Omniscience

Coming from Latin for “all” omni and “to know” sciens, omniscience means “to know all things.” It’s an attribute of God. David spoke of this in Psalm 139:

YHWH – you search and know me.

You know my sitting and standing.

You understand my thoughts from a distance.

You examine my journeys and rests.

All my paths – you watch over (v. 1–4).

Jesus often exemplified this attribute. He saw Nathaniel sitting under a fig tree before Philip talked with him about Jesus (John 1:48). He knew that a centurion’s son and a Syrophoenician’s daughter were well at home without seeing them (Matt 8:13; Mark 7:29).

Before the celebration of the Passover meal, his disciples came and asked him where he would like to celebrate the festival (Mark 14:12). He said,

“Go into the city and see a man carrying a clay jar with water. Follow him. When he enters a house, you ask his master, the house owner: The teacher asks, ‘Where is my guestroom where I will eat Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a well-furnished upstairs room. There you’ll prepare the Passover for us.” (14:13–15)

Just as Jesus instructed, the disciples entered the city, found the upper room, and prepared the Passover for him (14:16). One can argue that Jesus had prearranged this. Yet, one is left with an uneasy feeling that he knew all the details and that the house owner, without hesitation, gave the upper room for his usage.

The meal wasn’t a happy occasion. Jesus said,

“Truly I say to you: one among you – one who eats with me – will betray me.” (14:18)

In any culture, betrayal is bad. But in ancient culture, one who eats with a friend to betray him/her was unimaginable. Eating with someone was so intimate that those who ate would give their lives for the other. But in this case, he who ate with Jesus would betray him. Hearing him,

“The disciples grieved and said to one another: I will not be that one.” (14:19)

But Jesus was relentless.

“One of the twelve, who dips with me into the bowl, will betray me.” (14:20)

The Hebrews shared common bowls where they dipped their bread, like us dipping our bread in an olive oil and vinegar dish. That showed intimacy and fellowship. Such a person would betray him, one of his twelve disciples, handpicked people!

His betrayal wasn’t unexpected. Jesus went to his death, as written about him (14:21a). Sadly, it would be harsh for the man who would betray him – it would have been better that he wasn’t born at all (14:21b). The Lord wasn’t predicting his future as much as how the betrayer would feel. (Jesus, however, never named that person.)

The omniscience of Jesus wasn’t limited to where he would celebrate the Passover but to his upcoming betrayal and the feelings of the betrayer. He would die a martyr for his people, but in the process, he would procure their salvation (10:45). That gave him the courage to endure his sufferings. If only the betrayer had listened to Jesus carefully, he wouldn’t have returned to him for forgiveness and acceptance after the betrayal.

Jesus knows our weaknesses and sins even before we commit them, and he sympathizes with our weaknesses and understands our failures. Wisdom is not running away from him but running towards him for reconciliation and love.