Episode 91 - "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." John 13:16-20

16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 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.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

This is another case of where do we begin and when do we stop. These few verses have so much to say to us. Allow me first to draw your attention to the fact that in these five verses, there are two “Truly, truly” statements. When Jesus says that, it means “Listen up!” The first is to make the point that “a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” Jesus is not bragging. He’s calling attention to what they have acknowledged themselves. In this context, he reinforces the need for the disciples to be humble towards each other and serve each other. If Jesus can humbly serve others, then we have absolutely no excuse to think of ourselves as superior to others around us. In fact, Jesus doesn’t stop there with that exhortation. In verse 17, he recognizes the potential for them to understand this truth in their mind, but fail to act upon it. He encourages them to let what they know translate into what they do. If they know they should be humble and serve others, then they should do it. It is too easy for us to placate ourselves by acknowledging what is good and right. But, it can be harder to turn those beliefs into actions.

Once again, Jesus indicates that this will not apply to everyone; only to those who truly belong to him. He quotes Psalm 41:9 as a prophetic word regarding Judas Iscariot who would betray Jesus. Then, he explains that he is telling them this now, even though they don’t understand it, in order that they will put the pieces together later and realize that Jesus knows everything. They will ultimately understand that he has divine knowledge and they will truly understand and value that he is God.

In verse 20 we have the second of these “Truly, truly” statements: “whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” On the surface, this may sound like Jesus is changing subjects. But, it is no coincidence that Jesus has just given his disciples a lesson on serving others, and information that will help them understand that he really is the unique Son of God and is now speaking of those he will send. Who could that be? His disciples of course. He will send them to serve others and to tell people who Jesus is. This statement is to encourage them that there will be people who will listen to their message about Jesus and believe them. Furthermore, they are not just believing the disciples, but also the Son who sent them and the Father who sent the Son. 

What would you think if someone told you that you could tell other people that a man named Jesus is the Son of God, that he willingly died on a cross to accept the punishment for our sin against God, that he conquered death and will someday return to raise us from the dead . . .  and that people would believe you? That would be hard to believe. It’s an amazing claim. 

In our society today there are many people who deny or at least question the existence of God. That’s not to mention the number of people who believe in a god or gods, but don’t know about or believe the God in the Bible is the only or true God. Yet, that is the mission for which Jesus will soon send his disciples and within a matter of a few hundred years, it would become a world religion. 

The only explanation that people would believe us is the power of the good news of Jesus. It is a divine message that has changed the hearts and minds of countless people regardless of how crazy it might seem on the surface.

The challenge to us is whether we will carry that torch and communicate the message of Jesus to others.