Jesus Loved Judas

John 13:1–5 ESV

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Jesus served the disciples

taught them about what it means to be a servant

servant not greater than his master

nor student greater than his teacher

John 13:17

John 13:17–20 ESV

If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them

powerful words

Jesus knows that Judas is going to betray Him

washed his feet anyways

He said that if we receive the HS that we receive Him

and that if we receive Him that we receive the Father

THAT IS HIS GOAL

John 13:21-

John 13:21–26 ESV

After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

3 things are obvious to me in this passage:

Jesus knew who was going to betray Him

Jesus spoke to them in a way that it was not obvious to the other 11 disciples

Jesus spoke clearly enough that Judas knew

Did Jesus really know? & How long did Jesus know?

This was before the dinner so He at least knew that week

Jesus had taught about eternal life - He is the bread of life

and then He says that He is going to go to be with the Father

John 6:67–71 ESV

So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

John 6:67

Jesus is quoting from

Psalm 41:9 ESV

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.

close friend:

On the night when Jesus was betrayed

how did Judas signal to them who Jesus was?

Matthew 26:48 ESV

Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.”

look at Jesus’ response

Matthew 26:49–50 ESV

And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.

“It’d be easy to read Jesus’ reply as sarcastic, but that reading would be wrong.  It’s Judas who feigns/fakes intimacy, kissing Christ and calling Him “Rabbi.”  In doing so, as one of my friends noted last night, he shows his lack of faith.  Throughout it all, he always refers to Christ as “Rabbi” (see, e.g., , ), instead of calling Him “Lord,” as the others do (see, e.g., , , ).  He still thinks Jesus is a mere teacher. Jesus’ response is devastating love: He again shows Judas that He sees through his deceptions, and once more calls Judas to intimate friendship.”

What am I trying to say?

Jesus was friends with and friendly towardsJudas

some of you are thinking well that didn’t work out so good for Him

but we are missing the fact that Jesus was friends with Judas not because He didn’t know that He would be betrayed

He was friends with Judas because He wanted to give Judas full opportunity to become friends with Jesus and be saved

I have been friends and friendly towards people who I knew could betray me

it was because I desired for them to see Jesus more than I fear being hurt by a betrayer

Jesus spent 3 years with Judas

teaching

building relationship

serving

Why?

to show us that sometimes we will pour ourselves into people and they may never catch Jesus but we should give it a full effort anyways

Just because Judas betrayed Jesus doesn’t mean that he was the only one with potential to do it

Peter denied Jesus 3 times in the final hours but it turned him to repentance

It is not our responsibility to determine who is fake and who is real

it’s our responsibility to show people who Jesus is and to teach them His ways

The second big lesson that I see here:

While Jesus was friends and friendly to Judas

He also spoke truth

He shown Judas that He knew

He did it in a way that He was quiet and gentle

people often feel that the loudest one

most vocal

is the one who is right but Jesus spoke in such a way that others did not look down on Judas but Judas knew that he was doing wrong

many of us get this wrong

we assume that the loudest voice is right but Jesus often speaks in a still small voice

assuming louder is better we like to take our truth and turn it into dirt by spreading it to the world to hear

yet we fail to do as Jesus commanded and speak to our brother or sister when we have an issue with them or if they are struggling

Jesus spoke to Judas and Judas knew what he should do

but remember what Jesus said earlier

all of them knew the truth but they didn’t all receive Him

We cannot control what others will or will not receive

we can control whether or not we speak truth to them

Matt 18:15

Matthew 18:15–20 ESV

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

1st private

hopes of winning your brother

then 2 or 3

then church

if he refuses then he will be like a gentile and a tax collector

avoid them

if they do not receive the truth

so we had better be certain that the things that we make a big deal are truly a big deal because to follow Jesus’ process here is serious

but when someone is not living as God has shown us to live then we are responsible to speak truth to them

Just as Judas walked away from Jesus after giving him a kiss of betrayal with a bag full of money and then in his own misery took his own life

we will have some who after we speak truth to them will choose to walk away because they refuse to follow the true way that Jesus has for them

not about me

it’s not about you

this is about showing the world who Jesus is and trying to lead people to Salvation in Jesus