By Beverly Conover
What an amazing, rich portion of Scripture we get to dive into!!
I’d like to show glimpses of Jesus’ love woven through it, how three different individuals, (John, Judas, and Peter), were affected by that love, and end with some questions for us to ask ourselves about our response to Jesus’ love.
Let’s begin with verses 18-21:
John 13:18 I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen, but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me’ 19” From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. 20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray me.”
Jesus starts out this section referring again to the one of the twelve that did not believe in Him, that was not “washed all over” that He mentioned before He washed their feet. The Scripture He refers to is Psalm 41 .
Psalm 41:7-9 All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt, saying 8 “A wicked thing is poured out upon him That when he lies down, he will not rise up again.” 9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”
Picture this: Your enemies have jumped you, beat you and knocked you down. You see your friend coming. You are hoping for help. But he comes and lifts up his heel to stomp you while you’re down. This is the picture David paints in Psalm 41, talking about what was happening to
him, but also prophesying about what would happen to Jesus.
In John 13:19, Jesus was telling his disciples this was going to happen out of love for them, so that they would know this was part of God’s plan, that it did not take Him by surprise. That He was the I AM (He is in italics, meaning that it was added for clarity). That He is God. What love and care motivated everything He did!!
In verses 20 & 21 Truly, truly precedes what Jesus is telling His disciples. Truly, truly, I say to you…Truly is the Greek amēn, from which we get our word, amen. Used at the end of a statement or prayer it means “so be it”. Used before a statement it emphasizes that it is absolutely true and that the person speaking has firsthand knowledge and authority concerning it. He who receives whomever I send receives Me… He has the authority as the I AM to send them after His resurrection to “make disciples of all nations” (Mathew 28:18-20). More immediately, Jesus is pointing out the seriousness of not receiving Him (as was true of Judas), therefore rejecting God the Father as well.
Why was Jesus “troubled it spirit”?
-In His humanity, feeling the weight of the betrayal to come
-Grieving over Judas’ choice to not repent, to reject His love
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (NKJV)
John 13: 22-25 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. 23 There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom
Jesus loved. 24 So Simon Peter gestured to him and said to him, “Tell us who it is of
whom He is speaking.” 25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”
In accounts of this same time in Matthew 26:22 the disciples were saying, “surely not I” and in Luke 22:23 “they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.” It seems the disciples were finally paying attention to what Jesus
was saying about his betrayal. They were looking at themselves and also at one another with distrust. There was reclining on Jesus bosom one of his disciples…John, throughout the gospel he wrote, never mentions himself by name (see John1:37, 18:15, 19:26-27, 20:2-9, 21:7,20,24).
As was the custom in that time and place, they were reclining on mats or cushions at a low table. John was leaning back on Jesus’ chest. one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. In the Aramaic the translation reads: ‘whom Jesus showed mercy to.’ This reference to himself shows, not that he viewed himself as Jesus’ favorite, but his deep awareness, appreciation, and gratitude for Jesus’ love and mercy to him—drawing him to want to be close to his Messiah.
This same John was at Cana and saw Jesus turn water into wine; was on the Mount of Transfigura0on with Him; witnessed many, many of His miracles. This is John who was being transformed from a “Son of Thunder” into “the disciple whom Jesus loved”.
John 13:26-30 “Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him. So, when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot 27 After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore, Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”28 Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him.29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that
Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor.30 So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately, and it was night.”
Let’s take a closer look at Judas. What do glimpses of him in other passages show us about his character?
John 12:3-6 “Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples who was intending to betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” 6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.”
So, Judas was a thief and a hypocrite and was moving toward becoming a traitor.
Matthew 26:14-16 “Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to pay me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. 16 From then on, he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.”
Judas was a traitor, driven by personal gain and, perhaps wanting to force Jesus to take over political power from the Romans. What blinded Judas to who Jesus was? Unconfessed sin: deceit, greed, ambition. He closed his heart to Jesus and kept opening it to Satan until Satan finally entered him and took up full control. When Jesus told Satan-controlled Judas to leave quickly he had to do it.
Jesus has authority over Satan and his demons. In 1 John 4:4B he says to those who belong to Jesus, “…greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” When Jesus cast out demons from many, Heshowed his authority over Satan and all his minions.
“and it was night.”What a tragedy to leave the One who IS the Light (John 1:4-5)and choose the darkness.
John 3:19 says “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”
A commentator writes about Judas , “Jesus invited him to be his follower. Jesus took him as one of the twelve. He prayed over him. He taught him in secret when no other ears could hear, just those twelve. He entrusted him with their finances. He washed his feet. He even gave him the privileged piece of bread at the Last Supper. Jesus did everything to say to this man, “Open your
heart.”
And the mystery to me is that he said no.”
John 13:31-35 Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself and will glorify Him immediately. 33 “Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, “Where I am going, you
cannot come. 34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
Satan has been banished from the room and Jesus talks to the rest of His disciples about God being glorified through His obedience (as it says in Philippians 2:8 “even to death on a cross.”).
In John 17:4 Jesus prays to the Father, “I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work which You gave Me to do.”
Jesus is looking forward to His resurrection and return to heaven to the glory he had with the Father “before the world was”. (John 17:5) In light of His coming crucifixion, Jesus gives his disciples a new (fresh, novel) commandment: to love one another as He has loved them: self-sacrificing, agape love. He knows that they will only be able to do this through His future gift to them of the Holy Spirit.
John 13:36-38 “Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow later. 37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly I say to you, a rooster will not crow un0l you deny Me three times.”
Here is dear Peter, fiercely loyal to Jesus but depending on his own power. Not submitted to Jesus, wanting his own will, not seeking his Messiah’s. This has been a problem in the past.
Matthew 16:21-23 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders, and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s”
Jesus loved Peter enough to tell him the truth: he will deny the One whom he had confessed as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Not once, but three times!
The wonderful thing is that Peter humbled himself, accepted his risen Savior’s forgiveness and truly became a Jesus follower. (see John 21:15-19 ).
In closing, here are some questions I have been asking myself and wanted to share with you to think about:
- Do I have areas in my heart I’m not allowing Jesus to shine His light on and free me from?
- Is the cry of my heart to receive Jesus’ love daily, lean on Him, grow always closer to my beloved Savior?
- Am I trying to do things in my own strength, according to my plan, not God’s?
- Am I TRULY loving my sisters and brothers with self-sacrificing love, in the power of the Holy Spirit?
Bibliography
NASB Thinline Bible (1995 Translation) Published 2020 by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
The Passion Translation: The New Testament with Psalms, Proverbs and Song of Songs
2nd Edition. Published by Broadstreet Publishing Group, LLC
hopeofchrist.net “Glory in the midst of Betrayal (John 13:21-38) by Rich Leino October 15, 2017/John Sermons
Be Transformed (John 13-21): Christ’s Triumph Means Your Transformation (The BE series Commentary) by Warren Wiersbe
Christianity.com “Did Judas Have Free Will?” by Hope Bollinger updated 9/27/2022
gotquestions.org “What Does Jesus Mean When He Says “Verily, verily or Truly, truly” in the gospels? reviewed by S. Michael Houdmann
preachingtoday.com “Judas: Blinded by Desire” by Douglas J. Rumford, pastor First Presbyterian Church, Fresno, California
lccoc.net “A Heel Lifted Against, A Heel Lifted and Washed” by Jason Hardin 1/25/17 Pivalls