John: The Example of Love
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Kids, What’s the nicest thing that you could do for someone else?
How can you show someone that you love them?
In our passage today, Jesus is going to tell us how we are to love one another, and it is harder than you think! Love is not just something you say, it is something you do!
See if you can count how many times I use the word “Love” this morning!
We’re working our way through The Gospel of John.
This is a record of the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was written so that you may believe and have life yourself! It is not merely story of an interesting historical figure, it is a life-giving message to those who will receive it!
We are going piece by piece through this message of life, looking at each bit in turn.
We’re fast approaching the climax of the story, but while we have ominous clouds looming on the horizon, Jesus is doing a last minute intensive with his disciples. They have been in his school of discipleship for 3 years, but that time is soon coming to an end. In these last hours John records several teaching opportunities that Jesus uses.
In particular, these lessons seem to highlight how the disciples are to live as disciples once Jesus has gone. Their discipleship doesn’t end when Jesus wasn’t physically around, but Jesus gets them ready for it. How should they live when Jesus isn’t there?
Last time we looked at the example of humility as the Creator of the Universe stooped to wash grime from feet like a slave. We disciples are to follow his example, in stooping low to humbly love and serve one another.
Now the theme of love continues, but as John records Jesus teaching on love, it is offset against two examples of not love - one which is born out of greed and one which is born out of pride & cowardice.
There are three sections in our passage, and I have drawn 3 applications to go with them.
Jesus Knows your Betrayal
Jesus Knows your Betrayal
This is the first application. Jesus knows everything, he knows your heart, he knows your future actions. Nothing is hidden from God.
Lets see how this comes from the passage.
John didn’t go to a modern narrative writing school, so he doesn’t follow our conventions of keeping the plot twist hidden to the last minute! Instead he just gives away information whenever it suits the purpose of the book. In Ch 6 John had already tipped us off to the fact that on of the 12 Disciples would betray Jesus, and in the previous passage during the foot washing we were told:
John 13:2 (ESV)
... the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,
and,
John 13:10–11 (ESV)
[Jesus said] “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
Jesus knew who was to betray him from the start. He loved and served Judas Iscariot. He cared for him and taught him. Judas traveled with the disciples and saw great signs. He would have had amazing experiences at Jesus side. Yet Judas would reject the love and kindness of God for selfish pleasures.
We already know that Judas pilfered from the shared money bag on the sly, and soon enough he would be willing to betray his master for 30 pieces of silver.
Jesus knew what was coming, including the weightiness of the task ahead of him. So he said:
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.
“Very truly” - something important to say!
How do the disciples respond to this news?
Appropriately - they know they could be the “weak link”. No one is looking at Judas and saying “it’s obviously him…
Peter wants to find out who it is! So he get’s John’s attention to ask Jesus...
One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
The “disciples whom Jesus loved” is most likely the Apostle John. John is reticent to bring himself into the story, so he gives himself an name which is no-name.
So John’s there right next to Jesus, Peter is further away and catches John’s attention “ask Him who he means” - So John being closer, asks. Presumably it is done quietly so that others can’t hear.
Jesus gives the set-up, a secret signal to reveal who the betrayer is. He’s going to dip the bread and give it to the betrayer. Presumably this is a sign of honor and hospitality, like someone pouring someone else a drink.
To the surprise of no one who has been reading the story, Jesus dips the bread and gives it to Judas. But even though we readers know who the betrayer was, the disciples in that room didn’t know, until that moment!
Jesus seems to do this secretly, just so John, and maybe Peter know who the betrayer was now. It wouldn’t makes sense to announce this publically.
This moment literally fulfills the prophecy from Ps 41:9 we read about last week: “He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.” - Jesus gave Judas bread, and now he will betray him. But this has a symbolic meaning, Jesus is the King who has given blessing and kindness to his subject Judas, and yet Judas is going to reject it all.
We already know that the devil had put into Judas heart the idea to betray Judas, he had basically made up his mind.
But now, at the moment when he took the bread, Satan entered Him. He was now possessed by Satan to do the abhorrent deed. He was totally given over.
Judas was responsible and accountable, he was not a victim in this story. He did what he did out of his own volition, yet it was all part of God’s plan & design to have Judas betray Jesus by the influence of Satan.
Satan thought he had a spy in the inner circle of Jesus. Satan thought he was gaining the upper hand by flipping Judas and having Jesus executed. Yet he was just playing into God’s hands!
Jesus tells Judas “What you are about to do, do quickly.” - Surely Judas has now cottoned onto the fact that Jesus knows his betrayal. He has just announced that he will be betrayed, and he singles Judas out to say “What you are about to do, do quickly.”. I guess that Judas felt like he was now sprung, and so he hurries off to spring the trap before it’s too late.
No-one else understands why Jesus said this:
But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
So no-one else catches the true meaning of what Jesus said. I don't think any of them really expected that everything would come to a head in only a few hours time and that nothing would be the same for them again.
Coming back to the application: Jesus know your betrayal.
Jesus knew Judas’ betrayal, and as we will see later, he knew Peter’s betrayal too.
Jesus knows your betrayals.
Nothing is hidden from God. He knows our most intimate thoughts. He is not surprised by what we have done, or what we will do to fail him in the future.
Our sin is a betrayal of God
it is a failure to trust Him and instead we substitute our own will.
It is undermining his leadership and authority over all creation.
It is rejecting his good design for our lives and choosing death
We are all guilty of betraying the Lord. None of us have sold Jesus for money, but we can end up there.
The deceitfulness of sin leads us into ever deepening destruction. It starts with scooping a little off the top of the money bag and ends in taking bribes.
It starts with being ashamed of Christ in the workplace and ends in a rejection of Christ altogether.
Your “guilty pleasure”, your “white lies” are not harmless, it is playing with matches in a dry forest. One minute you’re in control of a little fire, the next there is a raging blaze that 100 fire trucks can’t put out!
(Some of you here are only here because it is expedient, and you are looking for your chance to throw it all away when something “better” comes along, like Judas. Once you were convinced of your need for Jesus, but now it doesn’t seem so important.)
We have all betrayed Jesus in one way or another. But what will you do next?
Betrayal followed by despair or indifference? Fear your fate.
Betrayal followed by repentance? Fear God and rest in mercy.
Christ forgives betrayal. He is merciful. He forgives all who turn to him!
He laid down his life in love to redeem us from the consequences we deserve! We all should be convicted of treason and imprisoned, yet God loved us by sending his son to die for us, and set us free from sin.
Speaking of that love - it is our next application!
Love one Another
Love one Another
In stark opposition to betrayal of the Lord for money, Jesus commands active love. A love that should characterise Jesus disciples! Like always, Jesus is the example of that love!
Lets see what he says.
When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
This happens after Judas has left. Keep that in your mind when you’re reading the next chapters here. Judas is off laying the trap.
So, even though Jesus is being betrayed, and his arrest, torture and death are imminent, he says “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him” - this “hour” this time is the time when Jesus is glorified, and by extension the God-head is glorified. He’s not making the best of a bad situation - this is the plan for God’s glory.
God works all things together for the good of those who are called. The most awful things and painful trials are somehow part of the revelation of God’s glory. We can’t always see the specifics, but eventually it will be revealed! Just like here...
Jesus drops this deep truth bomb “God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.” The work of Jesus is intimately connected with the will and glory of God.
1 God in three persons - carrying out the same will. When you see Jesus, you see the Father. What Jesus does is for the glory of the Father, and the father is glorifying the Son.
The Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God like the water covers the sea.
This glory will be revealed in the great act of Love that Jesus will soon undertake - the high point of his earthly ministry.
This means he will be going away soon - he will depart bodily from among them, and they will be left behind for a time. They can’t come with him into the atoning work of salvation.
But, He wants his followers to follow him by loving in the same way that Jesus loves. Even if they can’t atone for people’s sin, they can use their lives in service to others.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
If you have read John’s letters to the church (1, 2 & 3 John) this would sound very familiar. This is a big theme of John’s letters.
Followers of Jesus are called to love one another completely. But this is no mere suggestion, this is a command. It is binding on you!
We buck under the constraints of command - we would rather look for excuses to get out of it, but we must humble ourselves under God, and live in humility toward one another by loving our neighbor as our self.
What does this command look like?
Love looks like laying down your life for one another, that means instead of being headstrong and prideful, being willing to forgo your own rights and desires for the sake of others.
Corinthian love RE meat & alcohol, Holy days.
Sacrificing time to serve and help others.
Living with people who are difficult to get along with, loving even your enemies.
forgiving the sins of others against you
spending money and resources on others.
Put your life on the line to protect and defend.
You cannot have love one for another if you isolate yourselves off from God’s people or keep your distance.
Rightly ordered loves - Love God, love those closest (i.e. family), then love the church (the people of God). But these are not in conflict, it is just ordered so that if there is a tension, we know which one takes precedence. Families should organize themselves to be freer to show love to others - make serving others a family activity.
“New”? - renewed, refreshed. It is a renewal of the ancient command that was an the centre of even the Old Covenant Law - Jesus summarized the two greatest commandments as love God and love one another.
Here Jesus is the great example of that! And he demands that His people copy his pattern.
This will be an identifying mark of Jesus’ people - the world should see that our actions match our words. That we have real true abiding love for one another. It will be attractive (this isn’t the same this as the Gospel).
Jesus is the true example of love:
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
The disciple Peter thinks he will do this great act of love, but he is actually making empty promises, which leads us to the final application:
Jesus knows your Empty Promises
Jesus knows your Empty Promises
Peter tries to express love with Words, all the while Jesus knows that the words of love are empty.
Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
Peter picks up on the fact Jesus is leaving. He doesn’t understand.
He says he will make the ultimate sacrifice for Jesus!
Great irony, because a) that’s what Jesus is about to do for Peter, not the other way round, and b) Peter will fail at the first test, and then twice again.
Peter talks a big game - but there is no substance to back it up.
Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
Peter will fall at the first step. He will not even stand up to the awkwardness of being associated with Jesus, let alone lay down his life for Jesus.
Just in case it was a one time slip, he will do it three times!
Jesus knows the empty promises better than we do ourselves.
This leaves Peter in a position of being separated for Jesus, but unlike Judas who offs himself, Peter would repent.
Don’t lie to God! Don’t lie to others.
Better to be truthful, even when it is uncomfortable.
It might feel spiritual to make lofty promises to God, but you may be setting yourself up to fail.
Let your yes be yes, and no be no. - with God & others
So What?
So What?
Jesus knows your betrayal -
Love one Another
Jesus knows your empty promises -
References:
Carson’s Pillar Commentary on John.
Hutcheson’s commentary on John
Hendrickson’s commentary on John
Sermons by Richard D. Philips,
Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version. Orlando, FL; Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2005.
Phillips, Richard D. John. Edited by Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani. 1st ed. Vol. 1 & 2 of Reformed Expository Commentary. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2014.