The Gospel According to John: 13:18-38

Series Introduction:

The theme verse for our series is John 20:31

John 20:31 – “…these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”

The “these” John is referring to are the seven recorded SIGNS/miracles and the seven recoded “I Am” STATEMENTS of Jesus. John focused on those 14 key SIGNS and STATEMENTS in order to show us that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the World because He’s God’s only begotten Son. God had John write these things so that we would believe and put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ so that by the grace of God we would be FREED from the penalty of our sin and given life to the FULL here on earth and life FOREVER in heaven.

Recap/review/summary:

Sign 1: Water into wine (John 2)

Sign 2: Royal officer’s won healed (John 2)

Sing 3: Lame man healed on Sabbath (John 5)

Sign 4: Feeding the 5 thousand (John 6)

Sign 5: Man born blind given sight (John 9)

Sign 6: Lazarus raised from the dead (John 11)

Sign 7: *(John 20)

I Am Statement 1: The Bread of Life (John 6)

I Am Statement 2: The Light of the World (John 8 & John 9)

I Am Statement 3: The Door (John 10)

I Am Statement 4: The Good Shepherd (John 10)

I Am Statement 5: The Resurrection and the Life (John 11)

I Am Statement 6: *(John 14)

I Am Statement 7: *(John 15)

John 13:18–38 (NASB)

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.” 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. 31 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.” 36 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 until you deny Me three times.

We are going to zoom in on verses 34-35. Pretty much everything else we are reading today revolves around these two verses.

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.”

The CHRIST who loves.

(v. 1) “...having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

“...Christ ... who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Ephesians 5:2 (ESV)

...Christ loved us and gave himself up for us...

Romans 8:37–39 (ESV)

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The COMMAND to love.

(v. 34) “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.”

John 15:12 (NASB)

12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

John 15:17 (NASB)

17 “This I command you, that you love one another.

1 John 3:11 (ESV)

11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 John 3:23 (ESV)

23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

1 Peter 1:22–23 (ESV)

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

Romans 13:8 (ESV)

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Leviticus 19:18 (ESV)

18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

The CASE for love.

(v. 34b) 34 “...even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

1 John 4:9–11 (ESV)

9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:19 (ESV)

19 We love because he first loved us.

Ephesians 5:2 (ESV)

...walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us...

Romans 5:8 (NASB)

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Psalm 48:9 (ESV)

9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.

The CONFIRMATION of love.

(v. 35) 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

1 John 3:10 (NASB)

10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:14 (ESV)

14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

1 John 4:7–8 (ESV)

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Matthew 5:14–16 (NASB)

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Memory Verse of the Week:

Philemon 4 (NASB)

4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

Discussion Questions: (John 13:18-38)

What was the purpose of Jesus’ words? (v. 18-19)

Why does Jesus send us to others? (v. 20)

What do you think were the reasons Jesus was troubled? (v. 21)

Why do you think the disciples were so confused? (v. 22-25)

How does Psalm 41:9 help us understand what Jesus did here? (v. 26)

Why do you think Satan entered into Judas after he was given the morsel? (v. 27)

If the disciples in the upper room missed the point, what does that say about us? (v. 28-30)

In what ways was glory brought to God in the betrayal of Judas? (v. 31-32)

How might you have felt if you were a disciple hearing these words? (v. 33)

What are the specifics of the new commandment? (v. 34-35) What are the purposes of the new commandment?

What Jesus telling Peter about his present and future? (v 36)

What does Peter’s promise and the prophecy from Jesus tell us about Peter? (v. 37-38) What do they tell us about us?

What else were you taught about God in this passage?

What else did the text teach you about yourself?

Did anything else in these verses stick out to you?

How do you believe God is leading you to respond to His word?