?
The Gospel tells us that Judas is at the supper. Jesus predicts the betrayal of Judas, giving the sign of a hand dipping into the dish. But this is before the Eucharist; Jesus has still to take and bless the bread and the cup. In John, Jesus hands the dipped morsel and gives it to Judas, and immediately Satan enters Judas (Jn 13:26-27). But John does not describe the Eucharist at the supper, so nothing can be made of the morsel given to Judas. Some point to Paul’s warning about eating the bread or drinking the cup of the Lord unworthily. This invites judgment on oneself: “That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying” (1 Cor 11:30). Paul probably refers to failure to discern the body of Christ in the poor. Would Christians detect in Paul’s general admonition a remembrance of Judas who ate unworthily and soon died, violently at that? Much as we would like to go deeper into the question about Judas’ participation in the Eucharist, our answers would be, at best, guess work.