John 13:18-31
Notes
Transcript
“I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’
We should take great comfort in the fact that Jesus has chosen His followers. Those chosen, Christ Himself has chosen. Those chosen are known by Christ.
2 Timothy 2
Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
Jesus quotes :
Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me.
Psalm
Jesus repeatedly warned about someone within the ranks that would turn away.
John 6
(He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,
John 12:
The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.
He just stated that one of them was not clean:
Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”
John
Jesus was very aware of the ones He had chosen.
Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”
It was not oversight that Jesus chose Judas, knowing he would betray Him. Jesus knew this was to fulfill scripture.
In Middle Eastern culture, it was completely unheard of for those to accept hospitality of a shared meal to turn against their hosts. To show the bottom of one’s foot was great contempt.
“I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.
Jesus gives clearer insight and foresight to things to come. Jesus went to great lengths to show the truth of prophecy foretold:
He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.
Even in betrayal, there is good news. Redemption is coming and part of the redemption includes this betrayal.
Jesus is using language here that would help the disciples remember not only the teachings of Jesus, but also any teaching of God the Father they may have experienced.
“I am He.”
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
Who has done this and carried it through,
calling forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord—with the first of them
and with the last—I am he.”
Isaiah
“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor will there be one after me.
I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
This is a verse that is similar to others:
“He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.
“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
This is a followup to the words “I am He” that were in the previous verse. It also shows the connection between God the Father and God the Son. It gives and affirms the authority of God. The disciples are sent by Jesus who is sent by God. The disciples are representatives of God.
You and I are representatives of God.
Scottish Theologian William Barclay(1907-1978) said: Ambassadors do not go our as private individuals, armed with only their own personal qualities and qualifications. They go out with all the honor and glory of their country upon them. To listen to them is to listen to their country; to honor them is to honor the country they represent; to welcome them is to welcome the ruler who sent them out. The great honor and great responsibility of being pledged Christian is that we stand in the world for Jesus Christ. We speak for Him; we act for Him. The honor of the Eternal is in our hands.
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.”
This is the third time in our study of John that we see Jesus as TROUBLED.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
“Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.
Reminds me of the humanity of Jesus. The betrayal to Jesus caused Him anguish but does not take Him by surprise. The sins of those close to Jesus trouble Him.
Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
Yet they rebelled
and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he turned and became their enemy
and he himself fought against them.
For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.”
His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.
John 13:2
The disciples saw the troubled spirit of Jesus. They too were troubled at this news. We should be troubled with what troubles our Lord. Why?
They looked to see which disciple was the guilty one. Do you think they were looking to see whose face gave it away?
At the same time, the one who is going to betray recognizes that he is about to be exposed.
One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.
There are several instances of the phrase “The disciple whom Jesus loved” throughout John’s Gospel. Which disciple was it?
Does this indicate that Jesus loves some more than others?
No - It shows me that the one who felt this was perhaps the one who wrote and was in awe of the love given to him by Jesus. I cannot get over the fact that Jesus loves me so.
Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
I love this picture of the humanity of the disciples. We learn something, and we are more curious to know more details. The disciple whom Jesus loved was closest in physical proximity to Jesus. Peter wanted him to use his closeness to learn more.
Maybe Peter wanted to make sure it wasn’t him. Maybe Peter wanted to withdraw from that disciple.
Is it a reach for us to want to be like Peter, and ask those who are closest to Christ to ask Him questions for us?
Could this be seen as a prayer request?
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
The disciple whom Jesus loved was closest. He could most discreetly ask Jesus this question.
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 Iscariot, son of Simon.
It was the custom for the host of the meal to dip a morsel into a sauce and offer it as a token of love.
This was both a token of love for Judas and an answer to the beloved disciple’s question.
As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
“What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him,
Judas was given a morsel in love but Judas did not receive it in the love for which it was offered. We see earlier in that one of the 12 was a devil.
Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”
When we open the door for the influence of satan to come in, he comes in little by little until he has full possession. Here we see a more abundant possession of him.
Remember the story Jesus told about a spirit being taken out of the house but nothing was brought in to replace it?
Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”
Jesus did not give into the power of satan, but rather allowed Judas to give into the power of his choice. Having made his choice, Jesus directs Judas to do it quickly.
but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him.
What Jesus said was said quietly and perhaps John was too astonished to react.
Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor.
As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Darkness is of course the opposite of light. It is an example of those outside of Jesus’ reign.
Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.”
When people go away from Christ- they leave the light and darkness prevails. We have a choice of light and dark.