Do Quickly
Notes
Transcript
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 8 Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 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.” 22 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?” 26 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, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
“What you do, do quickly.”- v.27
This is an interesting statement the Lord spoke to Judas. “What you do, do quickly.” Why quickly? Perhaps John was writing to demonstrate that what was about to transpire needed to unfold in a timely manner. But we all know that everything happens according to God’s timing. So why must he do it “quickly?”
Upon reflecting of this, I have come to a couple of conclusions:
1) Jesus telling Judas to do his thing quickly, proves that Satan is Jesus’ pet.
Satan who seeks to lord power over us in our flesh to yield it for evil, Christ commands for our good. Jesus aware of the betrayal, allows such evil to happen so that His greatest act of glory may come to fruition. What Judas intends to do, Jesus commands him to do it quickly. This signifies that no one will take the life of Christ or raise one evil gesture against him without him knowing and without him bending it to his will and for our good. For what Judas will do, according to the Lord’s command, he will do quickly. Christ is in full control of his death and no one will outplay, outwit, or outlast him. His life He will lay down. It will not be taken, but given. You cannot steal one thing from the hand of Jesus. He is not surprised or blind sighted. He rules and reigns and even Satan must do his bidding. At this particular moment, what Satan wants to do, he must do quickly. Therefore, Satan works not from his own timing but according to the perfect and timely will of God. Satan is indeed God’s pet and like a dog who is told to “sit,” is told to “do quickly.”
2) What’s the rush?
Secondly, why is it that the Lord desires for it to be done “quickly?” In reflecting upon this what has come to my mind is that for generations God’s people have been calling out for swift and quick deliverance. Listen to their prayers:
1 O God, hasten to deliver me; O Lord, hasten to my help! 2 Let those be ashamed and humiliated Who seek my life; Let those be turned back and dishonored Who delight in my hurt. 3 Let those be turned back because of their shame Who say, “Aha, aha!” 4 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified.” 5 But I am afflicted and needy; Hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.
12 O God, do not be far from me; O my God, hasten to my help!
1 O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You!
7 Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails; Do not hide Your face from me, Or I will become like those who go down to the pit.
Though it may have seemed a long time coming, Jesus does move quickly to answer those prayers. After all, the work of Christ for us and our salvation takes place only over three days. The tall glass of wrath poured out on sin was consumed by Christ in but a moment. This shows that when the hour has come, God will not dilly dally, but do what must be done in haste. I have said it before and it bears repeating, at any moment anyone of us are only 24 hours from something new or different shaping our lives. One day we’re single ready to mingle, then the next day you’ve found someone you want to marry. We are all 24 hours away from something.
Even now we wait expectantly for our Lord’s return and hope that it will be soon. And just as His deliverance came upon all of us swiftly, so too, will his return be, for He says:
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Therefore, Jesus commands Judas to betray him quickly, so that our deliverance will come swiftly and the prayers of the people will all be answered.
You see a lot can happen in just one night. This dawn on me a few years ago when I wrote that poem which I have read or you have read devotionally for the last couple of years around this time. But tonight I would like to add a new stanza that accounts for all this. So bear with me as I strive to drive home the idea of how things can change in just one night:
How in jubilee
can we welcome this deadly plight?
Is it not because
a lot can happen in just one night…
From Thursday’s gathering in a room
Where the last meal will be consumed
The morsels of bread are given in thanks
The cup is passed but only one will drink
The wrath of God who can satisfy?
Can you bring to life a man who will die?
Betrayed by a friend with a kiss from his lips.
The crafty serpent enters
and Man’s allegiance shifts.
At the command of Jesus, his betrayal will come quickly
showing his authority over his own enemy.
For the prayers of the people to be delivered in haste
will be accomplished by Jesus with no time to waste.
For a lot can happen in just one night
One is captured while others take flight.
Faithful friends turn into fleeing foes
But not all is lost or so the story goes
By Friday He stands in the courtyard of men
What’s about to happen doesn’t seem like a win
He was bound by shackles oh so very tight
His body beaten and still He doesn’t fight
Falsely accused, and no sin is committed
Yet the court gives its verdict
that He is guilt ridden
The penalty was paid
and all who gathered could see it
His body laid
and the disciples who scattered came to see it
A lot can happen in just one night
Men try to kill God with all their might
Death on a cross and a body laid to rest
The Son of God lays quiet in earth’s breast
The Silent sleep until Sunday morn
But new life is about to be reborn
The Marys approach and gaze up at the tomb
“Someone stole the body,” one could assume
But the angel perched upon that stony rock
Told them the shepherd’s alive,
and go tell the flock
Amazed and bewildered they were all in disbelief
Until Jesus appeared holding death on a leash
A lot can happen in just one night
The dead are not left to suffer their plight
A man who can die does live again
How much more can it vanquish your sin
From struggles, and challenges,
and the whole sinful lot
There is nothing
that Jesus’ blood has not bought
The first light of the day
is the most precious sight
That a lot can happen in just one night
What you have done, or where you have been
Can all have a new start as a new day begins
This week we celebrate
by the light of the morning Sun
That Jesus crushed death, Satan,
and his lying tongue
There we will stand
at the morning of Easter
Celebrating the works of Christ
that made Him our Victor
The power of sin and death
may seem an unscalable height
But remember a lot can happen in just one night